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Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI: Nasdaq Appoints Brandis DeSimone as New Head of East Coast Listings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The appointment strengthens Nasdaq’s commitment to supporting companies throughout their corporate lifecycle

    Nasdaq is the exchange of choice for new listings and exchange transfers in the US, raising $22.97 Billion in IPO proceeds across 180 listings in 2024 and celebrating over 500 transfers to Nasdaq since 2005

    NEW YORK, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) today announced the appointment of Brandis DeSimone as Senior Vice President, Head of East Coast Listings. Under the recently established regional operational structure, this appointment further strengthens Nasdaq’s commitment to supporting companies throughout their corporate lifecycle and deepening client relationships.

    DeSimone brings almost two decades of experience in the financial services industry, including over 13 years at Nasdaq. Throughout her long tenure with the organization, she has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the Nasdaq community and an ability to lead with deep client knowledge and trusted expertise. DeSimone has held multiple senior positions focusing on business development and client success. Most recently, she served as Vice President, Head of Americas Data Sales, where she fortified Nasdaq’s position as a leading data provider, working with various institutions across the financial sector, including traditional financial institutions and startups. With a comprehensive understanding of market trends, changing investor needs, and technological impacts on capital markets, DeSimone aims to help Nasdaq enhance its role as a strategic partner to corporate clients.

    “As companies navigate the dynamic landscape of capital markets, Nasdaq’s full suite of capabilities across trading, insights, technology and visibility are critical to fuel our client’s success,” said Brandis DeSimone, SVP, Head of East Coast Listings. “I am thrilled to evolve my journey with Nasdaq and grow the Listings franchise as we strengthen our commitment to helping clients unlock opportunity.”

    DeSimone will step into her new role on April 1, 2025. She is based out of Nasdaq’s New York headquarters and will report into Jeff Thomas, Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer and Global Head of Listings for Capital Access Platforms.

    “The evolution of Nasdaq has always been centered around our clients’ needs, and we designed our regional management structure to drive greater connectivity with our clients and accelerate growth,” said Jeff Thomas, Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer and Global Head of Listings for Capital Access Platforms. “Brandis DeSimone’s well-rounded and nuanced understanding of the capital markets from her work across all client segments along with her extensive understanding of Nasdaq’s capabilities and solutions will be instrumental in helping our clients in the East Coast deliver the highest level of service for our clients and fuel their success.”

    Nasdaq is home to the world’s most innovative companies. In addition to being the leading U.S. exchange, Nasdaq supports companies comprehensively through its suite of market leading solutions for investor relations, governance, index inclusion and visibility offerings. To date, over 500 companies have transferred their listings to Nasdaq, highlighting the unique proposition Nasdaq provides.

    About Nasdaq
    Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on X @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com.

    Nasdaq Media Contact


    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
    Information set forth in this communication contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Nasdaq cautions readers that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “may,” “believe” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s growth strategy and market expectations, products and services, ability to enhance or innovate new ways for companies to join the public markets, future listing activity, and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, or other factors beyond Nasdaq’s control. These risks and uncertainties are detailed in Nasdaq’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q which are available on Nasdaq’s investor relations website at ir.nasdaq.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Nasdaq undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    -NDAQG-

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Supporting our young people as they leave care

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Around 100 young people a year will continue to have a safe haven as part of a supported accommodation programme for young people in care and care leavers.

    Supported accommodation means young people aged 16 and over in care or care experienced have the chance to live in a more ‘independent’ home, usually a shared house with their own bedroom and communal use of bathrooms, kitchen and living rooms. Staff are on hand 24 hours a day to offer support.

    The houses usually support four or five young people, but for those who need more support, there are flats which only accommodate one young person at a time with staff.

    Young people in care can live there from the age of 16, but the services can also support those who are 18+ while future plans for their living arrangements are made.

    The set up helps them gain independence while still getting the support they need and as one young person said: “The place is amazing; it’s well set up and a good start for people moving towards independence.”

    Another said: “I’ve just moved in and really enjoying making my flat my own.  I like my flat to have nice cosy spaces.  It’s really nice that I also know a couple of other people here already.”

    We’re extending the current contract from 1 April 2025, which means our young people will continue to receive high-quality care and support.

    The contract ensures that local homes are always available for Plymouth’s young people, with the flexibility to grow the number of available beds if needed. This helps keep our young people close to their communities and support networks, demonstrating our commitment to making the move to adult life as smooth as possible.

    As part of the contract, providers have been supported with grants to improve their services, including staff training, case management and building improvements.

    Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said, “This initiative is more than just providing a place to stay. It’s about giving our young people the foundation they need to build a successful future and helping them develop the skills and confidence to live independently.”

    Alison Simpson, who is our new care leavers champion added: “Some of these young people simply have not had the support that many of us take for granted. It’s things like learning how to shop on a budget, how to cook and how to look after themselves. These are great stepping stones to independence.

    Cllr Alison Simpson, Care Leavers Champion

    “I have spent my working life in a variety of social care fields, and with all age groups.  Supporting care leavers is such an important responsibility, and I am looking forward with great excitement to bringing my experience to bear in this new role.”

    With 528 children in our care and 126 of them aged 16 or over there are a steady stream of young people leaving care, Alison will be supporting the cabinet member in her work to improve the lives of young people who have not had the easiest start in life.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rough sleeping figures rise but remain in line with national trends

    Source: City of Norwich

    The latest annual rough sleeper snapshot survey recorded 12 people sleeping rough in Norwich on a single night.

    While this is an increase from last year’s figure of five, it remains in line with the national average of 8.2 rough sleepers per 1,000 people. Despite the challenges, Norwich City Council continues to work closely with partners to provide support and accommodation for those at risk of rough sleeping, ensuring that help is available to those who need it.

    The annual rough sleeper snapshot survey coordinated by central government encourages local authorities to do a rough sleeper count on a single night of the year, which goes into a government report to establish trends and make recommendations.  

    This year, 12 individuals rough sleeping in Norwich were identified on the night of the annual count. While this marks an increase from last year’s figure of 5, it is important to highlight the substantial progress made in preventing homelessness among vulnerable groups and supporting individuals with complex needs. 

                                                                                                     
    Of the 12 individuals found rough sleeping on the night of the count none were asylum seekers, refugees, or had been evicted and 9 were already known to us. Moreover, all were offered accommodation. Unfortunately, due to the complexities of these individuals some declined the offer of accommodation. Two weeks after the count six of the nine known to us are now safely in secure accommodation.   

    Councillor Beth Jones, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “While the numbers may have risen, the underlying story reflects a city committed to addressing homelessness. Each person rough sleeping has been offered support, and the absence of asylum seekers, refugees, or those recently evicted highlights the preventative work we are doing. This work ensures that people do not remain on the streets and have pathways to recovery and stability.“

    The reasons for homelessness remain multifaceted, with contributing factors such as mental health issues, addiction, relationship breakdowns, and unemployment. We continue to prioritise a person-centred approach, supported by strong partnerships with housing, health, and community organisations. Over the past year, significant progress has been made, including the launch of a Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) role within the Pathways Norwich outreach service to tackle the barriers faced by individuals with complex needs. Additionally, funding has been secured to help people entrenched in rough sleeping to transition from the streets into other supported accommodation options.

    The rough sleeper team at Norwich City Council and the Pathways Norwich Consortium work hard all year around to ensure rough sleeping is prevented wherever possible, and where it does occur it is rare, brief, and non-recurring.

    Residents are encouraged to report sightings of rough sleepers through Street Link. 

    By working together, Norwich can continue to tackle rough sleeping effectively, ensuring everyone has access to safe and stable housing.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Nigeria’s 2025 budget has major flaws and won’t ease economic burden

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Onyeiwu, Professor of Economics & Business, Allegheny College

    There are doubts as to whether Nigerian president Bola Tinubu’s N54.99 trillion (US$36.6 billion) 2025 budget will lay a solid foundation for addressing some of the country’s current economic challenges.

    Economist Stephen Onyeiwu unpacks these challenges and sets out why the 2025 budget won’t change Nigeria’s economic landscape (though it has some silver linings).

    What are Nigeria’s four biggest economic challenges?

    Firstly, Nigeria’s economy has grown at a subdued average rate of about 3% for the past three years.

    Though comparable to global economic growth, this rate of growth is insufficient to create jobs and alleviate poverty. The official unemployment rate is 4.3%.

    Only 15% of those employed, however, are in the formal sector as wage earners. About 93% of Nigerians are engaged in informal sector activities. They’re doing low-income and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection.

    Secondly, Nigerians are struggling with a high cost of living. Inflation has remained high for three years, as have interest rates.

    The exchange rate has been elevated and volatile. The result has been rising food, fuel and housing costs.

    Thirdly, the country has not been able to attract enough foreign investment to generate high-paying jobs in the formal sector. Foreign direct investment to Nigeria has been declining. It fell from US$8.6 billion in 2009 to US$1.8 billion in 2023.

    Reasons for the decline are the high cost of doing business in Nigeria, insecurity, poor infrastructure and macroeconomic instability.

    Fourthly, poverty rates are high. This is due to unemployment and the lack of safety nets. The poverty rate rose from 33.2% in 2020 to 47.2% in 2024. The number of poor people is expected to increase by 13 million in 2025, largely due to inflation.

    Will the 2025 budget help?

    There are a number of serious flaws in it which suggest it won’t.

    Tinubu said the 2025 budget “was designed to ensure macro-economic stability, poverty reduction, promoting economic stability, developing human capital and addressing insecurity.”

    But the allocation of funds does not reflect these priorities. The allocations to personnel and overheads far exceed allocations to capital expenditures – things that build the economy’s productive capacity.

    A key challenge for Nigeria is how to shift resources from consumption to production. The 2025 budget reinforces the longstanding consumerist nature of the economy.

    China spends about 45% of GDP on capital formation. This has spurred and sustained the country’s high growth rates for decades. Nigeria’s allocation to capital expenditure in the 2025 budget is about 19%.

    In his budget speech the president said his administration’s goal was to

    “get our manufacturing sector humming again and ultimately increase the competitiveness of our economy.”

    But the federal ministries that should be driving this effort – industry and education – weren’t allocated enough for capital expenditure.

    Nor did the budget prioritise things that would ease the economic burden of Nigerians.

    A big chunk of the budget (about 35.4%) goes to servicing debt. Indeed, about 65% of the 2025 budget will finance debt repayment, personnel costs and overheads.

    Another concern is that the government intends to borrow N9.22 trillion (US$6.2 billion) to finance the budget, higher than the N7.83 trillion (US$5.2 billion) borrowed in the previous year.

    Borrowing to finance a budget increases the interest rate and makes private-sector borrowing costly. Businesses can’t access funds that would enable them to invest and boost economic growth, reduce inflation, create jobs and alleviate poverty.

    Are there any silver linings?

    There are some.

    It is commendable that the Federal Ministry of Communications & the Digital Economy was allocated about N450 billion (US$300 million) for capital expenditure, compared to just N33 billion (US$22 million) for recurrent expenditure. The administration is signalling its commitment to building capacity in the IT sector. This is important because Nigeria needs to promote a knowledge-based economy that would diversify away from hydrocarbons.

    Another encouraging aspect of the budget is that the ratio of budget deficit to GDP (3.89%) is lower than the average 5% prior to 2024. Although the administration will borrow to cover the deficit, it’s borrowing less than before relative to GDP. This signals an intention to be more financially prudent than previous administrations, assuming it won’t resort to supplementary budgets.

    What needs to happen now?

    The 2025 budget is anything but pro-poor. Most of its provisions benefit the elites, contractors and public employees.

    Much will be used to pay politicians and their aides at the National Assembly and workers in the government ministries and agencies.

    Money allocated to capital expenditure will be used to pay contractors for government projects.

    Nigerians in the informal sector will not feel a direct impact. There should have been more proactive measures to address unemployment and poverty.

    Sustainable development requires a strong rural economy. While the manufacturing and services sectors are critical for structural transformation and job creation, they can’t develop without a vibrant agricultural sector.

    Strengthening the rural economy of Nigeria requires raising the productivity of farmers so that they can supply food to urban workers at affordable prices. This helps keep inflation and wage rates low.

    Raising the productivity of rural people raises their incomes and alleviates poverty.

    Higher rural incomes increase farmers’ purchasing power, leading to an increase in the demand for goods and services produced in the manufacturing sector. When rural people earn more, there’s less reason to migrate to urban areas.

    Less migration implies less pressure on urban social services, the labour market and the informal sector.

    More funds need to be allocated to sectors and activities that raise the productive capacity of the economy. This will involve reducing governance costs and using the savings to boost food production, agro-processing and manufacturing.

    The key to stabilising the Nigerian economy is massive food production, which will reduce food inflation. Coupled with agro-processing, food production will boost exports, reduce food imports and strengthen the value of the naira.

    A stronger naira will reduce inflation and interest rates.

    In conclusion, the 2025 budget does not solve Nigeria’s endless cycle of deficits and debts. Neither does it lay the foundation for structural transformation, economic diversification, sustainable economic growth, employment generation and poverty alleviation.

    It will leave the economic landscape unchanged.

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

    – ref. Nigeria’s 2025 budget has major flaws and won’t ease economic burden – https://theconversation.com/nigerias-2025-budget-has-major-flaws-and-wont-ease-economic-burden-250713

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria’s 2025 budget has major flaws and won’t ease economic burden

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Onyeiwu, Professor of Economics & Business, Allegheny College

    There are doubts as to whether Nigerian president Bola Tinubu’s N54.99 trillion (US$36.6 billion) 2025 budget will lay a solid foundation for addressing some of the country’s current economic challenges.

    Economist Stephen Onyeiwu unpacks these challenges and sets out why the 2025 budget won’t change Nigeria’s economic landscape (though it has some silver linings).

    What are Nigeria’s four biggest economic challenges?

    Firstly, Nigeria’s economy has grown at a subdued average rate of about 3% for the past three years.

    Though comparable to global economic growth, this rate of growth is insufficient to create jobs and alleviate poverty. The official unemployment rate is 4.3%.

    Only 15% of those employed, however, are in the formal sector as wage earners. About 93% of Nigerians are engaged in informal sector activities. They’re doing low-income and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection.

    Secondly, Nigerians are struggling with a high cost of living. Inflation has remained high for three years, as have interest rates.

    The exchange rate has been elevated and volatile. The result has been rising food, fuel and housing costs.

    Thirdly, the country has not been able to attract enough foreign investment to generate high-paying jobs in the formal sector. Foreign direct investment to Nigeria has been declining. It fell from US$8.6 billion in 2009 to US$1.8 billion in 2023.

    Reasons for the decline are the high cost of doing business in Nigeria, insecurity, poor infrastructure and macroeconomic instability.

    Fourthly, poverty rates are high. This is due to unemployment and the lack of safety nets. The poverty rate rose from 33.2% in 2020 to 47.2% in 2024. The number of poor people is expected to increase by 13 million in 2025, largely due to inflation.

    Will the 2025 budget help?

    There are a number of serious flaws in it which suggest it won’t.

    Tinubu said the 2025 budget “was designed to ensure macro-economic stability, poverty reduction, promoting economic stability, developing human capital and addressing insecurity.”

    But the allocation of funds does not reflect these priorities. The allocations to personnel and overheads far exceed allocations to capital expenditures – things that build the economy’s productive capacity.

    A key challenge for Nigeria is how to shift resources from consumption to production. The 2025 budget reinforces the longstanding consumerist nature of the economy.

    China spends about 45% of GDP on capital formation. This has spurred and sustained the country’s high growth rates for decades. Nigeria’s allocation to capital expenditure in the 2025 budget is about 19%.

    In his budget speech the president said his administration’s goal was to

    “get our manufacturing sector humming again and ultimately increase the competitiveness of our economy.”

    But the federal ministries that should be driving this effort – industry and education – weren’t allocated enough for capital expenditure.

    Nor did the budget prioritise things that would ease the economic burden of Nigerians.

    A big chunk of the budget (about 35.4%) goes to servicing debt. Indeed, about 65% of the 2025 budget will finance debt repayment, personnel costs and overheads.

    Another concern is that the government intends to borrow N9.22 trillion (US$6.2 billion) to finance the budget, higher than the N7.83 trillion (US$5.2 billion) borrowed in the previous year.

    Borrowing to finance a budget increases the interest rate and makes private-sector borrowing costly. Businesses can’t access funds that would enable them to invest and boost economic growth, reduce inflation, create jobs and alleviate poverty.

    Are there any silver linings?

    There are some.

    It is commendable that the Federal Ministry of Communications & the Digital Economy was allocated about N450 billion (US$300 million) for capital expenditure, compared to just N33 billion (US$22 million) for recurrent expenditure. The administration is signalling its commitment to building capacity in the IT sector. This is important because Nigeria needs to promote a knowledge-based economy that would diversify away from hydrocarbons.

    Another encouraging aspect of the budget is that the ratio of budget deficit to GDP (3.89%) is lower than the average 5% prior to 2024. Although the administration will borrow to cover the deficit, it’s borrowing less than before relative to GDP. This signals an intention to be more financially prudent than previous administrations, assuming it won’t resort to supplementary budgets.

    What needs to happen now?

    The 2025 budget is anything but pro-poor. Most of its provisions benefit the elites, contractors and public employees.

    Much will be used to pay politicians and their aides at the National Assembly and workers in the government ministries and agencies.

    Money allocated to capital expenditure will be used to pay contractors for government projects.

    Nigerians in the informal sector will not feel a direct impact. There should have been more proactive measures to address unemployment and poverty.

    Sustainable development requires a strong rural economy. While the manufacturing and services sectors are critical for structural transformation and job creation, they can’t develop without a vibrant agricultural sector.

    Strengthening the rural economy of Nigeria requires raising the productivity of farmers so that they can supply food to urban workers at affordable prices. This helps keep inflation and wage rates low.

    Raising the productivity of rural people raises their incomes and alleviates poverty.

    Higher rural incomes increase farmers’ purchasing power, leading to an increase in the demand for goods and services produced in the manufacturing sector. When rural people earn more, there’s less reason to migrate to urban areas.

    Less migration implies less pressure on urban social services, the labour market and the informal sector.

    More funds need to be allocated to sectors and activities that raise the productive capacity of the economy. This will involve reducing governance costs and using the savings to boost food production, agro-processing and manufacturing.

    The key to stabilising the Nigerian economy is massive food production, which will reduce food inflation. Coupled with agro-processing, food production will boost exports, reduce food imports and strengthen the value of the naira.

    A stronger naira will reduce inflation and interest rates.

    In conclusion, the 2025 budget does not solve Nigeria’s endless cycle of deficits and debts. Neither does it lay the foundation for structural transformation, economic diversification, sustainable economic growth, employment generation and poverty alleviation.

    It will leave the economic landscape unchanged.

    – Nigeria’s 2025 budget has major flaws and won’t ease economic burden
    – https://theconversation.com/nigerias-2025-budget-has-major-flaws-and-wont-ease-economic-burden-250713

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Who’s my dad? In South Africa that’s a complex question – report tracks the rise of ‘social fathers’

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Wessel Van Den Berg, Research fellow, Stellenbosch University

    The State of South Africa’s Fathers 2024 report is published by the new Tataokhona project at Stellenbosch University. The project focuses on research and interventions related to fathers and fatherhood. This is the third edition of this report, and offers valuable insights into the evolving realities of fatherhood in South Africa. Co-authors Wessel van den Berg, Mandisa Malinga, Kopano Ratele and Tawanda Makusha explain why it’s critical to examine the changing role of men in families.

    What were some of the key findings of the report?

    The report presents data from the General Household Survey 2023 and a survey of adult caregivers in South Africa, also done in 2023.

    One of the key findings is that 76% of children in South Africa live with an adult male in the household. This is often overlooked when the media and researchers focus on children’s co-residence with fathers.

    However, fewer children live with their biological fathers than with other men. The percentage of children who live with their biological fathers has dropped from 45.3% in 1996 to 35% in 2023.

    This decline is linked to broader societal factors, including economic instability, migration patterns, and shifts in traditional family structures.

    Never have so few children been recorded as living with their biological fathers, nor have so many lived with other men like uncles, grandfathers, older brothers or mothers’ new partners.

    As researchers, policymakers and other development practitioners, we need to explore the contribution men make in their families, biological or otherwise.

    The case studies and contributions from authors across the country underscore that while physical presence is important, the quality of engagement between the father figure and child is even more crucial.

    Encouraging positive father-child relationships through legal, workplace and social policy changes could help mitigate the known effects of not living together.

    Figure.

    What did the survey reveal about who provides for children?

    Traditionally, fatherhood has been closely linked to financial provision. However, economic hardships and shifting gender roles are reshaping this expectation.

    Co-residence goes down as income goes down. Many fathers, particularly those facing unemployment or economic hardship, struggle to maintain active participation in their children’s lives.

    Many fathers are also forced to migrate to find work.

    Those men who cannot provide do not see any other role for themselves in children’s lives, and so they disengage.

    Data from the State of the World’s Fathers 2023 survey showed that in South Africa 85% of women financially supported their biological children, compared to 80% of men. Most children are supported by both parents, but mothers bear a higher financial burden than fathers.

    Women are also more likely than men to provide for non-biological children (50% vs 44%).

    These figures highlight the growing financial responsibilities shouldered by women and the need to redefine fatherhood beyond economic provision.

    The increasing financial burden on women also reveals deep-seated inequalities in wage distribution and employment opportunities.

    Many fathers who wish to support their children financially face obstacles such as unemployment and precarious work conditions.

    While some men have adapted by taking on caregiving roles, society still puts pressure on them to prioritise financial contribution over direct caregiving.

    This paradox creates stress and identity struggles for many fathers. It reinforces the need for supportive policies like paid parental leave and father-focused caregiving initiatives.

    Read more: Men say they are spending more time on household chores, and would like to do more – survey of 17 countries

    What does the survey tell us about ‘social fathers’?

    With only a minority of children living with their biological fathers, social fathers – men who provide care despite not being biologically related to the child – have become increasingly significant. The State of the World’s Fathers 2023 survey found for example that of the men who care for children whom they had not biologically fathered, 51.1% of the men played with the children, 50.2% provided financial support, and 40.2% read books with them.

    The report emphasises that 40% of children reside with men who are not their biological fathers, a trend that has grown since 1996. We believe these men can and should be encouraged to step into the role of social fathers. They include grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers, teachers and community leaders who contribute to children’s emotional and material well-being.

    However, social fathers lack legal recognition and support in South Africa. This makes it harder for them to access resources that could help them provide better care.

    Policymakers and community organisations must recognise and formalise the contributions of social fathers to ensure children receive consistent and supportive care.

    Social fathers need to be recognised.

    What happens now?

    Many men struggle to find their place in a rapidly evolving society where gender expectations are no longer fixed.

    The rise of feminism and women’s empowerment has rightly expanded opportunities for women, but has left a gap in guiding men towards constructive ways of engaging with these changes.

    Read more: Unpaid care work still falls on women: seven steps that could shift the balance

    Additionally, it remains true that more women than men are unemployed. This is primarily due to societal expectations that women should be homemakers or primary caregivers.

    Policies that recognise diverse forms of fatherhood will be essential in fostering positive father-child relationships for future generations.

    – Who’s my dad? In South Africa that’s a complex question – report tracks the rise of ‘social fathers’
    – https://theconversation.com/whos-my-dad-in-south-africa-thats-a-complex-question-report-tracks-the-rise-of-social-fathers-249763

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Salford City Council confirm delegation for MIPIM 2025

    Source: City of Salford

    • Salford City Council confirm a return to MIPIM this year.
    • MIPIM (in French, Le Marché International des Professionnels de L’immobilier) is held in Cannes, France and is internationally recognised as a key property and investment event.
    • Attendance at MIPIM provides a platform for the council to meet investors and showcase the development opportunities in Salford. 
    • Salford City Council team will form part of Greater Manchester partnership in attendance 
    • The Salford team confirmed for the conference as Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration, John Searle, Executive Director Place, Stephanie Mullenger, Interim Director Property and Housing, and Sarah Ashurst, Head of Partnerships and Investment.

    Salford City Deputy Mayor Jack Youd heads up a team of senior officers from Salford City Council attending this year’s MIPIM event.

    The team’s focus will be once again raising the profile of the city and positioning Salford as an innovative, forward-thinking city on a global stage. There’ll be opportunities to highlight the unique growth potential and the range of current regeneration projects in scope across the city. 

    Heading out to Cannes, France from 11-14 March for the event, presents the team with the chance for the team to meet with developers and public sector officials from cities and regions across the world. 

    Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration, said:

    “As always, MIPIM presents an important opportunity for the city and as a first-time attendee I’m excited to experience everything the event has to offer. 

    Salford City Council is committed to placemaking which delivers for the existing residents of Salford and for people looking to live, work and play in our city. This vision is set out in our Corporate Plan and builds on the good growth and regeneration which has been vital to our success as a city. The connections made and developed at MIPIM are central to achieving our goals.

    We need to continue to build the profile of the city further and ensuring potential investors and partners have Salford in the forefront of their minds.” 

    Salford City Council has long identified MIPIM as an important opportunity to share the city’s regeneration story and highlight the city’s vision for the future with those who have the potential to help deliver and achieve it.

    This year, again there’s plenty to for the team to be highlighting. Salford has experienced significant growth and investment in recent years, and this is now having a positive knock-on effect. Investment attracts further investment and leads to future development opportunities throughout the city. 

    Current priorities include the new ambitious visions for the town centre redevelopment of Eccles and Swinton and the upcoming Strangeways and Cambridge Strategic Regeneration Framework. The new emerging Mayoral Development Zone at the Western Gateway, future plans at MediaCity and the importance of affordable social housing through Derive all present opportunities for developers and investors.   

    The key objectives for attending MIPIM are: raising the city’s profile on an international stage; highlighting the exciting development opportunities on the horizon; making those connections with potential developer partners. 

    The Salford City Council team is:

    Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration

    Jack was elected in 2021 to represent Walkden North ward also serving as the election agent for the directly elected City Mayor, Paul Dennett. 

    On election Jack was made the Executive Support for Procurement and Social Value, overseeing a large increase in the number of Foundation Living Wage accredited employers in Salford. In 2022 Jack was promoted to the Lead Member for Finance and Support Services. 

    In 2024, Jack was appointed to the position of Deputy City Mayor and added the Property and Regeneration portfolio to his roles and responsibilities. Jack also substitutes for the City Mayor at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, sits on the Greater Manchester Economy Board and Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

    Jack is also chair of the Board of Directors of Salford Credit Union and has been a 
    non-executive director on SCU for ten years. 

    John Searle, Executive Director Place

    John has 25 years’ experience in the public and private sector in economic development and physical regeneration across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside with direct experience of implementing urban regeneration schemes and commercial property development. John joined Salford in November 2021 and is responsible for regeneration, property, development and investments, planning and building control, highways and technical services, operational services and employment and skills. This involves a gross revenue budget of over £90m and a capital programme of over £100m for 2022/23.

    He is currently overseeing Salford’s ambitious growth plans to deliver 40,000 new jobs and homes by 2040 by building on the city’s four strategic growth locations (City Centre Salford, Salford Quays and MediaCity, Greater Manchester Western Gateway, including Port Salford and Salford’s Town Centres). 

    John previously worked for 15 years at Rochdale Council/Rochdale Development Agency on the £400m investment programme in Rochdale Town Centre, the development of the 420-acre Kingsway Business Park and the GM Spatial Framework proposal known as Northern Gateway.

    Stephanie Mullenger, Interim Director Property and Housing

    Steph has been working in Property since she was 16 and started as an estate agent in London.  She completed her and RICS qualifications whilst working and has been involved with all aspects of the industry across all asset types and in several different countries.  

    She moved to the Northwest from London in 1997 and has over 25 years’ director and board level industry experience with a track record of success in developing multi-site retail, office leisure and residential estates and award winning, high performing teams.

    She has worked for the Co-op, London Regional Transport, Global property Consultants, Banks and locally has been MD for Manchester Airport Group Property and Urban Splash. She also ran for ten years my own successful property consultancy before joining Salford City Council in 2023.

    In March 2024, Steph was appointed as the Interim Director of Property and Housing.   

    Sarah Ashurst, Head of Partnerships and Investment, Salford City Council

    Sarah has extensive experience of delivering the city’s regeneration ambitions during her time working for the council. 

    She leads a team of officers with on focus on driving the growth of the city, working with a range of public and private sector development partners, funding agencies, Greater Manchester partners and international investors and has a portfolio covering the whole of the city.

    Full programme with Salford attended panel sessions

    Tuesday 11 March

    Place North Stand

    • 8.30am Welcome from Northern Local Authorities
    • Featuring: Stephanie Mullenger, Interim Director Property and Housing.

    The Manchester Stand

    • 10.30am Place based sustainable growth: How the Manchester city region is unlocking and supporting development
    • Featuring John Searle, Executive Director, Place

    The Manchester Stand

    • 2.30pm Two cities and a river: Strangeways Strategic Regeneration Framework
    • Featuring Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration

    MIPIM UK Stage

    • 3pm Faster, bigger, better – How can the North become the UK’s development driver?
    • Featuring John Searle, Executive Director, Place

    Wednesday 12 March

    Canopy by Hilton

    • 8am Place North MIPIM Breakfast Conference
    • Featuring John Searle, Executive Director, Place

    Thursday 13 March

    The Manchester Stand

    • 2pm Beyond Old Trafford: Exploring wider regeneration opportunities in Trafford and Salford
    • Featuring Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration

    Share this

    Date published
    Monday 3 March 2025

    Press and media enquiries

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: North Carolina’s Healthy Opportunities Pilots Receive National Recognition

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: ICYMI: North Carolina’s Healthy Opportunities Pilots Receive National Recognition

    ICYMI: North Carolina’s Healthy Opportunities Pilots Receive National Recognition
    hejones1

    This week, the success of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy Opportunities Pilots was featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In just under three years, the first-of-its kind innovative program has been described as a “life changer” for thousands of North Carolina families. Healthy Opportunities proves the best way to lower health care costs and create healthier communities is to reduce the need for medical care in the first place.

    The program addresses people’s social needs with services like food, housing, transportation and assistance related to interpersonal violence and toxic stress. It is part of a broader set of initiatives — including Medicaid Expansion, medical debt relief, behavioral health investments, SNAP and WIC maximization, and integrating physical and behavioral health – that are focused on improving the health and economic well-being of North Carolinians. 

    “The Healthy Opportunities Pilots are a true example of how we carry out our department’s mission to create a healthier North Carolina for all,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “As a physician, I have seen firsthand how factors outside of the exam room greatly affect whole-person health as people need food, shelter and safety to thrive. I look forward to working with the team and partners at the General Assembly to take this program statewide.”

    More than 819,000 services have been effectively delivered, and more than 38,000 NC Medicaid beneficiaries have enrolled across 33 predominantly rural counties in North Carolina since the Healthy Opportunities Pilots began providing services nearly three years ago. Participants are seeing the health benefits with fewer emergency room visits and hospital stays. Additionally, the state is seeing $1,020 in annual health care costs savings per Healthy Opportunities enrollee, and stronger local economies that are supported by local businesses from family farms to home repair. 

    “Thanks to the foresight of North Carolina lawmakers who saw the potential value and initially funded this program, people are healthier, local businesses are growing, and rural communities are stronger,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid Jay Ludlam. “Healthy Opportunities isn’t just about lowering health care costs, it’s about keeping dollars local, building on community strengths, and making sure North Carolinians have the resources they need to stay healthy.”

    The Healthy Opportunities Pilots currently operate in three regions of the state with the support of three Network Leads: Access East, Inc.; Community Care of the Lower Cape Fear; and Impact Health. Healthy Opportunities in western North Carolina is a critical partner in helping people in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene recover from the damage left behind. Late last year, our partners from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services recognized the value in this innovative approach for lowering health care cost and approved a new 1115 waiver, renewing the Pilots, and giving North Carolina the option to expand statewide and make program improvements and changes. We are working with partners at the NCGA on options for expansion, so more people are able to access the critical services the program offers.

    To learn about the Healthy Opportunities Pilots and read more about how the program is benefiting people with Medicaid in North Carolina, visit the Healthy Opportunities Pilots webpage or the Healthy Opportunities Frequently Asked Questions.

    Mar 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A Palestinian-Israeli film just won an Oscar − so why is it so hard to see?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Drew Paul, Associate Professor of Arabic, University of Tennessee

    Left to right: Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham pose with their Oscars for ‘No Other Land’ at the 2025 Academy Awards. Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty Images

    For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar win is a golden ticket.

    The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals and sales.

    However, for “No Other Land,” a Palestinian-Israeli film that just won best documentary feature at the 2025 Academy Awards, this exposure may not translate into commercial success in the U.S. That’s because the film has been unable to find a company to distribute it in America.

    “No Other Land” chronicles the efforts of Palestinian townspeople to combat an Israeli plan to demolish their villages in the West Bank and use the area as a military training ground. It was directed by four Palestinian and Israeli activists and journalists: Basel Adra, who is a resident of the area facing demolition, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor. While the filmmakers have organized screenings in a number of U.S. cities, the lack of a national distributor makes a broader release unlikely.

    Film distributors are a crucial but often unseen link in the chain that allows a film to reach cinemas and people’s living rooms. In recent years it has become more common for controversial award-winning films to run into issues finding a distributor. Palestinian films have encountered additional barriers.

    As a scholar of Arabic who has written about Palestinian cinema, I’m disheartened by the difficulties “No Other Land” has faced. But I’m not surprised.

    The role of film distributors

    Distributors are often invisible to moviegoers. But without one, it can be difficult for a film to find an audience.

    Distributors typically acquire rights to a film for a specific country or set of countries. They then market films to movie theaters, cinema chains and streaming platforms. As compensation, distributors receive a percentage of the revenue generated by theatrical and home releases.

    The film “Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat,” another finalist for best documentary, shows how this process typically works. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and was acquired for distribution just a few months later by Kino Lorber, a major U.S.-based distributor of independent films.

    The inability to find a distributor is not itself noteworthy. No film is entitled to distribution, and most films by newer or unknown directors face long odds.

    However, it is unusual for a film like “No Other Land,” which has garnered critical acclaim and has been recognized at various film festivals and award shows. Some have pegged it as a favorite to win best documentary at the Academy Awards. And “No Other Land” has been able to find distributors in Europe, where it’s easily accessible on multiple streaming platforms.

    So why can’t “No Other Land” find a distributor in the U.S.?

    There are a couple of factors at play.

    Shying away from controversy

    In recent years, film critics have noticed a trend: Documentaries on controversial topics have faced distribution difficulties. These include a film about a campaign by Amazon workers to unionize and a documentary about Adam Kinzinger, one of the few Republican congresspeople to vote to impeach Donald Trump in 2021.

    The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, of course, has long stirred controversy. But the release of “No Other Land” comes at a time when the issue is particularly salient. The Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Israeli bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip have become a polarizing issue in U.S. domestic politics, reflected in the campus protests and crackdowns in 2024. The filmmakers’ critical comments about the Israeli occupation of Palestine have also garnered backlash in Germany.

    Locals attend a screening of ‘No Other Land’ in the village of A-Tuwani in the West Bank on March 14, 2024.
    Yahel Gazit/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

    Yet the fact that this conflict has been in the news since October 2023 should also heighten audience interest in a film such as “No Other Land” – and, therefore, lead to increased sales, the metric that distributors care about the most.

    Indeed, an earlier film that also documents Palestinian protests against Israeli land expropriation, “5 Broken Cameras,” was a finalist for best documentary at the 2013 Academy Awards. It was able to find a U.S. distributor. However, it had the support of a major European Union documentary development program called Greenhouse. The support of an organization like Greenhouse, which had ties to numerous production and distribution companies in Europe and the U.S., can facilitate the process of finding a distributor.

    By contrast, “No Other Land,” although it has a Norwegian co-producer and received some funding from organizations in Europe and the U.S., was made primarily by a grassroots filmmaking collective.

    Stages for protest

    While distribution challenges may be recent, controversies surrounding Palestinian films are nothing new.

    Many of them stem from the fact that the system of film festivals, awards and distribution is primarily based on a movie’s nation of origin. Since there is no sovereign Palestinian state – and many countries and organizations have not recognized the state of Palestine – the question of how to categorize Palestinian films has been hard to resolve.

    In 2002, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected the first ever Palestinian film submitted to the best foreign language film category – Elia Suleiman’s “Divine Intervention” – because Palestine was not recognized as a country by the United Nations. The rules were changed for the following year’s awards ceremony.

    In 2021, the cast of the film “Let It Be Morning,” which had an Israeli director but primarily Palestinian actors, boycotted the Cannes Film Festival in protest of the film’s categorization as an Israeli film rather than a Palestinian one.

    Film festivals and other cultural venues have also become places to make statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and engage in protest. For example, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, the right-wing Israeli culture minister wore a controversial – and meme-worthy – dress that featured the Jerusalem skyline in support of Israeli claims of sovereignty over the holy city, despite the unresolved status of Jerusalem under international law.

    Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev wears a dress featuring the old city of Jerusalem during the Cannes Film Festival in 2017.
    Antonin Thuillier/AFP via Getty Images

    At the 2024 Academy Awards, a number of attendees, including Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo and Mahershala Ali, wore red pins in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, and pro-Palestine protesters delayed the start of the ceremonies.

    As he accepted his award, “No Other Land” director Yuval Abraham called out “the foreign policy” of the U.S. for “helping to block” a path to peace.

    Even though a film like “No Other Land” addresses a topic of clear interest to many Americans, I wonder if the quest to find a U.S. distributor just got even harder.

    This article has been updated to clarify that the film was a collaborative effort between Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers. It has also been updated to reflect the film’s win at the 2025 Academy Awards.

    Drew Paul 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. A Palestinian-Israeli film just won an Oscar − so why is it so hard to see? – https://theconversation.com/a-palestinian-israeli-film-just-won-an-oscar-so-why-is-it-so-hard-to-see-249233

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Holocaust films are changing as we lose the survivor generation

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barry Langford, Professor of Film Studies, Royal Holloway University of London

    The Holocaust is fast receding from living memory. Some 300 Auschwitz survivors were present at the 70th anniversary commemorations of the camp’s liberation in 2015. This year, just 50 attended, all of whom were children in 1945.

    Even before this generation began to pass on, researchers of the Holocaust had begun to study the ways that memory of these events have been shaped, manipulated, or indeed fabricated. Film scholar Alison Landsberg’s influential concept of “prosthetic memory” focused attention on the ways in which film, literature and other art forms can supplement or even substitute for the experiences of those who lived through historical events.

    Approaching the moment when such supplements must become the sole means for future generations to understand the Holocaust, it seems no accident that half a dozen films released in 2023 and 2024 made Holocaust memory – and its complexities – an explicit element of their narratives.

    Three of these films incorporate scenes filmed on location in Poland at former Nazi death camps. Perhaps the most unexpected example is The Zone of Interest (2023). A brief documentary sequence filmed at the modern-day Auschwitz museum concludes director Jonathan Glazer’s meticulous (though highly stylised) recreation of the idyllic domestic life of camp commandant Rudolf Höss and his family.



    Read more:
    The Zone of Interest: new Holocaust film powerfully lays bare the mechanisms of genocide

    It’s the only sequence that crosses the otherwise impermeable boundary separating the Höss family compound from the camp itself. It might be interpreted as a kind of reality check for the audience – a reminder that yes, this all did really happen. But that seems an improbably ingenuous stance for so intelligent a filmmaker.

    More plausibly, the sequence is a reflexive extension of the film’s interrogation of the strategies by which atrocity can be held at arm’s length, or “managed”.

    Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) manage this by fabricating a “perfect” bourgeois home, while ignoring the constant soundtrack of barked orders, shots and screams from the other side of their garden wall.

    As we watch them, we are naturally appalled and repelled by their callous dissociation. Yet in the contemporary Auschwitz sequence, Glazer asks whether modern habits of Holocaust “consumption” don’t risk an all-too-similar disavowal.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    In the museum sequence we see Polish cleaners at work, wiping down the glass of the vitrines in which the infamous heaps of shoes and human hair are displayed, and mopping the floor of the Auschwitz I gas chamber (itself a postwar reconstruction).

    This site of unimaginable violence is now a museum where the material evidence of mass murder is carefully preserved and curated for tourists. Perhaps not altogether unlike a historical recreation such as The Zone of Interest.

    ‘Managing’ Holocaust memory

    Tourists are the protagonists of Treasure (2024), directed by Julia von Heinz, and A Real Pain (2024), written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

    These films centre on survivors and their descendants travelling to modern Poland, ostensibly to commemorate their destroyed families. But it seems that, perhaps inevitably, more pressing and immediate personal issues override these acts of remembrance.



    Read more:
    A Real Pain is a subtle but powerful exploration of remembrance culture and personal trauma

    A Real Pain, for example, centres on two cousins, dutiful family man David (Eisenberg) and mercurial, possibly bipolar Benji (Kieran Culkin). The pair join a “Holocaust tour” in honour of their late grandmother, a Polish-Jewish survivor, including a visit to Maidanek.

    Clip from A Real Pain.

    Dutifully and sombrely, the cousins view the barracks, the gas chamber and the vast pile of human ashes. Afterwards, however, only Benji lapses into inconsolable sobs. Is his grief an authentic reaction to the horror, a mark of his greater emotional connection? Is it histrionically excessive, performative attention-seeking? Or is it that the unfathomable tragedy of European Jewry allows Benji to access his own private agony.

    If it’s the latter, is such an appropriation of the Holocaust somehow an “illegitimate” response? According to whom? Eisenberg’s deft traumedy leaves it up to us to decide.

    Yet more ambiguous is the epilogue to Brady Corbett’s acclaimed The Brutalist (2024). The film retrospectively interprets the professional career of its protagonist, fictitious Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth (Adrian Brody) as a response to the tragedy.



    Read more:
    The Brutalist: an architect’s take on a film about one man’s journey to realise his visionary building

    Addressing the 1980 Venice Biennale, Tóth’s daughter declares that through his creations her father worked through the trauma of his experiences in the camps. A Holocaust memorial is among the designs briefly glimpsed in the display of Tóth’s work.

    The trailer for The Brutalist.

    The scene aptly captures the ways in which public discourses around the Holocaust crystallised from the 1980s onward.

    In the immediate postwar period, as The Brutalist shows, the Holocaust was a rarely discussed, even shameful, topic outside of survivor communities. But with the onset of postmodernism, the Holocaust came increasingly to be understood as the defining episode in 20th-century European history, more even than the second world war itself.

    The meanings of trauma

    As all these films show, the ways that the Holocaust is commemorated today are far uncontested. For example, One Life (2023), the biopic of British rescuer Nicholas Winton, straightforwardly endorses mainstream assumptions about the value of remembrance.



    Read more:
    What One Life gets wrong about Nicholas Winton and the Kindertransport story

    By contrast, in the documentary The Commandant’s Shadow (2024), Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch is almost dismissive of what she clearly sees as her daughter’s superfluous preoccupation with a past trauma best forgotten.

    The Brutalist is more ambiguous still. At one level, traumatic memory may help explain Tóth’s difficult character and relationships in the preceding three hours of the film. Yet at the same time, almost nothing in his words or actions hitherto has suggested the Holocaust is his predominant focus. Nor does Tóth make this claim himself. Stricken mute following a stroke, he can only listen as his daughter offers this account of his work.

    Is it true? Or is it imposing a neat, culturally approved meaning onto the complexities of a messy, damaged life?

    Together, these films make a strong case that in the “post-testimony” era, we must not only keep remembering the Holocaust, but reflect constantly on how and why we do so.

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

    – ref. How Holocaust films are changing as we lose the survivor generation – https://theconversation.com/how-holocaust-films-are-changing-as-we-lose-the-survivor-generation-250687

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Jeff Bezos brought the Washington Post’s global reputation into question

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colleen Murrell, Full Professor in Journalism, Dublin City University

    The Washington Post still conjures up, for some, the promise of fiercely independent investigative journalism that can unseat a corrupt president. In what became one of the biggest stories of the 20th century, Richard Nixon (1969-74) was forced to resign the presidency in 1974, halfway through his second term, following an investigation by Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.

    After months of work the reporting team linked Nixon and his campaign staff to illegal donations, and to the bugging and sabotage of political opponents including a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate building, Washington DC. Their work won a Pulitzer prize.

    This kicked off decades of investigative journalism and breaking stories that has cemented the Post’s global reputation.

    So the recent memo by billionaire owner of the Post, Jeff Bezos, declaring that the newspaper’s opinion section will now be restricted to pieces supporting “personal liberties and free markets” (and not opposing viewpoints) came as a shock not only to loyal liberal readers and to some journalists, but also to those who see the Post as a bastion of media freedom. Bezos said on X that differing opinions can be “left to be published by others”.

    The decision by Bezos prompted the opinion editor David Shipley to resign and Elon Musk to tweet “Bravo, @JeffBezos!” The paper’s newly appointed economics reporter Jeff Stein also took to X to respond to Bezos’s tweeted memo by calling it a “massive encroachment” by his new boss.

    He added: “I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know.” Some sources suggest that the Post has lost 75,000 digital subscribers since the decision was announced.

    The trailer for the film All the President’s Men, based on reporting from the Washington Post.

    To many the Post’s reputation was already becoming tarnished. Bezos rocked his readership back in October 2024 when he refused to endorse a candidate in the presidential election for the first time in 36 years.

    According to the paper the decision led to 250,000 readers cancelling their subscriptions. Woodward and Bernstein said the decision “ignores the Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy”.

    And so it came as no surprise at Trump’s inauguration that Bezos could be seen seated prominently beside his fellow tech billionaires Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, X’s Elon Musk and Google’s Sundar Pichai.

    But is all lost? The Washington Post has always had its share of bold and outspoken reporters and commentators and, on Friday, Post columist Dana Milbank wrote a strongly worded opinion piece in which he said that readers were worried that Bezos’s words, “are cover for a plan to turn this into a MAGA-Friendly outlet”.

    He added: “If we as a newspaper, and as a country, are to defend [Bezos’s] twin pillars, then we must redouble our fight against the single greatest threat to ‘personal liberties and free markets’ today: Donald Trump.”

    Jeff Bezos brings in new rules on what can and cannot be published in the Washington Post’s opinion pages.

    Has this latest move by Bezos simply made clear an editorial position which is ordinarily inferred but not made explicit? Will reporters be free to conduct investigations into Amazon’s work practices while at the same time extolling free market objectives? As yet no one knows for sure.

    Coverage changes?

    In January the newspaper’s Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist, Ann Telnaes, resigned after the Post refused to publish a satirical cartoon of a group of tech and media billionaires (that included Bezos and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg) laying bags of cash before a statue of Trump.

    Telnaes described the refusal to publish as “dangerous for a free press”. Ironically it was David Shipley who claimed at the time that he had decided against publication due to “repetition”, rather than because the cartoon mocked Bezos.

    Nevertheless, Post reporters have continued to focus national coverage on the wide-ranging effects of Trump’s executive orders, the sacking of senior military leaders and Doge’s culling of resources and jobs in the public sector. Neither has it escaped the new administration’s changes to media access.

    On February 7 the Department of Defense announced the Post would be removed from its office in the Pentagon’s “Correspondents Corridor” along with CNN, plus the New York Times, NPR and NBC which were evicted earlier to make room for pro-Trump media organisations.

    The Post today

    In 2024, the Post took home three Pulitzer prizes for journalism, including one for David E. Hoffman “for a compelling and well-researched series on new technologies and the tactics authoritarian regimes use to repress dissent in the digital age, and how they can be fought”.

    The past few years have been financially bruising for the paper and in 2023 the paper announced it had lost US$77 million (£69 million). In its latest round of cuts in January this year it laid off 100 employees.

    Back when Bezos took over the paper in August 2013 the New York Times quoted a fellow tech entrepreneur, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, as saying in a now prophetic line: “It used to be that in Silicon Valley we just built the platforms and someone else wrote the content. But that is changing. The lines have been blurred for a long time, and this is just another step in that process.”

    Twelve years on the “broligarchy” may not be writing the content, but is it restricting it? In these uneasy times in Washington there appears to be a growing erosion of press freedom as the new administration moves to limit access to the White House for mainstream media such as the Associated Press in favour of pro-Trump media.

    Whether the Post will come down on the side of press freedom or is banking on an eventual post-Trump bump to stem its declining sales is unclear.

    Colleen Murrell received funding from Irish regulator Coimisiún na Meán (2021-4) for research for the annual Reuters Digital News Report Ireland.

    – ref. How Jeff Bezos brought the Washington Post’s global reputation into question – https://theconversation.com/how-jeff-bezos-brought-the-washington-posts-global-reputation-into-question-251172

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump and Zelensky: when face-to-face diplomacy goes wrong it can be disastrous – especially if the whole world is watching

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Marcus Holmes, Professor of Government; Faculty Affiliate, Global Research Institute, William & Mary

    When it is poorly executed, face-to-face diplomacy reinforces hostility, erodes relationships and makes diplomatic successes even harder. That is exactly what happened during the now notorious White House meeting on February 28 between the US president, Donald Trump, the vice-president, J.D. Vance, and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Instead of a productive diplomatic exchange, the meeting descended into a highly unusual public spectacle.

    Instead of culminating in the signing of a deal that would offer Ukraine some measure of security, the meeting left Zelensky shaken and isolated, and US support for Ukraine looking even more uncertain than it had done before. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, was handed a clear political win.

    When leaders meet in person, it is possible for them to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s intentions, constraints and red lines – things that don’t always come through in official statements or diplomatic cables. This kind of direct engagement has historically played a key role in defusing tensions, clarifying positions and opening the door to future negotiations.

    The best example was in the Reagan-Gorbachev summits of the second half of the 1980s. This handful of meetings between the two leaders deepened their personal relationship, playing a key role in ending the cold war.

    Diplomatic meetings, particularly high-stakes ones, should serve at least one of three purposes. First, they should be opportunities for each side to clarify its intentions, priorities and bottom lines – even if no agreement is reached.

    There might be openings for future engagement, keeping diplomacy alive. And, at the very least, face-to-face diplomacy should enable parties to prevent escalation or any deterioration in relationships.

    By these measures, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky was a failure. Rather than probing positions and potential paths forward for ending the war in Ukraine, Trump and Vance used the meeting to publicly berate and belittle Zelensky.

    “Have you said thank you once?” Vance demanded, framing Ukraine’s survival as a matter of gratitude rather than strategic interest. Meanwhile Trump bluntly told Zelenskyy, “You’re not winning this”, dismissing Ukraine’s resilience and reinforcing doubt about the war effort.

    He went on to belittle the Ukrainian president further, saying, “You’ve talked too much” – a deliberate move to undercut Zelensky’s standing in the moment.

    These were not the words of partners working toward a resolution or seeking common ground. This was a power play, an example of what some have termed a “domination ritual” – designed to make clear that Ukraine is in no position to set terms.

    Zelensky is not the first leader to walk out of a face-to-face meeting with a brutally clear sense of the reality ahead. A historical parallel comes from a summit in 1961 between the then US president, John F. Kennedy, and the Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev, in Vienna.

    US president John F. Kennedy meets with Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, in June 1961, just prior to the Vienna summit.
    CIA/Wikimedia Commons

    Kennedy later admitted that Khrushchev “beat the hell out of me”, leaving him convinced that tensions with the Soviet Union would escalate. “It’s going to be a cold winter,” he remarked afterwards.

    Sure enough, within months the two superpowers were embroiled in a crisis over Berlin, and then a year later, Khrushchev tested Kennedy’s resolve by deploying medium-range ballistic missiles to Cuba, triggering the most dangerous confrontation of the nuclear age so far.

    But there was a crucial difference: Kennedy and Khrushchev’s bruising exchange happened behind closed doors. Zelensky was forced to experience his own Vienna moment in front of the cameras. Trump and Vance ensured that their disdain for Ukraine’s position was publicly performed, making it even harder for Zelensky to recover politically – both at home and abroad.

    The diplomatic fallout: a gift to Russia

    Meetings like this don’t just shape the dynamics in the room – they send signals to allies, adversaries and the international system. And in this case, the biggest winner was Putin.

    This was a propaganda victory for the Russians, which will have given the Kremlin the encouragement that Ukraine is losing support from its most powerful western backer.

    For Ukraine, this was a major strategic setback. Zelensky desperately needed reassurances about a US security guarantee – instead, he left the meeting publicly weakened, making his already difficult job far harder in Kyiv and across Europe.

    But it was also incredibly damaging for US diplomacy. America’s credibility as a reliable ally has taken an enormous hit at a time when its reliability was already being questioned by its friends in Europe and Asia. If the US treats a wartime partner, what message does that send to other allies who might someday need Washington’s support?

    Face-to-face diplomacy still matters

    Interpersonal meetings, especially ones that are broadcast to the world, shape relationships in ways that extend far beyond policy. They can build – or erode –trust, define power dynamics and send signals that can strengthen or weaken alliances.

    Kennedy left Vienna shaken, but at least he left with clarity about Khrushchev’s view of him. Zelensky, too, now understands the new reality of US support. But unlike Kennedy, he was humiliated on live television, which will make it harder to rebuild relationships.

    Face-to-face diplomacy is one of the most powerful tools world leaders have – when used correctly. But it only works when they use it to solve problems rather than, as we saw with Trump and Vance, perform for the cameras.

    What happened in the Oval Office was not diplomacy – it was a spectacle. And the world took notice.

    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 and Zelensky: when face-to-face diplomacy goes wrong it can be disastrous – especially if the whole world is watching – https://theconversation.com/trump-and-zelensky-when-face-to-face-diplomacy-goes-wrong-it-can-be-disastrous-especially-if-the-whole-world-is-watching-251277

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: At a time of war, nations must stop global order from crumbling: UN rights chief

    Source: United Nations 2

    “Our world is going through a period of turbulence and unpredictability, reflected in growing conflict and divided societies,” Türk told the Human Rights Council.

    “We cannot allow the fundamental global consensus around international norms and institutions, built painstakingly over decades, to crumble before our eyes.”

    The weapons of war

    Presenting his global update covering more than 30 countries, the High Commissioner described as “outrageous” the fact that legal safeguards for non-combatants were being repeatedly ignored.

    “Civilians are deliberately attacked. Sexual violence and famine are used as weapons of war,” Mr. Türk said. “Humanitarian access is denied, while weapons flow across borders and circumvent international sanctions. And humanitarian workers are targeted. In 2024, a record 356 humanitarian workers were killed while providing aid to people in some of the world’s most appalling crises.”

    Unbearable price

    In Sudan, the High Commissioner once again condemned devastating bomb attacks launched in heavily built-up areas with total impunity, by the parties to the conflict.

    All the while, the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe deepens, threatening regional stability, he maintained: “Civilians are paying an unbearable price, in a naked struggle for power and resources. All countries must use their influence to apply pressure on the parties and their allies, to stop the war, embark on an inclusive dialogue, and transition to a civilian-led Government.”

    Ukraine’s people need peace

    Turning to Ukraine, whose future material support from the United States appeared unclear following televised disagreements between Presidents Trump and Zelensky at a White House meeting on Friday, Mr. Türk opposed any peace deal that excluded Ukraine.

    “Three years since the full-scale Russian invasion, people continue to suffer appallingly…Any discussions about ending the war must include Ukrainians and fully respect their human rights. Sustainable peace must be based on the United Nations Charter and international law.”

    Civilian casualties in Ukraine rose by 30 per cent between 2023 and 2024, the High Commissioner continued, as he accused Russia’s armed forces of systematically targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with coordinated strikes, causing widespread disruptions to essential services.

    “Relentless attacks with aerial glide bombs, long-range missiles and drones have placed civilians in a state of constant insecurity and fear,” Mr. Türk noted.

    Ukrainian prisoners also continue to face summary executions and “widespread and systematic torture” by Russian forces, he continued.

    Gaza ceasefire focus

    In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN rights chief insisted that the fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza “and becomes the basis for peace”.

    He also insisted that aid deliveries into Gaza should resume immediately, just as Israel announced a halt to aid flowing into the shattered enclave, having proposed extending the first phase of the ceasefire which ended at the weekend and which would allow Israeli troops to stay in Gaza.

    UN aid chief Tom Fletcher responded with alarm to the Israeli decision, insisting that the ceasefire “must hold”.

    In an online appeal, he added: “International humanitarian law is clear: We must be allowed access to deliver vital lifesaving aid. We can’t roll back the progress of the past 42 days. We need to get aid in and the hostages out.”

    Back in the Council, Mr. Türk explained that the Gaza had been “razed” by constant Israeli bombardment in response to the “horrific” Hamas-led attacks on Israel that sparked the war in October 2023. “Any solution to the cycles of violence must be rooted in human rights, including the right to self-determination, the rule of law and accountability. All hostages must be freed; all those detained arbitrarily must be released; and humanitarian aid into Gaza must resume immediately.”

    West Bank alert

    Reflecting deep concerns by humanitarians and the human rights community about Israeli military raids on Palestinian settlements in the West Bank, the UN High Commissioner insisted that Israel’s “unilateral actions and threats of annexation in the West Bank, in violation of international law, must stop”.

    Mr. Türk also condemned the use of “military weapons and tactics, including tanks and airstrikes, against Palestinians”. Equally worrying was “the destruction and emptying of refugee camps, the expansion of illegal settlements, the severe restrictions on movement and the displacement of tens of thousands of people”.

    DR Congo devastation

    Turning to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the High Commissioner underscored that entire communities in North and South Kivu had been devastated.

    “In the past five weeks, thousands of people have reportedly been killed during attacks by the M23 armed group, backed by the Rwandan Armed Forces, in intense fighting against the Armed Forces of the DRC and their allies,” the UN rights chief said, pointing to reports of rape, sexual slavery and summary executions.

    “More than half a million people have been forced to flee this year, adding to almost 7.8 million people already displaced in the country,” Mr. Türk said. “The violence must stop, violations by all parties must be investigated, and dialogue must resume.”

    © WFP/Michael Castofas

    More than half a million people have been forced to flee DR Congo this year.

    Deadliest year in Myanmar

    Moving on to the ongoing escalation of violence in Myanmar sparked by the military coup on 1 February 2021, the UN rights chief noted that 2024 was the deadliest year for civilians since the junta takeover.

    “The military ramped up brutal attacks on civilians as their grip on power eroded, with retaliatory airstrikes and artillery shelling of villages and urban areas…and the forcible conscription of thousands of young people,” he said, before calling for the supply of arms and finance to the country’s military’s to be “cut decisively”.

    Haiti spiral

    The UN rights chief also expressed deep concerns about chronic lawlessness and heavily armed clashes in Haiti involving gangs that humanitarians warned last week recruit children as young as eight. More than 5,600 people were killed last year and thousands more were injured or kidnapped, Mr. Türk told the Human Rights Council.

    “Full implementation of the Security Council‘s arms embargo and support to the Multinational Security Support Mission are crucial to resolving this crisis,” he insisted.

    Yemen

    On Yemen, the High Commissioner noted that amid ongoing hostilities, nearly 20 million Yemenis need humanitarian support. Mr. Türk also expressed his outrage at the death of a UN World Food Programme colleague in detention earlier this month. “All 23 UN staff – including eight colleagues from my own Office – who are arbitrarily detained by the Houthis must be released immediately.”

    In a half-hour address to the Council that traditionally highlights the most worrying emergencies in the world and the need to tackle their root causes, the UN rights chief issued a call for greater global solidarity and accountability for crimes as a way to push back against those who would violate fundamental freedoms.

    “We all have a responsibility to act – through our consumption habits, our social media use, and our political and social engagement,” he told the Council’s 47 Member States.

    “We can trace a clear line between the lack of accountability for airstrikes on hospitals in Syria in the 2010s, attacks on healthcare facilities in Yemen, and the destruction of health systems in Gaza and Sudan,” he continued.

    Toys of tech oligarchs

    Equally alarming is the rise of unelected and unregulated “tech oligarchs” who reflect the new global power dynamic, Mr. Türk warned, before urging governments to fulfil their primary purpose of protecting their people from unchecked power.

    Today’s tech oligarchs “have our data: they know where we live, what we do, our genes and our health conditions, our thoughts, our habits, our desires and our fears…And they know how to manipulate us,” the High Commissioner insisted.

    Electioneering tactics

    “I have followed recent election campaigns in Europe, North America and beyond with increasing trepidation. Single-issue soundbites devoid of substance oversimplify complex issues and are often based on scapegoating, disinformation, and dehumanization,” he continued.

    “Dehumanization is a well-worn step towards treating an entire group as outsiders, unworthy of the basic rights we all enjoy. It is a dangerous precursor to hate and violence and must be called out whenever it occurs.”

    UN Human Rights Council/Marie Bambi

    Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, presents his latest report on the obligation to ensure accountability and justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    Toxic influence on gender equality

    The High Commissioner also voiced his concern about the resurgence of toxic ideas about masculinity and efforts to glorify gender stereotypes, especially among young men.

    To blame for this are “misogynistic influencers” with millions of followers on social media who “are hailed as heroes”, Mr. Türk said.

    Online and offline, their ideas push back against gender equality and result in “violence and hateful rhetoric against women, women’s rights defenders, and women politicians”, the High Commissioner continued. 

    In a message of solidarity with people who have been left “feeling alienated and abandoned” by such malign influences, Mr. Türk insisted that the United Nations was by their side. “Your concerns are our concerns, because they are about human rights: to education, to health, to housing, to free speech, and access to justice. Human rights are about people’s daily concerns for their families and their future. We must cherish the values of respect, unity and solidarity; and work together for a safer, more just, more sustainable world. We can and will persevere,” he concluded.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: C.W. Williams Community Health Center Awarded $500,000 Grant for New Medical Facility in Charlotte

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SECU Foundation has awarded a $500,000 capital grant to C.W. Williams Community Health Center (CWWCHC) to support the construction of a new medical facility that will serve low-income and uninsured residents in a nine-county region of southwest North Carolina. The new facility will expand the non-profit’s reach to 25,000 patients annually, a 92% capacity increase.

    CWWCHC, a Federally Qualified Community Health Center, reports that more than 20% of their area’s population lives in poverty. Its data shows 42% of their patients are uninsured and 66% live on incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level. Through the new facility, CWWCHC will provide a comprehensive care model that integrates primary, preventative, educational, and support services in one location, reducing barriers to care.

    “The C.W. Williams Community Health Center has been an important resource for southwestern North Carolina since 1981, providing reliable, high-quality care for marginalized populations,” said SECU Foundation Board Chair Chris Ayers. “We are pleased to support the construction of this state-of-the-art facility, which will help them increase capacity and meet the growing needs for their services.”

    “As we continue to grow and flourish, C.W. Williams Community Health Center continues to provide the best quality health care and social services,” said CWWCHC CEO Debra Weeks. “This year, thanks in part to SECU Foundation, we will focus on nutritional health, maternal health, and behavioral health, making a positive impact in communities that are struggling. Funding is leveraged across every facet of our operations, so this grant will be reinvested in services and staffing to ensure quality healthcare to all, regardless of their ability to pay.”

    About SECU and SECU Foundation

    A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, and federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), SECU has been providing employees of the state of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for 87 years. SECU is the second largest credit union in the United States with $53 billion in assets. It serves more than 2.8 million members through 275 branch offices, 1,100 ATMs, Member Services Support via phone, www.ncsecu.org, and the SECU Mobile App. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high-impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services. Since 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of over $300 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.

    Contact: Jama Campbell, Executive Director, secufoundation@ncsecu.org

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dd79a796-5f5d-42d8-be09-ee4aa3f7e78c

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Strata Decision Technology and Snowflake Transform Healthcare Financial Analytics with Comprehensive Data Integration

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Strata Decision Technology, a leader in the development of cloud-based financial planning, decision support, and performance analytics solutions for healthcare, today announced its collaboration with Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud Company, to create one of the largest comparable healthcare financial databases in the United States. This strategic initiative aims to deliver efficient access to near real-time and historical financial insights, with early adopters already beginning to access data directly through Snowflake.

    The collaboration enables Strata to scale its data capabilities by unifying its diverse data assets — which include financial, operational, clinical, cost and margin, and claims data — within Snowflake’s robust, cloud-based data platform. This unified approach helps eliminate data siloes and provides healthcare organizations with a single source of truth for financial decision-making.

    “Strata is rapidly innovating its data capabilities, and Snowflake is a key part of our innovation strategy,” said Jonathan Adams, Chief Technology Officer at Strata. “This collaboration strengthens Strata’s ability to deliver unique value and greater analytics horsepower for customers by offering among the largest and most diverse sets of healthcare data in the country.”

    “At Snowflake, we’re committed to providing healthcare organizations with a platform that transforms how they leverage their most valuable asset — their data,” said Joe Warbington, Industry Principal, Healthcare at Snowflake. “Our work with Strata Decision Technology demonstrates how Snowflake can empower healthcare financial analytics at scale, helping providers make more informed strategic decisions that ultimately improve patient care and reduce costs.”

    Ongoing integration of Strata’s data within Snowflake allows Strata to make its data more accessible to healthcare customers within StrataJazz and Axiom, its cloud-based enterprise performance management software platforms. As a result, both StrataJazz and Axiom customers get the benefits of more efficient scaling in response to organizations’ mounting data needs, and flexible data sharing to merge data from across multiple source systems and vendors. Snowflake also enables faster processing to accommodate increasingly complex data models, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, Large Language Model (LLM) processes, and Machine Learning (ML).

    Strata is creating a comprehensive healthcare intelligence ecosystem within Snowflake by strategically integrating multiple high-value datasets. This includes healthcare performance and patient volume data from StrataSphere, and hospital and physician benchmarking data from Comparative Analytics. In the coming months, Strata also will bring its proprietary 835 Remit and 837 All-Payor Claims Data (APCD) into Snowflake. To ensure data quality and consistency across these diverse datasets, Strata is leveraging AI and ML on Snowflake to ensure that common definitions and standards are applied to make the data consistent and comparable.

    Strata also is leveraging Snowflake’s capabilities to advance its patient data integration strategy through secure tokenization of thoroughly cleansed and de-identified patient encounter and claims information. This innovative approach allows healthcare organizations to trace comprehensive patient journeys across multiple providers and facilities while maintaining strict privacy standards. By connecting all-payor claims data — which cover approximately 70% of patients — with granular encounter data in Snowflake’s easy, connected, and trusted data platform, Strata delivers unprecedented visibility into the complete patient care continuum. This unified view enables more personalized care planning and strategic resource allocation.

    The integration also facilitates more accurate insights. For example, by combining claims data with demographic data, healthcare leaders can generate more rigorous volume projections to help guide them in making more informed strategic decisions. Similarly, merging claims and patient encounter data will help organizations identify patterns in patient behaviors, including where they may be losing patients to market competitors.

    Strata’s collaboration with Snowflake emerged from Strata’s strategic initiative to future-proof its solutions amid explosive growth in customer data requirements. It is allowing Strata to move away from the limitations of its legacy StrataJazz on-premise SQL Server databases toward a highly scalable cloud architecture that meets the increasingly complex analytics needs of modern healthcare organizations.

    Using Snowflake’s elasticity and performance, Strata can now scale its operations to deliver more accurate and efficient data and analytics capabilities for the customers it serves.

    About Strata Decision Technology 
    Strata Decision Technology, LLC provides an innovative, cloud-based platform for software, and data and service solutions to help healthcare organizations acquire insights, accelerate decisions, and enhance performance in support of their missions. More than 2,300 organizations rely on Strata’s StrataJazz and Axiom solutions for market-leading service and enterprise performance management software, data, and intelligence solutions. To learn more about Strata and why the company has been named the market leader for Business Decision Support for more than 15 consecutive years, please go to www.stratadecision.com.

    Strata Social Networks 
    LinkedIn: Strata Decision Technology

    Media contact: 
    Sally Brown, Inkhouse 
    strata@inkhouse.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Parker Blackwood Advisers Reports Australian Economy Showing Signs of Recovery

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PERTH, Australia, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Parker Blackwood Advisers, a leading financial services provider has commented on the latest Australian economic trajectory that will be under the spotlight this week as fresh data is set to provide a critical assessment of the nation’s growth prospects. The December quarter national accounts, due for release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday, are expected to confirm a modest acceleration in economic activity following a period of subdued expansion.

    Consensus forecasts indicate that the economy likely expanded by 0.5% in the December quarter, up from 0.3% in the prior three-month period. If realized, this would translate to an annual GDP growth rate of 1.2% for 2024—a marked improvement from the 0.8% recorded in the September quarter but still well below the long-term historical average of over 3%.

    “Productivity constraints and subdued private sector investment continue to weigh on economic momentum,” said Nathan Jones, Chief Investment Officer at Parker Blackwood Advisers. “While fiscal policy and household spending provide some stability, sustained growth requires stronger business investment and improvements in labour productivity—key factors the RBA will be closely monitoring in its policy deliberations.”

    Investors will also scrutinize the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) February meeting minutes, scheduled for release on Tuesday. The central bank’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time in over four years signaled a shift in monetary policy, and market participants will be seeking further clarity on the likelihood of additional easing measures in the coming months.

    Beyond GDP and monetary policy, Parker Blackwood Advisers note that key data releases will shed light on Australia’s property market and government finances. CoreLogic’s monthly Home Value Index, due on Monday, will reveal whether the recent housing downturn persisted into February, while building approvals data on Thursday will gauge progress toward the federal government’s ambitious 1.2 million-home construction target over five years.

    Additionally, retail trade figures on Tuesday, international trade data on Thursday, and household spending indicators on Friday will offer a broader view of consumer activity and economic strength. The government’s fiscal position will also be under scrutiny, with the market anticipating a current account deficit of $13.4 billion when balance of payments data is released.

    With a pivotal week ahead for economic data and central bank insights, investors and policymakers alike will be closely watching for signals on Australia’s growth trajectory and policy outlook in 2024.

    About Parker Blackwood Advisers
    Founded in 2013, Parker Blackwood Advisers is a premier financial services provider based in Perth, Australia. With a focus on personalised investment strategies, the firm offers a broad range of wealth management solutions, including asset allocation, investment management, and financial planning. Managing over $4.7 billion in assets, Parker Blackwood Advisers is dedicated to helping clients achieve their financial goals through tailored, expert guidance.

    Disclaimer
    Parker Blackwood Advisers is a trading name of PBA Corporation Pty Ltd (ABN: 98 162 183 244), holder of AFSL 434-071. Investing carries risks, including potential loss of capital. Information provided is general and not financial advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

    Mr. Paul Allen
    Head of Marketing
    paul.allen@pb-investment.com
    08 6275 0960
    Exchange Tower,
    Level 17/2 The Esplanade
    Perth WA, 6000

    Source: Parker Blackwood Advisers

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK Lords Science and Technology Committee talk maths education with Lynne McClure and Conrad Wolfram

    Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)

    Find out more, including who else is taking part https://committees.parliament.uk/event/23543/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/

    Catch-up on House of Lords business:

    Watch live events: https://parliamentlive.tv/Lords
    Read the latest news: https://www.parliament.uk/lords/

    Stay up to date with the House of Lords on social media:

    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/UKHouseofLords
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/UKHouseofLords/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofLords
    • Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/ukhouseoflords/albums
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-house-of-lords
    • Threads: https://www.threads.net/@UKHouseOfLords

    #HouseOfLords #UKParliament #StateOpening

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6j9otfBRo

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: National campaign supports LGBTQ+ community to consider fostering or adoption

    Source: City of Leicester

    A NATIONAL campaign is calling for people from the LGBTQ+ community to consider becoming foster carers or adoptive parents.

    More children than ever require fostering or adoption in Leicester, and LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week, which launches today (3 March), celebrates the contribution of the LGBTQ+ community whilst also highlighting the possibilities for future foster carers or adopters.

    Led by LGBTQ+ adoption and fostering peer support charity New Family Social and supported locally by Leicester City Council and Family Adoption Links Leicester, this year’s campaign aims to encourage more members of the LGBTQ+ community to consider fostering or adoption.

    Despite members of the LGBTQ+ community already accounting for a high percentage of adopters and foster carers, there is still an urgent need for more people to come forward for both adoption and fostering in the city.

    Family Adoption Links Leicester currently has 16 children awaiting adoption, and with over 600 children and young people in the care of Leicester City Council, the need to recruit foster carer households for some of the most vulnerable children in Leicester is vital.

    One-year-old Archie is just one child in foster care awaiting an adoptive family. His social worker said: “Archie has the biggest smile and such a cheeky face, he is described as a dream to look after, a happy and bright baby who is very laid back.”

    Many other children in Leicester are seeking short-term or long-term foster homes or adoptive families.

    If you are hoping to grow your family through adoption or fostering, the city council holds regular information events where you can find out more. The next fostering event takes place tomorrow, 4 March, from 6pm-8pm. For more information and to book, please visit Leicester City Council Fostering | Eventbrite.

    For adoption, there is an information event on Wednesday 5 March at 6.30pm. For more information, please visit www.familyadoptionlinks.org.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kalamazoo Career Offender Sentenced To 324 Months For Distribution Of Fentanyl Causing Death

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

              GRAND RAPIDS – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Birge today announced that United States District Judge Jane M. Beckering sentenced Antjuan Pierre Jackson, 39, of Kalamazoo, to serve 324 months in prison for distribution of fentanyl causing death and possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. Following his release, Jackson will be on supervised release for four years and will be required to pay a $2,000 fine.

              “Fentanyl continues to claim lives across Michigan and the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge. “Defendants who sell this poison and kill people in the process must be brought to justice. My office is committed to disrupting the pipelines that distribute these deadly drugs in our communities.”

              At sentencing, Jackson was deemed a career offender based on his two prior convictions for unarmed robbery. In imposing sentence, Judge Beckering lamented the deep loss suffered by the victim’s family. She went on to characterize opioids generally as the number one cause of overdose deaths, remarking that fentanyl distribution is “a business that must be snuffed out.”

              “Every opioid overdose, especially overdose deaths, are tragic, and it is a shame that Antjuan Jackson chose to be a part of dealing these types of lethal drugs, said Sergeant Brian Cake of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, a unit of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.  “The Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team hopes that this sentence serves as a deterrent for others continuing this criminal activity.”

              The evidence at trial and at sentencing demonstrated that, on November 23, 2022, Jackson sold fentanyl to the victim. Within hours, the victim died of a fentanyl overdose. Still, Jackson kept dealing. Less than three weeks later, in December 2022, investigators found Jackson with more than 80 grams of fentanyl in his home, as well as all the hallmarks of drug trafficking, including cash, a digital scale, a cell phone, and packaging materials. When confronted by the police about his dealing, Jackson attempted to flee. As Judge Beckering noted in sentencing Jackson, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly, and the amount of fentanyl Jackson had in his home included 43,420 potentially lethal doses of the drug

              The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case with additional assistance provided by the Michigan State Police (MSP). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Carowan and Timothy Verhey prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Sage Geosystems Achieves “Awardable” Status by the U.S. Department of Defense for the U.S. Air Force Geothermal Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sage Geosystems Inc. (Sage), the pioneer of Pressure Geothermal technology, announced today it was selected by the U.S. Air Force Office of Energy Assurance and the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to explore how to tap into America’s abundant geothermal energy supply to increase the U.S.’s national security and energy dominance.

    Having achieved “Awardable” status for three separate applications, Sage can now explore developing a utility-scale geothermal power plant domestically and abroad to supply U.S. military bases with reliable and cost-effective electricity, even during a grid outage.

    Sage was selected through the CDAO’s innovative solicitation process known as the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, which is designed to accelerate the procurement and adoption of mission-critical technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and resilient energy technologies. All “awardable” solutions in Tradewinds have been assessed through complex scoring rubrics and competitive procedures and allow government and military customers to readily choose a pre-approved vendor to expedite a contract.

    Tradewinds selected three of Sage’s submissions:

    • Sage Geosystems individual submission
    • A partnership with an independent energy and carbon management company
    • A partnership with a major energy equipment manufacturing company and an energy service company.

    These selections represent three of eleven final applications that achieved “awardable” status.

    “The U.S. Air Force leveraged the Tradewinds solicitation process to quickly collaborate with innovative American companies to build resilient, next-generation geothermal technologies at our bases, using private capital instead of taxpayer dollars,” said Mr. Kirk Philips, Director, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance.

    “Sage is incredibly excited to have been granted awardable status by the DoD as this allows us priority selection for future contracts,” said Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage. “We are excited to play a role in helping unleash America’s energy dominance with secure, plentiful, geothermal energy.”

    Sage’s videos, including two videos produced in collaboration with three separate partner entities, accessible only by government customers on the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, present actual use cases in which the company would implement geothermal power generation solutions and/or energy storage solutions. Sage Geosystems was recognized among a competitive field of applicants to the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace whose solutions demonstrated innovation, scalability, and potential impact on DoD missions. Government customers interested in viewing the video solutions can create a Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace account at tradewindAI.com.

    About Sage Geosystems:
    Sage Geosystems is a leader in the next-generation geothermal industry, pioneering the use of Pressure Geothermal. Pressure Geothermal leverages both the heat and the pressure of the earth to enable three applications: energy storage, power generation and district heating. It also broadly expands where it can be applied allowing geothermal to be deployed globally. For more information, visit www.sagegeosystems.com.

    About the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace:
    The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace is a digital repository of post-competition, readily awardable pitch videos that address the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) most significant challenges in the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), data, and analytics space. All awardable solutions have been assessed through complex scoring rubrics and competitive procedures and are available to Government customers with a Marketplace account. Government customers can create an account at www.tradewindai.com. Tradewinds is housed in the DoD’s Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Office. For more information or media requests, contact: Success@tradewindai.com.

    About the U.S. Air Force Office of Energy Assurance:
    The U.S. Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (AF OEA), a directorate of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), develops energy solutions that close energy resilience gaps and strengthen our nation’s Air Force and Space Force installations at home and abroad. By leveraging the expertise of the energy community, AF OEA builds tailored energy solutions for each installation that are resilient, innovative, and cost-effective. For more information, visit https://www.afcec.af.mil/energy.

    Media Contact:
    Claire Underwood
    claire@teamsilverline.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d29340a8-b223-4747-94af-84cc4d3c8782

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who’s my dad? In South Africa that’s a complex question – report tracks the rise of ‘social fathers’

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Wessel Van Den Berg, Research fellow, Stellenbosch University

    The State of South Africa’s Fathers 2024 report is published by the new Tataokhona project at Stellenbosch University. The project focuses on research and interventions related to fathers and fatherhood. This is the third edition of this report, and offers valuable insights into the evolving realities of fatherhood in South Africa. Co-authors Wessel van den Berg, Mandisa Malinga, Kopano Ratele and
    Tawanda Makusha explain why it’s critical to examine the changing role of men in families.

    What were some of the key findings of the report?

    The report presents data from the General Household Survey 2023 and a survey of adult caregivers in South Africa, also done in 2023.

    One of the key findings is that 76% of children in South Africa live with an adult male in the household. This is often overlooked when the media and researchers focus on children’s co-residence with fathers.

    However, fewer children live with their biological fathers than with other men. The percentage of children who live with their biological fathers has dropped from 45.3% in 1996 to 35% in 2023.

    This decline is linked to broader societal factors, including economic instability, migration patterns, and shifts in traditional family structures.

    Never have so few children been recorded as living with their biological fathers, nor have so many lived with other men like uncles, grandfathers, older brothers or mothers’ new partners.

    As researchers, policymakers and other development practitioners, we need to explore the contribution men make in their families, biological or otherwise.

    The case studies and contributions from authors across the country underscore that while physical presence is important, the quality of engagement between the father figure and child is even more crucial.

    Encouraging positive father-child relationships through legal, workplace and social policy changes could help mitigate the known effects of not living together.

    What did the survey reveal about who provides for children?

    Traditionally, fatherhood has been closely linked to financial provision. However, economic hardships and shifting gender roles are reshaping this expectation.

    Co-residence goes down as income goes down. Many fathers, particularly those facing unemployment or economic hardship, struggle to maintain active participation in their children’s lives.

    Many fathers are also forced to migrate to find work.

    Those men who cannot provide do not see any other role for themselves in children’s lives, and so they disengage.

    Data from the State of the World’s Fathers 2023 survey showed that in South Africa 85% of women financially supported their biological children, compared to 80% of men. Most children are supported by both parents, but mothers bear a higher financial burden than fathers.

    Women are also more likely than men to provide for non-biological children (50% vs 44%).

    These figures highlight the growing financial responsibilities shouldered by women and the need to redefine fatherhood beyond economic provision.

    The increasing financial burden on women also reveals deep-seated inequalities in wage distribution and employment opportunities.

    Many fathers who wish to support their children financially face obstacles such as unemployment and precarious work conditions.

    While some men have adapted by taking on caregiving roles, society still puts pressure on them to prioritise financial contribution over direct caregiving.

    This paradox creates stress and identity struggles for many fathers. It reinforces the need for supportive policies like paid parental leave and father-focused caregiving initiatives.



    Read more:
    Men say they are spending more time on household chores, and would like to do more – survey of 17 countries

    What does the survey tell us about ‘social fathers’?

    With only a minority of children living with their biological fathers, social fathers – men who provide care despite not being biologically related to the child – have become increasingly significant. The State of the World’s Fathers 2023 survey found for example that of the men who care for children whom they had not biologically fathered, 51.1% of the men played with the children, 50.2% provided financial support, and 40.2% read books with them.

    The report emphasises that 40% of children reside with men who are not their biological fathers, a trend that has grown since 1996. We believe these men can and should be encouraged to step into the role of social fathers. They include grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers, teachers and community leaders who contribute to children’s emotional and material well-being.

    However, social fathers lack legal recognition and support in South Africa. This makes it harder for them to access resources that could help them provide better care.

    Policymakers and community organisations must recognise and formalise the contributions of social fathers to ensure children receive consistent and supportive care.

    What happens now?

    Many men struggle to find their place in a rapidly evolving society where gender expectations are no longer fixed.

    The rise of feminism and women’s empowerment has rightly expanded opportunities for women, but has left a gap in guiding men towards constructive ways of engaging with these changes.



    Read more:
    Unpaid care work still falls on women: seven steps that could shift the balance

    Additionally, it remains true that more women than men are unemployed. This is primarily due to societal expectations that women should be homemakers or primary caregivers.

    Policies that recognise diverse forms of fatherhood will be essential in fostering positive father-child relationships for future generations.

    Wessel Van Den Berg works for Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice.

    Kopano Ratele is a member of the Psychological Society of South Africa.

    Mandisa Malinga has previously received research funding from the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

    Tawanda Makusha is affiliated with the University of KwaZulu-Natal

    – ref. Who’s my dad? In South Africa that’s a complex question – report tracks the rise of ‘social fathers’ – https://theconversation.com/whos-my-dad-in-south-africa-thats-a-complex-question-report-tracks-the-rise-of-social-fathers-249763

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: European Day for Victims of Terrorism event – speakers announced

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Every year since the Madrid bombings in 2004 across Europe one day in March has been set aside as a Memorial Day to the victims of terrorist attacks. Following his election to the Assembly Jim Allister hosted events at Stormont to mark the occasion. His successor as TUV MLA for North Antrim, Timothy Gaston, is continuing the tradition.

    Over the years, there have been highly successful events attended by victims of Republican and Loyalist terrorism from across Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Republic and continental Europe.

    This year’s event to mark European Day for Victims of Terrorism will be held in the Senate Chamber in Parliament Buildings at 11am on Monday 10th March with refreshments available from 10:30am.

    The press are very welcome to attend.

    Timothy Gaston explained:

    “The event will take the form of a minute of silence in memory of murdered victims, followed by three victims telling their stories so that we might hear some of the untold accounts of the consequences of terrorism, both republican and loyalist.

    “I believe this will be a worthwhile effort and in previous years I received very positive feedback from those who attended. It is but right that one of the regions of Europe most savagely ravaged by terrorism should mark this important day. I am pleased that we will hear from a cousin of Dougald McCaughey, one of the three Scottish soldiers murdered in particularly brutal circumstances in on 10th March 1971 meaning the event will take place on the anniversary of these brutal murders.

    “I am thankful for the South East Fermanagh Foundation and Ulster Human Rights Watch for making this event possible and for Assembly colleagues Mike Nesbitt and Patsy McGlone without whose co-sponsorship this event would not be taking place”.

    This year’s event will include contributions from four speakers. Their details are provided by SEFF and UHRW.

    1. Caroline D’Eath
    Daughter of Gerald D’Eath
    22nd May 1975

    Gerald was a 31-year-old Roman Catholic civilian murdered by a UVF bomb. He was married with four children and a machine operator who was from, Braeside in Dungannon.

    Gerald had been working on the building site of a new Christian Brothers school for several months and died on the site when a UVF bomb exploded. He was working as a bricklayer at the time.

    Pics provided by the family:

    Gerald D’Eath with his daughters before his death.

    Second picture is with his loving late wife Margaret.

    2. David McCaughey

    Cousin of Dougald McCaughey who was murdered by Provisional IRA terrorists alongside John and Joseph McCaig

    Three Scottish soldiers – 10th March 1971

    The soldiers were unarmed members of the 1st Battalion, Royal Highland Fusiliers.
    Dougald McCaughey, 23, was murdered along with brothers John, 17 and Joseph McCaig, 18 respectively. All three men were from Scotland.

    They were murdered when off-duty and in civilian clothes, having been lured from a city-centre bar in Belfast, driven to a remote location, and shot.

    Family, former colleagues, and friends of the three Scottish soldiers continue to fight for justice for three young men, who were much loved by many, David is a key driver in The Three Scottish Soldiers campaign group.

    3. Pamela Wilson
    Daughter of Const. David Dorsett RUC GC
    14th January 1973

    David Dorsett and Mervyn Wilson who were murdered by Provisional IRA terrorists.

    David was 37-years-old and originally from Wolverhampton and had served in the Royal Navy and the Bristol Constabulary.

    In 1967, he joined the RUC. His wife was from Londonderry. It was his son’s 8th birthday on the day he was murdered. He also had a 10-year-old daughter and an 8-month old baby girl.

    A bomb exploded beneath their car on Harbour Square.

    Both officers were serving with the force’s Traffic Branch and had been stationed at the nearby Victoria RUC station.

    Two other police officers who were in the car were also injured.

    4. Colette Murray

    Colette Murray was aged 47 years when her brother Cyril was shot dead by Loyalist terrorists on the 8th of July 1992 in the family home where they both had lived for 29 years. Their late parents and two other siblings had lived there with the latter both moving out on getting married. Cyril and Colette had put the house up for sale and were in the process of moving to a new bungalow in Randalstown which they were having built and which was ready for occupation ten days after the incident.

    Cyril Murray was a law-abiding citizen who had taught in a primary school in Belfast. He was well regarded in educational circles as an inspirational teacher and many past pupils had fond memories of him.

    The terrorists later stated it was a case of mistaken identity.

    Two individuals were later convicted and sentenced. As a result of the 1998 Belfast Agreement these individuals would only have served a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 8 years for their heinous crimes.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New community shop opens for Wolverhampton residents

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Residents in Bushbury and surrounding areas will have the new community shop on their doorstep after it’s relocation from Low Hill Community centre. Anyone in the city will be able to reduce the cost of their weekly shop by popping in for a wide range of food from fresh fruit and vegetables to store cupboard items and fresh bread.

    It’s the latest community shop to join the city wide network, which also includes the flagship shop and Pomegranate Café at the Queen’s Building in Victoria Square in the city centre.

    Shoppers can save a lot of money every week on groceries by using the community shops instead of major supermarkets.

    The council helped create the shops with an initial investment from the government’s Household Support Fund and provides on-going support, but they are run day to day by staff and volunteers at community centres and hubs.

    Leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, Councillor Stephen Simkins said he was glad the council had been able to work with the community to create this new shop.

    ‘These shops are for everyone who lives in Wolverhampton and have already helped many residents across the city save so much money on their weekly food bills over the last few years.

    ‘The council is committed to the future of community shops, as they really do offer a way for people to do the best for their families in these difficult times. They also help our local economy, which helps everyone in the city in the long-term.

    ‘This is just one of the many ways as a council we’re trying to help our citizens deal with the on-going challenges of the high cost of living. Food remains the number one item in regards to cost of living, with which residents need our help.’

    Kim Payne, WV10 Consortium Partnership manager said: ‘Opening a community shop here at Fifth Avenue will be a fantastic source of support for local people that will complement other services provided here at the community centre by Bushbury Hill Estate Management board and WV10 Consortium.

    ‘Please drop by and see what’s on offer, we’ll have plenty of fresh produce and seasonal deals as well as every day essentials for healthy and tasty meals.’

    For more information visit WV10 Consortium and for more details about other community shops across the city and other cost of living support available from the council check out our web pages.

    Pocket to Plate is another key project the council developed to help residents provide nutritious and tasty food for themselves and their families on a budget.

    Community chefs Prince and Simon, who both work out of Fifth Avenue, also join forces with self-taught cook and tiktok star Mitch Lane every Thursday to release new recipes and how to cook them as part of Pocket to Plate.

    Follow @pocketoplate now on Instagram, tiktok and youtube to view the latest and keep an eye out for them using produce from the shop to inspire your next home-cooked meal.      

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We need to switch to heat pumps fast – but can they overcome this problem?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    StockMediaSeller/Shutterstock

    People in the UK need to adopt heat pumps and electric vehicles as fast as they once embraced refrigerators, mobile phones and internet connection according to a new report by the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

    This government watchdog says the next 15 years will be critical for decarbonising the UK, one of the world’s largest (and earliest) carbon polluters. Eighty-seven percent of its climate-heating emissions must be eliminated by 2040 to keep the country on track for net zero emissions by mid-century, per the report. The majority (60%) of these cuts are expected to come via a single source: electricity.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    Out of possible alternatives to a fossil fuelled economy, electrification has emerged as the favoured solution of experts at the CCC.

    Ran Boydell, an associate professor in sustainable development at Heriot-Watt University, agrees. “Home boilers will very soon move into the realm of nostalgia,” he says.



    Read more:
    UK ban on boilers in new homes rules out hydrogen as a heating source

    The reason why heat pumps are increasingly touted as the future of home heating – and not retooled boilers that burn hydrogen instead of methane – is efficiency.

    Boydell points out that green hydrogen fuel is made using electricity from solar and wind farms. We could eliminate emissions a lot quicker, he argues, if that electricity went directly to heat pumps instead.

    Electricity can be turned into a fuel – or power appliances directly.
    Piyaset/Shutterstock

    “This is because you end up with only two-thirds of the energy in the hydrogen that you started with from the electricity,” he says.

    Likewise, battery-powered vehicles have an advantage that has allowed them to race ahead of hydrogen fuel cells to comprise almost a fifth of all new vehicles sold in the UK in 2024.

    “An electric vehicle can be recharged wherever there is access to a plug socket,” say Tom Stacey and Chris Ivory, supply chain experts at Anglia Ruskin University. “The infrastructure that exists to support hydrogen vehicles is limited in comparison and will require extensive investment to introduce.”



    Read more:
    The days of the hydrogen car are already over

    If the route to zero emissions is largely settled, we need to travel it quickly.

    Electric dreams

    One of the fastest energy transitions in history occurred over a decade in South Korea, according to energy system researchers James Price and Steve Pye (UCL). Between 1977 and 1987, the generation of electricity from oil in the east Asian country collapsed – from roughly 7 million gigawatt-hours to nearly 7,000 – and was replaced with, among other sources, nuclear power.

    There are historic analogues for the rapid shift necessary to arrest climate change. But a zero-carbon power sector, which the UK government aims to achieve by 2030, is just the start.



    Read more:
    For developing world to quit coal, rich countries must eliminate oil and gas faster – new study

    “Wind and solar, which provide more than 28% of the UK’s electricity, will soon overtake gas as the main generation source as more wind farms come online,” say energy system modeller Andrew Crossland and engineer Jon Gluyas, both of Durham University.

    “But successive governments have failed to achieve the same result in homes and communities where so much high-carbon gas is burned, despite their decarbonisation being critical to net zero.”



    Read more:
    Is Britain on track for a zero-carbon power sector in six years?

    Crossland and Gluyas note that solar panels, batteries and heat pumps can be installed “in days” to rapidly cut emissions, and that doing so would create “skilled jobs across the country”. As things stand, however, it would also present a severe challenge to the grid.

    Mechanical engineer Florimond Gueniat of Birmingham City University predicts that converting UK transport to battery power wholesale would require expanding grid capacity by 46% – the equivalent of erecting 5,800 skyscraper-sized wind turbines. And that’s even accounting for the greater efficiency of electric vehicles, which waste less of the energy we put into them compared with oil-powered cars.



    Read more:
    Switching to electric vehicles will push the power grid to the brink

    A massive upgrade to the electricity network is needed, and ordinary people have a part to play. Charging cars could serve as batteries that grid operators draw from during a supply pinch. The same goes for the power generated by solar panels on top of houses.

    “Such policies in Germany have … already offset 10% of the national demand,” says Gueniat.

    Getting to net zero requires the public’s involvement. But some of the CCC’s advice may be difficult to swallow. Not least the implication that people will have to eat 35% less meat and dairy in 2050 compared with 2019.



    Read more:
    The UK must make big changes to its diets, farming and land use to hit net zero – official climate advisers

    So are people ready for a world that runs on electrons alone? Aimee Ambrose, a professor of energy policy at Sheffield Hallam University, thinks heat pumps will struggle to compete with the inviting warmth of wood stoves and coal fires. Over three years she spoke with hundreds of people in the UK, Finland, Sweden and Romania and found strong attachments to high-carbon fuels even among people committed to solving climate change.

    The allure of the wood stove is hard to ignore.
    Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock



    Read more:
    Heat pumps have a cosiness problem

    Human behaviour is the most difficult variable for experts who study climate change to model. There will certainly be drawbacks to abandoning fossil fuelled conveniences at breakneck speed. Yet, there are bound to be benefits too – some of which might only materialise once we get going.

    In mid-April 2020, while much of humanity was under some form of lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19, atmospheric chemist Paul Monks of the University of Leicester was marvelling at the sudden drop in air pollution, which kills millions of people each year and is predominantly caused by burning coal, oil and gas.

    “If there is something positive to take from this terrible crisis, it could be that it’s offered a taste of the air we might breathe in a low-carbon future,” he said.



    Read more:
    Coronavirus: lockdown’s effect on air pollution provides rare glimpse of low-carbon future

    – ref. We need to switch to heat pumps fast – but can they overcome this problem? – https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-switch-to-heat-pumps-fast-but-can-they-overcome-this-problem-249658

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: English schools provide free period products – but they’re still not easy for pupils to get hold of

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maria Kathryn Tomlinson, Lecturer in Public Communication and Gender, University of Sheffield, University of Sheffield

    noowans/Shutterstock

    Pupils in the UK are struggling to afford menstrual products. In a 2022 UK survey, charity WaterAid found that one in five girls were missing school as a result. Limited access to period products can also have a negative impact on learning and attainment.

    In 2020, the government attempted to address this problem in England with a scheme to make period products available for free in schools and colleges. This is a valuable endeavour. However, just because pads and tampons are stocked in schools, this does not mean that they are easily accessible to the pupils who need them.

    In research for my recently published book, I talked to 77 teenagers in England about their knowledge and views of menstruation and related social issues.

    Many of the girls and non-binary pupils used this opportunity to share the frustrations, anxiety and embarrassment that they had experienced when searching for, requesting, or using the free period products in their current and previous schools.

    Some pupils explained that they had to ask for period products and wished that they could “just grab them” when needed. They told me that products were kept at reception, locked away, or stored in areas – such as staff rooms – that pupils are not allowed to access.

    This requires teenagers to discuss their period with teachers or other members of school staff and many pupils I spoke to explained that they felt too embarrassed to do this. This echoes the findings of other research on the continued role played by menstrual stigma in schools.

    The teenagers in my research also said that the stigma around poverty deterred them from asking for menstrual products. “There’s so much shame thrown on to it. There are so many labels around the whole concept of not being able to afford these things,” one explained. Another said:

    If you’re from a low-income household, you feel really awkward to go and
    pick them out, especially because the box is in the middle of the common
    room. So, to walk all the way there just to pick out some products… I
    wouldn’t say anyone is going to look at you weirdly, but obviously people
    have got that mindset of ‘oh they’re going to stare at me because I can’t
    afford it’.

    Other pupils reported that products were kept in libraries or only in one bathroom in the entire school which, in a large school, could be very far from their classrooms. One girl explained that this distance was especially problematic if her period had begun unexpectedly:

    Reception was in a completely different building across the courtyard, so it’s not like I’m going to go to the loo, discover I have my period, go to the front desk, get some stuff and then go back. It’s too time-consuming. If I have classes, I can’t use it. I feel like the period product scheme is a really good idea, but it is dependent on the schools properly utilising it.

    Exam time

    The pupils also said that they could not always access period products during examinations. They reported that this lack of access had affected their concentration during their GCSEs. They said that examinations often took place far from where they usually accessed menstrual products and, due to concerns about cheating, they could not bring their own into examination rooms.

    One girl explained: “Exams are stressful enough and then you put bleeding on to that and getting your pads and painkillers sorted. It’s another thing us girls have to worry about”. Another said: “In exams you can’t really bring anything in. They’re just going to think you’re cheating but you’re not, you just need to change yourself.”

    Teenagers said that the products they needed weren’t always available.
    New Africa/Shutterstock

    Some of the teenagers also mentioned that the products themselves were not serving their needs. Some schools only stocked internal products, such as tampons. For a range of reasons – due to culture, disability, and personal preference, among others – these are not suitable for everyone.

    Other schools only provided thin pads. This is a problem for pupils with heavy bleeding. “The school pads are not thick enough,” one girl said. “I have to change my pad five to six times a day because I come on really heavy.”

    Besides discussing the barriers they had faced to access these products, they also stated that they had never raised these issues with teachers or pastoral staff.

    Menstrual justice charity Irise International is launching a toolkit for schools on how they can improve access to both period products and toilets themselves. This is based on evidence from my book as well as Irise’s own consultations with young people.

    It is important that pupils are given the opportunity to share – in a comfortable and inclusive setting – their views with staff on which products should be available and where they are stored. This can include ordering reusable products such as cups and period underwear.

    Schools should also ensure that period products are easily accessible during exams – such as on a table outside the exam room or in nearby toilets – and that pupils know in advance where they will be kept.

    Maria Kathryn Tomlinson received funding for this research from the Leverhulme Trust under Grant ECF-2019-232.

    – ref. English schools provide free period products – but they’re still not easy for pupils to get hold of – https://theconversation.com/english-schools-provide-free-period-products-but-theyre-still-not-easy-for-pupils-to-get-hold-of-249776

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Governments can keep raiding takeaways and nail bars, but businesses will still employ undocumented migrants

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Aida Hajro, Chair in International Business, University of Leeds, and Founding Co-Director of Migration, Business & Society, University of Leeds

    hxdbzxy/Shutterstock

    The UK is far from the only country to be caught in a heated debate over its migration system and border security. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to get its response right, because the UK debate ignores a fundamental truth: migration trends largely follow economic cycles and labour demand.

    It is well-documented that immigration increases during periods of economic growth and declines during downturns. Furthermore, Brexit has aggravated the UK’s labour shortages – a pinch being felt across nearly every work sector.

    Nearly 40% of UK businesses have not been able to grow or take advantage of new opportunities because of these labour shortages.

    Public discussions, including recent news coverage, tend to focus on border control and enforcement while overlooking the economic realities that shape migration. Past and present UK governments have largely failed to address the fact that migration is driven by the needs of UK businesses – and is often facilitated by informal recruitment systems, due to the lack of efficient legal migration channels.

    Our recent research backs up the idea that demand for labour is a major driver of both documented and undocumented (also known as “irregular”) immigration. Despite not being legally allowed to work, undocumented migrants are still sought after because of the shortages.



    Read more:
    Irregular, not illegal: what the UK government’s language reveals about its new approach to immigration

    Efforts to “crack down” on irregular migration often fail because businesses – especially in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, construction and the service industry – continue to rely on these workers. So without addressing labour shortages and recruitment practices, policies to restrict migration won’t work.

    But who bears the cost of migration? It’s not the UK government.

    Like most countries, the UK requires prospective workers to obtain a work visa while they are still in their country of origin. Getting this paperwork done is costly and complicated. A worker needs to apply, certify translations of the required documents, in some cases undergo a medical examination, cover travel expenses, pay the visa application fee, and show proof that they have enough personal savings to support themselves in the UK.

    For example, Nepalese workers pay around £6,000 to emigrate to Europe. This can amount to four years of wages for low-income workers there.

    To get to the UK, many rely on licensed recruitment agencies, known as “sponsors”. However, neither these sponsors nor the employers who desperately need workers are legally required to cover the costs of migration. For instance, the UK’s seasonal worker scheme, designed to provide much-needed labour for agriculture, does not require employers to pay for visa fees or recruitment expenses.

    This is a major weakness in the system, as it leaves the burden of migration costs on prospective workers – people who are ready to take on low-paid and seasonal jobs that UK citizens often avoid. To pay their way, many of these workers borrow from private money-lenders in their home countries, whose monthly interest rates can be excessive. Unsurprisingly, some turn to people smugglers.

    These smugglers often operate a business model that offers shortcuts for entering the UK, frequently making false promises about the length of employment and wages on offer. Studies show that most migrants are aware of the severe risks involved in using these illicit services, yet they still do due to the lack of better alternatives.

    The Employer Pays Principle

    Crossing the Channel is not the primary source of undocumented migration into the UK. The main issue is people overstaying legally granted visas, as the renewal process is complex and costly.

    It is no secret in the business world that migrant workers are exposed to significant costs just to access employment. To address this, the Institute for Human Rights and Business – a UK-based thinktank – introduced the Employer Pays Principle (EPP). This asserts that the costs of migration should be paid not by the workers but by employers. Leading corporations in the UK including Unilever, Morrisons, Waitrose and IHG Hotels & Resorts have adopted EPP.

    However, embracing this principle can be much more challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The more-than-800 premises, including nail salons and takeaways, raided across the UK in January 2025 are unlikely to have the human resources and financial means to cover migration costs for the workers they need. Issuing civil penalty notices and demanding that SMEs pay £60,000 per worker if found liable will not solve the problem of undocumented workers.

    In general, punitive policies do not stop migration. They simply make it more precarious for already vulnerable people.

    And the government’s social media campaigns in countries like Vietnam and Albania, aimed at discouraging people from illegal travel to the UK, are also unlikely to work. The EU tried similar policies between 2015 and 2019 at a cost of nearly €45 million (£37 million) – and they largely failed.

    The UK government has run campaigns aimed at discouraging would-be migrants from Vietnam.

    To prevent undocumented migration, firms in need of workers should take responsibility for covering the actual costs of migration. Large firms should be legally required to do so, while for SMEs, the UK government could consider ways to improve access to financing and advisory services. It should also consider incentives and rewards for companies that have voluntarily adopted the EPP or introduced other good practices.

    Important next steps

    It is possible to estimate the cost of responsibly recruiting a migrant worker from a specific country to the UK. Providing clear and open access to this information would be another important step towards facilitating legal migration routes. After all, universities, consultancies and non-governmental organisations are collecting this data. Cross-sector partnerships could save time and money.

    Social media campaigns should prioritise educating potential migrants about UK immigration laws and their rights. This would be more valuable than focusing on the risks of undocumented journeys.

    It is also crucial to evaluate whether educational campaigns are more effective than those aimed at deterring migration. The government should remain open to abandoning any overseas social media campaigns that don’t demonstrate cost-effectiveness.

    The solution starts with accepting the realities of migration and acknowledging labour market forces. Then, creating the right regulatory environment will reduce the human cost of irregular migration, while supporting UK businesses to find the workers they need.

    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. Governments can keep raiding takeaways and nail bars, but businesses will still employ undocumented migrants – https://theconversation.com/governments-can-keep-raiding-takeaways-and-nail-bars-but-businesses-will-still-employ-undocumented-migrants-250947

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Shafer, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University

    Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addresses the media on Feb. 25, 2025, after the House narrowly passed his budget resolution calling for big spending cuts.
     Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

    Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cuts have stirred widespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures on Medicaid even though President Donald Trump has previously indicated that he’s unwilling to do that. This public health insurance program covers around 72 million people – about 1 in 5 Americans.

    The Conversation U.S. asked Paul Shafer and Nicole Huberfeld, Boston University health policy and law professors, to explain why cutting Medicaid spending would be difficult and what the consequences might be.

    What is Medicaid’s role in the health care system?

    Created in 1965 along with Medicare, the public health insurance program for older Americans, Medicaid pays for the health care needs of low-income adults and children, including more than 1 in 3 people with disabilities. It also covers more than 12 million who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid because they are both poor and over 65.

    In addition, this safety net program pays the health care costs of more than 2 in 5 U.S. births. Medicaid is a joint federal/state program, driven by federal funding and rules, with the states administering it.

    The Affordable Care Act was supposed to make nearly all U.S. adults under age 65 without children who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level eligible for Medicaid. Prior to the 2010 landmark health care reform law, adults without children in most states could not get Medicaid coverage. The Supreme Court, however, made this change optional for states.

    So far, 40 states – as well as Washington, D.C. – have participated in Medicaid expansion. The program’s growth has reduced the number of Americans without health insurance and narrowed coverage gaps for people of color and those with low-wage jobs who typically do not get employer-sponsored coverage.

    Hundreds of studies have found that Medicaid expansion has improved access to care and the health of the people who gained coverage, while reducing mortality and bolstering state economies, among other positive outcomes.

    Ten states haven’t expanded Medicaid yet. Two of them, Georgia and Mississippi, have seriously considered doing so.

    Bishop Ronnie Crudup Sr., center, seen in May 2024, has called for the Mississippi Legislature to expand Medicaid in the state.
    AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

    Why are you concerned about Medicaid’s funding?

    A memo circulated among House Republicans in January 2025 included a menu of up to US$2.3 trillion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years. A House budget blueprint, approved in a 217-215 vote on Feb. 25, which fell largely along party lines, indicated that the Republican majority was instead aiming to reduce Medicaid spending by $880 billion over a decade.

    To be clear, GOP lawmakers didn’t say they planned to do that.

    Instead, they told the committee that oversees Medicaid and Medicare to identify cuts of that magnitude. Experts agree that slashing Medicare spending would be harder to pull off because Trump has made it clear he considers it off-limits, but at times he has suggested he might be open to trimming Medicaid. Trump says he supports the budget plan the House approved.

    In an interesting coincidence, Medicaid itself costs around $880 billion a year between federal and state government spending. That suggests Republicans are aiming for an approximately 10% cut.

    How does the program work?

    If you’re eligible for Medicaid, by law you can enroll in the program at any time and get health insurance coverage.

    If you require treatment for a condition Medicaid covers, whether it’s breast cancer or the flu, that happens with no – or low – out-of-pocket costs. Being enrolled in Medicaid means your medical treatment is covered and cannot be denied for budgetary reasons. The federal government contributes a share of what states pay for the health care of residents who enroll, but it can’t decide how much to spend on Medicaid – states do.

    The federal match rate is linked to the per capita income of each state. That means a state with lower per capita income gets a higher federal match, with all states getting at least 50%. For states that participate in the Medicaid expansion, the federal match is 90% across the board for that population.

    A dozen states have so-called trigger laws on their books that could automatically revoke Medicaid expansion if this enhanced match rate is lowered.

    How can the federal government reduce its Medicaid spending?

    The federal government could simply adjust the match rate, shifting more of the cost of Medicaid to states. But prior proposals have suggested a larger change, either through per capita caps or block grants.

    Per capita caps would place a per-person cap on federal funding, while block grants would place a total limit on how much the federal government would contribute to a state’s costs for Medicaid each year. In turn, the states would likely cover fewer people, reduce their benefits, pay less for care, or some combination of such cost-cutting measures.

    Either per capita caps or block grants would require a massive transformation in how Medicaid operates.

    The program has always provided open-ended funding to states, and both states and beneficiaries rely on the stability of federal funds to make the program work. Imposing caps or block grants would force states to contribute significantly more money to the program or cut enrollment drastically. Assuming a substantial cut in federal funding for Medicaid, millions could lose health insurance coverage they cannot afford to get elsewhere.

    Speaker Mike Johnson said that per capita caps and changing the federal match rates are not on the table, but they were included in the earlier House Republican memo detailing potential cuts.

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, flanked by his fellow House Democrats, criticizes the House Republicans’ budget bill at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 25, 2025.
    Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    What else could happen?

    Another idea many Republicans say they support is to add what are known as “work requirements.” The first Trump administration approved state proposals for Medicaid beneficiaries to complete a minimum number of hours of “community engagement” in activities like work, job training, education or community service to enroll and maintain Medicaid eligibility. This is despite the fact that the majority of Medicaid enrollees already work, are disabled, are caregivers for a loved one, or are in school.

    Some politicians argue that making people work to receive Medicaid benefits would help them transition to employer-based coverage, so adding that restriction may sound like common sense. However, the paperwork this requires can lead to lots of working people getting kicked out of the program and is very costly to implement. Also, job training programs, volunteering and education, unless in a degree program, generally don’t come with health insurance coverage, making this reasoning faulty.

    When Arkansas implemented Medicaid work requirements in 2018, despite the majority of enrollees already working, about 18,000 people lost coverage. The policy was poorly understood, and enrollees had trouble reporting their work activity. What’s more, the employment of low-income adults didn’t grow.

    Is Medicaid vulnerable to waste or fraud?

    Medicaid already spends less than Medicare or private health insurance per beneficiary. That includes spending on doctors, hospitals, medications and tests.

    The Government Accountability Office – an independent, nonpartisan government agency – has estimated that preventing payments which shouldn’t be made, or overpayments, could lead to $50 billion in federal savings per year. The GAO cautions that “not all improper payments are the result of fraud.” This significant sum is still nowhere near the scale of the cuts Republicans apparently want to make.

    Would Medicaid spending cuts be popular?

    That’s very unlikely.

    Polling and focus groups show that Medicaid is quite popular.

    More than half of Americans say that the government spends too little on Medicaid, and only 15% say spending is too high.

    We believe if Medicaid cuts were to be openly debated that members of Congress would be inundated with calls from constituents urging their lawmakers to oppose them. That is what happened in 2017, when the first Trump administration tried and failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

    Should Medicaid be cut by anything close to $880 billion over the next decade, we’d expect to see millions of America’s poorest and most vulnerable people kicked out of the program and wind up uninsured. But that would only be the beginning of their problems. Uninsured people are more likely to wait too long before seeing a doctor when they get sick or injured, leading to worse health outcomes and widening the gaps in health between haves and have-nots.

    Paul Shafer receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of these agencies or the United States government.

    Nicole Huberfeld 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. GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard – https://theconversation.com/gop-lawmakers-commit-to-big-spending-cuts-putting-medicaid-under-a-spotlight-but-trimming-the-low-income-health-insurance-program-would-be-hard-250998

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE partnership program aids in apprehension of criminal aliens following high-speed chase in Frederick County

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    FREDERICK, MD – A successful collaboration between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office through the 287(g) Program ensured that two criminal aliens were properly identified and detained following a high-speed pursuit and drug seizure.

    “This case is a clear example of how collaboration with local jurisdictions enhances public safety by ensuring that dangerous individuals are properly identified and not released back into our communities,” said ICE Baltimore acting Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “Our partnership with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office is critical in prioritizing the removal of the most egregious offenders. Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has been involved in with the 287(g) Program since its inception, demonstrating exemplary law enforcement leadership through his partnership and commitment to community safety. Without these partnerships, criminal aliens could easily disappear before facing justice, putting the public at further risk. ICE remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to uphold the rule of law and protect our communities from those who engage in criminal activity.”

    At approximately 9:20 PM, Feb. 20, Deputy First Class Roush of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office was on patrol near Route 85 and Grove Road when he observed a white Nissan van behaving suspiciously. The van attempted to evade police by turning onto a gravel path behind an area shopping center. Upon running the vehicle’s tags, DFC Roush received a stolen vehicle alert and initiated a pursuit with assistance from other responding deputies.

    After refusing to stop, the suspect accelerated onto I-270 northbound at speeds reaching 100 mph. The pursuit continued through Frederick and Montgomery counties. During the pursuit, Maryland State Police Aviation was requested to assist. As the suspects continued toward Shady Grove Road and Briardale Road, the driver intentionally rammed a vehicle at a red light before continuing to flee. At this point, FCSO ended the pursuit while Maryland State Police Trooper 3 maintained aerial surveillance. With the assistance from Montgomery County Police Department, officers apprehended four suspects at a Sheetz located at 751 Progress Way.

    FCSO Deputies responded to the scene and conducted a search of the suspect’s vehicle. Deputies recovered crack cocaine, fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia inside the van. The driver of the vehicle was also found by MCPD officers inside the Sheetz attempting to dispose of narcotics in a restroom.

    The stolen van, found with significant front-end damage, had rammed a vehicle with three occupants inside. Two of the victims were transported to an area hospital for treatment.

    All four suspects were arrested and transported to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center central booking.

    “Two of the four suspects taken into custody were found to be in the United States illegally through our 287(g) Program during the central booking process. Those same two suspects were released on personal recognizance on initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner. These two individuals are being held as removable criminal aliens only because ICE detainers were placed on them by 287(g)-trained correctional officers. Without those detainers, they would have been released immediately, potentially returning to criminal activity or disappearing before trial,” said Sheriff Jenkins, “This is yet another example of the importance of the 287(g) Program to local public safety in protecting our community. I can’t emphasize strongly enough; just how effective and valuable the 287(g) Program is now and has been over the sixteen-year partnership. I really hope the public thinks about this example involving these criminal acts and realizes the importance of the program.”

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recognizes the importance of its relationships with state and local law enforcement partners. ICE will continue to share information and coordinate operations with those partners in a way that best serves local needs and fulfills ICE’s important national security and public safety mission. In recent years, state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE has decreased with some jurisdictions electing to minimally cooperate while some jurisdictions ceased to cooperate altogether.

    As a result, the 287(g) Program – through the delegation of some immigration officer duties – allows ICE to cooperate with its state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws. While the 287(g) Program has yielded successes, ICE recognizes the program is not universally regarded as the most effective or appropriate model in every jurisdiction. Accordingly, ICE maintains its authority to utilize 287(g) agreements and exercise strict oversight. ICE continually evaluates the overall effectiveness of the program.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our Baltimore communities on X at @EROBaltimore.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Airship AI Reports Full Year 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    2024 Net Revenue of $23.1 Million, an 87% Increase over FY 2023 Net Revenue of $12.3 Million

    No Debt on Balance Sheet Following Conversion of $2.8 million in Senior Secured Convertible Notes

    New Pro-U.S. Border Security Administration Provides Additional Macro Tailwinds for 2025 & Beyond

    REDMOND, Wash., March 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Airship AI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AISP) (“Airship AI” or the “Company”), a leader in AI-driven video, sensor, and data management surveillance solutions, today reported its financial and operational results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2024.

    FY 2024 Financial Highlights

    • Net revenues were $23.1 million.
    • Gross profit was $10.5 million.
    • Gross margin was 45.7%.
    • Operating loss was $3.5 million, which reflected increased stock-based compensation and transactions costs related to the merger and overall sales levels.

    FY 2024 Financial Highlights

    • Dramatic Revenue Growth: In 2024, Airship AI delivered 87% year-over-year (“YoY”) revenue growth, growing from $12.3 million to $23.1 million. Revenue growth was driven mainly by increased sales to federal government customers, with multiple large awards for cloud-based Acropolis offerings and edge-based Outpost AI appliances.
    • Steady Gross Profit Margin: Full year gross profit as of December 31, 2024 was $10.5 million, flat YoY, primarily due to the continued high percentages of third-party hardware sales as part of turn-key solutions bundled by Airship AI with Outpost AI included. The Company is already seeing the value of these seeding opportunities in awarded business as well as pipeline opportunity growth.
    • Significant Operational Improvements: Full year operating loss as of December 31, 2024 was $3.5 million as compared to a $6.6 million loss in 2024. Numerous one-time charges were incurred in 2024, resulting from transaction costs associated with the transition to a public company, conversion of a senior secured promissory note, and partial payments to the founders for previous advances.
    • Strengthened Balance Sheet: Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024, was $11.4 million, along with $1.2 million in accounts receivable. With the conversion of issued senior secured convertible promissory notes of $2.8 million, Airship AI enters 2025 with no debt on the balance sheet.

    Q4 2024 & Subsequent Operational Highlights

    • Backlog as of December 31, 2024 was $5.5 million, including orders received late in the second half of 2024 that are expected to be delivered and invoiced across Q1 and Q2 of 2025. Backlog is not indicative of future quarterly revenue as approximately 75% of quarterly revenue is transactional and recognized in the same quarter.
    • Total validated pipeline at the year-end of 2024 was approximately $135 million, consisting of single and multi-year opportunities for AI-driven edge, video, and sensor and data management platform across all our customer verticals. The pipeline includes opportunities at varying stages of progression with expected award timeframes throughout the next 18-24 months.
    • Due to the sensitive nature of many customers and deployment use cases, the Company is often restricted from publicly disclosing awards and or limited as to the specifics of the customer and use case. Consequently, most awards are executed on closed or restricted contract vehicles, which further limits the sharing of information that might otherwise be available.
    • Multiple large contracts awarded throughout and/or subsequent to the quarter include but are not limited to:
      • $4.0 million firm-fixed price contract for an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), for advanced integrated solutions supporting real-time intelligence collection operations along the United States’ borders, leveraging the Company’s edge IoT appliance, Outpost AI.
      • $1.2 million firm-fixed price support and maintenance contract for our existing deployment of Acropolis Enterprise Video and Data Management Platform supporting a Fortune 100 Transportation and E-Commerce company’ global operations.
      • Follow-on seven-figure one (1) year system maintenance and sustainment contract for an existing Fortune 100 customer leveraging the Company’s Acropolis Enterprise Video and Data Management platform supporting operational and physical security requirements.
    • We began deploying new infrastructure supporting mission critical requirements along the U.S. southern border; follow-on work to our successful completion of a congressionally driven pilot opportunity earlier in the year. This follow-on work is in support of our single-largest opportunity, valued at more than $50 million over the next four (4) years. Estimated total contract value is conservatively based on data points from published market research, including size and scope, and pricing approved via awarded procurement efforts.
    • Completed $8.0 million at-the-market public offering with net proceeds to the Company of $7.0 million after deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses.
    • Hired new members of the team, at the C-Suite level and below, and promoted key members of the team to increasingly higher levels of strategic responsibility within the Company. Airship AI expects additional hires in 2025 in the sales and product development teams.
    • Launched a new routes-to-market strategy targeting business partners and resellers that are looking for differentiated alternatives in new verticals (for Airship AI) as well as partners that can help us scale more rapidly within existing verticals.
    • Put in place a marketing and branding campaign for 2025. This bifurcated plan is hyper focused on creating brand awareness in several new targeted verticals through a combination of partner and industry events, enabling partners to monetize that awareness through expanded routes to market.
    • We participated in JIFX, or Joint Interagency Field Exercise, an invite only event led by the Naval Post-Graduate School. The JIFX team leads experimentation in alternative methods to enable rapid technological development by cultivating a community of interest and hosting broadly scoped quarterly collaborative field events which enable the Department of Defense (“DoD”), the U.S. government, and allied stakeholders to identify, influence, and accelerate early-stage technology development that address national and collective security challenges.
    • We participated in TIDE, or Technology Innovation Discovery Event, an invite only DoD sponsored event that aims to help innovative small businesses and non-traditional DoD performers showcase new hardware and software technologies that can significantly improve existing software or meet new challenges in support of the National Defense Strategy.
    • We were a primary sponsor of and participant in UTAC, the premier unmanned aerial and robotic systems tactical event for Police, Public Safety, Government, and Defense agencies. UTAC is a fully immersive training event where public safety, government, enterprise, and defense operators gather to learn best practices, establish procedures, and gain experience with the latest innovations in unmanned aerial, ground, and maritime systems along augmenting technical solutions.

    Capital Markets Update:

    • Participated at the 13th Annual ROTH Technology Conference and the Benchmark 13th Annual Discovery One-on-One Conference.
    • Benchmark Company initiated coverage of Airship AI on November 13, 2024, with a Buy rating and price target of $6.

    2025 Outlook

    • 2025 net revenues of approximately $30 million, reflecting 30% revenue growth YoY, supported by a strong and validated pipeline of ~$135 million, improving gross profit margins, and a strong recurring revenue model.
    • Positive cash flow from business operations for the full year.
    • Expand AI offerings at the edge running on our Outpost AI platform and announce new offerings running at the datacenter level or in the cloud that increase customer operational efficiency using existing sources of data.
    • Continued innovation across our core Acropolis software platform supporting new workflows for on-premises and cloud-based deployments in highly secure operational environments.
    • Announce new offerings around our Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) called Evidence Discovery Server (EDS) supporting stand-alone operations as well as integrations with other leading DEMS platforms.
    • Continue the digital transformation of our back-office operations to improve supply chain management and production-based process efficiencies to help drive continued margin expansion.
    • Launch new AI based offerings supporting partner engagement, training, and support as part of our larger strategy to provide differentiated offerings to those existing and to be recruited business partners and resellers.
    • Targeted focus on brand awareness and engagement in new verticals through targeted marketing outreach opportunities, social media platforms, Airship AI hosted technology events, and industry tradeshow events.

    Management Commentary

    “The past year has been an exciting journey as we completed our first full year as a public company amid significant shifts in domestic and global economic, social, and political landscapes,” said Paul Allen, President of Airship AI. “With this dynamic backdrop, we set ambitious goals for 2024, focusing on substantial revenue growth and strengthening our balance sheet to position the business for positive cash flow operations. The great news is that we made meaningful progress on both the top and bottom lines. We delivered 87% year-over-year revenue growth of $23.1 million at a gross margin of 46%. We ended the year with $11.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and $1.2 million in accounts receivable.

    “Our recently completed capital raise has significantly enhanced our ability to execute many of the anticipated large transactions in our pipeline, particularly those involving substantial up-front costs of goods sold. The capital raise has also enabled us to expand our sales, business development, and partner marketing capabilities by bringing in specialized industry expertise and experience in managing these large-scale defense programs. We have already made progress toward this objective with the addition of several high-caliber team members, and we are in the process of bringing on even more talent to further strengthen our capabilities.

    “As we entered 2025, we have a new administration in place that has stressed from day one that the focus is going to be on securing the border and strengthening public safety and security across the homeland. While the safety of the homeland has and should always be a bi-partisan issue, the approach to how it is done varies. The new administration has made clear many of its policies and approaches to this problem already, with technology itself and technology-based solutions playing a key role in most if not all of them. Specifically, the January 20th Secure Our Borders Executive Order states that the United States will establish a physical wall and other barriers monitored and supported by adequate personnel and technology.

    “To that point, we remain under the cloud of Continuing Resolution, which affects the whole of government to fund its ability to execute daily, at least beyond that which it was approved to do so the prior year. While the budget to fund this and other related activities is being addressed, we remain engaged with our customers already focused on these challenges, engagement which includes already funded efforts or those which are already budgeted.

    “While we are heavily focused on the agencies directly tasked to solve these challenges, we also have a larger existing business with other agencies and commercial customers that we remain focused on as well. These customers are involved daily in similarly protecting the homeland, ranging from countering the illegal trafficking of narcotics with a focus on fentanyl, protecting critical infrastructure such as courthouses, office buildings, and sensitive sites, and enforcing the laws of the land on the streets of mainstream America.

    “With the work we have already done, and the relationships we have established, we believe we are well positioned in 2025 and for the next several years to be an integral part of providing a solution for a well-defined and challenging problem that impacts every one of our shareholders.

    “Lastly, we look forward to seeing some of you at our upcoming Analyst Technology Showcase on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Dripping Springs, Texas,” concluded Mr. Allen.

    About Airship AI Holdings, Inc.

    Founded in 2006, Airship AI (NASDAQ: AISP) is a U.S. owned and operated technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Airship AI is an AI-driven video, sensor and data management surveillance platform that improves public safety and operational efficiency for public sector and commercial customers by providing predictive analysis of events before they occur and meaningful intelligence to decision makers. Airship AI’s product suite includes Outpost AI edge hardware and software offerings, Acropolis enterprise management software stack, and Command family of visualization tools.

    For more information, visit https://airship.ai.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The disclosure herein includes certain statements that are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, (1) statements regarding estimates and forecasts of financial, performance and operational metrics and projections of market opportunity; (2) changes in the market for Airship AI’s services and technology, expansion plans and opportunities; (3) the projected technological developments of Airship AI; and (4) current and future potential commercial and customer relationships. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Airship AI’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are also subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, as set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2025, and the other documents that the Company has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, forward looking statements reflect the Company’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while it may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

    Investor Contact:

    Chris Tyson/Larry Holub
    MZ North America
    949-491-8235
    AISP@mzgroup.us

    AIRSHIP AI HOLDINGS, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    As of December 31, 2024 and 2023
        December
    31, 2024    		     December
    31, 2023    		  
    ASSETS            
                 
    CURRENT ASSETS:            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 11,414,830     $ 3,124,413  
    Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $0     1,226,757       1,648,904  
    Prepaid expenses and other     17,883       18,368  
    Income tax receivable     –       7,230  
    Total current assets     12,659,470       4,798,915  
                     
    PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET     –       1,861  
                     
    OTHER ASSETS                
    Other assets     165,960       182,333  
    Operating lease right of use asset     882,024       1,104,804  
                     
    TOTAL ASSETS   $ 13,707,454     $ 6,087,913  
                     
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT                
                     
    CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Accounts payable – trade   $ 759,480     $ 2,908,472  
    Advances from founders     1,300,000       1,750,000  
    Accrued expenses     51,649       200,531  
    Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes     –       2,825,366  
    Current portion of operating lease liability     305,178       174,876  
    Deferred revenue- current portion     3,238,483       4,008,654  
    Total current liabilities     5,654,790       11,867,899  
                     
    NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:                
    Operating lease liability, net of current portion     638,525       943,702  
    Warrant liability     34,180,618       667,985  
    Earnout liability     23,304,808       5,133,428  
    Deferred revenue- non-current     2,951,850       4,962,126  
    Total liabilities     66,730,591       23,575,140  
                     
    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 9)                
                     
    STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT:                
    Preferred stock – no par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023     –       –  
    Common stock – $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 30,588,413 and 22,812,048 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and 2023     3,056       2,281  
    Additional paid in capital     21,918,867       –  
    Accumulated deficit     (74,941,590 )     (17,476,700 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (3,470 )     (12,808 )
    Total stockholders’ deficit     (53,023,137 )     (17,487,227 )
                     
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT   $ 13,707,454     $ 6,087,913  
    AIRSHIP AI HOLDINGS, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
    For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
        Year Ended     Yar Ended  
        December
    31, 2024    		     December
    31, 2023    		  
    NET REVENUES:            
    Product   $ 18,716,196     $ 7,439,045  
    Post contract support     4,334,017       4,692,487  
    Other services     –       168,052  
     Revenues     23,050,213       12,299,584  
    COST OF NET REVENUES:                
    Cost of Sales     10,843,766       4,767,159  
    Post contract support     1,679,692       1,681,267  
    Other services     –       86,841  
     Cost of revenue     12,523,458       6,535,267  
    GROSS PROFIT     10,526,755       5,764,317  
    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES     2,804,894       2,729,492  
    SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES     11,226,974       9,675,190  
    TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES     14,031,868       12,404,682  
    OPERATING LOSS     (3,505,113 )     (6,640,365 )
    OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME:                
    (Loss) gain from change in fair value of earnout liability     (18,171,380 )     21,976,349  
    (Loss) gain from change in fair value of warrant liability     (33,512,633 )     1,341,120  
    Loss from change in fair value of convertible debt     (141,636 )     (240,784 )
    Loss on note conversion     (1,144,676 )     –  
    Interest expense, net     (1,003,096 )     (55,685 )
    Other income (expense)     13,644       (9,501 )
    Total other (expense) income, net     (53,959,777 )     23,011,499  
                     
    (LOSS) INCOME BEFORE PROVISON FOR INCOME TAXES     (57,464,890 )     16,371,134  
                     
    Provision for income taxes     –       –  
                     
    NET (LOSS) INCOME     (57,464,890 )     16,371,134  
                     
    OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)                
    Foreign currency translation income (loss), net     9,338       (2,702 )
                     
    TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME   $ (57,455,552 )   $ 16,368,432  
                     
    NET (LOSS) INCOME PER SHARE:                
    Basic   $ (2.34 )   $ 1.20  
    Diluted   $ (2.34 )   $ 0.80  
                     
    Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding                
    Basic     24,585,955       13,671,376  
    Diluted     24,585,955       20,390,663  
    AIRSHIP AI HOLDINGS, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
    For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
        Year Ended     Year Ended  
        December
    31, 2024    		     December
    31, 2023    		  
                 
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:            
    Net loss   $ (57,464,890 )   $ 16,371,134  
    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities                
    Depreciation and amortization     1,861       14,879  
    Stock-based compensation     1,078,344       715,727  
    Stock-based compensation- warrants     284,478       2,136,115  
    Amortization of operating lease right of  use asset     222,780       596,556  
    Accelerated amortization of ROU asset – lease termination     –       265,130  
    Gain from lease termination     –       (344,093 )
    Issuance of common stock for services     198,500       –  
    Noncash interest expense     1,008,419       –  
    Loss (gain) from change in fair value of warrant liability     33,512,633       (1,341,120 )
    Loss (gain) from change in fair value of earnout liability     18,171,380       (21,976,349 )
    Loss from change in fair value of convertible note     141,636       240,784  
    Loss on note conversion     1,144,676       –  
    Non cash interest, net     –       65,487  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
    Accounts receivable     422,147       (943,152 )
    Prepaid expenses and other     485       (2,329 )
    Other assets     16,373       (182,333 )
    Operating lease liability     (174,875 )     (531,621 )
    Payroll and income tax receivable     7,230       960,383  
    Accounts payable – trade and accrued expenses     (2,294,698 )     666,136  
    Deferred revenue     (2,780,447 )     (2,667 )
    NET CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES     (6,503,968 )     (3,291,333 )
                     
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:                
    Issuance of common stock and warrants for offering, net     7,290,000       –  
    Proceeds from convertible promissory note     –       2,584,582  
    Proceeds from warrant exercise, net     7,704,540       –  
    Advances from founders, net     (450,000 )     1,150,000  
    Proceeds from reverse recapitalization     –       2,809,792  
    Proceeds from stock option exercises     240,507       –  
    Repayment of small business loan and line of credit     –       (424,540 )
                     
    NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES     14,785,047       6,119,834  
                     
    NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS     8,281,079       2,828,501  
                     
    Effect from exchange rate on cash     9,338       (2,702 )
                     
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period     3,124,413       298,614  
                     
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period   $ 11,414,830     $ 3,124,413  
                     
    Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:                
    Interest paid   $ 11,913     $ 21,438  
    Taxes paid   $ 2,410     $ 17,247  
                     
    Noncash investing and financing                
    Elimination of advances to founders in connection with contribution of Zeppelin by shareholders   $ –     $ 1,100,000  
    Elimination of payables to founders in connection with contribution of Zeppelin by shareholders   $ –     $ 1,100,000  
    Issuance of common stock for debt interest payment   $ 1,008,442     $ –  
    Issuance of common stock for debt conversion   $ 4,114,831     $ –  
    Recognition of warrant liability   $ –     $ 15,418  
    Recognition of right-of-use asset   $ –     $ 1,162,152  
    Recognition of operating lease liability   $ –     $ 1,162,152  
    Noncash activity related to Merger-                
    Recognition of warrant liability   $ –     $ 2,009,105  
    Recognition of earnout liability   $ –     $ 27,109,777  
    Recognition of accounts payable   $ –     $ 1,500,000  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By G. Patrick O’Brien, Assistant Teaching Professor of History, University of Tampa

    Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the specter of annexing Canada since his inauguration to a second term as president.

    The president’s rhetoric about making Canada “the 51st state” may seem to project confidence, a 21st-century vision of manifest destiny, a belief in the United States’ right and obligation to expand.

    Trump is not the first American leader to dream of northern expansion. To me, a historian of early U.S.-Canadian relations, these designs suggest not power, but weakness and simmering divisions inside the United States.

    Early Americans’ lust for Canada

    Even before independence, social conflict helped turn American eyes northward. Throughout the 18th century, England’s Colonial population in North America doubled every 25 years. Successive generations of Colonists along the Eastern Seaboard had to compete with each other, and with Indigenous people, for resources, arable land and trade.

    These unhappy, land-hungry Colonists clamored for expansion, instigating a series of wars against both the French and Spanish empires for control of the northeastern half of the continent, culminating in the French and Indian War, from 1754 to 1763.

    While these Colonists were animated by their thirst for expansion, they had little else unifying them. Many Americans today are familiar with the “Join, or Die” cartoon Ben Franklin printed, featuring a segmented snake with each section representing one of the Colonies. However, few realize that it was not crafted during the Revolution to unite Colonists against Britain, but in 1754, to rally divided British Colonists in their war against France.

    This famous image urging the American Colonies to unite was in support of a war against France, not Britain.
    Benjamin Franklin via Wikimedia Commons

    Britain finished conquering Canada in 1763, but the empire never fully supported Colonial expansion northward. In the 1750s and 1760s, British troops forcibly removed French colonists from Acadia in Nova Scotia and recruited thousands of Colonists from neighboring New England to move north. These settlers had long imagined the region rich in fishing and timber to be a land of opportunity. But disillusioned by the financial cost of sustaining their settlements, many of these Colonists returned to New England by the early 1770s.

    Attempts to settle other lands ceded by France were no more successful. Fearful that Colonists might provoke a costly war with Indigenous people, Parliament issued the Proclamation of 1763, which attempted to protect native land by discouraging Colonial expansion westward. Many Colonists turned against Britain in response, especially those like George Washington, who had speculated in the land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

    The failed invasion of Canada

    In the earliest months of the Revolution, the Continental Congress authorized an American invasion of British-occupied Quebec. In a letter addressed to “Friends and Brethren” of Canada, Washington himself implored Canadians to join invading troops. “The Cause of America, and of Liberty, is the Cause of every virtuous American Citizen,” he wrote. “Come then, ye generous Citizens, range yourselves under the Standard of general Liberty.”

    But at home, Colonists were far from united in their rebellion. Historians estimate that around 20% of the white Colonial population, more than 500,000 people, remained loyal to Britain, and an even larger number hoped to remain neutral.

    The difficult realities of conquest also turned many soldiers against the invasion of Canada. In late October 1775, nearly a quarter of the underfed and overworked troops under the command of soon-to-be turncoat Benedict Arnold abandoned their arduous journey through interior Maine toward Canada. The soldiers who carried on prayed these deserters “might die by the way, or meet with some disaster, Equal to the Cowardly dastardly and unfriendly Spirit they discover’d in returning Back without orders.”

    The more resilient troops who reached Quebec were emphatically defeated by British forces in December, making Washington skeptical of any future efforts to attack Canada.

    American troops clash with British soldiers and the French defenders of Quebec in December 1775.
    Charles William Jefferys, cover art for ‘The Father of British Canada: A Chronicle of Carleton,’ Volume 12 by William Wood, 1916

    19th-century divisions

    Following American independence, tens of thousands of loyal Colonists sailed north to Canada, determined to build British colonies that would become what one of these refugees called “the envy of the American States.” Their presence on the contested northern border was an unsettling reminder to the new American nation about the power Britain still exerted on the continent.

    Conflict with Britain over land and trade in the early 1800s reopened old divisions among Americans. Virginia Congressman John Randolph expressed his frustrations with renewed calls for a northern invasion. “We have but one word, like the whip-poor-will, but one eternal monstrous tone,” an exasperated Randolph noted, “Canada! Canada! Canada!”

    The debate over Canada was one of many issues dividing the nation, and as President James Madison would later explain, he hoped that war would help unify a polarized nation. His gamble paid off, but only after opponents from New England flirted with the idea of secession to negotiate their own end to conflict.

    When the popular editor and columnist John O’Sullivan called for the annexation of Texas and war with Mexico in 1845, he also suggested the annexation of Canada would naturally follow. The anti-expansionist response united pacifists, abolitionists and a variety of religious and literary figures, helping deepen the divides that would lead to the Civil War.

    Annexation talk in the 20th century

    Trump’s posturing has served to unite Canadians and revive Canadian nationalism. In the U.S., most people seem to understand the practical hurdles of adding a new state or dismiss the idea altogether.

    A Canadian demonstrates in Washington, D.C., against President Donald Trump’s policies on Feb. 17, 2025.
    Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

    One example of annexation talk from the 20th century, however, might serve as a warning to Trump, showing how aggressive rhetoric toward Canada has led to political defeat. In 1911, a bill creating free trade with Canada passed Congress with the support of President William Taft, despite objections from protectionists in both parties.

    In an attempt to have the agreement defeated in the Canadian Parliament, U.S. opponents from both sides of the aisle attempted to stir popular sentiment against the U.S. in Canada. Champ Clark, the Democratic speaker of the House and a front-runner for the presidential nomination in 1912, seized on the moment.

    “I hope to see the day when the American flag will float over every square foot of the British North American possessions, clear to the North Pole,” Champ proclaimed on the House floor. William Stiles Bennet, a Republican, proposed a resolution that would authorize the president to begin negotiations for annexation.

    Their approach to defeating the trade agreement worked, at least in Canada. In the general election of September 1911, worried Canadian voters ousted the Liberal Party, which had supported free trade, and the new Conservative majority rejected the agreement.

    Back home, however, the plan backfired. Woodrow Wilson, not Clark, secured the Democratic nomination in 1912 and would go on to defeat both the incumbent Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt. The bluster led not to success and victory, but loss and defeat.

    G. Patrick O’Brien 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. America’s designs on annexing Canada have a long history − and record of political failures – https://theconversation.com/americas-designs-on-annexing-canada-have-a-long-history-and-record-of-political-failures-250229

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –