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  • MIL-OSI Global: When Elvis and Ella were pressed onto X-rays – the subversive legacy of Soviet ‘bone music’

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Richard Gunderman, Chancellor’s Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University

    In the Soviet Union, some clever people realized that X-ray film was just soft enough to be etched by a sound recording device. Michelle Mengsu Chang/Toronto Star via Getty Images

    When Western Electric invented electrical sound recording 100 years ago, it completely transformed the public’s relationship to music.

    Before then, recording was done mechanically, scratching sound waves onto rolled paper or a cylinder. Such recordings suffered from low fidelity and captured only a small segment of the audible sound spectrum.

    By using electrical microphones, amplifiers and electromechanical recorders, record companies could capture a far wider range of sound frequencies, with much higher fidelity. For the first time, recorded sound closely resembled what a live listener would hear. Over the ensuing years, sales of vinyl records and record players boomed.

    The technology also allowed some enterprising music fans to make recordings in surprising and innovative ways. As a physician and scholar in the medical humanities, I am fascinated by the use of X-ray film to make recordings – what was known as “bone music,” or “ribs.”

    This rather bizarre, homemade technology became a way to skirt censors in the Soviet Union – and even played an indirect role in its dissolution.

    Skirting the Soviet censorship regime

    At the end of World War II, Soviet censorship shifted into high gear in an effort to suppress a Western culture deemed threatening or decadent.

    Many books and poems could circulate only through “samizdat,” a portmanteau of “self” and “publishing” that involved the use of copy machines to reproduce forbidden texts. Punishments inflicted on Soviet artists and citizens for producing or disseminating censored materials included loss of employment, imprisonment in gulags and even execution.

    The phonographic analog of samizdat was often referred to as “roentgenizdat,” which was derived from the name of Wilhelm Roentgen, the German scientist who received the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901 for his discovery of X-rays.

    Roentgen’s work revolutionized medicine, making it possible to peer inside the living human body without cutting it open and enabling physicians to more easily and accurately diagnose skeletal fractures and diseases such as pneumonia.

    Today, X-rays are produced and stored digitally. But for most of the 20th century they were created on photographic film and stored in large film libraries, which took up a great deal of space.

    Because exposed X-ray films cannot be reused, hospitals often recycled them to recoup the silver they contained.

    Making music from medicine

    In the Soviet Union in the 1940s, some clever people realized that X-ray film was just soft enough to be etched by an electromechanical lathe, or sound recording device.

    To make a “rib,” or “bone record,” they would use a compass to trace out a circle on an exposed X-ray film that might bear the image of a patient’s skull, spine or hands. They then used scissors to cut out the circle, before cutting a small hole in the middle so it would fit on a conventional record player.

    Then they would use a recording device to cut either live sound or, more commonly, a bootleg record onto the X-ray film. Sound consists of vibrations that the lathe’s stylus etches into grooves on the disc. Such devices were not widely available, meaning that only a relatively small number of people could produce such recordings.

    A disc-cutting lathe demonstrates the production of an X-ray record at a 2021 exhibition in Berlin, Germany.
    Adam Berry/Getty Images

    The censors kept a close eye on record companies. But anyone who could obtain a recording device could record music on pieces of X-ray film, and these old films could be obtained after hospitals threw them out or purchased at a relatively low price from hospital employees.

    Compared with professionally produced vinyl records, the sound quality was poor, with recordings marred by extraneous noises such as hisses and crackles. The records could be played only a limited number of times before the grooves would wear out.

    Nonetheless, these resourceful recordings were shared, bought and sold entirely outside of official channels into the 1960s and 1970s.

    A window into another life

    Popular artists “on the bone” included Ella Fitzgerald and Elvis Presley, whose jazz and rock ’n’ roll recordings, to the ears of many Soviet citizens, represented freedom and self-expression.

    In his book “Bone Music,” cultural historian Stephen Coates describes how Soviet authorities viewed performers such as The Beatles as toxic because they appeared to promote a brand of amoral hedonism and distracted citizens from Communist party priorities.

    One Soviet critic of bone music recalled of its purveyors:

    “It is true that from time to time they are caught, their equipment confiscated, and they may even be brought to court. But then they may be released and be free to go wherever they like. The judges decide that they are, of course, parasites, but they are not dangerous. They are getting suspended sentences! But these record producers are not just engaged in illegal operations. They corrupt young people diligently and methodically with a squeaky cacophony and spread explicit obscenities.”

    Bone music was inherently subversive.

    For one thing, it was against the law. Moreover, the music itself suggested that a different sort of life is possible, beyond the strictures of Communist officials. How could a political system that prohibited beautiful music, many asked, possibly merit the allegiance of its citizens?

    The ability of citizens to get around the censors and spread Western thought, whether through books or bone music, helped chip away at the government’s legitimacy.

    One Soviet-era listener Coates interviewed long after the USSR’s collapse described the joy of listening to these illicit recordings:

    “I was lifted up off the ground, I started flying. Rock’n’roll showed me a new world, a world of music, words, and feelings, of life, of a different lifestyle. That’s why, when I got my first records, I became a happy man. I felt like a changed person, it was as if I was born again.”

    The playing of a bootleg record from the Soviet Union, recorded on an X-ray negative.

    Richard Gunderman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. When Elvis and Ella were pressed onto X-rays – the subversive legacy of Soviet ‘bone music’ – https://theconversation.com/when-elvis-and-ella-were-pressed-onto-x-rays-the-subversive-legacy-of-soviet-bone-music-251885

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Critical minerals don’t belong in landfills – microwave tech offers a cleaner way to reclaim them from e-waste

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Terence Musho, Associate Professor of Engineering, West Virginia University

    Broken electronics still contain valuable critical minerals. Beeldbewerking/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    When the computer or phone you’re using right now blinks its last blink and you drop it off for recycling, do you know what happens?

    At the recycling center, powerful magnets will pull out steel. Spinning drums will toss aluminum into bins. Copper wires will get neatly bundled up for resale. But as the conveyor belt keeps rolling, tiny specks of valuable, lesser-known materials such as gallium, indium and tantalum will be left behind.

    Those tiny specks are critical materials. They’re essential for building new technology, and they’re in short supply in the U.S. They could be reused, but there’s a problem: Current recycling methods make recovering critical minerals from e-waste too costly or hazardous, so many recyclers simply skip them.

    Sadly, most of these hard-to-recycle materials end up buried in landfills or get mixed into products like cement. But it doesn’t have to be this way. New technology is starting to make a difference.

    A treasure trove of critical materials is often overlooked in e-waste, including gallium in LEDs, indium in LCDs, and tantalum in surface mount capacitors.
    Ansan Pokharel/West Virginia University, CC BY

    As demand for these critical materials keeps growing, discarded electronics can become valuable resources. My colleagues and I at West Virginia University are developing a new technology to change how we recycle. Instead of using toxic chemicals, our approach uses electricity, making it safer, cleaner and more affordable to recover critical materials from electronics.

    How much e-waste are we talking about?

    Americans generated about 2.7 million tons of electronic waste in 2018, according to the latest federal data. Including uncounted electronics, a survey by the United Nations suggests that the U.S. recycles only about 15% of its total e-waste.

    Even worse, nearly half the electronics that people in Northern America sent to recycling centers end up shipped overseas. They often land in scrapyards, where workers may use dangerous methods like burning or leaching using harsh chemicals to pull out valuable metals. These practices can harm both the environment and workers’ health. That’s why the Environmental Protection Agency restricts these methods in the U.S.

    The tiny specks matter

    Critical minerals are in most of the technology around you. Every phone screen has a super-thin layer of a material called indium tin oxide. LEDs glow because of a metal called gallium. Tantalum stores energy in tiny electronic parts called capacitors.

    All of these materials are flagged as “high risk” on the U.S. Department of Energy’s critical materials list. That means the U.S. relies heavily on these materials for important technologies, but their supply could be easily disrupted by conflicts, trade disputes or shortages.

    Right now, just a few countries, including China, control most of the mining, processing and recovery of these materials, making the U.S. vulnerable if those countries decide to limit exports or raise prices.

    These materials aren’t cheap, either. For example, the U.S. Geological Survey reports that gallium was priced between US$220 to $500 per kilogram in 2024. That’s 50 times more expensive than common metals like copper, at $9.48 per kilogram in 2024.

    Revolutionizing recycling with microwaves

    At West Virginia University’s Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, I and materials scientist Edward Sabolsky asked a simple question: Could we find a way to heat only specific parts of electronic waste to recover these valuable materials?

    If we could focus the heat on just the tiny specks of critical minerals, we might be able to recycle them easily and efficiently.

    The solution we found: microwaves.

    This equipment isn’t very different from the microwave ovens you use to heat food at home, just bigger and more powerful. The basic science is the same – electromagnetic waves cause electrons to oscillate, creating heat.

    In our approach, though, we’re not heating water molecules like you do when cooking. Instead, we heat carbon, the black residue that collects around a candle flame or car tailpipe. Carbon heats up much faster in a microwave than water does. But don’t try this at home; your kitchen microwave wasn’t designed for such high temperatures.

    West Virginia University researchers are using this experimental microwave reactor to recycle critical materials from end-of-life electronics.
    Ansan Pokharel/West Virginia University, CC BY

    In our recycling method, we first shred the electronic waste, mix it with materials called fluxes that trap impurities, and then heat the mixture with microwaves. The microwaves rapidly heat the carbon that comes from the plastics and adhesives in the e-waste. This causes the carbon to react with the tiny specks of critical materials. The result: a tiny piece of pure, sponge-like metal about the size of a grain of rice.

    This metal can then be easily separated from leftover waste using filters.

    So far, in our laboratory tests, we have successfully recovered about 80% of the gallium, indium and tantalum from e-waste, at purities between 95% and 97%. We have also demonstrated how it can be integrated with existing recycling processes.

    Why the Department of Defense is interested

    Our recycling technology got its start with help from a program funded by the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.

    Many important technologies, from radar systems to nuclear reactors, depend on these special materials. While the Department of Defense uses less of them than the commercial market, they are a national security concern.

    We’re planning to launch larger pilot projects next to test the method on smartphone circuit boards, LED lighting parts and server cards from data centers. These tests will help us fine-tune the design for a bigger system that can recycle tons of e-waste per hour instead of just a few pounds. That could mean producing up to 50 pounds of these critical minerals per hour from every ton of e-waste processed.

    If the technology works as expected, we believe this approach could help meet the nation’s demand for critical materials.

    How to make e-waste recycling common

    One way e-waste recycling could become more common is if Congress held electronics companies responsible for recycling their products and recovering the critical materials inside. Closing loopholes that allow companies to ship e-waste overseas, instead of processing it safely in the U.S., could also help build a reserve of recovered critical minerals.

    But the biggest change may come from simple economics. Once technology becomes available to recover these tiny but valuable specks of critical materials quickly and affordably, the U.S. can transform domestic recycling and take a big step toward solving its shortage of critical materials.

    Terence Musho has received funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

    – ref. Critical minerals don’t belong in landfills – microwave tech offers a cleaner way to reclaim them from e-waste – https://theconversation.com/critical-minerals-dont-belong-in-landfills-microwave-tech-offers-a-cleaner-way-to-reclaim-them-from-e-waste-254908

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Guns bought in the US and trafficked to Mexican drug cartels fuel violence in Mexico and the migration crisis

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sean Campbell, Investigative Journalist, The Conversation

    The Mexican security forces tracking Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – the leader of a deadly drug cartel that has been a top driver of violence in Mexico and narcotic addiction in America – thought they finally had him cornered on May 1, 2015.

    Four helicopters carrying an arrest team whirled over the mountains near Mexico’s southwestern coast toward Cervantes’ compound in the town of Villa Purificación, the heart of the infamous Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel.

    As the lead helicopter pulled within range, bullets from a truck-mounted, military-grade machine gun on the ground struck the engine. Before it reached the ground, the massive helicopter was hit by a pair of rocket-powered grenades.

    This .50-caliber cartridge was found stuck in the truck-mounted Browning M2HB machine gun that the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel used to damage a Mexican Security Forces Super Cougar helicopter.
    ATF

    Four soldiers from Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense were killed in the crash. Three more soldiers were killed in the firefight that followed, and another 12 were injured.

    The engagement was the first known incident of a cartel shooting down a military aircraft in Mexico. The cartel’s retaliation for the attempted arrest was swift and brutal. It set fire to trucks, buses, banks, gasoline stations and businesses. The distractions worked. Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” escaped.

    The Browning machine gun that took down the helicopter was traced to a legal firearm purchase in Oregon made by a U.S. citizen. And a Barrett .50-caliber rifle used in the ambush was traced to a sale in a U.S. gun shop in Texas 4½ years before.

    Many military-grade weapons like these are trafficked into Mexico from the U.S. each year, aided by loose standards for firearm dealers and gun laws that favor illicit sales.

    We – a professor of economic development who has been tracking gun trafficking for more than 10 years, and an investigative journalist – spent a year sifting through documents to find the number, origins and characteristics of weapons flowing from the U.S. to Mexico.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – the agency known as ATF tasked with regulating the industry – publishes the number of U.S. guns seized in Mexico and traced back to U.S. dealers, but it doesn’t provide an official trafficking estimate. The 2003 Tiahrt Amendments bar the ATF from creating a database of firearm sales and prohibit federal agencies from sharing detailed trace data outside of law enforcement.

    To estimate weapons flow, we gathered trafficking estimates, including leaked data, previous research, firearm manufacturing totals and the ATF trace data.

    The model we generated gave us a conservative middle estimate: About 135,000 firearms were trafficked across the border in 2022. In contrast, Ukraine, engaged in a war with Russia, received 40,000 small arms from the United States between January 2020 and April 2024 – an average of 9,000 per year.

    Our analysis also found:

    • This flow of weapons is connected to the drug trade in the U.S. and enables increased gang violence in Mexico, causing more people to flee across the border.

    • An increase in guns trafficked to Mexico from the U.S. relates to an increase in Mexico’s homicide rate.

    • More of the most destructive weapons come from independent gun dealers versus large chain stores – 16 times as many assault-style weapons and 60 times as many sniper rifles.

    • The trafficking flow drives an arms race between criminals and Mexican law enforcement; the U.S. gun industry profits on sales to both.

    • ATF oversight of dealers reduces the likelihood their guns are resold on the illicit market.

    Following the flow

    Since 2008, the U.S. has spent more than US$3 billion to help stabilize Mexico through the rule of law and stem its surges of extreme violence, much of it committed with U.S. firearms. Many programs are funded through the U.S. State Department, which is facing budget cuts, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has sustained deep cuts.

    Meanwhile, the gun industry and its supporters have undercut these efforts by fighting measures to regulate gun sales.

    From 2015-2023, 185,000 guns linked to crimes in Mexico were sent to the ATF to be traced – the process of using a firearm’s serial number and other characteristics to identify the trail of gun ownership. About 125,000 of those weapons have been traced back to the U.S.

    Our analyses show that U.S.-Mexico firearms trafficking has dire implications for ordinary Mexicans – and that U.S. regulatory actions can have an enormous impact. This adds to a growing body of research tying U.S.-sold guns to Mexico-based gangs and cartels, illegal drug trafficking, homicide rates, corruption of Mexican officials, illicit financial transactions and migration trends.

    Oregon guns tied to cartel

    The Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel is poised to be the biggest player in the drug cartel game. El Mencho, still at large, is one of the most powerful people directing the flow of heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamines into the United States, while orchestrating campaigns of fear, intimidation and displacement in Mexico.

    The Browning .50-caliber rifle that aided El Mencho’s evasion in 2015 was manufactured by a company based in Morgan, Utah, and legally sold to Erik Flores Elortegui, a U.S. citizen.

    Elortegui fled the country after he was indicted in Oregon for smuggling guns into Mexico and is now at the top of the ATF’s most wanted list. He wasn’t alone in his gunrunning schemes. According to a grand jury indictment, Elortegui purchased 20 firearms through an accomplice, Robert Allen Cummins, in 2013 and 2014. Cummins was straw purchasing – buying weapons under his name for Elortegui.

    Two of the .50-caliber weapons that Cummins purchased for Elortegui – the long rifles on the right – were among those later recovered from a tractor trailer in Sonora, Mexico. USA v. Robert Allen Cummins.
    USA v. Robert Allen Cummins

    Before she gave Cummins a 40-month prison sentence in 2017, Judge Ann Aiken admonished him for the pain and suffering his weapons were likely going to cause. She told him to read “Dreamland,” which chronicles America’s opioid crisis and its connection to Mexican drug cartels.

    Guns and violence

    In 2021 the ATF teamed up with academics to produce the National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment. It showed that the share of firearms trafficked to Mexico, already the top market for illegal U.S.-to-foreign gun transfer, increased by 20% from 2017 to 2021.

    Gun sales are strictly regulated within Mexico. But homicides have risen to disturbing heights – three times that of the U.S. – since the lapse of the U.S. assault weapons ban in 2004. Research suggests the two are linked.

    After their mother was killed by organized crime five years ago, Emylce Ines Espinoza-Alarcon’s sister’s family migrated to the States, she said.

    Espinoza-Alarcon, her children and other relatives were more recently driven from their homes by violence. “As a parent, you try to flee to a different place where they might be safe,” Espinoza-Alarcon said. She said she believes American weapons are to blame, but there “is nowhere else for us to go.”

    Emylce Ines Espinoza-Alarcon holds her toddler as she listens while her aunt, Alicia Zomora-Guevara, front, describes the cartel attack on her town that forced their families into exile. Zomora-Guevara’s son, Kevin Jait Alarcon-Zamora, stands to the right, and Espinoza-Alarcon’s son and teenage daughter sit on the Mexico City hotel room bed in front of her.
    Sean Campbell, CC BY-ND

    A 2023 survey found that 88% of the 180,000 Mexican migrants to the U.S. that year were fleeing violence – a flip from 2017 when most were coming for economic opportunity.

    The ATF’s enforcement

    ATF inspections keep illicit guns in check, our analysis shows.

    The agency’s primary enforcement tools are inspections, violations reports, warning letters and meetings, and, when inspectors find violations that are reckless or willfully endanger the public, revocation notices.

    But the bureau’s 2025 congressional budget request points out that it would need 1,509 field investigators to reach its goal of inspecting each dealer at least once every three years.

    The ATF is “focusing on identifying and addressing willful violations,” a spokesperson wrote in a November 2024 email, referring to the zero-tolerance revocation policy the Biden administration put in place in 2021 that dramatically increased the number of revocations.

    Meanwhile, the ATF announced in April 2025 that it was repealing the revocation policy and reviewing recent rules, including one that clarifies when a gun is a rifle. The webpage listing revocations, including detailed reports, was also removed from the ATF site.

    This is a condensed version. To learn more about the connections between U.S. gun sales, U.S. regulations, Mexican drug cartels and migration, read the full investigation

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Guns bought in the US and trafficked to Mexican drug cartels fuel violence in Mexico and the migration crisis – https://theconversation.com/guns-bought-in-the-us-and-trafficked-to-mexican-drug-cartels-fuel-violence-in-mexico-and-the-migration-crisis-256070

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Hannah Wiseman, Professor of Law, Penn State

    Pennsylvania residents may get sticker shock when they see their electric bills this summer. Aging infrastructure, extreme weather, transmission bottlenecks and increased demand are sending electricity rates soaring.

    Widespread rate hikes across the commonwealth started in December 2024 and are continuing in 2025. Rising prices are related to how the wholesale electricity market in Pennsylvania operates, among other factors. Utilities are paying much more than in previous years to ensure they can meet their customers’ future demand, and these costs are being passed on to consumers.

    For example, Philadelphia residents were among those hit with a 10% rate increase that went into effect in January 2025 for all residential customers of PECO, Pennsylvania’s largest electric and gas utility. Some of PECO’s residential customers will see an additional 12.5% rate increase kick in on June 1, 2025.

    A notice from PECO sent May 21, 2025.

    As Penn State University professors who research energy law and electricity markets, we want to suggest five ways Pennsylvania consumers can lower their electric bills amid price hikes.

    1. Use less

    Much like when gasoline prices rise, the best response for individual consumers when electric rates go up is often to use less electricity.

    The largest efficiency improvements typically involve weatherizing a home – for example, adding insulation or sealing drafty windows and doors. Installing energy-efficient appliances such as heat pumps or changing your thermostat setting a few degrees can also save money.

    Weatherization has an added benefit: improved health. In addition to maintaining a more comfortable indoor temperature, weatherizing paired with ventilation improvements can improve indoor air quality and control indoor moisture and mold.

    Making a home more energy efficient can be tricky for low-income people, who might not be able to afford the costs, and renters, who don’t own the premises. However, Pennsylvania offers several programs to help residents make energy efficiency improvements, and organizations such as the Philadelphia Energy Authority try to reach low-income households.

    Through the state’s low income usage reduction program, eligible tenants can receive help installing energy-saving features with written permission from their landlord. The multifamily weatherization assistance program has also provided grants for weatherization measures such as insulation and “air sealing to reduce infiltration” in buildings with five or more units that meet income criteria for residents.

    In Pennsylvania, residential electricity rates are expected to climb 10% or more in each of the next three years.
    MStudioImages/E+ Collection via Getty Images

    2. Shop around – but buyer beware

    Pennsylvania has what is called “retail electricity choice,” which means residents can pick who generates their electricity. For example, consumers can shop around for different rates charged per kilowatt-hour of electricity they consume or for electricity produced from wind and solar power.

    But electricity customers cannot choose who carries that electricity to their residences. That is done by a regulated electric distribution company, or utility, with a monopoly on service.

    Consumers can sometimes reduce their bills by choosing a cheaper offer for generation. But retail choice can be risky if consumers do not carefully read the conditions of the contract.

    For example, some plans charge a higher rate than the default rate from the distribution company. Others charge different rates depending on whether the electricity is consumed during peak or off-peak hours. And still others lock customers into long contracts at a fixed price. This becomes undesirable if the default electricity rate drops lower than the contracted rate.

    3. Try solar

    For those who own their home, installing rooftop solar panels is another way to avoid higher electric bills.

    The cost of solar panels has fallen steadily for many years, and rising electric rates make the economics of solar better.

    Central Columbia High School in Bloomsburg, Pa., installed solar panels to offset power consumption.
    Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Pennsylvania also has fairly advantageous rules for “net metering, which allows solar homeowners to get credits from the utility for excess solar power fed back into the grid.

    For example, say a customer uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a month and their rooftop solar panels generate 1,200 kilowatt-hours. They won’t have to pay for the 1,000 kilowatt-hours they used, and those additional 200 kilowatt-hours will be credited on their next monthly electric bill.

    Additionally, a number of federal and state tax incentives are available for rooftop solar energy in Pennsylvania. These incentives offset some of the up-front costs of installing solar panels.

    Buying solar panels is a high up-front expense, however, even with tax credits. Programs such as Solarize Greater Philadelphia can help reduce the cost. But keep in mind that not all properties have roofs that are large, strong or sunny enough to benefit from solar.

    For homeowners with suitable roofs, third-party solar is another option. This is when a company installs and continues owning the solar panels and charges the customer a fixed rate for the electricity produced by the solar panels. This rate is typically cheaper than the rate offered by the utility. But as with any contract, consumers need to read the fine print carefully and understand the long-term obligation.

    4. Go to a public hearing

    Local electric utilities are regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Pennsylvania residents can file formal complaints with the PUC about rate hikes, or they can attend one of PUC’s public input hearings.

    At these hearings, consumers can voice their concerns or argue against certain utility expenditures, such as lobbying expenses that utilities sometimes recoup through charges to customers.

    Consumers might want to pay particular attention to the commission’s proceedings as it considers new electric rates and regulation for data centers and other large-load customers. These rates will determine which costs are shouldered by the data center operators and which costs wind up on the electric bills of all Pennsylvanians.

    Consumers can file comments to advocate for a rate-sharing plan they believe will be fair.

    5. Think holistically

    As Americans continue to digitize their lives, electricity demand – and therefore prices – will likely continue to rise.

    Existing electric power grids are strained by increasing demand.
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images

    Given that growing electricity demand contributes to higher future rates, consumers may want to think about the energy-intensive online applications they use, such as data storage and all the AI features that tech companies are integrating into their products.

    Consumers might also want to consider the types of energy they want produced in their neighborhood. Many people understandably oppose constructing new energy facilities in their communities due to the aesthetic impacts, use of land and in some cases pollution. But this opposition can also slow the construction of new energy generation.

    Better processes for community involvement can enable the construction of generation with fewer negative impacts. These processes include, among other things, more detailed developer-community discussions and more comprehensive and thoughtful community benefits agreements. These agreements allow communities to negotiate services and resources that the energy developer will provide them. Such offerings might include vocational training programs, financial or other donations, or commitments to hire local labor.

    Read more of our stories about Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

    Hannah Wiseman receives or has recently received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Arnold Ventures, U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Center for Rural Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. She is a member of the Center for Progressive Reform.

    Seth Blumsack receives or has recently received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Heising Simons Foundation, U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Center for Rural Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

    – ref. High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save – https://theconversation.com/high-electricity-prices-zapping-your-budget-here-are-5-ways-to-save-256049

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump wants to cut funding to sanctuary cities and towns – but they don’t actually violate federal law

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Benjamin Gonzalez O’Brien, Associate Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University

    While sanctuary policies for immigrants have grown in the U.S. since the 1980s, the Trump administration is the first to challenge them. Marcos Silva/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    San Francisco, Chicago and New York are among the major cities – as well as more than 200 small towns and counties and a dozen states – that over the past 40 years have adopted what is often known as sanctuary policies.

    There is not a single definition of a sanctuary policy. But it often involves local authorities not asking about a resident’s immigration status, or not sharing that personal information with federal immigration authorities.

    So when a San Francisco police officer pulls someone over for a traffic violation, the officer will not ask if the person is living in the country legally.

    American presidents, from Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden, have chosen to leave sanctuary policies largely unchallenged since different places first adopted them in the 1970s. This changed in 2017, when President Donald Trump first tried to cut federal funding to sanctuary places, claiming that their policies “willfully violate Federal law.” Legal challenges during his first term stopped him from actually withholding the money.

    At the start of his second term, Trump signed two executive orders in January and April 2025 which again state that his administration will withhold federal money from areas with sanctuary policies.

    “Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!” Trump said, according to an April White House statement. This statement was immediately followed by his April executive order.

    These two executive orders task the attorney general and secretary of homeland security with publishing a list of all sanctuary places and notifying local and state officials of “non-compliance, providing an opportunity to correct it.” Those that do not comply with federal law, according to the orders, may lose federal funding.

    San Francisco and 14 other sanctuary cities, including New Haven, Connecticut, and Portland, Oregon, sued the Trump administration in February on the grounds that it was illegally trying to coerce cities to comply with its policies. A U.S. district court judge in California issued an injunction on April 24 preventing the administration – at least for the time being – from cutting funding from places with sanctuary policies.

    However, as researchers who have studied sanctuary policies for over a decade, we know that Trump’s claim that sanctuary policies violate federal immigration law is not correct.

    It’s true that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over immigration. Yet there is no federal requirement that state or local governments participate or cooperate in federal immigration enforcement, which would require an act of Congress.

    A sign is seen at the Nogales, Ariz., and Mariposa, Mexico, border crossing.
    Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images

    What’s behind sanctuary policies

    In 1979, the Los Angeles Police Department was the first to announce a prohibition on local officials asking about a resident’s immigration status.

    However, it was not until the 1980s that the sanctuary movement took off, when hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Nicaraguans fled civil war and violence in their home countries and migrated to the U.S. This prompted a number of cities to declare solidarity with the faith-based sanctuary movement that offered refuge to Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Nicaraguan asylum seekers facing deportation.

    In 1985, Berkeley, Calif., and San Francisco pledged that city officials, including police officers, would not report Central Americans to immigration authorities as long as they were law abiding.

    Berkeley also banned officials from using local money to work with federal immigration authorities.

    “We are not asking anyone to do anything illegal,” Nancy Walker, a supervisor for San Francisco, said in 1985, according to The New York Times. “We have got to extend our hand to these people. If these people go home, they die. They are asking us to let them stay.”

    Today, there are hundreds of sanctuary cities, towns, counties and states across the country that all have a variation of policies that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

    Sometimes – but not always – places with sanctuary policies bar local law enforcement agencies from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the country’s main immigration enforcement agency.

    A large part of ICE’s work is identifying, arresting and deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. In order to carry out this work, ICE issues what is known as “detainer requests” to local law enforcement authorities. A detainer request asks local law enforcement to hold a specific arrested person already being held by police until that person can be transferred to ICE, which can then take steps to deport them.

    While places without sanctuary policies tend to comply with these requests, some sanctuary jurisdictions, like the state of California, only do so in the cases of particular violent criminal offenses.

    Yet local officials in sanctuary places cannot legally block ICE from arresting local residents who are living in the country illegally, or from carrying out any other parts of its work.

    Can Trump withhold federal funding?

    Trump claimed in 2017 that sanctuary policies violated federal law, and he issued an executive order that tried to rescind federal grants that these jurisdictions received.

    However, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2018 case involving San Francisco and Santa Clara County, California, that the president could not refuse to “disperse the federal grants in question without congressional authorization.”

    Federal courts, meanwhile, split over whether Trump could freeze funding attached to a specific federal program called the Edward Byrne Memorial Assistance Grant Program, which provides about US$250 million in annual funding to state and local law enforcement.

    These cases were in the process of being appealed to the Supreme Court when the Department of Justice, under Biden, asked that they be dismissed.

    Other Supreme Court rulings also suggest that the Trump administration’s claim that it can withhold federal funding from sanctuary places rests on shaky legal ground.

    The Supreme Court ruled in 1992 and again in 1997 that the federal government could not coerce state or local governments to use their resources to enforce a federal regulatory program, or compel them to enact or administer a federal regulatory program.

    Under pressure

    The first Trump administration was not generally successful, with the exception of the split over the Edward Byrne Memorial Assistance Grant Program, at stripping funding from sanctuary places. But cutting federal funding – even if it happens temporarily – can be economically damaging to cities and counties while they challenge the decision in court.

    Local officials also face other kinds of political pressure to comply with the Trump administration’s demands.

    A legal group founded by Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff in the Trump administration, for example, sent letters to dozens of local officials in January threatening criminal prosecution for their sanctuary policies.

    Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, a sanctuary city, testifies during a House committee hearing on sanctuary city mayors on March 5, 2025, in Washington.
    Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

    The real effects of sanctuary policies

    One part of Trump’s argument against sanctuary policies is that places with these policies have more crime than those that do not.

    But there is no established relationship between sanctuary status and crime rates.

    There is, however, evidence that when local law enforcement and ICE work together, it reduces the likelihood of immigrant and Latino communities to report crimes, likely for fear of being arrested by federal immigration authorities.

    Sanctuary policies are certainly worthy of debate, but this requires an accurate representation of what they are, what they do, and the effects they have.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Trump wants to cut funding to sanctuary cities and towns – but they don’t actually violate federal law – https://theconversation.com/trump-wants-to-cut-funding-to-sanctuary-cities-and-towns-but-they-dont-actually-violate-federal-law-255831

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The hidden power of cultural exchanges in countering propaganda and fostering international goodwill

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nicholas J. Cull, Professor of Communication, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

    The bluegrass group Della Mae plays at an orphanage in Kyrgyzstan on its State Department-sponsored American Music Abroad tour in 2012. Photo: Paul Rockower

    At a time when China is believed to spend about US$8 billion annually sending its ideas and culture around the world, President Donald Trump has proposed to cut by 93% the part of the State Department that does the same thing for the United States.

    The division is called the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Among its other activities, the bureau brings foreign leaders to the U.S. for visits, funds much of the Fulbright international student, scholar and teacher exchange program and works to get American culture to places all across the globe.

    Does this matter?

    As a historian specializing in the role of communication in foreign policy, I think it does. Reputation is part of national security, and the U.S. has historically enhanced its reputation by building relationships through cultural tools.

    Previous U.S. administrations have realized this, including during President Donald Trump’s first term, when his team, led by Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce, raised the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs budget to an all-time high.

    Modern Jazz Quartet traveled to Germany in 1960 as jazz ambassadors on a State Department-sponsored tour.

    Giving politics a human dimension

    Government-funded cultural diplomacy is an old practice. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison’s government hosted a delegation of leaders from Latin America on a 5,000-mile rail tour around the American heartland as a curtain raiser for the first Pan-American conference. The visitors met a variety of American icons, from wordsmith Mark Twain to gunsmiths Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson.

    President Teddy Roosevelt initiated the first longer-term cultural exchange program by spending money raised from an indemnity imposed on the Chinese government for its mishandling of the Boxer Rebellion, during which Western diplomats had been held hostage. The program, for the education of Chinese people, included study in the U.S. In contrast, European powers did nothing special with their share of the money.

    During World II, Nelson Rockefeller, who led a special federal agency created to build links to Latin America, brought South American writers to the U.S. to experience the country firsthand. In so doing, he invented the short-term leader visit as a type of exchange.

    This work went into high gear during the 1950s. The U.S. sought to stitch postwar Germany back into the community of nations, so that nation became a particular focus. Programs linked emerging global leaders to Americans with similar interests: doctor to doctor; pastor to pastor; politician to politician.

    I found that by 1963, one-third of the German federal parliament and two-thirds of the German Cabinet had been cultivated this way.

    Visits gave a human dimension to political alignment, and returnees had the ability to speak to their countrymen and women with the authority of personal experience.

    From jazz to promoting peace

    The globally focused International Visitor Leadership Program built early-career relationships between U.S. citizens and young foreign leaders who later played a central role in aligning their nations with American policy.

    Nearly 250,000 participants have traveled to the U.S. since 1940, including about 500 who went on to lead their own governments.

    Future Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain visited as a young member of Parliament; F.W. De Klerk came from South Africa and saw the post-Jim Crow South before he helped lead his country to dismantling apartheid; and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat visited the U.S. and began to build trust with Americans a decade before he became leader of his country and partnered with President Jimmy Carter to advance peace with Israel.

    British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s note from 10 Downing Street about her 1967 exchange visit to the US – ‘Forevermore I shall be a true friend to the United States.’
    U.S. Department of State

    Cultural work more broadly has included helping export U.S. music to places where it would not normally be heard. The Cold War tours of American jazz musicians are justly famous. Work bringing together the world’s sometimes persecuted writers for creative sanctuary at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa is less well known.

    The Reagan administration arranged citizen-to-citizen meetings with the Soviet Union to thaw the Cold War. Reagan’s theory was that ordinary citizens could connect: He imagined a typical Ivan and Anya meeting a typical Jim and Sally and understanding each other.

    Current programs include bringing emerging highfliers in tech, music and sports to the U.S. to connect to and be mentored by Americans in the same field and then go home to be part of a living network of enhanced understanding. Such programs are in danger of being cut under Trump.

    Five U.S. hip-hop artists traveled to Harare, Zimbabwe, in 2024 to perform for audiences and collaborate with local artists as part of the State Department’s Next Level program.
    U.S. Department of State

    Personal experience conquers stereotypes

    How exactly does this work advance U.S. security?

    I see these exchanges as the national equivalent to the advice given to a diplomat in kidnap training: Try to establish a rapport with your hostage-taker so that they will see the person and be inclined to mercy.

    The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the part of the Department of State that cultivates empathy and implicitly counters the claims of America’s detractors with personal experience. Quite simply, it is harder to hate people you really know. More than this, exchanged people frequently become the core of each embassy’s local network.

    Of course, an exchange program is just one part of a nation’s reputational security.

    Reputation flows from reality, and reality is demonstrated over time. Historically, America’s reputation has rested on the health of the country’s core institutions, including its legal system and higher education as well as its standard of living.

    U.S. reputational security has also required reform.

    In the 1950s, when President Dwight Eisenhower faced an onslaught of Soviet propaganda emphasizing racism and racial disparities within the U.S., he understood that an effective response required that the U.S. not only showcase Black achievement but also be less racist. Civil rights became a Cold War priority.

    Today, when the U.S. has no shortage of international detractors, observers at home and abroad question whether the country remains a good example of democracy.

    As lawmakers in Washington debate federal spending priorities, building relationships through cultural tools may not survive budget cuts. Historically, both sides of the political aisle have failed to appreciate the significance of investing in cultural relations.

    In 2013, when still a general heading Central Command, Jim Mattis, later Trump’s secretary of defense, was blunt about what such lack of regard would mean. In 2013 he told Congress: ‘If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition, ultimately.“

    Nicholas J. Cull does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The hidden power of cultural exchanges in countering propaganda and fostering international goodwill – https://theconversation.com/the-hidden-power-of-cultural-exchanges-in-countering-propaganda-and-fostering-international-goodwill-256316

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio meets with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephulon – 11:15AM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio meets with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at the Department of State, on May 23, 2025.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
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    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxuaFw2-4Ik

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Winchester City Council shortlisted for prestigious planning award

    Source: City of Winchester


    The Winchester Nutrient Mitigation Strategy has been shortlisted under the ‘best project’ award by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

    The joint submission from the city council and the Partnership for South Hampshire was based on the work that Winchester City Council has undertaken to protect and improve the water quality of important rivers (Itchen) and chalk streams across the district, while still being able to provide new homes.

    Nitrates and Phosphorous (Nutrients) can be harmful to waterways. There is concern that without measures to prevent it, new homes can contribute to adding excessive nutrients into the water. All new developments must be able to demonstrate how they will not contribute to the problem and be ‘nitrate neutral’.

    Winchester City Council has been proactive in tackling this key issue and developed a number of schemes to prevent this from happening (Nutrient mitigation). By upgrading city council owned waste-water treatment works (WWTW) and retrofitting council owned properties with water efficiency measures, the homes using these systems will not be adding harmful nutrients to our rivers and streams. The retrofitting measures also have the added advantage of also helping to reduce people’s water bills. 

    Instead of relying on third party mitigation schemes, the city council has created its own – and is the first council owned phosphorous mitigation in the Solent area.

    An initial pilot scheme, funded by the city council, to upgrade two WWTWs was completed last year. Working with Partnership for South Hampshire, the city council has been able to access the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund (LNMF) to be able to start work on upgrading a further 10 WWTWs this year. 

    Councillor Jackie Porter, Cabinet Member for Place and the Local Plan, said: “Being shortlisted for this award is testament to the teams’ commitment and ingenuity in finding solutions to an important but complex issue which both protects our rivers and waterways, but still allows for the development of much needed homes. I am delighted the Royal Institute for Town planners has recognised this project and we look forward to hearing the outcome.”

    Councillor Keith House, Chair of the Partnership for South Hampshire, added: “This is great recognition for work being done in our region to safeguard the environment while enabling much-needed development. As a partnership we work collectively to ensure councils are in the best possible position to deliver projects like that will benefit everyone.”

     

    The finalists will be announced in July. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Solar and wind power curtailments are increasing in California

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    In-brief analysis

    May 28, 2025

    The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, is increasingly curtailing solar- and wind-powered electricity generation as it balances supply and demand amidst rapid renewables capacity growth.

    Grid operators must balance supply and demand to maintain a stable electric system. The output of wind and solar generators is reduced either through price signals or, rarely, through an order to reduce output during periods of:

    • Congestion, when power lines don’t have enough capacity to deliver available energy
    • Oversupply, when generation exceeds customer electricity demand

    In 2024, CAISO curtailed 3.4 million megawatthours (MWh) of utility-scale wind and solar output, a 29% increase from the amount of electricity curtailed in 2023.

    Solar accounted for 93% of all the energy curtailed in CAISO in 2024. CAISO curtailed the most solar in the spring, when solar output was relatively high and electricity demand was relatively low, because moderate spring temperatures meant less demand for space heating or air conditioning.

    In 2014, a combined 9.7 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar photovoltaic capacity had been built in California. By the end of 2024, that number had grown to 28.2 GW.

    CAISO also curtails solar generation to leave room for natural gas generation. A certain amount of natural gas generation must stay online throughout the day to comply with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards and to have generation online in time to ramp up in the evening hours.

    Solar energy supplies almost half of CAISO’s electricity demand between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., but demand increases in the later evening hours when people come home from work and turn up air conditioners or electric heaters and turn on lights, ovens, computers, and televisions. This need is especially apparent on hot summer evenings after the sun has set and no longer produces solar power overnight.

    CAISO is trying to reduce curtailments in several ways:

    • Trading with neighboring balancing authorities to try to sell excess solar and wind power
    • Incorporating battery storage into ancillary services, energy, and capacity markets
    • Including curtailment reduction in transmission planning

    In addition, starting this year, companies are planning to use excess renewable energy to make hydrogen, some of which will be stored and mixed with natural gas for summer generation at the Intermountain Power Project’s new facility scheduled to come online in July.

    The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) is a real-time market that allows participants outside of CAISO to buy and sell energy to balance demand and supply. In 2024, more than 274,000 MWh of curtailments were avoided by trading within the WEIM, equivalent to about 8% of the electricity curtailed that year. The Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) is expected to be operational by May 2026 and will allow CAISO another outlet to sell solar energy.

    To further reduce renewable curtailments and increase the stability of the grid, CAISO is promoting the addition of flexible resources that can quickly respond to sudden increases and decreases in demand. Battery storage, recently the key flexible resource to come online, allows some renewable energy to be stored and used 4-8 hours later in the day. Batteries can charge using excess solar power at midday and then discharge that energy when the sun is going down, providing electricity during hours when it is most needed. Battery capacity in CAISO increased by 45% in 2024, from 8.0 GW in 2023 to 11.6 GW in 2024 according to our survey of recent and planned capacity changes. However, in the spring, more solar energy than can be used within a day is often produced. Without more transmission capacity or a long-term storage solution, high curtailments during this time of year can still occur.

    Principal contributor: Lori Aniti

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Major investment banks raise 2025 China economic growth forecasts

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 28 — Leading financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, have recently raised their forecasts concerning China’s GDP growth in 2025, given that China’s pro-growth policies are helping the Chinese economy maintain its growth momentum, while recent China-U.S. trade talks in Geneva have also yielded substantive results.

    Goldman Sachs released a research report on May 13, in which it decided to raise its forecast for China’s GDP growth in 2025 by 0.6 percentage points, elevating it from 4 percent to 4.6 percent.

    “We are raising our forecasts for China’s 2025 export value growth to 0 from -5 percent previously,” said Shan Hui, chief China economist at Goldman Sachs. Accordingly, within the GDP breakdown by the expenditure approach, Goldman Sachs raised the net export contribution to China’s GDP growth prediction from -0.5 percentage points to 0.1 percentage points.

    Nomura, meanwhile, also increased China’s GDP growth forecast in a report released on May 19. According to the report, the easing of trade tensions between China and the U.S. is a material positive for China’s economy, especially for Q2, as exporters might try to front-load their shipments before the 90-day tariff pause ends. In addition, retail sales in China produced a robust performance in Q1 with the support of its expanded trade-in program.

    Notably, China’s National Bureau of Statistics revealed that retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country’s consumption strength, had expanded 5.1 percent year on year in China in April.

    “As such, we have raised our Q2 GDP growth forecast from 3.7 percent year on year to 4.8 percent, and slightly raised both Q3 and Q4 growth forecasts from 3.6 percent to 4 percent. For the entire year, we have increased our GDP growth forecast to 4.5 percent year on year from 4 percent,” said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura.

    J.P. Morgan revised China’s GDP growth forecast to 4.8 percent year on year from 4.1 percent. Zhu Haibin, chief China economist at J.P. Morgan, cited a slew of pro-growth measures as major contributors to sound economic growth amid trade headwinds.

    “Since the end of September last year, China has witnessed the most profound and extensive policy adjustment in recent years,” Zhu said, adding that China has proposed a raft of more proactive fiscal policy measures this year, including setting the deficit-to-GDP ratio at around 4 percent and issuing more government bonds to shore up the economy.

    Morgan Stanley raised China’s GDP growth forecast by 0.3 percentage points to 4.5 percent, citing improving household and public consumption in China in 2025.

    According to Xing Ziqiang, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, the key driver of personal consumption growth will likely be the consumption goods trade-in program, with coverage expanded to include less-durable goods. He added that public consumption growth is also expected to rise thanks to the government debt swap program.

    “AI breakthroughs this year have reminded the market about China’s often-overlooked supply chain and innovation strength abundance, supported by a robust ecosystem that integrates infrastructure, data, talent and energy. We believe the AI revolution will give a boost to China’s potential GDP over the medium term by generating more labor equivalent value,” said Xing.

    Financial institutions, including Standard Chartered and UBS, have also published views that the Chinese economy had displayed strong resilience amid uncertainties — with helpful fiscal and monetary policies taking effect.

    “Data showed strong growth in retail sales of goods subsidized as part of the government’s consumer goods trade-in program and solid expansion in infrastructure and manufacturing investment, supported by frontloaded government bond issuance. These factors likely will remain supportive for growth in Q2,” read a Standard Chartered report released on May 21.

    Thomas Fang, head of China global markets at UBS, said this basket of government policies has sent a strong signal to stabilize growth, injecting solid and predictable confidence into the real economy and capital market.

    Moreover, several high-profile bankers have visited China recently, including Chair of Citigroup John Dugan and CEO of Carlyle Group Harvey Schwartz. They have expressed optimism about the prospects of China’s economic development and willingness to commit to long-term cooperation with China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens urge government action in spending review to tackle dire warning on climate crisis

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    / by Green Party

    Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP said:

    “The dire warning today from the World Meteorological Organization (1) should serve as a wake-up call. With global temperatures predicted to breach internationally agreed safe limits in at least one of the next five years due to global inaction, we are facing a future filled with increasingly severe climate impacts.

    “The Spending Review is the government’s chance to act. It must prepare for the climate consequences we can no longer avoid while also accelerating the path to net zero.

    “In our submission, the Green Party has called for an additional £7 billion annually to be invested in making the changes we need to face the impact of climate change on all our lives – from flood defences to future-proofing homes and buildings. This is no longer an optional extra. It’s vital to protect lives and livelihoods.

    “Delaying now means greater costs, deeper disruption, and irreversible damage. The science couldn’t be clearer, and the warning couldn’t be louder — the Government must respond with urgency and ambition. The Spending Review is the chance to do it.”

    (1) Global climate predictions show temperatures expected to remain at or near record levels in coming five years – Met Office

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/CHINA – Bishop of Ningbo visits his former parish: “Communion and unity in the love of Jesus Christ”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Ningbo (Agenzia Fides) – “Communion and unity in the love of Jesus Christ.” With this expression, Francis Xavier Jin Yangke, Bishop of the Diocese of Ningbo, summarized the recommendations addressed to the small Catholic community of Yancang, in the parish of Dinghai, Zhejiang province. A special bond unites the Bishop with this community, as he served there as parish priest for 14 years. On Sunday, May 25, accompanied by Father Wang Jiangfei, diocesan chancellor, Bishop Jin returned to his former parishioners to “confirm the brothers in the faith” and exhort everyone to bear witness to the mercy and truth of Christ. The motto chosen for this pastoral visit was: “Jesus is the heart of our life, follow him and do not be afraid.”After the solemn Eucharistic celebration, the Bishop shared a warm conversation with the faithful, recalling the years they had spent together and expressing his gratitude to the lay people who had supported his work with prayer and active participation in parish life. Bishop Jin also encouraged young people to bear witness to the faith among their peers and listened attentively to the parish committee’s report on the management of the community. The Diocese of Ningbo is historically linked to the work of the Lazarist missionaries, as well as to the work of Jesuits such as Martino Martini and Lodovico Buglio.The Apostolic Vicariate of Ningbo was erected in 1924 and elevated to a diocese in 1926. After the resumption of ecclesiastical activity in 1979, the diocese gave great importance to the reopening of churches and the formation of priests and religious, applying the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Located in a region of strong economic development, thanks to the dynamism of the port of Ningbo, the diocese, although small in size, shows remarkable vitality in the pastoral, cultural, and social spheres. On May 24, 2024, it hosted a conference commemorating the centenary of the Primum Concilium Sinense in Shanghai. The diocesan community is experiencing abundant vocational flourishing: several priestly ordinations and religious professions are celebrated each year. The nuns of the Congregation of the Daughters of Purgatory, made up of about fifty sisters, also receive numerous vocations. Currently, the Diocese of Ningbo has more than 30,000 baptized Catholics and is organized into four deaneries, with 12 parishes, 106 churches, and chapels. It also manages a Catholic cemetery, a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, a vocational center, and a spiritual retreat house. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 28/5/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China expects 12% rise in daily cross-border trips during Dragon Boat Festival holiday

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) has projected a daily average of 2.15 million cross-border trips nationwide during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival break, an increase of 12.2 percent compared with the holiday period last year.

    The peak of cross-border travel is anticipated on June 1.

    Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it was celebrated on May 31, and the holiday runs from May 31 to June 2.

    Major aviation hubs are expected to see a steady increase in passenger traffic, with Shanghai Pudong International Airport projecting 100,000 daily border crossings.

    During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, multiple dragon boat races and related events will be held in Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao.

    Coinciding with Children’s Day on June 1 and the weekend, the holiday is expected to spur a surge in outbound travel from the Chinese mainland and home visits by Hong Kong and Macao residents.

    Land border checkpoints connecting Hong Kong and Macao are expected to see a notable increase in traffic. Luohu Port in Shenzhen City is expected to handle a daily average of 230,000 crossings, while the Gongbei checkpoint in Zhuhai City is projected to see a daily average of 367,000 crossings.

    The NIA has urged border authorities to closely monitor cross-border traffic and port operations, providing regular updates to assist travelers. The agency also required adequate staff arrangements to ensure Chinese citizens spend no longer than 30 minutes queuing for entry and exit.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation Names Colleen Finn as Chief Marketing Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation today announced that Colleen Finn has been appointed as Chief Marketing Officer, effective immediately. In this role, Finn will be responsible for the marketing and distribution strategy for Plymouth Rock’s Home company across all six states in which it does business.

    “Colleen has embraced rapid invention and disciplined execution of Plymouth Rock’s innovative approach to home insurance,” said Bill Martin, President and CEO, Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation. “It is a rare and highly sought after honor to be made an officer at Plymouth Rock but rarely is there so obvious a fit for the role as Colleen. We look forward to seeing how she will apply her highly motivated creativity to our marketing team.” 

    As CMO, Finn brings over a decade of property and casualty insurance expertise to lead all aspects of marketing for Plymouth Rock’s Home Insurance Group. She will be responsible for building and executing growth strategies to help Plymouth Rock continue to build on its success as a leading provider of property insurance across the Northeast. Finn’s responsibilities include distribution through direct-to-consumer and strategic partnership channels, as well as through the independent agency channel in partnership with Plymouth Rock’s Independent Agency Group.

    “The insurance industry landscape continues to change and evolve, which presents unique opportunities for growth,” said Finn. “Plymouth Rock has a 40-year history of finding innovative ways to deliver the kinds of products and services that our customers and agency partners are looking for. I’m excited for the opportunity our marketing team has to build on Plymouth Rock’s forward-thinking approach to home insurance.”

    Prior to her appointment as CMO, Finn served as Managing Director of Product Management at Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation, where she led a dedicated team focused on profitable growth for the various home insurance products. Before joining Plymouth Rock, Finn spent nine years at Liberty Mutual where she led distribution analytics and product management teams, and was instrumental in driving strategic initiatives, leveraging analytics, and achieving measurable results.

    Finn did her undergraduate work at Keene State College in New Hampshire. She currently lives in Stratham, New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

    About Plymouth Rock
    Plymouth Rock was established to offer its customers a higher level of service and a more innovative set of products and features than they would expect from an insurance company. Plymouth Rock’s innovative approach puts customers’ convenience and satisfaction first, giving them the choice to do business the way they want—online, with a mobile app, by phone, or by contacting their Plymouth Rock agent. Customers can chat, text, or email to get answers quickly and easily. Plymouth Rock Assurance® and Plymouth Rock® are brand names and service marks used by separate underwriting, managed insurance, and management companies that offer property and casualty insurance in multiple states. Taken together, the companies write and manage more than $2.3 billion in auto and home insurance premiums across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

    Each underwriting and managed insurance company is a separate legal entity that is financially responsible only for its own insurance products. You can learn more about us by visiting plymouthrock.com.

    Contacts
    Media Relations
    617-428-1949
    mediarelations@plymouthrock.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/90ffcbed-eade-4058-8fa8-ffda55cb10ae

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Primech A&P Secures New Contracts and Extensions Worth Over $2.6 Million for Q1 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Primech A & P, a subsidiary of Primech Holdings Limited (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: PMEC), an established technology-driven facility services provider in the public and private sectors operating mainly in Singapore, today announced several newly secured contracts and extensions for the first quarter of 2025, with a total value exceeding $2.59 million.

    The latest contract wins and extensions include:

    • Secured a 2-year contract (January 2025 to December 2026) valued at $774,470 for public area cleaning and housekeeping services at a prominent international hotel chain in Singapore’s prime Orchard Road shopping district.
       
    • Secured a 2-year contract (April 2025 to March 2027) valued at $676,150 for comprehensive cleaning services at a premium residential condominium development.
       
    • Secured a 6-month extension (January through June 2025) valued at $563,620 for specialized cleaning services at a popular themed food destination within a major tourist attraction in Singapore.
       
    • Secured a 1-year contract (May 2025 to April 2026) valued at $257,540 for cleaning services at an upscale residential condominium development in Singapore.
       
    • Secured a 4-month extension (January through April 2025) valued at $168,150 for public area cleaning services at a prestigious international hotel in Singapore’s Central Business District.
       
    • Secured a 1-year contract (January 2025 to January 2026) valued at $148,230 for cleaning services at a mid-sized residential condominium, expanding Primech’s residential service portfolio.

    Mr. Khazid Omar, Chief Operating Officer of Primech A & P, commented, “We are delighted to announce these significant new contract wins and extensions across multiple sectors. These agreements underscore our clients’ confidence in our service quality and reflect our focus on expanding our presence in the premium residential and hospitality markets. As we continue integrating advanced technologies into our operations, we remain committed to delivering exceptional facility services tailored to each client’s unique requirements. These contracts provide a strong foundation for our growth trajectory in 2025 and beyond.”

    About Primech Holdings Limited

    Headquartered in Singapore, Primech Holdings Limited is a leading provider of comprehensive technology-driven facilities services, predominantly serving both public and private sectors throughout Singapore. Primech Holdings offers an extensive range of services tailored to meet the complex demands of its diverse clientele. Services include advanced general facility maintenance services, specialized cleaning solutions such as marble polishing and facade cleaning, meticulous stewarding services, and targeted cleaning services for offices and homes. Known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology, Primech Holdings integrates eco-friendly practices and smart technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and client satisfaction. This strategic approach positions Primech Holdings as a leader in the industry and a proactive contributor to advancing industry standards and practices in Singapore and beyond. For more information, visit www.primechholdings.com.    

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about completing the acquisition, anticipated revenues, growth, and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure that such expectations will be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

    Company Contact:

    Email: ir@primech.com.sg

    Investor Relations Contact:        

    Matthew Abenante, IRC
    President                                        
    Strategic Investor Relations, LLC                                         
    Tel: 347-947-2093
    Email: matthew@strategic-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Signing Day Sports Progresses Transaction and Executes Definitive Agreement with BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure, a Profitable Data Hosting Company

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Proposed business combination will create a public company engaged in Crypto Mining, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), and High-Performance Computing (“HPC”) Data Hosting Markets

    BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure Generated Audited Revenue of $26.8 million and Net Income of $5.7 million in 2024

    Includes an Earnout if BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure achieves or exceeds EBITDA of $25 million for 2026

    Transaction to be completed at a significant premium to SGN’s current stock price

    SCOTTSDALE, AZ, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Signing Day Sports, Inc. (“Signing Day Sports” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: SGN), the developer of the Signing Day Sports app and platform to aid high school athletes in the recruitment process, today announced the signing of a definitive business combination agreement (“Business Combination Agreement” or “BCA”) to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding membership interest of One Blockchain LLC (“One Blockchain”) (the operating affiliate company of BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure) (One Blockchain and BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure collectively, “blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure” or “blockchAIn DI”) which will operate a crypto mining, AI and HPC data hosting company with plans for 200MW in total power capacity from facilities in South Carolina and Texas. The proposed transaction was previously announced on April 14, 2025 following the signing of a non-binding letter of intent.

    The transaction will be effected through a holding company structure, whereby Signing Day Sports and One Blockchain will become subsidiaries of BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure, Inc. (“PubCo”). The transaction between One Blockchain and Signing Day Sports is expected to result in the combined company being traded on the NYSE American. Signing Day Sports will not be required to make any cash payment to One Blockchain or its securityholders in connection with the transaction. One Blockchain will continue to operate under blockchAIn DI’s management team led by Chairman and CEO Jerry Tang.

    In 2024, blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure generated audited revenue of approximately $26.8 million and net income of approximately $5.7 million.

    The market for digital infrastructure—including crypto mining, HPC, and AI-related computing—is evolving rapidly as demand for energy-efficient processing power continues to grow. Amid increasing sustainability standards and renewed emphasis on domestic infrastructure, blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure is positioned to pursue opportunities across a wide range of compute-intensive applications.

    blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure’s current operations include a 40 MW crypto mining hosting facility in South Carolina with expansion capability to 50 MW for third-party crypto miners in South Carolina, subject to utility approval. blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure anticipates transitioning to internally owning and mining crypto currency at their South Carolina facility in late 2025 or early 2026, to facilitate revenue and earnings growth. blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure is also in the process of commissioning a new 150MW crypto mining, AI and HPC data hosting facility in Texas with favorable economics with 34.5kV of interconnectivity to the grid for activation in late 2026. The Texas facility can be modularly built providing flexibility for crypto mining and/or AI and HPC data hosting activities. It is currently anticipated that the first 100MW will be initially focused on internally owned crypto mining operations and the remaining 50MW of capacity used for AI and HPC data hosting. This capital efficient and flexible modular business model will provide blockchAIn DI with optionality to pursue different revenue mixes as the crypto mining, AI and HPC markets continue to develop.

    Signing Day Sports views the proposed transaction as a compelling opportunity to enhance its platform by combining with a technology-driven business with strong fundamentals and scalable infrastructure.

    Danny Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of Signing Day Sports, stated, “This transaction marks an exciting new chapter for Signing Day Sports, which we are confident has potential to bring substantial value to the stakeholders of both parties. blockchAIn DI’s scalable, cash-flowing bitcoin mining and AI data center platform positions the combined company to capitalize on the fast-growing HPC hosting market. With a 40 MW mining site in South Carolina with 10 MW expansion capacity and the significant upside potential resulting from the planned commissioning of a new facility in Texas, blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure is strategically positioned to meet the growing HPC workload demands, and we could not be more thrilled to deliver this unique growth opportunity to our shareholders.”

    Jerry Tang, Chief Executive Officer of One Blockchain, added, “We are excited about the proposed transaction between blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure and Signing Day Sports, and the significant potential for value creation for both parties. In only a few short years since our inception, blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure has experienced rapid growth scaling to approximately $26.8 million in revenue and approximately $5.7 million in net income in 2024. Supported by our cash flow generation, we are positioned to become a leader in providing and operating sustainable, blockchain computing infrastructure and progress our significant growth goals forward. In the near term, blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure will look to bring bitcoin mining in-house, expand our South Carolina facility to 50MW, and build out our proposed 150MW facility in Texas to support the large demand for hosting services driven by various AI and mining applications. The business combination with Signing Day Sports will enable us to accelerate our robust growth in the public markets, and we look forward to executing on our business plan to drive value for all shareholders.”

    Terms of the Transaction

    The business combination will be effectuated through a holding company structure, whereby Signing Day Sports and One Blockchain will become subsidiaries of PubCo through merger transactions. Under the BCA, the consideration to be paid at closing to the securityholders of One Blockchain will be comprised of PubCo common shares with a value of approximately $215.0 million, subject to an exchange ratio and other certain adjustments, at an implied diluted value per share for PubCo of $5.12 (including adjustment as applicable for exchange listing purposes). Upon the closing of the business combination, the stock held by the stockholders of Signing Day Sports immediately before the closing of the transaction will be converted into the right to receive approximately 8.5% of the outstanding common stock of the combined company, and the equity securities of One Blockchain held by One Blockchain’s equity securityholders immediately before the closing of the transaction will be converted into the right to receive approximately 91.5% of the outstanding common shares of the combined company before fees and commissions to third parties. The board of directors of PubCo post-transaction will be comprised of no less than five (5) and no greater than seven (7) directors. At least one director will be designated by Signing Day Sports, and One Blockchain will designate the remaining directors.

    The BCA also includes an earnout, in which additional PubCo shares equaling 11.628% of the total number of shares of PubCo issued to One Blockchain’s securityholders at closing will be issued to such former One Blockchain securityholders (the “Earnout Shares”). The Earnout Shares will be issued if PubCo achieves or exceeds net income plus interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) of $25 million for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026.

    The boards of both companies have unanimously approved the signing of the BCA. The proposed transaction is expected to close late in the second half of 2025, subject to satisfying certain customary closing conditions, including the receipt of approvals from Signing Day Sports’ shareholders and the listing of PubCo registered common shares on the NYSE American.

    The Business Combination Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants made by Signing Day Sports and One Blockchain, including covenants that both parties use their commercially reasonably efforts to cause the transactions contemplated by the agreement to be completed, regarding obtaining the requisite approval of Signing Day Sports’ shareholders, regarding indemnification of directors and officers, and regarding Signing Day Sports’ and One Blockchain’s conduct of their respective businesses between the date of signing of the BCA and the closing. The BCA also contains certain termination rights for both Signing Day Sports and One Blockchain.

    The Signing Day Sports board of directors has recommended to Signing Day Sports shareholders that they vote to approve the BCA and the transaction. Signing Day Sports also received a fairness opinion in connection with the transaction.

    A more complete description of the terms of and conditions of the proposed transaction and related matters will be included in a current report on Form 8-K to be filed by Signing Day Sports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). A copy of the BCA will be attached as an exhibit to Form 8-K. All parties desiring details regarding the terms and conditions of the proposed transaction are urged to review that Form 8-K, and the exhibits attached thereto, which will be available on the SEC’s website found at www.sec.gov.

    Advisors

    Advisors to the transaction include Maxim Group LLC, which is serving as exclusive financial advisor to blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure. Loeb & Loeb LLP is serving as counsel to blockchAIn Digital Infrastructure. Bevilacqua PLLC is serving as counsel to Signing Day Sports.

    Signing Day Sports

    Signing Day Sports’ mission is to help student-athletes achieve their goal of playing college sports. Signing Day Sports’ app allows student-athletes to build their Signing Day Sports’ recruitment profile, which includes information college coaches need to evaluate and verify them through video technology.  For more information on Signing Day Sports, go to https://bit.ly/SigningDaySports.

    Additional Information and Where to Find It

    In connection with the proposed business combination, PubCo plans to file or cause to be filed relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement on Form S-4 (the “Registration Statement”) that will contain a proxy statement of Signing Day Sports and a prospectus for registration of shares of PubCo. The Registration Statement has not been filed with or declared effective by the SEC. Following and subject to the Registration Statement being declared effective by the SEC, its definitive proxy statement/prospectus would be mailed or otherwise disseminated to Signing Day Sports stockholders. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF SIGNING DAY SPORTS ARE URGED TO READ THESE MATERIALS CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ONE BLOCKCHAIN, SIGNING DAY SPORTS, THE PROPOSED BUSINESS COMBINATION, AND RELATED MATTERS. The proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by PubCo and Signing Day Sports with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC website at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Signing Day Sports by directing a written request to: Signing Day Sports, Inc., 8355 East Hartford Rd., Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. Investors and security holders are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus and the other relevant materials when they become available before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed business combination.

    Participants in the Solicitation

    Signing Day Sports, and its directors, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Signing Day Sports with respect to the proposed business combination and related matters. Information about the directors and executive officers of Signing Day Sports, including their ownership of shares of Signing Day Sports common stock, is included in Signing Day Sports’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed with the SEC on April 11, 2025, and Signing Day Sports’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, which was filed with the SEC on May 15, 2025. Additional information regarding the persons or entities who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Signing Day Sports shareholders, including a description of their interests in the proposed business combination by security holdings or otherwise, will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC when they become available. The managers and officers of One Blockchain do not currently hold any interests, by security holdings or otherwise, in Signing Day Sports.

    No Offer or Solicitation

    This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such other jurisdiction. No offering of securities in connection with the proposed business combination shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including without limitation, the parties’ ability to enter into definitive agreements and complete the transaction, the parties’ ability to integrate their respective businesses into a combined publicly listed company post-merger, the ability of the parties to obtain all necessary consents and approvals in connection with the transaction, obtain NYSE American clearance of a listing application in connection with the transaction, the parties’ ability to obtain their respective equity securityholders’ approval, obtain sufficient funding to maintain operations and develop additional services and offerings, market acceptance of the parties’ current products and services and planned offerings, competition from existing or new offerings that may emerge, impacts from strategic changes to the parties’ business on net sales, revenues, income from continuing operations, or other results of operations, the parties’ ability to attract new users and customers, the parties’ ability to retain or obtain intellectual property rights, the parties’ ability to adequately support future growth, the parties’ ability to comply with user data privacy laws and other current or anticipated legal requirements, and the parties’ ability to attract and retain key personnel to manage their business effectively. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are expected to be further described in a proxy statement/prospectus to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to this transaction. See also the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s periodic reports which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are, in some cases, beyond the parties’ control and could materially affect results. If one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors become applicable, or if these underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Signing Day Sports, One Blockchain, or any of their affiliates, or other matters and attributable to Signing Day Sports, One Blockchain, any of their affiliates, or any person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

    Investor Contacts:
    Crescendo Communications, LLC
    212-671-1020
    SGN@crescendo-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Anti-trans measures don’t just target transgender men and women – a sociologist explains how ‘male’ or ‘female’ categories miss the mark for nonbinary Americans

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Barbara J. Risman, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of Illinois Chicago

    The nonbinary flag, shown here on a pin, represents people who say ‘man’ or ‘woman’ does not describe their sense of self. Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/Moment via Getty Images

    Since his inauguration in January 2025, President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders that seek to limit federal recognition of transgender people. These orders have attempted to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports, require identity documents to label people as biologically male or female, bar federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors and bar transgender people from serving in the military.

    The common element in each of these policies is a promise from Trump’s inaugural speech that his administration would recognize only two genders: male and female.

    These executive orders make life difficult for transgender people, many of whom do identify as women or men, just not the sex they were assigned at birth. Apart from that, however, the emphasis on two and only two genders denies the existence of another group that is often misunderstood: nonbinary people.

    Trans vs. nonbinary

    I am a sociologist who studies gender. Over the past few years, co-researchers and I have interviewed 123 nonbinary people in three regions in America: the South, the Midwest and the West Coast. These interviewees spoke about how nonbinary people’s increased visibility in society in recent years helped them feel more welcome and liberated from gender stereotypes.

    All of the respondents are nonbinary. They do not want to be seen as the opposite sex from what they were assigned at birth; they do not feel they were “born in the wrong body.”

    Rather, they want to avoid being forced into the either/or labels that the categories “masculine” and “feminine” or “man” and “woman” entail. They opt out of those binary identifications altogether.

    For many nonbinary people, the pronouns they/them help express their sense of gender.
    Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images

    Decades of research, some of it our own, have shown that sex and gender are different from one another. Sex refers to primary and secondary sex characteristics, while gender is about the cultural meanings built upon sex categories.

    Gender is a social system that justifies rules and expectations that differentiate between the rights and social roles of men and women. These systems vary across time and place. Today, there are societies such as those in Iceland, Barbados and Bosnia-Herzegovina where women lead the government, while in other societies women must be covered or secluded at home.

    Sense of self

    Most of the people we talked to were under age 30. Typically, they rejected the societal pressure to adopt the personality characteristics that are stereotypically associated with their biological sex, such as submissiveness for women and toughness for men.

    Many of them also reject the ways people are expected to dress and use their bodies to show whether they are men or women. Some people who had been raised as boys wore nail polish and earrings, for example, while sporting a beard. Others wore long earrings and makeup – though those kinds of choices do not necessarily mean someone is trans or nonbinary. Many of the respondents who had been raised as girls, meanwhile, chose to wear masculine clothing. They wanted to mix and match traditional symbols of gender.

    Many of the respondents had felt that binary gender identities never quite fit, and they described feeling overjoyed or relieved when they learned about the word “nonbinary”: an identity that offered a more accurate reflection of their sense of self.

    “I was just kind of a flesh blob to myself, until I kind of found out that there was a term … nonbinary. And I heard the term and I was like, “Oh, that actually sounds correct for me. That actually feels right …”

    Another person we interviewed remembered:

    “Before I knew what to call myself … it was like a sense of emptiness. … I finally found that piece to put in that empty spot. And it feels more full now. Like, I feel complete now.”

    He, she, they

    The implications of that discovery were quite diverse, however. Although all the interviewees identified as nonbinary, what that meant for how they wanted to interact with their friends and families differed dramatically.

    For about half of our respondents, using the pronouns “they/them” rather than he/him or she/her was very important, because using that pronoun made them feel respected. Indeed, when asked how they felt being referred to as they/them, one person told us:

    “It felt like magic. It felt like everything just went into place and everything fit. And I was just like, ‘Oh, my God, this is … this is it.‘”

    Not all nonbinary people prefer to be addressed as ‘they/them.’
    MarioGuti/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Other people we interviewed didn’t really care how others refer to them: he, she or they. Some of these people described having a flexible sense of their own gender. Some days they feel more feminine and use “she”; other days they feel more masculine, and “he” might work better.

    “I don’t have to choose one,” one person told us about their pronouns. “I just need all of them in the arsenal.”

    Still others said they don’t care about a “proper” pronoun because they do not think gender should matter at all. They don’t want to be a third category, a “they.” Instead, they hope for a world where their body parts do not determine how they’re perceived or treated, and so gender is not central to their identity. They would like to do without gender entirely.

    Significance – for everyone

    The people we interviewed want the right to live in peace without being forced into a gender category. The recent executive orders deny this freedom by declaring that gender “does not provide a meaningful basis for identification” – contradicting a decades-long consensus in the social sciences on the distinction between sex and gender.

    Understanding that sex and gender are related but different matters not only for people who identify as nonbinary or transgender, but for everyone. Without that understanding, it is far too easy to presume socially constructed gender differences are essentially biological and to stigmatize people who do not follow strict gender norms. If you believe the myth that biology alone is the sole reason women and men differ, it would be easy to presume, for example, that women are naturally less ambitious or that men cannot be as nurturing.

    If I have learned anything from our team’s research on nonbinary young people, it is that human beings are creative and try to carve out a place for themselves in the world. The evidence suggests that gender nonconformity and diversity is wide and deep in America. What is at stake, however, is how much freedom or oppression individuals will face as they express themselves.

    Barbara J. Risman has received funding from the National Science Foundation for the research discussed in this article.

    – ref. Anti-trans measures don’t just target transgender men and women – a sociologist explains how ‘male’ or ‘female’ categories miss the mark for nonbinary Americans – https://theconversation.com/anti-trans-measures-dont-just-target-transgender-men-and-women-a-sociologist-explains-how-male-or-female-categories-miss-the-mark-for-nonbinary-americans-251443

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Highly deceptive’ fraudster secured Covid loan funds under his wife’s name and claimed innocent member of the public was his boss

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    ‘Highly deceptive’ fraudster secured Covid loan funds under his wife’s name and claimed innocent member of the public was his boss

    Bounce Back Loan fraudster also produced false invoice to liquidator

    • Shohid Ahmed applied for three Bounce Back Loans using his wife’s name, receiving £100,000 his Indian restaurant was not entitled to 

    • An invoice claiming to show £15,000 of the loan was spent on refurbishing the restaurant was revealed to be false during Insolvency Service investigations 

    • Ahmed also filed false documents with Companies House to suggest an innocent member of the public had taken over his business  

    A Bradford fraudster who secured £100,000 in Covid loan funds he was not entitled to and claimed an innocent member of the public was the director of his company has been jailed. 

    Shohid Ahmed used his wife’s name to apply for three maximum-value Bounce Back Loans on behalf of Red Square Restaurants Limited, an Indian restaurant on Huddersfield Road in Mirfield. 

    The 40-year-old received £100,000 of the £150,000 he fraudulently applied for in May and June 2020, with one of the applications refused. 

    Ahmed then used the personal details of a woman who rented a house from his father without her knowledge to create the illusion that she was the director of the company and had taken over the business. 

    He also produced invoices claiming to show the legitimate use of the Bounce Back Loans, one of which Insolvency Service investigators found to be fabricated. 

    Ahmed, of Bardsey Crescent, Bradford, pleaded guilty to offences under the Fraud Act 2006, Companies Act 2006 and Insolvency Act 1986 earlier this year. 

    He was sentenced to two years in prison at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday 27 May. 

    Ahmed has repaid £5,000 of the Bounce Back Loans he illegally secured. The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the remaining fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. 

    David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Shohid Ahmed’s actions were highly deceptive and involved a range of serious offending. 

    He not only obtained two Bounce Back Loans for the restaurant he earlier had said was no longer trading, but implicated a totally innocent member of the public by creating the false impression that she was now the director of the company. 

    The Insolvency Service will not hesitate to prosecute Covid fraudsters such as Ahmed who have stolen from the public purse and caused harm to others.

    Red Square Restaurants, which traded as Ruby’s Lounge, was incorporated in May 2018, with Ahmed’s wife as the sole director. 

    Ahmed himself was only officially director of the company for one day, being appointed and then resigning on 10 February 2020. 

    Despite not being the named director of the company, Ahmed made three Bounce Back Loan applications for Red Square Restaurants in the name of his wife as she had a better credit history than him. 

    Ahmed also claimed that the company was trading at the beginning of March 2020, to meet the requirements of the scheme. 

    That claim was contradicted by an application signed by Ahmed to strike the company off the Companies House register in early April 2020. 

    In the strike-off application, Ahmed said that the company had not traded in the previous three months. 

    Money from the Bounce Back Loans was also not used for the economic benefit of the business, as it should have been under the scheme. 

    Ahmed claimed that an invoice of £15,000 showed that money was spent on an interior redesign of his restaurant using a firm based in Stockton-on-Tees. 

    However, investigators found that the address for the design company Ahmed claimed to have used was actually a cafe which had been trading for 37 years. 

    Neither the cafe which occupied the unit or the landlord who manages the building had ever heard of the firm of interior designers. 

    A liquidator was appointed to wind-up Red Square Restaurants in July 2020. 

    Shortly before this, Ahmed filed false documents with Companies House claiming that a new director had been appointed on New Year’s Day in 2020. 

    Insolvency Service investigators spoke to the listed director who confirmed that she had no association whatsoever with Red Square Restaurants and had simply rented a house from Ahmed’s father. 

    However, Ahmed falsely claimed that she was the manager of the business who ran it day-to-day and had the power to recruit and dismiss members of staff. 

    Ahmed also falsely claimed that she had taken out both Bounce Back Loans and had access to the bank accounts where the money was deposited.  

    He added that he was a waiter and drew a salary of only £12,000. 

    Ahmed was disqualified as a company director for 11 years in December 2021 for his misconduct at Red Square Restaurants. 

    A restaurant under a different name now operates from the same address that Red Square Restaurants traded from. Shohid Ahmed is not a director of this company. 

    Further information 

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: All resolutions approved at the 2025 STMicroelectronics’ Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    All resolutions approved at the 2025 STMicroelectronics’ Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

    Amsterdam, May 28, 2025 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announced the results related to the voting items of its 2025 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the “2025 AGM”), which was held today in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

    All the resolutions were approved by the Shareholders:

    • The adoption of the Company’s statutory annual accounts for the year ended December 31, 2024, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The 2024 statutory annual accounts1 were filed with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) on March 27, 2025 and are posted on the Company’s website (www.st.com) and the AFM’s website (www.afm.nl);
    • The distribution of a cash dividend of US$ 0.36 per outstanding share of the Company’s common stock, to be distributed in quarterly installments of US$ 0.09 in each of the second, third and fourth quarters of 2025 and first quarter of 2026 to shareholders of record in the month of each quarterly payment as per the table below;
    • The adoption of the remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board;
    • The appointment of Werner Lieberherr, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term expiring at the end of the 2028 AGM, in replacement of Ms. Janet Davidson whose mandate has expired at the end of the 2025 AGM;
    • The appointment of Ms. Simonetta Acri, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term expiring at the end of the 2028 AGM in replacement of Ms. Donatella Sciuto whose mandate has expired at the end of the 2025 AGM;
    • The reappointment of Ms. Anna de Pro Gonzalo, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2028 AGM;
    • The reappointment of Ms. Hélène Vletter-van Dort, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2028 AGM;
    • The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. as the Company’s external auditor for the financial years 2026-2029;
    • The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. to audit the Company’s sustainability reporting for the financial years 2026-2027, to the extent required by law;
    • The approval of the stock-based portion of the compensation of the President and CEO;
    • The approval of the stock-based portion of the compensation of the Chief Financial Officer;
    • The authorization to the Managing Board, until the conclusion of the 2026 AGM, to repurchase shares, subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board;
    • The delegation to the Supervisory Board of the authority to issue new common shares, to grant rights to subscribe for such shares, and to limit and/or exclude existing shareholders’ pre-emptive rights on common shares, until the end of the 2026 AGM;
    • The discharge of the members of the Managing Board; and
    • The discharge of the members of the Supervisory Board.

    The complete agenda and all relevant detailed information concerning the 2025 AGM, as well as all related AGM materials, are available on the Company’s website (www.st.com) and made available to shareholders in compliance with legal requirements.

    The draft minutes of the AGM will be posted on the General Meeting of Shareholders page of the Company’s website (www.st.com) within 30 days following the 2025 AGM.

    As for rule amendments from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and conforming FINRA rule changes, on US market the standard for settlement is the next business day after a trade or t+1. European settlement rule remains at t+2 for the time being.

    The table below summarizes the full schedule for the quarterly dividends:

                  Transfer between New York and Dutch registered shares restricted:
      In Europe in NYSE      
    Quarter Ex-dividend Date Record Date Payment Date Ex-dividend and Record Date Payment Date: on or after   From End of Business in NY on: Until Open of Business in NY on:
    Q2 2025 23-Jun-25 24-Jun-25 25-Jun-25 24-Jun-25 1-Jul-25   20-Jun-25 25-Jun-25
    Q3 2025 22-Sep-25 23-Sep-25 24-Sep-25 23-Sep-25 30-Sep-25   19-Sep-25 24-Sep-25
    Q4 2025 15-Dec-25 16-Dec-25 17-Dec-25 16-Dec-25 23-Dec-25   12-Dec-25 17-Dec-25
    Q1 2026 23-Mar-26 24-Mar-26 25-Mar-26 24-Mar-26 31-Mar-26   20-Mar-26 25-Mar-26

    About STMicroelectronics
    At ST, we are 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are on track to be carbon neutral in all direct and indirect emissions (scopes 1 and 2), product transportation, business travel, and employee commuting emissions (our scope 3 focus), and to achieve our 100% renewable electricity sourcing goal by the end of 2027.

    Further information can be found at www.st.com.

    INVESTOR RELATIONS
    Jérôme Ramel
    EVP Corporate Development & Integrated External Communication
    Tel: +41.22.929.59.20
    jerome.ramel@st.com

    MEDIA RELATIONS
    Alexis Breton
    Corporate External Communications
    Tel: +33.6.59.16.79.08
    alexis.breton@st.com

    1    The Annual Report includes the sustainability statement which is prepared based on the general principles of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Element Demonstrates Progress on Climate Strategy and Enhanced Transparency in Latest Sustainability Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Element Fleet Management Corp. (TSX:EFN) (“Element” or the “Company”), the largest publicly traded, pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world, today released its 2025 Sustainability Report, underscoring the company’s commitment to driving sustainable practices that support long-term resilience and stakeholder value.

    “Motivated by our Purpose to Move the world through intelligent mobility, our sustainability report demonstrates how we are advancing sustainability with accountability, transparency, and meaningful action,” said Claire M. Murphy, EVP Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer at Element. “Sustainability is core to how we operate, and we are proud of the progress we’ve made to deepen our governance practices and foster positive environmental and social outcomes, while delivering tailored solutions that enable our clients to meet their own sustainability goals.”

     Key highlights from this year’s report include:

    • Climate ambition and action: In 2024, Element’s near-term science-based targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aligning the company’s decarbonization initiatives with global best practices. The Company also achieved, and surpassed, its Scope 1 and 2 reduction targets ahead of schedule, reinforcing its disciplined approach to climate action. Progress continued on reducing Scope 3 emissions intensity, with focused efforts on the most material areas of the Company’s value chain including use of sold products (Category 11) and downstream leased assets (Category 13).
    • Governance and transparency: Element continued to strengthen its sustainability governance and disclosure practices, maintaining a CDP Climate score of B for the second consecutive year. The Company also enhanced alignment with leading sustainability reporting frameworks, establishing the foundation for future regulatory readiness and reinforcing a commitment to transparent reporting practices. 
    • Inclusion and belonging: Element continued to foster inclusion and belonging through team member-led Business Resource Groups and enterprise-wide engagement initiatives.

    “Element is committed to making tangible and measurable differences in everything we do,” said Sheri McGrath, Vice President, Sustainability. “By embedding sustainability into our strategy and partnering closely with our clients, we are making significant strides toward a more sustainable future. This report is a reflection of these achievements, as well as our dedication to continuous improvement.”

    The 2025 Sustainability Report underscores Element’s commitment to act with integrity, innovation, and purpose to address global challenges. By fostering strong partnerships and implementing forward-thinking solutions, the Company is building a foundation for long-term resilience and shared prosperity.

    To explore Element’s sustainability initiatives and achievements in more detail, access the full report here.

    About Element Fleet Management:

    Element Fleet Management (TSX: EFN) is the largest publicly traded pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world. As a Purpose-driven and client-centric company, we deliver value through scalable, sustainable, and technology-enabled fleet and mobility solutions. With operations across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and a growing global footprint through our technology platform Autofleet, we provide our clients with end-to-end fleet management services — from vehicle acquisition, maintenance, and risk management to route optimization, electric vehicle integration, and remarketing. At Element, we combine our fleet management expertise with advanced digital capabilities in order to unlock real-time data insights, dynamic planning tools, and advanced optimization that maximize the cost efficiency and vehicle productivity of our clients’ fleets. For more information, please visit: https://www.elementfleet.com.

    This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information regarding Element and its business, which are based upon Element’s current expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions, and beliefs. In some cases, words such as “plan,” “expect”, “intend”, “believe”, “will”, “potential”, “target”, and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur are intended to identify forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information herein may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to, among other things, the Company’s sustainability targets and objectives, including science-based targets, Element’s and our clients’ greenhouse gas emissions, fleet electrification, decarbonization strategies, future climate reporting, and other sustainability related expectations. By their nature, these statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific, which give rise to the possibility that our expectations will not prove to be accurate, that our assumptions may not be correct and that our sustainability priorities, targets, commitments and goals will not be achieved. As we work to advance our sustainability strategy, external factors outside of Element’s reasonable control may impact our performance and ability to achieve our goals, including government policies, legislation and regulatory actions, our ability to implement various sustainability-related initiatives internally and with our clients under expected timeframes, the availability of comprehensive and high-quality GHG emissions data, and standardization of sustainability-related measurement methodologies. These and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements and may require Element to adapt its initiatives and activities or adjust its commitments, metrics, targets, and goals. The forward-looking statements herein speak only as of the date hereof and we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law. In addition, a discussion of some of the material risks affecting Element and its business appears under the heading “Risk Management” in Element’s Management Discussion and Analysis for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2024, and under the heading “Risk Factors” in Element’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024, which have been filed on SEDAR+ and can be accessed on Element’s profile on www.sedarplus.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is the bar higher for scientific claims of alien life?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Oliver Swainston, Research Assistant, RAND Europe

    Nasa / JPL

    The search for extraterrestrial life has long gone back and forth between scientific curiosity, public fascination and outright scepticism. Recently, scientists claimed the “strongest evidence” of life on a distant exoplanet – a world outside our solar system.

    Grandiose headlines often promise proof that we are not alone, but scientists remain cautious. Is this caution unique to the field of astrobiology? In truth, major scientific breakthroughs are rarely accepted quickly.

    Newton’s laws of motion and gravity, Wegener’s theory of plate tectonics, and human-made climate change all faced prolonged scrutiny before achieving consensus.

    But does the nature of the search for extraterrestrial life mean that extraordinary claims require even more extraordinary evidence? We’ve seen groundbreaking evidence in this search beforehand, from claims of biosignatures (potential signs of life) in Venus’s atmosphere to Nasa rovers finding “leopard spots” – a potential sign of past microbial activity – in a Martian rock.

    Both stories generated a public buzz around the idea that we might be one step closer to finding alien life. But on further inspection, abiotic (non-biological) processes or false detection became more likely explanations.

    In the case of the exoplanet, K2-18 b, scientists working with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) announced the detection of gases in the planet’s atmosphere – methane, carbon dioxide, and more importantly, two compounds called dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS). As far as we know, on Earth, DMS/DMDS are produced exclusively by living organisms.

    Their presence, if accurately confirmed in abundance, would suggest microbial life. The researchers even suggest there’s a 99.4% probability that the detection of these compounds wasn’t a fluke – a figure that, with repeat observations, could reach the gold standard for statistical certainty in the sciences. This is a figure known as five sigma, which equates to about a one in a million chance that the findings are a fluke.

    So why hasn’t the scientific community declared this the discovery of alien life? The answer lies in the difference between detection and attribution, and in the nature of evidence itself.

    JWST doesn’t directly “see” molecules. Instead, it measures the way that light passes through or bounces off a planet’s atmosphere. Different molecules absorb light in different ways, and by analysing these absorption patterns – called spectra – scientists infer what chemicals are likely to be present. This is an impressive and sophisticated method – but also an imperfect one.

    It relies on complex models that assume we understand the biological reactions and atmospheric conditions of a planet 120 light years away. The spectra suggesting the existence of DMS/DMDS may be detected because you cannot explain the spectrum without the molecule you’ve predicted, but it could also result from an undiscovered or misunderstood molecule instead.

    Climate comparison

    Given how momentous the conclusive discovery of extraterrestrial life would be, these assumptions mean that many scientists err on the side of caution. But is this the same for other kinds of science? Let’s compare with another scientific breakthrough: the detection and attribution of human-made climate change.

    The relationship between temperature and increases in CO₂ was first observed by the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius in 1927. It was only taken seriously once we began to routinely measure temperature increases. But our atmosphere has many processes that feed CO₂ in and out, many of which are natural.

    The James Webb telescope was used to study K2-18 b.
    NASA-GSFC, Adriana M. Gutierrez (CI Lab)

    So the relationship between atmospheric CO₂ and temperature may have been validated, but the attribution still needed to follow.

    Carbon has three so-called flavours, known as isotopes. One of these isotopes, carbon-14, is radioactive and decays slowly. When scientists observed an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide but a low volume of carbon-14, they could deduce that the carbon was very old – too old to have any carbon-14. Fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – are composed of ancient carbon and thus are devoid of carbon-14.

    So the attribution of anthropogenic climate change was proven beyond reasonable doubt, with 97% acceptance among scientists. In the search for extraterrestrial life, much like climate change, there is a detection and attribution phase, which requires the robust testing of hypotheses and also rigorous scrutiny.

    In the case of climate change, we had in situ observations from many sources. This means roughly that we could observe these sources close up. The search for extraterrestrial life relies on repeated observations from the same sensors that are far away. In such situations, systematic errors are more costly.

    Further to this, both the chemistry of atmospheric climate change and fossil fuel emissions were validated with atmospheric tests under lab conditions from 1927 onwards. Much of the data we see touted as evidence for extraterrestrial life comes
    from light years away, via one instrument, and without any in situ samples.

    The search for extraterrestrial life is not held to a higher standard of scientific rigour but it is constrained by an inability to independently detect and attribute multiple lines of evidence.

    For now, the claims about K2-18 b remain compelling but inconclusive.

    That doesn’t mean we aren’t making progress. Each new observation adds to a growing body of knowledge about the universe and our place in it. The search continues – not because we’re too cautious, but because we are rightly so.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Is the bar higher for scientific claims of alien life? – https://theconversation.com/is-the-bar-higher-for-scientific-claims-of-alien-life-256258

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump surrounds himself with sycophants. It’s a terrible way to run a business – and a country

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Neil Beasley, PhD Candidate in Business and Law, Liverpool John Moores University

    Since the start of his second term in office, US president Donald Trump has cultivated a political atmosphere that discourages freedom of thought. He also actively villainises and punishes any dissenting opinion. Worryingly, this atmosphere looks like it is spreading across other democracies.

    Commentators have described Trump as both narcissistic and authoritarian. Yet, running parallel to these factors, one character trait is glaringly common among Trump supporters: sycophancy.

    You just have to examine the pre-election rhetoric of Trump loyalists. One backer, Stephen Miller, declared him “the most stylish president … in our lifetimes”. Miller is now deputy White House chief of staff.

    And South Dakota governor Kristi Noem gifted Trump a four-foot Mount Rushmore replica – with Trump’s face added alongside the original four presidents. Noem, who is now secretary of homeland security, epitomises the elevation of loyal sycophants over those with arguably better credentials.

    Research has examined the dangers of sycophantic behaviour in the workplace, finding it reduces peer respect and morale, and leads to dissonance and lower productivity.

    Other research has shown that someone who chooses to employ these tactics can enjoy improved promotion prospects, rewards such as the first refusal on business trips, easier access to company resources and a higher salary compared to their peers. But studies have also shown sycophants often suffer emotional exhaustion from the dual stresses of manipulation and responsibility.

    Ongoing research I (Neil) am doing on workplace sycophancy reveals similar patterns. Interviews, spanning from junior staff to CEOs, show reduced motivation, falling team morale and declining respect for sycophants.

    One participant highlighted the effect on teamwork that sycophantic behaviour can have within the workplace.

    Sycophancy means raising yourself in somebody’s esteem, at the expense of somebody else, on the ladder. And so… it’s going to impact upon on the ability to be part of a team.

    Another participant offered a comparison to a different deviant workplace behaviour – intimidation.

    I’d say that sycophantic behaviour is coming into the same category as bullying. And it’s hard sometimes, especially with bullying and sycophantic behaviour, you are dealing with a lot of people that are manipulative, and manipulating people are quite charismatic. And when you’re charismatic, you’re more believable because you’re a storyteller.

    One solution that emerges from the research is workforce education – teaching employees to recognise and mitigate a culture of ingratiation.

    As an employee, many people might find it difficult not to bow to peer pressure. If the senior colleague encourages and rewards those who suck up, how do other colleagues, who do not choose to utilise such tactics, compete?

    Dangerous ideas take root

    Another factor to consider is the tendency for some workers to “kiss up and kick down”. What this means is that staff who are lower down the hierarchical ladder suffer detrimental treatment from the colleagues who are trying to suck their way up the same ladder.

    If workforces were educated on what these tactics looked and felt like, perhaps included in corporate codes of conduct, HR departments and management could identify potential issues and deal with them.

    But this is not merely an HR concern. Previous research also shows a link between ingratiation, high turnover rates and poorer performance by the organisation as a whole.

    Perhaps the most insidious aspect of sycophancy is the push for conformity when it comes to opinions. If leadership hears nothing but agreement, dangerous ideas can be reinforced. Things like the leader’s own skills or the competence of the organisation as a whole can become wildly exaggerated – with disastrous consequences.

    When leaders are surrounded by “yes-men”, they’re deprived of critical input that could challenge assumptions or highlight potential flaws. This can lead to cognitive entrenchment where decision-makers become overconfident and resistant to change. Bad decisions then proceed unchecked, often escalating into systemic failures.

    In return, this can lead to groupthink, a phenomenon where a desire for harmony overrides rational evaluation. Environments that suffer from groupthink often ignore red flags, silence whistleblowers and overvalue consensus. All of these things are damaging to an organisation’s ability to remain agile and competitive.

    Which brings us back to Trump. In his case this isn’t a corporate crisis. It’s a geopolitical one. At stake is not shareholder value but national security and global stability.

    With sycophants backing poor decisions, the risk ranges from damaged diplomacy to outright conflict. If loyalty replaces truth, the cost could be catastrophic. Trump’s regime may ultimately collapse under the weight of its own delusions – but the collateral damage could be profound.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Trump surrounds himself with sycophants. It’s a terrible way to run a business – and a country – https://theconversation.com/trump-surrounds-himself-with-sycophants-its-a-terrible-way-to-run-a-business-and-a-country-257391

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Living with Bears in Connecticut: What You Need to Know

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Bears are a growing presence in Connecticut, and while they’re an important part of our ecosystem, safely sharing space with them is essential.

    “Black bears are the only bear species found in Connecticut,” says Tracy Rittenhouse, an associate professor in UConn’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. “They typically avoid people, but they’re curious animals and are always on the lookout for food, especially during the spring when they are emerging from hibernation and in the fall, as bears eat as much as possible to build fat for hibernation.”

    The challenge arises as we coexist in spaces, with more houses being built in wooded areas. The state’s bear population is expanding into new areas and once a female with cubs establishes a home range in a town, the number of bears in that town will continue to increase for several years.

    Bears become comfortable around people if they learn that residential areas provide easy meals, examples include birdseed, garbage, pet food, and fallen apples from trees. Easy meals lead to new habits for bears and more frequent human encounters. An example of a new habit in Connecticut is bears entering homes, with 70 reports of bears entering homes in the 2024 State of the Bears report.

    Connecticut’s black bear population is estimated at around 1,200 in total. While most live west of the Connecticut River, the population is expanding to the eastern side of the state.

    Adults weigh from 250 to 550 pounds, and a female can have between one and five cubs. Bears prefer to live in forestland and areas with thick underbrush, making many of our landscapes ideal habitats. While grasses, fruits, nuts, and berries are usual food sources, bears are omnivores, and will also eat insects, small mammals, livestock, and deer. Their excellent sense of smell easily leads them to food sources.

    “Sometimes residents with good intentions accidentally put themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors at increased risk through their actions, like hanging nectar-filled feeders which are just as attractive to large black bears as they are to delicate hummingbirds,” says Amy Harder, associate dean for extension in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). “That’s why one of the main roles of UConn Extension is to share expertise from the University to help residents make informed decisions.”

    Removing food sources helps prevent bear conflicts. Here are a few simple steps:

    1. Secure your garbage bins. Store them in a garage or shed if possible and put them out only on the morning of pickup.
    2. Take down bird feeders. Bird feeders attract bears and should especially be removed from March to November when natural food is available.
    3. Pick up fallen fruit. Tree fruits and garden crops are another easy meal, especially apples, pumpkins, and other seasonal crops.
    4. Feed pets indoors. Pet food should be provided indoors or remove the outdoor bowls immediately after feeding.

    Bear encounters still occur, even with the necessary precautions. It’s important to know how to respond to ensure safety.

    “If you encounter a bear, stay calm. Do not run. Bears typically avoid confrontation and will move away if they don’t feel threatened,” Rittenhouse says. “Instead, back away slowly while facing the bear. Make yourself look large by raising your arms or standing on a chair. Use a calm voice and give the bear plenty of space to retreat.”

    Hikers and those working outdoors in areas where bears are active should consider carrying bear spray as a precaution, which offers a highly effective, nonlethal deterrent if used correctly. Bear spray must be easily accessible while working or hiking and users should pay attention to the wind direction to avoid spraying themselves.

    If you have seen bears in your neighborhood, consider keeping bear spray accessible when grilling in your backyard.  Don’t leave a big plate of food on the table next to the grill. Pets and children should be supervised outdoors in neighborhoods where bears are regularly observed.

    The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) tracks bear sightings and encourages everyone to report bear sightings. This is especially important if the bear is approaching people or damaging property. Wildlife officials monitor bear activity and educate communities about staying safe. So far, there have already been 500 bear sightings in 2025, and last year, sightings were reported in 159 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, according to DEEP, with Simsbury reporting the greatest number of sightings at 967.

    If you live near bears, consider installing an electric fence around your garden, especially during peak growing season. Bear noses are knee-height, and fences should have three or four strands. Harvest ripe fruits and vegetables and remove rotting produce. Use bear-resistant compost bins and avoid putting food scraps or fruit waste into open piles. Beekeepers also need to protect their hives.

    UConn’s bear story map shows bear activity and the geographic locations with the highest bear and human conflict frequency. The story map documents research completed in 2012 and 2013 into the population size and location throughout the state. There is a new study by Rittenhouse and partners that will describe quantitatively how much diet and movements have changed over the last 10 years.

    “Bears are not out to harm us. Coexisting with bears means respecting their presence and taking steps to discourage bears from using areas frequented by people. If we remove food attractants, bears are less likely to spend time in backyards,” Rittenhouse says. “By taking simple steps around your home, garden, and yard, we can reduce bear conflicts and live alongside one of Connecticut’s most iconic wild animals.”

    This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface.

    Follow UConn CAHNR on social media

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ECB Consumer Expectations Survey results – April 2025

    Source: European Central Bank

    28 May 2025

    Compared with March 2025:

    • median consumer perceptions of inflation over the previous 12 months remained unchanged, as did median expectations for inflation three and five years ahead, while median inflation expectations for the next 12 months increased further;
    • expectations for nominal income growth over the next 12 months decreased, while expectations for spending growth over the next 12 months increased;
    • expectations for economic growth over the next 12 months became more negative, while the expected unemployment rate in 12 months’ time increased;
    • expectations for growth in the price of homes over the next 12 months increased, as did expectations for mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead.

    Inflation

    In April, the median rate of perceived inflation over the previous 12 months remained unchanged for the third consecutive month at 3.1%. This is its lowest level since September 2021. Median expectations for inflation over the next 12 months increased further by 0.2 percentage points to 3.1%, the highest level since February 2024. Expectations for three years ahead remained unchanged at 2.5%. Expectations for inflation five years ahead were unchanged for the fifth consecutive month at 2.1%. For the first time since July 2021, median inflation expectations over the next 12 months did not stay below the level of inflation perceptions over the previous 12 months (both at 3.1%). Uncertainty about inflation expectations over the next 12 months also increased in April, reaching the same level as in June 2024. While the broad evolution of inflation perceptions and expectations remained relatively closely aligned across income groups, over the previous year and a half inflation perceptions and short-horizon expectations for lower income quintiles were, on average, slightly above those for higher income quintiles. Younger respondents (aged 18-34) continued to report lower inflation perceptions and expectations than older respondents (those aged 35-54 and 55-70), albeit to a lesser degree than in previous years. (Inflation results)

    Income and consumption

    Consumers’ nominal income growth expectations over the next 12 months decreased to 0.9%, from 1.0% in March. Perceived nominal spending growth over the previous 12 months decreased to 4.9%, from 5.0% in March. Conversely, expected nominal spending growth over the next 12 months increased to 3.7% in April, from 3.4% in March. This increase was observed across all income groups. (Income and consumption results)

    Economic growth and labour market

    Economic growth expectations for the next 12 months became more negative, falling to -1.9% in April from -1.2% in March. Expectations for the unemployment rate 12 months ahead increased to 10.5%, from 10.4% in March. Consumers continued to expect the future unemployment rate to be only slightly higher than the perceived current unemployment rate (9.8%), implying a broadly stable labour market. Quarterly data showed that unemployed respondents reported a lower expected probability of finding a job over the next three months, falling from 25.1% in January to 21.9% in April. Employed respondents reported that their expected probability of job loss over the next three months decreased to 8.4% in April, from 8.6% in January. (Economic growth and labour market results)

    Housing and credit access

    Consumers expected the price of their home to increase by 3.2% over the next 12 months, up from 3.1% in March. Households in the lowest income quintile continued to expect higher growth in house prices than those in the highest income quintile (3.6% and 3.0% respectively), while the difference between the two groups was smaller than on average in 2024. Expectations for mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead increased to 4.5%, from 4.4% in March. As in previous months, the lowest income households expected the highest mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead (5.1%), while the highest income households expected the lowest rates (4.0%). The net percentage of households reporting a tightening (relative to those reporting an easing) in access to credit over the previous 12 months increased slightly (from 20.2% in March to 21.7% in April), while the net percentage of those expecting a tightening over the next 12 months increased more substantially (from 15.5% in March to 20.8% in April). The share of consumers who reported having applied for credit during the past three months, which is measured on a quarterly basis, increased to 15.6% in April from 15.0% in January. (Housing and credit access results)

    The release of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) results for May is scheduled for 1 July 2025.

    For media queries, please contact: William Lelieveldt, tel.: +49 170 2279090.

    Notes

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Lord Mayor set to celebrate communities

    Source: City of Coventry

    Cllr Rachel Lancaster has been named Lord Mayor of the City of Coventry 2025/26.

    Cllr Lancaster represents Holbrook Ward, she grew up there, going to John Shelton and President Kennedy schools, She is the second female in her family to serve as a Councillor in Coventry.

    Cllr Lancaster has served in many roles during her 17 years on the Council, including holding the portfolio of Cabinet Member for Public Services, Charing Scrutiny Boards and as Chair and Deputy Chair of Licensing Committee.

    Her children, daughter Meridith and son Lawrie, will share the role of Lord Mayor’s Consort.

    Outside the Council, her professional life has seen her work in strategic management positions for charities across the city, including as a Director of Coventry Independent Advice Services and Coventry and District Credit Union.

    The Lord Mayor said: “The city of Coventry and the Council that serves it have always been such important parts of my life.

    “We have created a remarkable city by working together as a community, and in my year I will celebrate that work and the people and organisations that make it possible.

    “I feel extremely proud that I have been given the opportunity to serve Coventry in this way, and I’m looking forward to meeting some of the many people out there who help to make it home.”

    The Lord Mayor has chosen the Heart of England Community Foundation as her charity for the year, focusing on community organisations and women’s charities

    People can show their support by donating via the Council’s online payment system. Please make sure you select ‘Council and democracy’ and then ‘Lord Mayor Charity donations 24/25’ from the drop-down list. You can send a cheque payable to ‘Coventry City Council’ to The Lord Mayor’s Office, Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR.

    The new Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Coventry has been named as Cllr Roger Bailey.

    Wednesday, 28th May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Attorney General celebrates UK-Irish relations during visit

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Attorney General celebrates UK-Irish relations during visit

    The Attorney General Lord Hermer KC visited Dublin where he engaged with the Irish legal community and government ministers to strengthen UK-Irish relations.

    Attorney General Lord Hermer KC and Attorney General Rossa Fanning

    The Attorney General Lord Hermer KC travelled to Dublin where he met with his counterpart, Attorney General Rossa Fanning.

    The two Attorneys General spoke about the UK and Ireland’s close geography, shared culture, and joint commitment to the rule of law.

    Over the two-day trip, between 22 and 23 May 2025, the Attorney also met with the Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan.

    Lord Hermer KC held meetings with leading Irish legal figures, including the President of High Court David Barniville and representatives from the Irish Supreme Court, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Director General of Law Society of Ireland, and Chairperson of Bar Council of Ireland’s Public Affairs Committee.

    Attorney General Lord Hermer KC and Deputy Head of Mission, Dublin, Elin Burns.

    The Attorney also engaged with the Irish legal professions with a reception at the King’s Inns – Ireland’s oldest law school – and a visit to Four Courts, home to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, High Court, and the Dublin Circuit Court.

    Attorney General Lord Hermer KC said:

    The UK and Ireland share the strongest of ties, with a close geography, shared culture, and joint commitment to the rule of law. 

    On the back of the historic UK-Ireland Summit in March, I made clear the opportunities available to strengthen the partnership between UK and Irish legal sectors – a chance to deliver growth and prosperity in both our countries.” 

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Palestine: Hamas must end ‘shameful’ crackdown against protesters in Gaza

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty have documented a disturbing pattern of of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas against peaceful protesters

    Gaza protests occur against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis

    ‘We are entitled to live with dignity. We started marching because we want a solution to our suffering’ – Protester

    ‘The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake’ – Erika Guevara-Rosas

    Authorities in the occupied Gaza Strip must respect the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and cease the ongoing repression of protesters, Amnesty International said today.

    Over the past two months, Amnesty has documented a disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces against individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide and its recent escalation in bombardment and expansion of mass displacement. 

    Since 25 March, residents of Beit Lahia, a town in the North Gaza governorate, have organised multiple marches demanding an end to Israel’s genocide and unlawful displacement. These protests have attracted hundreds, if not thousands of Palestinians. Protesters have been chanting slogans and holding signs criticising the Hamas-led authorities in Gaza, with some people calling for an end to Hamas’ rule. Smaller protests have also taken place in Jabalia refugee camp, Shuja’iya and Khan Younis, where protesters also chanted slogans against specific Hamas leaders.  

    Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International, said:

    “The Hamas authorities must immediately cease all repressive measures against Palestinians who are bravely and openly expressing their opposition to Hamas practices in Gaza. Reports of beatings, threats, and interrogations are extremely alarming and constitute serious violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

    “It is abhorrent and shameful that while Palestinians in Gaza are enduring atrocities at the hands of Israel, Hamas authorities are further exacerbating their suffering by ramping up threats and intimidation against people simply for saying ‘we want to live’. 

    “Palestinians in Gaza are protesting the devastating impact of Israel’s ongoing genocide and the forced displacement, as well as the failure of the authorities in Gaza to protect them from such attacks. They have the right to criticise the authorities without fearing violent reprisals.

    “The authorities in Gaza must allow peaceful protesters, dissidents, and journalists to exercise their rights without intimidation, harassment, or violence. Interrogation of protesters must cease immediately, and those responsible for violence or threats should be held accountable. The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake.”

    Peaceful protesters summoned for interrogation

    Amnesty interviewed 12 individuals – 10 men and two women – who either participated in or organised protests, as well as family members of three other protesters who said their relatives had been threatened if they decided to continue protesting. The interviewees described incidents where people who took part in protests were summoned for interrogation without following formal procedures, beaten with sticks and, in some cases, being threatened that they would be shot.

    Many expressed ongoing fears of further repression, with some family members of protesters describing threats and violence directed at their loved ones. Others expressed defiance. One resident of al-Atatra in Beit Lahia, whose family was decimated in an Israeli airstrike last year, told Amnesty:

    “We are entitled to live with dignity. We started marching because we want a solution to our suffering. No one incited us or told us to protest. People are protesting because they cannot live, they wanted change… Security forces came threatening and beating us, accusing us of being traitors, simply for raising our voices. We will continue to protest, no matter the risk.”

    He described how after a protest on 16 April, members of Hamas security services summoned him for interrogation, along with several others from the neighbourhood of al-Atatra where he lives. He said he and others were taken to a building in Mashrou’ Beit Lahia which had been transformed into a makeshift detention centre, and were beaten by around 50 armed men in civilian clothes:

    “I was beaten on my neck, on my back, with wooden sticks on my neck. They shouted at me…They accused me of being a traitor – a collaborator with the Mossad [Israeli intelligence agency]. I told them we took to the streets because we wanted to live, we wanted to eat and drink… I lost my family in one of the worst massacres in this war, five of my siblings and their children were killed. It was horrible, to be called a collaborator, to have your patriotism questioned, when your family is wiped out,” he said, adding that the government in Gaza has failed its citizens and while people know Israel is to blame, they also feel the Hamas authorities don’t “see” their suffering. He was released after nearly four hours of detention and interrogation and was ordered not to participate in any further protests.

    Since its takeover of Gaza in 2007 and the establishment of a parallel security and law enforcement apparatus, Hamas has imposed severe restrictions on freedom of association, expression and peaceful assembly, using excessive force in response to several protest movements, most notably in 2019, and regularly detaining and torturing dissidents. Even during Israel’s ongoing genocide, Hamas security services continued to throttle freedom of expression, including by labelling critics as traitors.

    Labelled as ‘traitors’

    Seven protesters interviewed by Amnesty said they had been labeled as “traitors” by security forces in plain clothes, who approached them after the protests, or during interrogation. 

    One protester said:

    “Here in Beit Lahia, we are attached to our land… so when we were displaced, it was like someone took our whole life away. We called on our neighbors, friends, to protest after the evacuation orders, because we were afraid of another displacement. It was a protest against the occupation and also against Hamas. We wanted them to listen to us.”

    He said that initially the protestors called for Israel to end its genocide, establish a ceasefire and open the crossings into Gaza. However, many began chanting against Hamas because “people are angry and fed up”. He told Amnesty that he had been summoned for interrogation multiple times but refused to go until individuals affiliated with Hamas security services came to his home on 17 April.

    “They beat me with sticks, and punched my face, the beating was not very hard, I think it more of a threat. Prior to that, after a protest, one person affiliated with them came over and threatened to shoot me in my feet if I continue to protest,” he said.

    During interrogation he was accused of being recruited by the head of the intelligence services of the Ramallah-based Palestinian authorities and of being paid by Israeli intelligence. “It’s all nonsense,” he said.

    “They know it’s nonsense. Yes, I identify with Fatah [the other main Palestinian political party] but in Gaza now, it’s not about Hamas and Fatah. We want to survive; we want to live.”

    Other residents from Beit Lahia said the authorities threatened them but stopped short of harming them physically.  An 18-year-old student told Amnesty that men in plainclothes threatened to harm him and his family if he did not stop protesting.

    A woman who helped to organise a women-led vigil in Beit Lahia told Amnesty that her husband and children were threatened with arrest for their participation in protests. She said:

    “After the threats against men we wanted to raise our voices as women. It was a small protest, but we wanted to send a message, to our leaders, and also to the occupation [Israel] that we cannot tolerate this anymore. We want to protect our children; we want to live.”

    In recent days, Israeli forces expanded their military operations across the occupied Gaza Strip, re-deploying tanks in Beit Lahia and forcing most residents out. One woman displaced from Beit Lahia to Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on 16 May, told Amnesty: “We protested against Hamas and against the war, and now we are displaced by Israel again.”

    Referencing a comment made by a senior Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, in which he said: “The house will be rebuilt and the martyr…we will reproduce tenfold,” she told Amnesty:

    “They [Hamas leaders] don’t care for our suffering. Even if I rebuild my house that was destroyed, the memories and life I had there will never be rebuilt. My cousin lost her husband and three children in an Israeli strike. Can he look at her and say that her children will be reproduced?”

    Criticism of Abu Zuhri’s remarks and other statements by Hamas leaders that appear to belittle the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza was voiced by displaced people who staged a spontaneous protest when Khan Younis received a mass “evacuation order” on 19 May 2025.

    Humanitarian crisis

    The recent crackdown on protests in the occupied Gaza Strip occurs against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing genocide and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. On 2 March Israel had completely cut off the supply of humanitarian aid and other items indispensable to the survival of civilians.

    The 77-day total siege, which Israel slightly but insufficiently eased following international pressure, and the ongoing severe restrictions area clear and calculated effort to collectively punish over two million civilians and contribute to the creation of conditions of life leading to the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Beyond Political Crisis: Building a Rights-Based Future in South Korea

    Source: Amnesty International –

    By Boram Jang, East Asia Researcher at Amnesty International

    On December 3, 2024, in an extraordinary and alarming move, South Korea’s then-President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law. Although martial law was reversed within hours by the National Assembly, the damage to public trust in the presidency was profound.

    In the aftermath of that night, thousands gathered across the country – many of them young people and women who had been placed in increasingly vulnerable situations by Yoon’s policies. They protested against more than just a president. They protested against the manipulation of national security rhetoric and the rollback of human rights protections.

    The pivotal presidential election scheduled for June 3 represents more than just a routine electoral exercise – it is an opportunity to raise fundamental human rights deficits that preceded Yoon’s tenure and will persist beyond any single administration if left unaddressed.

    Yoon’s presidency brought a further decline in South Korea’s already halting progress on human rights. His approach represented a coordinated effort to undermine mechanisms and institutions protecting the human rights of marginalized people. The martial law crisis was the culmination of this strategy.

    One of Yoon’s earliest and most symbolic moves was his proposal to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. While the ministry ultimately survived due to parliamentary opposition, the attempt signaled an ideological alignment of government policy with anti-feminist narratives that had fueled his electoral campaign.

    Meanwhile, South Korea has become a hotbed of tech-facilitated gender-based violence. The Nth Room case in 2020 revealed systemic failures in both prevention and response to digital sex crimes. Despite public outrage, survivors continue to face digital abuse, delayed or inadequate responses from platforms, and limited legal protection. These are not mere oversights – they represent systemic failures of both state and corporate accountability.

    For LGBTI South Koreans, legal invisibility remains the status quo. No comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation exists. No recognition of same-sex partnerships has been established. No specific protections from housing, education, or employment discrimination have been enacted.

    Since 2007, at least eight anti-discrimination bills have been introduced and subsequently withdrawn due to political pressure – primarily from conservative religious groups. Despite public support for such legislation, most recently polling over 60 percent, no bill has passed. U.N. bodies have repeatedly recommended that South Korea adopt comprehensive protections against discrimination. Still, the legal void remains.

    Judicial progress has been limited. A 2023 appellate court recognized spousal health insurance coverage for same-sex partners. But broader questions – such as legal recognition of queer families – remain unresolved. The Constitutional Court has yet to issue a ruling.

    The struggle for disability rights illustrates how institutional inadequacies have pushed discontent into public spaces. Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) has conducted early morning subway demonstrations since 2021 to highlight the persistent exclusion of people with disabilities from public transportation. Their approach – non-violent yet purposefully disruptive – ignited national dialogue precisely because conventional advocacy channels had proven ineffective.

    Amnesty International documented forceful removal of SADD protesters during peaceful protest, including police dragging protesters out of trains and stations. The Seoul Metro has filed multiple lawsuits against the group seeking damages, and lawmakers have proposed legislation to restrict similar protests in the future.

    The protection of all these individuals’ rights requires any incoming administration to prioritize concrete policy action.

    Ahead of the upcoming election, ongoing presidential campaigns have been dominated by promises for economic and political reforms. Substantive human rights commitments remain notably absent from major candidates’ platforms.

    Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, disability access, and protest rights are hardly mentioned. This silence speaks volumes – not only about the continued marginalization of human rights in political discourse, but also about the ongoing neglect in prioritization and implementation of human rights reforms.

    South Korea needs comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that explicitly safeguards against discrimination based on gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity, among other factors. Digital rights must be secured through robust regulation of tech platforms and redress for victims of online gender-based violence. Public infrastructure must become genuinely accessible for all, with clear implementation schedules and sufficient funding. And the right to protest must be upheld, ending punitive measures against peaceful demonstrators.

    The resilience of South Korea’s rule of law will be measured by more than the avoidance of martial law. It will depend on how the state responds to the persistent exclusion of people in vulnerable situations from legal protection and public debate.

    The current elections should not be seen as a conclusion of the martial law saga, but as the beginning of a new chapter – a fresh opportunity to build a future in which human rights are not ignored, but protected.

    This article was originally published by The Diplomat

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Palestine: Hamas security services must stop targeting protesters in reprisal and respect freedom of peaceful assembly in Gaza 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Authorities in the occupied Gaza Strip must respect the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and cease the ongoing repression of protesters, Amnesty International said today.  

    Over the past two months, the organization has documented a disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces against individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide and its recent escalation in bombardment and expansion of mass displacement.   

    Since 25 March, residents of Beit Lahia, a town in the North Gaza governorate, have organized multiple marches demanding an end to Israel’s genocide and unlawful displacement. These protests have attracted hundreds, if not thousands of Palestinians. Protesters have been chanting slogans and holding signs criticizing the Hamas-led authorities in Gaza, with some people calling for an end to Hamas’ rule. Smaller protests have also taken place in Jabalia refugee camp, Shuja’iya and Khan Younis, where protesters also chanted slogans against specific Hamas leaders.  

    “The Hamas authorities must immediately cease all repressive measures against Palestinians who are bravely and openly expressing their opposition to Hamas practices in Gaza. Reports of beatings, threats, and interrogations are extremely alarming and constitute serious violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.  

    Palestinians in Gaza are protesting the devastating impact of Israel’s ongoing genocide and the forced displacement, as well as the failure of the authorities in Gaza to protect them from such attacks. They have the right to criticize the authorities without fearing violent reprisals.

    Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

    “It is abhorrent and shameful that while Palestinians in Gaza are enduring atrocities at the hands of Israel, Hamas authorities are further exacerbating their suffering by ramping up threats and intimidation against people simply for saying ‘we want to live’.  Palestinians in Gaza are protesting the devastating impact of Israel’s ongoing genocide and the forced displacement, as well as the failure of the authorities in Gaza to protect them from such attacks. They have the right to criticize the authorities without fearing violent reprisals.” 

    Amnesty International interviewed 12 individuals – 10 men and two women – who either participated in or organized protests, as well as family members of three other protesters who said their relatives had been threatened if they decided to continue protesting. The interviewees described incidents where people who took part in protests were summoned for interrogation without following formal procedures, beaten with sticks and, in some cases, being threatened that they would be shot. 

    Many expressed ongoing fears of further repression, with some family members of protesters describing threats and violence directed at their loved ones.  

    Others expressed defiance. One resident of al-Atatra in Beit Lahia, whose family was decimated in an Israeli airstrike last year, told Amnesty International: 

     “We are entitled to live with dignity. We started marching because we want a solution to our suffering. No one incited us or told us to protest. People are protesting because they cannot live, they wanted change… Security forces came threatening and beating us, accusing us of being traitors, simply for raising our voices. We will continue to protest, no matter the risk.” 

    He described how after a protest on 16 April, members of Hamas security services summoned him for interrogation, along with several others from the neighbourhood of al-Atatra where he lives. He said he and others were taken to a building in Mashrou’ Beit Lahia which had been transformed into a makeshift detention centre, and were beaten by around 50 armed men in civilian clothes:  

    “I was beaten on my neck, on my back, with wooden sticks on my neck. They shouted at me…They accused me of being a traitor – a collaborator with the Mossad [Israeli intelligence agency].  I told them we took to the streets because we wanted to live, we wanted to eat and drink… I lost my family in one of the worst massacres in this war, five of my siblings and their children were killed. It was horrible, to be called a collaborator, to have your patriotism questioned, when your family is wiped out,” he said, adding that the government in Gaza has failed its citizens and while people know Israel is to blame, they also feel the Hamas authorities don’t “see” their suffering 

    He was released after nearly four hours of detention and interrogation and was ordered not to participate in any further protests. 

    Since its takeover of Gaza in 2007 and the establishment of a parallel security and law enforcement apparatus, Hamas has imposed severe restrictions on freedom of association, expression and peaceful assembly, using excessive force in response to several protest movements, most notably in 2019, and regularly detaining and torturing dissidents. Even during Israel’s ongoing genocide, Hamas security services continued to throttle freedom of expression, including by labelling critics as traitors. 

    Seven protesters interviewed by Amnesty International said they had been labeled as “traitors” by security forces in plain clothes, who approached them after the protests, or during interrogation.   

    One protester said: “Here in Beit Lahia, we are attached to our land… so when we were displaced, it was like someone took our whole life away. We called on our neighbors, friends, to protest after the evacuation orders, because we were afraid of another displacement. It was a protest against the occupation and also against Hamas. We wanted them to listen to us.” 

    He said that initially the protestors called for Israel to end its genocide, establish a ceasefire and open the crossings into Gaza. However, many began chanting against Hamas because “people are angry and fed up”.  

    He told Amnesty International that he had been summoned for interrogation multiple times but refused to go until individuals affiliated with Hamas security services came to his home on 17 April. 

    “They beat me with sticks, and punched my face, the beating was not very hard, I think it more of a threat. Prior to that, after a protest, one person affiliated with them came over and threatened to shoot me in my feet if I continue to protest,” he said. 

    During interrogation he was accused of being recruited by the head of the intelligence services of the Ramallah-based Palestinian authorities and of being paid by Israeli intelligence.  

    “It’s all nonsense,” he said. “They know it’s nonsense. Yes, I identify with Fatah [the other main Palestinian political party] but in Gaza now, it’s not about Hamas and Fatah. We want to survive; we want to live.” 

    Other residents from Beit Lahia said the authorities threatened them but stopped short of harming them physically.  An 18-year-old student told Amnesty International that men in plainclothes threatened to harm him and his family if he did not stop protesting.  

    A woman who helped to organize a women-led vigil in Beit Lahia told the organization that her husband and children were threatened with arrest for their participation in protests.   She said: “After the threats against men we wanted to raise our voices as women. It was a small protest, but we wanted to send a message, to our leaders, and also to the occupation [Israel] that we cannot tolerate this anymore. We want to protect our children; we want to live.”  

    In recent days, Israeli forces expanded their military operations across the occupied Gaza Strip, re-deploying tanks in Beit Lahia and forcing most residents out. One woman displaced from Beit Lahia to Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on 16 May, told Amnesty: “We protested against Hamas and against the war, and now we are displaced by Israel again.” 

    Referencing a comment made by a senior Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, in which he said: “The house will be rebuilt and the martyr…we will reproduce tenfold,” she told Amnesty: 

    “They [Hamas leaders] don’t care for our suffering. Even if I rebuild my house that was destroyed, the memories and life I had there will never be rebuilt. My cousin lost her husband and three children in an Israeli strike. Can he look at her and say that her children will be reproduced?”  

    Criticism of Abu Zuhri’s remarks and other statements by Hamas leaders that appear to belittle the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza was voiced by displaced people who staged a spontaneous protest when Khan Younis received a mass “evacuation order” on 19 May 2025.  

    The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake.

    Erika Guevara-Rosas.

    “The authorities in Gaza must allow peaceful protesters, dissidents, and journalists to exercise their rights without intimidation, harassment, or violence. Interrogation of protesters must cease immediately, and those responsible for violence or threats should be held accountable.  The authorities in Gaza must respect the rights of the people in Gaza and protect them, at a time when their survival is at stake,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International 

    Background 

    The recent crackdown on protests in the occupied Gaza Strip occurs against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing genocide and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. On 2 March Israel had completely cut off the supply of humanitarian aid and other items indispensable to the survival of civilians. The 77-day total siege, which Israel slightly but insufficiently eased following international pressure, and the ongoing severe restrictions area clear and calculated effort to collectively punish over two million civilians and contribute to the creation of conditions of life leading to the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.  

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UN Security Council must renew the arms embargo on South Sudan

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Free access to weapons would only heighten the ongoing violence in the country.

    By Tigere Chagutah

    In 2015, as a civil war was raging in South Sudan, the United Nations Security Council imposed the first set of sanctions on the country, including asset freezes and travel bans on various senior officials. Three years later, after a ceasefire agreement was repeatedly violated, the UNSC mustered the votes to impose a full arms embargo. Fragile peace eventually settled in, but the embargo was kept in place and was extended every year.

    The review of the embargo is now coming up on May 29 and there is a push from African members of the UNSC – Sierra Leone, Somalia and Algeria – to lift it. On March 18, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) publicly called for this measure to end.

    But lifting the embargo on South Sudan at this moment would be a mistake. Violence has come back to plague the country, killing at least 180 people between March and mid-April, amid deepening divisions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, who has been placed under house arrest.

    Allowing more weapons to enter the country would only escalate the dire situation. This would not be in the interest of neighbouring countries and the African Union as a whole.

    Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

    Under the AU’s development plan, Agenda 2063, the continent set itself an ambitious goal of “Silencing the Guns” by 2020, later extended to 2030. With this, the AU wants to “end all wars and violent conflicts and promote dialogue-based mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution”.

    Yet, the AUPSC’s call for lifting the embargo on South Sudan does not fall in line with these goals. The justification for this stance is that free access to more weapons can enable the unification of government and opposition forces and reform the security sector.

    But this logic ignores the growing fractures in South Sudan amid the renewed tensions between Kiir and Machar. Placing more guns in the hands of warring parties involved in serious human rights violations and crimes under international law would only make the situation worse.

    South Sudan’s security and defence forces have attacked the very people they are tasked to protect: Civilians. The South Sudanese army, National Security Service and armed opposition forces have been implicated in war crimes and human rights violations for well more than a decade, including by the AU’s Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan and the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

    Indeed, around the time the AUPSC called for the lifting of the arms embargo, South Sudan’s government reportedly used improvised incendiary weapons in aerial attacks, killing at least 58 people and injuring others, including children.

    To be sure, the existence of the arms embargo is not enough – its enforcement is key. That is already faltering after in early March, Uganda sent troops and military equipment to South Sudan without providing notification or receiving special exemption from the UNSC Sanctions Committee. This is a clear violation of the embargo.

    South Sudan’s Mi-24 helicopters also seem to be on the move, despite the government’s fleet reportedly being non-functional and grounded since the arms embargo was imposed in 2018. This suggests spare parts have been sourced in violation of the embargo.

    If the African Union is serious about silencing the guns, it should back the strict controls prohibiting arms transfers to South Sudan, and the African states in the UNSC should vote to renew the arms embargo.

    Tigere Chagutah

    On May 4, Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, reported that two helicopter gunships had bombed its medical facility in Old Fangak the day before and fired at the town, killing seven and injuring 20 others. Deliberate attacks on a medical facility performing its humanitarian function violate international humanitarian law and would constitute a war crime.  This is yet another indication of why the UNSC must renew the arms embargo and strengthen its enforcement.

    If properly implemented and enforced, a renewed UNSC arms embargo would not obstruct security sector reform. Instead, it would block the disorderly and destabilising accumulation of arms in South Sudan, which is spurring the current conflict and contributing to violations against civilians.

    If the AU is serious about silencing the guns, it should back the strict controls prohibiting arms transfers to South Sudan, and the African states in the UNSC should vote to renew the arms embargo.

    MIL OSI NGO –