NewzIntel.com

    • Checkout Page
    • Contact Us
    • Default Redirect Page
    • Frontpage
    • Home-2
    • Home-3
    • Lost Password
    • Member Login
    • Member LogOut
    • Member TOS Page
    • My Account
    • NewzIntel Alert Control-Panel
    • NewzIntel Latest Reports
    • Post Views Counter
    • Privacy Policy
    • Public Individual Page
    • Register
    • Subscription Plan
    • Thank You Page

Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI Economics: New administration can create a stronger AI tech export rule

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: New administration can create a stronger AI tech export rule

    A high-stakes race is underway that will determine which country will supply the technology that powers the world’s emerging AI economy. Vice President Vance got it right at the recent AI Summit in Paris, emphasizing the need to focus on AI opportunities, pursue lighter regulations, and prioritize bringing American AI to the world. However, a last-minute Biden administration regulation, if left unchanged, risks undermining America’s ability to succeed.  

    The Biden administration’s interim final AI Diffusion Rule caps the export of essential American AI components to many fast-growing and strategically vital markets. As drafted, the rule undermines two Trump administration priorities: strengthening U.S. AI leadership and reducing the nation’s near trillion-dollar trade deficit. Left unchanged, the Biden rule will give China a strategic advantage in spreading over time its own AI technology, echoing its rapid ascent in 5G telecommunications a decade ago.    

    As a company, we support the need to protect national security by preventing adversaries from acquiring advanced AI technology. And there are important elements in the rule that should be retained. For example, the rule’s qualitative provisions would ensure that AI technology components are deployed in certified, secure, and trusted datacenters. This avoids shipments of advanced chips to entities that do not meet these standards and thereby helps reduce the risk of chip diversion to China. Similarly, the rule rightly imposes strict requirements on these trusted datacenter operators to protect against chip diversion and to ensure that advanced AI services cannot be used by adversaries.  

    There is an important opportunity to further strengthen these provisions, including by ensuring the Commerce Department has the resources it will need to put the Rule into effect. This can help both expedite approval processes for companies and strengthen enforcement, including against unlawful chip diversion. 

    But a significant problem remains. Namely, the Biden rule goes beyond what’s needed. It puts many important U.S. allies and partners in a Tier Two category and imposes quantitative limits on the ability of American tech companies to build and expand AI datacenters in their countries. This includes many American friends, such as Switzerland, Poland, Greece, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Israel, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. These are countries where we and many other American companies have significant datacenter operations.  

    This Tier Two status is undermining one of the essential requirements needed for a business to succeed—namely, confidence by our customers that they will be able to buy from us the AI computing capacity that they will need in the future. Customers in Tier Two countries now worry that an insufficient supply of critical American AI technology will restrict their opportunities for economic growth.  

    The unintended consequence of this approach is to encourage Tier Two countries to look elsewhere for AI infrastructure and services. And it’s obvious where they will be forced to turn. If left unchanged, the Diffusion Rule will become a gift to China’s rapidly expanding AI sector.  

    All this comes at precisely the time when the American tech sector wants to invest in AI computing capacity at an unprecedented level. Our own company’s plans are illustrative. This year alone, Microsoft will spend $80 billion to build AI infrastructure around the world, with more than half of this total on U.S. soil. As this reflects, the solid majority of our computing power will remain in the United States.   

    But our ability to continue growing and investing at this level, including in the United States, depends in important part on exporting our technology services. This requires building AI infrastructure in other countries, so AI services can be accessed and used with low latency by local enterprises and consumers. Ironically, the Diffusion Rule discourages what should be regarded as an American economic opportunity—the export of world-leading chips and technology services. 

    The potentially negative impact on American economic growth doesn’t stop there. As the tech sector invests billions of dollars to build datacenters around the world, we are developing global supply chains that combine international and American suppliers of more traditional manufactured goods. I saw this first-hand when I was in Warsaw last week to announce with Prime Minister Donald Tusk a $700 million expansion of Microsoft’s datacenter infrastructure in Poland. Among the beneficiaries are American workers manufacturing advanced electrical generators in Lafayette, Indiana, so they can be shipped to Poland. 

    The irony could not be clearer. At the very moment when the Trump administration is pressing Europe to buy more American goods, the Biden Diffusion Rule leaves the leaders of partners like Poland asking why they have been relegated to Tier Two status and an uncertain ability to buy more American AI chips in the future. 

    This puts the opportunity for the Trump administration in bold relief. It can take an overly complex rule that requires 41 pages in the Federal Register and right-size it. Make it simpler. Stop relegating American friends and allies into a second tier that undermines their confidence in ongoing access to American products. Eliminate the quantitative caps that would interfere with a well-functioning economic market. And keep what matters most, such as the qualitative security standards and AI use restrictions that protect national security. 

    We need to recognize the obvious. America’s AI race with China begins at home. It’s founded on the ability of innovative American firms to bring manufactured goods and technology services to like-minded countries around the world. We’re prepared to invest. What we need now is an AI diffusion rule that gives us the ability to do so. 

    Tags: AI diffusion rule, AI economy, supply chains

    MIL OSI Economics –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Bennet Launch Bill to Improve Kids’ Access to Life-Saving Medical Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    Download video HERE
    WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Members Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve health care access for children with complex medical conditions. The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act simplifies out-of-state Medicaid screening and enrollment processes for pediatric care providers, while retaining key safeguards to preserve the integrity of the program. Rep. Mariannettee Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
    “Moms and dads seeking life-saving care for their kids should be able to access it quickly and wherever it’s available. Families shouldn’t have to trip over red tape to reach the most effective specialist, treatment or procedure, whether around the corner or across state lines. Our bill simplifies the process so parents can ensure children with a rare disease or cancer diagnosis get the right specialized medical care,” Grassley said.
    “For children with complex medical conditions, bureaucratic red tape should not be an obstacle to care. This bipartisan legislation will make it easier for families to navigate our health care system and relieve some of the stress that they face to get their kids the care they need when they need it,” Bennet said.
    Click HERE to download broadcast-quality video of Grassley discussing the legislation.
    Click HERE for text of the legislation.
    Background:
    Children with complex medical conditions cannot always secure specialized care in their home states. When this happens, parents must work with their in-state providers and Medicaid officials to identify out-of-state providers who do offer that care. The process is riddled with regulatory hurdles that often delay, or even prohibit, children from receiving critical medical treatments. The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act would alleviate these burdens for families, as well as providers.
    The legislation builds off the Grassley-Bennet ACE Kids Act, which was signed into law in 2019. Following the bill’s enactment, the lawmakers closely monitored implementation to ensure it would be executed as Congress intended. 
    Grassley was recognized in December 2024 for his persistent efforts to support children with disabilities and complex medical conditions. Learn more HERE.
    Support for the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act:
    This bill is backed by children’s hospitals, patients and research organizations nationwide, including in Iowa:
    “As a specialty pediatric healthcare provider serving thousands of children and young adults with complex medical needs, ChildServe strongly supports the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act,” said Teri Wahlig, M.D., ChildServe CEO. “This bipartisan legislation prioritizes access to quality healthcare, critical services and specialists for children with complex medical conditions by simplifying, standardizing and streamlining the referral process. It creates a more efficient pathway for children to receive the timely care they need. We are grateful to Senator Grassley and Senator Bennett for their continued dedication to advocating for children with complex medical needs.”
    “This legislation will be a lifeline for families across the country facing childhood cancer,” said E. Anders Kolb, MD, President and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “By streamlining the Medicaid provider screening and enrollment process, we’ll spare families the anguish of needless treatment delays at a time when every day counts. We thank Senators Grassley and Bennet for introducing this bill and urge Congress to pass it quickly. Kids can’t wait.”
    “We are thrilled to see this important legislation reintroduced. The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act has the potential to save lives. Our children must receive specialized care on their own timelines, without bureaucratic interference. We thank Sens. Grassley and Bennet for their work on behalf of our families,” said Mike Henry, Director of Advocacy, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
    Additional cosponsors of the legislation are Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin To Trump: Whose Side Are You On? The Police Or The January 6 Rioters?

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    February 27, 2025
    In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin detailed the list of crimes committed by January 6 rioters President Trump pardoned, which keeps growing longer
    WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, detailed the list of crimes committed by January 6thinsurrectionists, including those who violently assaulted law enforcement officers, pardoned by President Trump on his first day back in office. The grim result of the insurrection was the subsequent deaths of five law enforcement officers and the injuries to approximately 140 others, many of whom are still paying the price for that day.
    “It came as a shock when, on the first day of Donald Trump’s presidency, he issued a blanket pardon for those who had been convicted for that January 6 attack on the Capitol… The American people overwhelmingly disagree with the President… Eighty-three percent of them oppose the pardons that he gave. That includes 70 percent who lean Republican in their voting,” Durbin said.“Despite this overwhelming opposition, the Justice Department has now broadened the scope of President Trump’s pardons for January 6 rioters to include separate charges stemming from searches conducted during those investigations.”
    Federal prosecutors recently dropped firearms cases being pursued against two January 6 defendants pardoned by President Trump—Daniel Ball and Elias Costianes. Ball and Costianes had both been charged in separate proceedings with illegally possessing weapons that law enforcement discovered during January 6-related searches.
    “Just last Friday, just a few days ago, a number of these pardoned individuals decided to hold their own press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to announce their intent to sue the Justice Department for prosecuting them for this [January 6 insurrection]. Dangerous individuals included former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who had been serving a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy before the Trump pardon; Proud Boy Ethan Nordean, who had been serving an 18-year sentence; Dominic Pezzola, the first rioter to breach the building on January 6. He was serving a 10-year sentence for stealing a police riot shield and using it to break a window,” Durbin said. “The group paraded through the Capitol after the press conference following the same route they took on January 6, 2021. They posed for photos, chanting as they did that day ‘Whose house? Our house.’ And after the press conference, Mr. Tarrio was even arrested, again, outside the Capitol forassaulting a female counter-protestor.”
    Durbin continued, “Tarrio also posted a video of himself stalking Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, former police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6. Tarrio was following them through the lobby of a hotel where the officers were attending a conference. While Tarrio followed them, he was calling out at them that they were ‘cowards’ and telling them to ‘keep walking.’ Does this sound like a man ashamed of his actions on January 6 and full of remorse? Does this sound like an innocent victim of assault? No, this sounds like a man who now thinks he is above the law with his Trump pardon and expects to be bailed out by President Trump for every crime he decides to commit.”
    Durbin made the case that these individuals are a threat, and the more power and freedom they are given, the more danger they pose to our democracy and the law enforcement officers they are harassing. Just this month, dozens of former January 6 offenders joined forces on social media to compile and publicize the identities of at least 124 individuals who had been involved in their convictions—including prosecutors, judges, and FBI agents.
    “The post, which has received [at least] 60,000 views, included names, photos, disparaging remarks, and demands for accountability,” Durbin said. “In January, another pardoned January 6 defendant who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers, Ryan Nichols Sr., identified in a Twitter post ‘officers in the D.C. Jail who need to be investigated for corruption and abuse,’ adding the names and LinkedIn profile photos of two D.C. Jail employees.”
    Durbin concluded, “The men and women who bravely defended the members of this body deserve better than this… I hope that all of us, regardless of our political persuasion, will finally agree on one thing—violence has no place in a democracy and Donald Trump’s pardon of these 1,600 January 6 attackers is not only an insult to the Capitol police who risked their lives to stop them, but has emboldened these convicts to harass these officers and their families. Mr. President, the question for the Senate is simple. Whose side are you on? The police or the rioters.”
    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ’s barriers to economic growth: short-term thinking, political concentration and policy flip-flops

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Nicholls, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Auckland University of Technology

    Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

    Economic growth took centre stage during Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent State of the Nation speech.

    Yet in amongst the discussion and criticism of the government’s plans, many have got locked into a one-dimensional debate centred on reducing regulation to encourage economic growth.

    This ignores a deeper discussion on the actual sources of New Zealand’s economic growth in the 21st century and, potentially, what we need to do to shift from one model of growth to another.

    What drives growth?

    Emerging partly out of the 2007–09 global financial crisis, thinking about economic growth has become dominated by something known as the growth model framework.

    The framework contrasts countries such as Germany that base their growth on exports – partly through wage restraint – with those in which growth is led by consumption. This group includes the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand.

    New Zealand’s growth model

    How can this framework be used to understand economic growth in our local context?

    New Zealand’s economy is dominated by domestic demand – with the service industry making up around two-thirds of the gross domestic product, putting us squarely in the consumption-led camp.

    Local analysts have often reflected on the drivers and pitfalls of this growth model, revolving as it does around property investment and related industries such as banking and insurance.

    And yet, this is not how we tend to think of ourselves at all.

    Whether aspirational or wishful thinking, countless political speeches and policy documents refer to New Zealand as something of an export platform, a trading nation, or a (potential) knowledge-based innovator on the world stage.

    New Zealand has long viewed itself as an export economy. But economic indicators tell a different story.
    Kritsana Laroque/Shutterstock

    The politics of New Zealand’s growth model

    It is also difficult to imagine a New Zealand political leader standing up to announce how proud they are to be overseeing a service and consumption-driven economy.

    In fact, it could be argued the past couple of decades have represented a series of failures to shift the growth model from where we are to where we want to be.

    What is more, many of the barriers to doing so are political rather than strictly economic.

    The growth model perspective identifies not only the varied national growth strategies but also the coalition of political and business groups that support each model.

    Possible – but difficult – change

    Shifts in national growth models can occur. But doing so requires forging a consensus around a new or evolving growth model through political institutions or through the expansion of the growth coalition’s base to include new economic players including, in some cases, trade unions.

    Ireland, for example, underwent a major shift from the late 1980s toward a growth model infused with foreign direct investment. This happened, in part, through social partnership, where most aspects of public policy were negotiated between state, business and organised labour, along with some input from the community and voluntary sector. It was also due to an overwhelmingly centrist political culture and it’s structure of government.

    Sweden’s gradual shift toward more information-technology intensive manufacturing and the Netherlands’ to business services and finance, representing more balanced or mixed growth models, can also be traced to consensus-driven politics.

    Barriers to change

    Back in Aotearoa New Zealand, we face a series of political barriers to similar change.

    Above all, politics in New Zealand is notably short-term in nature, driven by a host of factors including the three-year electoral term. There is also an absence of an Irish or Swedish-style social partnership-type tradition in which key societal groups are included in policy negotiations that survive changes of government.

    Compounding this, power in New Zealand politics is still concentrated in the hands of the incumbent government despite the adoption of the mixed member proportional (MMP) system. This means a considerable degree of ideological yo-yoing and policy flip-flops.

    Most difficult perhaps is finding a way to override entrenched economic interests with a vested interest in the status quo.

    For example, while there is widespread support for a capital gains tax in New Zealand, implementing one has proven out of political reach.

    This is likely due, in part, to the oversized role that property plays in our economy, but also because we lack consensus-forging institutions through which to channel a will to change.

    Somehow broadening the base of support may help to address this issue, as will ensuring that the government is able to exercise its own autonomy – connected to economic interests yet able to rise above rather than relying on them to make change happen.

    Kate Nicholls 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. NZ’s barriers to economic growth: short-term thinking, political concentration and policy flip-flops – https://theconversation.com/nzs-barriers-to-economic-growth-short-term-thinking-political-concentration-and-policy-flip-flops-249007

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Connolly, Stansbury, House Oversight Members Open Investigation Into DOGE.gov After Alarming Failures to Protect Sensitive National Security Information

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    February 27, 2025
    DOGE employees may be sharing classified government information using insecure communications channels.
    “These incidents – whether due to maliciousness or incompetence – are inexcusable and raise additional questions about DOGE employees’ access to highly sensitive personal and national security information, and what they are doing with it.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Representative Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, along with every Democratic member of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, including Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Eleanor Homes Norton (D-D.C.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), wrote to Elon Musk, opening an investigation into DOGE.gov following two recent incidents of alarming security failures and reports that DOGE employees shared sensitive government information using insecure communications channels.
    “These incidents – whether due to maliciousness or incompetence – are inexcusable and raise additional questions about DOGE employees’ access to highly sensitive personal and national security information, and what they are doing with it,” wrote the lawmakers.
    DOGE has seized access to highly confidential government and personal information, including tax, Medicare, Social Security, and national security data, which has already led to multiple lawsuits. In just a matter of three weeks, DOGE employees have fed sensitive data into artificial intelligence software, ordered an unauthorized email server to be connected to the government network, and have accidentally been given “write” access to the U.S. Treasury payment system. 
    “DOGE employees do not appear to fully understand much of the information to which they have been given unfettered access, and given the cavalier and incompetent ways that they have handled this data, these individuals represent a clear threat to national security and the nation’s economy,” continued the lawmakers. 
    In fact, after the DOGE.gov website launched, two security researchers confirmed that the website was not hosted on secure government servers, making it especially vulnerable to third-party hackers. In particular, details on the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which designs and builds U.S. intelligence satellites, were searchable within the database, as well as controlled  information about the NRO’s budget and head count. This incident left federal intelligence employees “scrambling” to see if their sensitive information had been accessed.  
    “These examples of DOGE’s recklessness and inability to accomplish simple tasks – such as establishing a secure database and website housing such critical and confidential government data – combined with its broad access to government data and systems, poses a grave threat to the United States’ economy and national security,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    The lawmakers are requesting answers from Mr. Musk by March 6, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Blumenthal, Duckworth Ramp Up Investigation Into MOHELA’s Predatory Website Terms of Use

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    February 27, 2025

    Lawmakers hit loan servicer for efforts to infringe on borrowers’ legal rights 

    With Education Department’s future uncertain, MOHELA’s behavior raises concerns about ability to keep student loan servicers in check

    “MOHELA has imposed an exploitative set of Terms upon all borrowers that set up an account on its website…(Y)our response indicates a worrying disregard for borrowers’ rights.” 

    Text of Letter (PDF) | MOHELA Response to November 2024 Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote to the student loan servicer Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) with continued concerns over its website’s Terms of Use (TOU), which appear to be written with the intent to relieve MOHELA of liability for severe misconduct and may infringe upon student loan borrowers’ legal rights.  

    MOHELA has repeatedly shirked its basic responsibilities as a federal student loan servicer and has been repeatedly penalized by ED for doing so. In November 2024, the Senators wrote to MOHELA to raise their initial concerns about the company’s tactics. The loan servicer’s response evaded questions, failed to provide a reasonable justification for the predatory provisions in its TOU, and made multiple false assertions. 

     In its response, MOHELA: 

    • Falsely claimed its TOU are in line with industry standards, even though MOHELA appears to have written its TOU to absolve it of much more severe wrongdoing compared to other major federal loan servicers’ TOU;
    • Provided unconvincing explanations for its TOU provisions disclaiming any responsibility that its website contain “accurate or reliable” information and disclaiming any responsibility for correcting any “defects” on the website; and
    • Failed to justify exploitative TOU sections that appear to undermine borrowers’ rights to hold MOHELA accountable for financial harms, including by limiting its liability to $100 “for all claims arising” from use of its website and making borrowers’ “sole (legal) remedy” for dissatisfaction with MOHELA’s website to stop using the website.  

    “MOHELA’s explanations fail to provide persuasive justifications for these provisions…(and the t)erms are clearly written and designed to absolve MOHELA of wide swaths of damages even in the cases of significant wrongdoing,” wrote the senators. 

    MOHELA’s terms may also violate federal consumer protection law. The Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) prohibits abusive contracts, including those that take “unreasonable advantage” of “unequal bargaining power.” That could apply to MOHELA’s TOU, since borrowers assigned to MOHELA have no choice but to sign the TOU and cannot choose a different loan servicer. MOHELA did not address the senators’ concerns in this area. 

    The lawmakers urged the loan servicer to remove all predatory provisions from its TOU and asked MOHELA to provide clarity on its decision to impose it on borrowers by March 13, 2025.   

    Senator Warren has led the fight to reform our higher education system, cancel student loan debt, and hold student loan servicers accountable:

    • In February 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) released responses to Committee questions for the record from Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, in which McMahon states that she “wholeheartedly” agrees with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
    • In February 2025, during the Senate’s consideration of the Republican budget resolution, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) proposed an amendment to protect higher education funding in Massachusetts.   
    • In February 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), led 32 Democratic senators in writing to President Donald Trump, demanding that he reject Congressional Republicans’ legislative plans to increase the cost of living, including education costs, for Americans after pledging to lower costs on “Day One” of his presidency.
    • In February 2025, in advance of her confirmation hearing, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim (D-N.J.), sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on her policy views. 
    • In February 2025, following Elon Musk and DOGE forcing their way into the Department of Education, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Minority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) led a coalition of Democrats in demanding the Department of Education launch an investigation into Musk and DOGE’s access to federal student loan data. 
    • In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent Elon Musk, Chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a letter detailing over 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade, including through saving on education programs. 
    • In December 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) revealed the alarming findings of a Senate investigation into millions of consumer credit reporting errors that occurred during the transfer of student loan accounts from Nelnet to MOHELA in 2023. The senators urged the CFPB and ED to investigate these errors and use their supervisory and enforcement authority to hold the appropriate parties accountable.
    • In December 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-PA) led 24 lawmakers in sending a bicameral letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra and Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, revealing the results of their investigation into Navient regarding its cancellation process for the predatory, for-profit student loans in its portfolio and urging the agencies to hold the student loan servicer accountable for any violations of federal law. 
    • In November 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent a letter blasting MOHELA for abusing borrowers with potentially illegal, exploitative terms of use.
    • In October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) commending the agencies on their progress in helping borrowers who are struggling financially to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy and asking them to continue expanding awareness of the Biden-Harris administration’s new policy.
    • In October 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated new federal student debt relief, bringing the total number of Americans who have had their debt canceled under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program during the Biden-Harris Administration to a historic 1 million people and counting.
    • In September 2024, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Merkley (D-Ore.) released a new report examining the impact of the Biden-Harris administration’s new Higher Education Act rule, finding that low- and middle-income borrowers, seniors, women, and Black borrowers will receive enormous benefits from the new rule.
    • In August 2024, Senator Warren joined Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to launch an investigation into the reported mishandling of student loan transfers by MOHELA, Nelnet and credit reporting agencies.
    • In August 2024, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led over 30 lawmakers in a letter urging student loan servicer Navient to reform its flawed process to cancel the private student loans of borrowers who attended fraudulent, for-profit colleges.
    • In July 2024, Senators Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Bernie Sanders, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, cautioning the Department of Education on Federal Student Aid’s transition to the Unified Servicing and Data Solution system.
    • In July 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, and Sanders released a joint statement on the American Federation of Teachers’ lawsuit against MOHELA for allegedly overcharging and misleading student loan borrowers.
    • In May 2024, Senators Warren and King led their colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging them to provide guidance and communication to borrowers as the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program transfers from MOHELA to the Department of Education. 
    • In May 2024, Senator Warren led a growing coalition of senators in urging the Department of Education to hold student loan servicer MOHELA accountable for its failures.
    • In May 2024, Senator Warren and 24 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, encouraging them to provide $2.7 billion in funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) in fiscal year (FY) 2025.
    • In May 2024, Senators Warren, Carper, Kaine, and Representative Don Davis (D-N.C.) called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to release data on the Postsecondary Education Complaint System (PECS), a centralized database to track complaints against schools who participate in the Tuition Assistance (TA) and My Career Advancement Account Scholarship (MyCAA) program.
    • In April 2024, Senator Warren led eight of her colleagues in sending a letter to David L. Yowan, President and Chief Executive Officer of student loan servicer Navient, urging the servicer to cancel decades-old private student loans pushed onto borrowers attending fraudulent, for-profit colleges.
    • In April 2024, Senators Warren, Blumenthal, Markey, and Van Hollen released a new report: Servicing Scandals: Student Loan Servicers’ Failures During Return to Repayment, which reveals a decades-long pattern of student loan servicer incompetence and misconduct that has affected millions of borrowers nationwide.
    • In April 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren led a hearing on student loan servicer Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA) and its failures during borrowers’ return to repayment, including MOHELA’s mismanagement of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. 
    • In March 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), and John Larson (D-Conn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the U.S. Department of Education to end the practice of offsetting Social Security benefits to pay off defaulted student loans. 
    • In February 2024, Senator Warren, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a statement calling for an investigation into student loan mismanagement by MOHELA.
    • In January 2024, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Representative Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), led their colleagues in calling on the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to host a fourth session of the student debt negotiated rulemaking to consider relief for borrowers experiencing financial hardship.
    • In December 2023, U.S. Senators Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Ed Markey,, and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) sent follow-up letters to student loan servicers – MOHELA, EdFinancial, Nelnet, and Maximus – raising concerns about borrowers’ problems with return to repayment, requesting information about the borrower experience, and pushing back on the servicers’ claim that budget shortfalls limit their ability provide quality customer service to millions of borrowers.
    • In December 2023, Senators Warren, Schumer, Sanders, Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging him to leverage his existing and full authority under the Higher Education Act to provide expanded student debt relief to working and middle-class borrowers.
    • In August 2023, Senator Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senators Alex Padilla and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jim Clyburn, and Frederica Wilson led 79 other lawmakers in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to swiftly deliver on his promise to deliver student debt cancellation to working and middle class families by early 2024.
    • In October 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) visited communities across Massachusetts to celebrate the Biden administration’s student debt cancellation plan and help residents sign up for student loan relief. 
    • In March 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senator Brown and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), urged Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to swiftly discharge the loans of borrowers defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities, including those operated by Corinthian College. 
    • In January 2022, Senator Warren, along with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Jayapal, Pressley, Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) led more than 80 colleagues in a bicameral letter to the Department of Education calling for it to release the memo outlining the Biden administration’s legal authority to cancel federal student loan debt and immediately cancel up to $50,000 of debt for Federal student loan borrowers.
    • In April 2021, Senators Warren and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) led a group of colleagues in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Department of Education to take swift action to automatically remove all federally-held student loan borrowers from default.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Raises Concerns Over Trump Administration Energy Policies That Will Raise Prices, Threaten Jobs and Reduce Competitiveness

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to raise her concerns about President Trump’s harmful actions that will raise energy prices, threaten jobs and hurt our global economic competitiveness. The remarks came during consideration of a resolution Shaheen has cosponsored to terminate President Trump’s misguided national energy emergency, which has been used to bypass Congress to advance policies that benefit Big Oil at the expense of Granite Staters and working Americans. In her remarks, Shaheen shared the stories of Granite Staters and small businesses that will see their energy costs increase as a result of President Trump’s policies. You can view her remarks in full here.

    Key Quotes from Senator Shaheen:

    • “Lowering energy costs, creating good jobs, increasing America’s economic competitiveness in the world—those [should] be things that we can all agree on. But if we give up our leadership on clean energy now, the People’s Republic of China … is going to be more than happy to fill the void for its own economic advantage.”
    • “In the first 37 days, we’ve seen the Trump administration cut off funding for solar, wind and clean manufacturing projects that are cheaper and faster to build than fossil fuel infrastructure. We’ve seen him halt energy efficiency programs, and we know energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest way to deal with our energy needs.”
    • “The tariffs that are set to go into effect … they could mean about $150 to $250 more for the average family in New Hampshire who are using heating oil just to keep warm through the winter.”
    • “President Trump’s efforts to cancel promised funding for electric charging infrastructure in New Hampshire harms our travel and tourism sector, particularly in northern New Hampshire, where ski areas and other outdoor recreation drives our local economies. A recent study found that the state risks losing an estimated 1.4 billion in overall economic impact.”

    Remarks as delivered can be found below:

    I come to the floor today in support of Senate Joint Resolution 10, which would terminate the misguided national energy emergency that President Trump signed on his first day in office.

    It has been 37 days since President Trump declared, for the first time in this nation’s history, a national energy emergency.

    This is an attempt to throw red meat to the base of the Republican party, and to seem like Donald Trump is the oil and gas president.

    But there’s no evidence to support that.

    In fact, the evidence we have points in exactly the opposite direction.

    This emergency was declared despite the fact that the United States is producing more oil than any other country ever in this nation’s history.

    And we’ve been doing that for the past seven years.

    The emergency was declared despite the fact that the United States is in the midst of a clean energy boom and a manufacturing renaissance.

    We generated 17% more electricity in 2023 than the high point of the first Trump Administration.

    Clean energy jobs are growing at twice the rate of the economy overall.

    And this emergency was declared despite the fact that as the Wall Street Journal headline noted after the election, quote, “Trump’s oil and gas donors don’t really want to drill, baby, drill,” End quote.

    They are very happy to lock in demand for the long term. But increase supply and potentially undercut profits? Not so much.

    So we find ourselves within an emergency declaration in search of an emergency.

    But it’s not without consequences.

    President Trump has assumed vast power for the executive branch through this emergency designation.

    He’s encouraging the use of eminent domain that could literally allow the government to take your land away.

    He’s waving away key protections for clean water.

    And he’s suggesting that a timeline of just seven days is sufficient for public commitment—for public comment, excuse me—on projects that could cause irreparable harm to historic and cultural resources.

    President Trump campaigned on, and I’m quoting here, “lowering the cost of everything,” and he promised “your energy bill within 12 months will be cut in half.”

    Now, voters responded to those promises, and Americans do want to see lower energy costs.

    I’m all for that.

    I focused as governor on how we can address the high energy prices in New Hampshire.

    We permitted two gas pipelines through the state, both gas coming from Canada, and we negotiated to deal with our largest utility company that lowered rates 16.5%.

    So I’m all for lowering energy costs.

    We absolutely should be talking about that.

    But let’s take a step back here and let’s talk about what President Trump’s energy policies actually are, and how they affect the American people.

    In the first 37 days, we’ve seen the Trump administration cut off funding for solar, wind and clean manufacturing projects that are cheaper and faster to build than fossil fuel infrastructure.

    We’ve seen him halt energy efficiency programs, and we know energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest way to deal with our energy needs.

    He’s prepared a 10% energy tax in the form of tariffs on heating oil, propane, gasoline and other energy we import from Canada.

    And that hits New Hampshire really hard because of the energy sources we get from Canada—I talked about the two gas pipelines that come down from Canada, and because we have so many households that burn number two fuel oil to heat our homes and because it’s cold in New Hampshire at this time of year.

    So that hits us really hard.

    He’s fired more than a thousand workers at the Department of Energy, including those who are keeping state energy programs and weatherization up and running to respond to emergencies and to help folks like we have in New Hampshire stay warm this winter.

    And tomorrow, what we expect is that Senate Republicans will roll back a commonsense fee on venting or flaring of methane, rather than capturing it for productive use.

    And if that passes, and the president signs it, it will cost the taxpayers $2.3 billion over the next ten years, effectively lighting money on fire to save Big Oil a few bucks.

    Now in New Hampshire, as in other states, President Trump’s actions have sown chaos and uncertainty.

    They’re raising costs for families, for farmers, for small businesses, and for town budgets.

    For example, the tariffs that are set to go into effect, and I understand that the president has now decided he’s going to wait until April, but they could mean about $150 to $250 more for the average family in New Hampshire who are using heating oil just to keep warm through the winter.

    President Trump’s efforts to cancel promised funding for electric charging infrastructure in New Hampshire harms our travel and tourism sector, particularly in northern New Hampshire, where ski areas and other outdoor recreation drives our local economies.

    A recent study found that the state risks losing an estimated 1.4 billion in overall economic impact, if we don’t build up our charging infrastructure.

    One small business owner in Barrington in the seacoast of New Hampshire told me that he has nearly $3 million in projects.

    Those projects are on hold this year, including work with school districts, with the state and with other customers to staff install solar projects that provide long term taxpayer savings.

    And they’re on hold because of what President Trump has ordered.

    Farms and local shops across rural areas of New Hampshire are nervous about receiving promised reimbursements for energy saving work through the Rural Energy for America program, the REAP program.

    At least one business owner at Seacoast Power Equipment has been covering interest with the bank until his grant, which he has a signed commitment for, is actually paid out—And of course, this is affecting his bottom line.

    And then we have Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, in the northern part of our state.

    This is an award-winning small business that provides the best ice cream you’ve ever eaten.

    They were gearing up to install solar panels using $15,000 in federal funds.

    Now that project is on hold.

    Many family-owned businesses, like Super Secret Ice Cream, have very tight margins, and this small investment of $15,000 would help Christina and Dan grow their business and lower the electric costs that they’re paying to store their ice cream.

    And then we have the town of Peterborough in the western part of New Hampshire.

    They plan to use funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to enhance much needed workforce development, but of course, they’ve had to wait far too long for federal approvals.

    And in rural towns like Berlin, in the northern part of our state, residents eagerly signed up for federally funded projects that will insulate and add solar arrays to their manufactured homes.

    This is a real solution to their high utility bills, but these projects are now on hold because the contractors are uncertain that they’re going to be paid.

    Now, I could go on as I know my colleagues could, but since we have people waiting, I want to close with a point of agreement.

    In his executive order, President Trump stated, and I quote, “we need a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy to drive our nation’s manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and defense industries and to sustain the basics of modern life and military preparedness.”

    That makes sense to me.

    I agree with that.

    But unfortunately, that’s about the only thing he said related to energy in the past 37 days that does make sense.

    Lowering energy costs, creating good jobs, increasing America’s economic competitiveness in the world—those ought to be things that we can all agree on.

    But if we give up our leadership on clean energy now, the People’s Republic of China, who President Trump claims is our greatest competitor—and I agree with him on that—

    I just don’t understand how the Trump administration policies are allowing us to be competitive.

    But China is going to be more than happy to fill the void for its own economic advantage.

    I think we should also agree that Americans deserve clean air, clean water, and the chance to have a say in what happens in their communities.

    I want to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on these goals, and that work starts by ending this disastrous, misguided emergency declaration and by stopping the chaos.

    So I hope my colleagues will join me in voting to restore Congress’s appropriate role in setting energy policies that benefit the American people by supporting this resolution.

    Thank you, Mr. President.

    I yield the floor.

    Shaheen has led efforts to oppose President Trump’s harmful and inflation-inducing tariff proposals. Last month, Shaheen led the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to the White House urging him not to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China which are expected to cost the average American $1,200 per year.

    Earlier this year, Shaheen introduced new legislation with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) to shield American businesses and consumers from rising prices imposed by tariffs on imported goods into the United States. The Senators’ legislation would keep costs down for imported goods, including energy, by limiting the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)—which allows a President to immediately place unlimited tariffs after declaring a national emergency—while preserving IEEPA’s use for sanctions and other tools.

    Shaheen has championed work to secure federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives and to lower energy costs across New Hampshire. In the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding bills, Shaheen secured $366 million for weatherization efforts and $66 million for the State Energy Program, which work to bring down energy bills for families and communities. Shaheen was a key supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act and a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation that invest in energy efficiency, including funding for residential, municipal, industrial and federal entities to implement efficiency improvements and upgrades.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN agencies condemn Thailand’s deportation of Uyghurs to China

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    27 February 2025 Human Rights

    The UN human rights office (OHCHR) together with refugee agency, UNHCR, on Thursday strongly condemned Thailand’s deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China, calling it a serious violation of international law and the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.

    Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the forced return of the Uyghurs, who had been detained in Thailand for over 11 years, was deeply troubling.

    “This violates the principle of non-refoulement for which there is a complete prohibition in cases where there is a real risk of torture, ill-treatment, or other irreparable harm upon their return,” he said.

    Contained in Article 3 of the Convention against Torture, the principle prohibits returning individuals to a country where they face a risk of persecution, torture or ill-treatment. It is also referred to in Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    The right to seek asylum and of non-refoulement are also enshrined in Article 13 of Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, and Article 16 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

    Detained since 2014

    The deported men were part of a larger group of Uyghurs who were detained in Thailand in March 2014, after leaving China, bound for Türkiye.

    For over a decade, they were held in immigration detention centres under poor conditions.

    According to OHCHR, five members of the group have died in custody, while eight others remain detained in Thailand.

    Halt further deportations

    The UN rights chief also urged the Thai Government to halt any further deportations and ensure the protection of the remaining Uyghurs in detention.

    “The Thai authorities must ensure there are no further deportations and the remaining members of the group, including potential refugees and asylum-seekers, being held in Thailand are fully protected in accordance with their obligations under international law,” he added.

    UNHCR decries forced returns

    UNHCR also condemned the deportation, saying it had repeatedly sought access to the detained Uyghurs and assurances they would not be forcibly returned – a request that has so far been denied.

    Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, reiterated that it is a “clear violation” of the non-refoulement principle and the Government’s obligations under international law.

    “UNHCR calls on the Royal Thai Government to put an end to the forced return of individuals from Thailand,” she said.

    Call for transparency

    High Commissioner Türk also urged the Chinese authorities to reveal the whereabouts of the deported Uyghurs.

    “It is now important for the Chinese authorities to disclose their whereabouts, and to ensure that they are treated in accordance with international human rights standards,” he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Venezuelan National Accused of Federal Gun Crime

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned and indictment charging a Venezuelan national, restricted from possessing a firearm and ammunition, with a gun crime after an alleged shooting incident in Summit County, Utah.

    Manuel A. Pimentel-Gonzalez, 24, of Eagle Mountain, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on February 21, 2025.

    According to court documents, on May 19, 2024, a dispute erupted at a party at a rural property in Summit County. During the investigation, security footage depicted a heavily built male, later identified as Pimentel-Gonzalez, reach into a parked BMW X7 sport-utility vehicle and remove a large firearm with a wooden feature. Pimentel-Gonzalez then shouted profanities and insults in Spanish. Immediately after Pimentel-Gonzalez stepped away from the camera view, several gunshots were heard on the security footage. Investigators recovered at least 42 shell casings, four firearms, and bullet damage to vehicles at the scene.

    During the execution of a search warrant in Eagle Mountain, Utah, law enforcement located a white BMX sport-utility vehicle, with gunfire damage. Investigators also found Pimentel-Gonzalez with at least one gunshot wound that he attempted to treat himself. A Draco 92 9×19 mm firearm with a wooden feature was also seized and later linked to expended shell casings recovered from the shooting scene in Summit County. At the time of the shooting, Pimentel- Gonzalez was on probation for a prior state firearm conviction by a restricted person.

    Pimentel-Gonzalez is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. His initial appearance on the indictment has yet to be scheduled before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated by an ATF Task Force Officer assigned to the Utah Department of Corrections.

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Inuit children in Nunavut face a preventable food security crisis

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Vandna Sinha, Adjunct Professor of Social Work, McGIll University & Associate Research Professor of Education, University of Colorado, Boulder, McGill University

    Nunavut has the highest rate of child poverty and the highest rate of food insecurity of any Canadian province or territory. In 2022, around 80 per cent of Indigenous children aged between one and 14 in Nunavut lived in households experiencing food insecurity. In 2018, the rate of childhood food insecurity in Nunavut was almost six times higher than in Canada as a whole.

    The Hamlet Food Voucher Program, funded through the Inuit Child First Initiative (ICFI), has recently offered some relief. This program gives families funds for groceries to meet the nutritional needs of Inuit children.

    However, ICFI funding only runs until March 31, 2025. With Parliament prorogued, plans for further funding remain uncertain. That means starting April 1, many Inuit children in Nunavut may again go hungry. The Canadian government can make sure that does not happen by extending funding for ICFI and the food voucher program.

    Long-term effects of food insecurity

    Food insecurity can have harmful, and sometimes lasting, impacts on a young person’s physical health, mental health, academic performance and cognitive development. Infants and toddlers are particularly vulnerable because they are completely dependent on adult caregivers whose physical and mental health can also be impacted by food insecurity.

    Recently, food security initiatives in Nunavut have been funded through the ICFI, which was launched in 2018. ICFI was meant to be a temporary measure to help families access essential services while an Inuit-specific framework is being developed.

    Nutrition support for children has been one of the most requested services under ICFI. Initially, each family had to submit extensive documentation, and often faced months-long delays before receiving services and supports.

    In 2023, municipal governments in Nunavut began to request, and receive, ICFI funding for nutrition supports for all Inuit children in their community. By December 2024, all but one community received funding for Hamlet Food Voucher Programs. These programs provide $500 per child for groceries and an additional $250 for children under four.

    High grocery costs

    The support provided through the Hamlet Food Voucher Program is significant, but $500 covers far less in Nunavut than in southern Canada. Groceries must be brought to Nunavut by plane or ship, and most communities have only one or two grocery stores. Accordingly, despite efforts to reduce prices through programs like Nutrition North Canada (NNC), the cost of groceries in Nunavut is much higher than in the rest of Canada.

    Grocery prices in Nunavut are also rising much faster than in the rest of Canada. Our research shows that, between 2022 and 2024, the cost of a basket of goods in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut’s largest region, rose by 26 per cent (compared to 13 per cent across Canada) and is now more than double the average cost in Canada.

    Even food subsidized through NNC is far more expensive: four litres of milk cost $9.95 in Qikiqtaaluk compared to a Canada average of $5.10. Prices for other items can be even higher: a February 2025 video from the hamlet of Grise Fiord shows a jar of jam selling for $35, pickles for $66 and a six-pack of apple sauce for $58.

    The high rate of food insecurity in Nunavut reflects a vast gap between household incomes and the money required to support a basic standard of living. Nunavut saw sustained income growth between 2005 and 2019, and a declining percentage of people receiving social assistance. Still, employment rates remain lower than in other territories.

    In 2023, the median income for households with two adults and two children was just under $36,000.

    This was around 40 per cent of the $89,420 needed for a two-adult, three-child family living in social housing in Iqaluit to afford the “modest, basic standard of living” represented by the official poverty threshold.

    The social assistance available to low-income Nunavut families is comparable to that in provinces with a lower cost of living. Even with $1,000 a month in food vouchers, a family of four making the median income remains far below the “deep poverty” threshold of 75 per cent of the official poverty line.

    An Inuit-led solution

    We have been interviewing service providers, grocery store employees and people co-ordinating Hamlet Food Voucher Programs. The interviews are part of an ongoing research project we are working on in collaboration with Sindu Govindapillai and Dheeksha Reddy from Qupanuaq, a service co-ordination program operated by the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, and research team members Kelly Mitchell, Mohammad N. Khan, Josee G. Lavoie and Tracey Galloway.

    Interviewees tell us that, because of the program, fewer people go without food and more families can cover rent, utilities and other necessities. People also told us that families are eating healthier, children are going to school more often and are more engaged when there, and families are less stressed. Other programs and services that were previously busy addressing food-related crises can now focus on providing medical care, fostering learning and keeping children safe.

    The people we interviewed also make it clear the Hamlet Food Voucher Program is not enough to solve the problem of food insecurity in Nunavut. They stressed that food security initiatives must be paired with supports for healing, well-being and life-long learning.

    Inuit plans for addressing poverty include such supports. They also include measures to increase community decision-making, reform income assistance, increase access to housing and strengthen local economies.

    Until such a framework is fully implemented, the Hamlet Food Voucher Program must remain in place. Nunavut families currently face record levels of child poverty, rising food prices and a potential North American trade war that would further drive-up costs.

    Losing food voucher support would be catastrophic for many households, particularly those with young children. The Canadian government must support Inuit leaders working toward a long-term solution to food insecurity in Nunavut. By funding the Hamlet Food Voucher program in the interim, it can help ensure that the children of Nunavut do not go hungry.

    The ongoing research described in this article is funded by the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.

    Financial support for this research was provided by CN and Mr. Dan Einwechter through the Einwechter Centre for Supply Chain
    Management, Wilfrid Laurier University

    Nicholas Li receives funding from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Development Grant that helped support this research.

    Jessica Penney 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. Inuit children in Nunavut face a preventable food security crisis – https://theconversation.com/inuit-children-in-nunavut-face-a-preventable-food-security-crisis-250004

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Advocates for Farmers During Senate AG Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Bret Erickson, Board Member of the International Fresh Produce Association, and Anna Rhinewalt, Council Member of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation and Mississippi Sweet Potato Council, during a Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (Ag) hearing. During the hearing, they spoke about the dire state of the farm economy impacting specialty crop producers after four years of Joe Biden’s runaway spending and sky-high inflation.
    Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble. 

    TUBERVILLE: “Thanks for you being here today, all of you.
    Our Ag economy is a disaster, complete disaster. You know, if we don’t do something—and I don’t know how it’s going to work—we’re not going to have Ag Committee here in a few years. We lost 150,000 farms in the last few years. 150,000 farms.
    If that’s not a disaster, I don’t know what is. But we don’t help you at all. Regulations are overboard. Labor is out of sight. You have no water. I don’t know what we’ve done right up here. Doesn’t sound like a whole lot.
    But Mrs. Rhinewalt, what’s the ideal [wage] rate if we were to revert back to [previous H-2A] labor costs? What would be the ideal rate that we would pay […] to make a profit?”
    RHINEWALT: “Senator, thank you. We actually had that discussion yesterday. We chuckled talking about wages that were based on maybe 115% of the federal wage rate or state minimum wage rates. But we know that’s at $7.25, and farmers are not suggesting that we pay that low. But we do want to have some consideration, a formulation for the wage rate that takes into account that $14.83 may be the wage rate, but we need to consider the transportation cost, the administrative cost, the housing cost, and maybe […] prorate that in consideration of those factors. Because it’s a fallacy to say that because we’re paying $14.83, that’s not really the wage rate paying. It’s really more like $20-21 an hour.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Exactly. Thank you.
    Mr. Erickson, $23 an hour, you got to be kidding me. How do you make it? I mean, what would be your cost to make a profit?”
    ERICKSON: “I wish it wasn’t. It is. And to Mrs. Rhinewalt’s comments, you know, the costs that are involved with applying for the program, transporting the laborers from their home country to the United States where they’re going to work—we transport them, we put them in housing, hotels, transport them from the hotel to the job site. We have catering services. We provide food. You know, you need to take them to doctor’s appointments and to get sundries and such. I don’t know, you know, how you roll back. And in Texas, the AEWR [Adverse Effect Wage Rate] is, I believe, it’s $15.87 an hour. Our actual cost is about $23 per hour when you add all that in.
    I don’t know what the number is. We definitely need to put a cap on the increases that have occurred. How do we deal with it? Unfortunately, in the case of Little Bear Produce, I wish Senator Lujan was still here. […] We had an onion packing facility in Deming, New Mexico. It was an important part of our operation that had about 15 full time people and we brought in 20-30 seasonal people. We rent onions, hatch chilies, pumpkins, watermelons up there. And we had to recently shutter that facility, in part, because of the water that’s being withheld in Mexico. And they’re using that water to grow our crops, and then we’re having to purchase those products.
    So, it is a crazy situation for us to be in. And as a business, we had to make the decision, and you have to sit down with each one of these, these people have been working for us for 12-15 years, and to sit down and tell them, you know, ‘We have to let you go, unfortunately. You know, we’re going to work with you to try to transition into another job.’ And you know what the craziest thing was? Those folks, in talking to them, they were so thankful for the opportunity that they had during the 12-15 years that they were working for us, and they were so thankful for that. But if we don’t get these costs under control for U.S. producers, we are going to continue to hand over the production of specialty crops and fruits and vegetables.”
    TUBERVILLE: “We’re not going to have it. It’s going to be over. Mrs. Rhinewalt, could we do without a H-2A program?”
    RHINEWALT: “No, sir. We would be completely out of business.”
    TUBERVILLE: “[…] How are domestic workers being affected by H-2A programs?”
    RHINEWALT: “Well, a domestic workforce is never again going to be the remedy for Ag production in the United States, per their response to the jobs. So, 97% of jobs remain open when we’re required to advertise them to domestic workers, first, before we can receive any assurance that we’re allowed to bring H-2A onto our farms. We would be happy to pay our own citizens a very reasonable wage and save all those auxiliary costs that I mentioned. But they simply do not want the jobs.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Good luck. Hope we get out of your way.”
    RHINEWALT: “Thank you.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Because that’s what we’re going to have to do.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Investing in the Inuit economy and protecting Canada’s Northern ecosystems

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    There is no relationship more important to Canada than the one it has with Indigenous Peoples, the original inhabitants and stewards of lands and waters in Canada since time immemorial. We remain committed to working with Indigenous partners to advance reconciliation, recognizing the role of Indigenous leadership in environmental stewardship, and helping ensure the world we leave to future generations is safe and healthy.

    Today, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, was joined by the President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), Olayuk Akesuk, to announce the signing of the SINAA Project Finance for Permanence Agreement between the Government of Canada, the QIA, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Aajuraq Conservation Fund Society.

    Contributions to the SINAA Agreement include a planned $200 million from the Government of Canada, along with $70 million pledged from philanthropic donors in Canada and around the world. Over the next 15 years, these investments are projected to attract $318 million to the Qikiqtani region, with more jobs, opportunities, and Inuit-led stewardship of lands and waters. The agreement will also make meaningful progress in advancing the goal to conserve 30 per cent of oceans in Canada by 2030, adding an additional 3.68 per cent contribution to Canada’s water-based ecosystems.

    This milestone agreement in advancing Inuit-led conservation and reconciliation includes a new conservation plan to establish a robust and lasting network of proposed Inuit-led and protected water and land conservation areas in Canada’s Arctic. Protecting these areas will ensure the long-term health and sustainability of ecosystems, while safeguarding the well-being and ways of life of Inuit communities in the region. In Inuktitut, SINAA means “the floe edge”, where the open sea meets the frozen sea, becoming a vibrant ecosystem of marine life. With the SINAA Agreement, we will strengthen existing protected and conserved ecosystems through enhanced partnership with Inuit governance.

    To further support economic opportunities for the Qikiqtani Inuit, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the QIA have signed the Qikiqtani Fisheries Agreement. The agreement provides funding over the next 10 years to support both acquiring access to offshore commercial fisheries, vessels and gear, and training to participate in offshore commercial fishing in adjacent waters.

    With these investments, we are building an economy based on conservation, investing in community infrastructure like the Arctic Bay Small Craft Harbour, and creating jobs where Inuit knowledge will be leveraged and valorized to protect Northern ecosystems.

    As one of the most biodiverse areas of the Arctic, the Qikiqtani region is home to some of the world’s most iconic species, including narwhals, whales, and polar bears. With today’s landmark agreement, we reaffirm our commitment to working alongside Inuit and Northern partners to protect these precious ecosystems that are so deeply intertwined with Inuit culture, economy, and well-being. Together, we are ensuring biodiversity and livelihoods are sustained for generations to come.

    Quotes

    “The Canadian Arctic has been home to vibrant ecosystems and Indigenous communities for generations. With today’s announcement, we are strengthening our commitment to protecting lands, waters, and wildlife, honouring Inuit-led conservation efforts, and walking forward on the shared path of reconciliation. Working together with provinces, territories, Inuit communities, and other partners, we can build a future where traditions, stories, and ways of life are preserved and celebrated.”

    “Today, we are reaching a historic milestone in Canadian history. The agreement signed today sets the foundations for Inuit-led and governed conservation efforts to protect our culture, lands, waters, and wildlife. Today is a proud day, and I thank the Government of Canada, donors, and the philanthropic community for seeing our vision and working with us to make it a reality.”

    “Canada is proud to be part of the SINAA Agreement advancing Inuit-led conservation in the Arctic. This agreement marks an important milestone in partnership and honours the vital role of Inuit stewardship in safeguarding the environment. Through this important partnership, we are supporting the well-being of Inuit in the Qikiqtani region today, while conserving ecosystems for our children and grandchildren.”

    “Nature and oceans are defining elements of Canada’s identity. Protecting them is crucial not only in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change, but also in preserving our deep connection to nature and building a sustainable future – one where Indigenous traditions and knowledge are at the heart of our conservation efforts. We are proud to work with Inuit partners and territorial governments through the SINAA Agreement to advance new and enhanced Inuit-led marine conservation areas in the Arctic, ensuring that the region’s diverse and unique marine ecosystems can thrive.”

    Quick Facts

    • The Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model provides for multi-partner investments and sustainable financing for large-scale conservation and sustainable development projects. These initiatives bring together Indigenous organizations, governments, and the philanthropic community to identify shared goals for protecting nature and ultimately halting biodiversity loss while advancing community well-being and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
    • In recent years, the Government of Canada has made historic investments in Indigenous-led conservation projects, including through initiatives like the Indigenous Guardians program.
    • In December 2022, during the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montréal, Quebec, the federal government pledged to deliver up to $800 million in support of up to four Indigenous-led PFP initiatives. Today’s SINAA announcement is the third of these initiatives, following the launch of the Great Bear Sea PFP and the NWT Our Land for the Future PFP initiatives last year.
    • The SINAA Agreement (formerly the Qikiqtani PFP) is led by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and aims to conserve up to 3.68 per cent of the marine environment in Canada in addition to strengthening long-term existing protected areas that already contribute 8.60 per cent toward marine conservation targets.
    • Fisheries and Oceans Canada has collaborated with Parks Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada to advance this innovative funding model where a minimum of one dollar will be contributed by philanthropic organizations for every four dollars contributed by the federal government. This includes a planned $200 million of federal funds plus $70 million pledged from philanthropic organizations to support Inuit-led conservation in Nunavut.
      • Together, these contributions will be managed and invested by the Aajuraq Conservation Fund Society, a Canadian-led society governed by members appointed by QIA and The Pew Charitable Trusts to generate durable, long-term financing for ongoing conservation and stewardship activities led by QIA.
    • The SINAA Agreement represents an important step in Inuit-led conservation in the Qikiqtani region. Key components of the SINAA Agreement include: 
      • A conservation plan that proposes several new protected and conserved areas and enhanced protections for existing areas.
      • Support for the Inuit stewardship (Nauttiqsuqtiit) program enabling Inuit partners to have eyes and ears on the water, land, and ice.
      • Support for Nauttiqsuqtiit Conservation Centres so that Inuit stewards have the proper equipment and work spaces to be stewards of the water, land, and ice.
      • Support for Inuit-led regional governance so that Inuit partners can implement an integrated and regional vision for conservation that takes into consideration local and regional perspectives along with Inuit knowledge.
    • The Government of Canada, QIA, and The Pew Charitable Trusts have engaged with the Government of Nunavut throughout the planning of the initiative and will continue to engage through the implementation, specifically through advancing the conservation plan.
    • Grounded in science, Indigenous knowledge, and local perspectives, Canada is committed to working with partners across the country to conserve 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030.

    Related Product

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: As Republicans Attempt to Undermine Social Security, Sanders, Warren, Schakowsky, Hoyle Introduce Legislation to Expand Social Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 – As Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress attempt to advance legislation to give massive tax breaks to billionaires and undermine Social Security, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), introduced the Social Security Expansion Act. The legislation would expand Social Security benefits by $2,400 a year and ensure Social Security is fully funded for the next 75 years by applying the Social Security payroll tax on all income above $250,000. Importantly, this legislation would not raise taxes by one penny on the over 91 percent of American households who make $250,000 or less.
    These estimates reflect an analysis of the legislation conducted by the Social Security Administration at the request of Sen. Sanders in 2023.
    Joining Sanders, Warren, Schakowsky and Hoyle on the Social Security Expansion Act are Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), as well as 17 cosponsors in the House including Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-D.C.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Christopher R. Deluzio (D-Pa.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Troy Carter (D-La.), James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
    “At a time when nearly half of older Americans have no retirement savings and over 26% of seniors are trying to survive on an income of less than $17,500 a year, our job is not to cut Social Security as many of our Republican colleagues want to do,” said Sanders. “Our job is to expand Social Security so that every senior in America can retire with the dignity that they deserve and every person with a disability can live with the security they need. The legislation we are introducing today will expand Social Security benefits by $2,400 a year, lift millions of seniors out of poverty and extend the solvency of Social Security for generations to come by making sure that the wealthiest people in our society pay their fair share into the system. Right now, a billionaire pays the same amount into Social Security as someone who makes $176,100 a year. Our bill puts an end to that absurdity. And by doing that, we can expand Social Security benefits and make sure that Social Security can pay out every single benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 75 years.”
    “Social Security serves as a lifeline for millions of seniors, and hardworking Americans deserve to receive the benefits they paid into,” said Warren. “It’s a mistake for Donald Trump and his allies in Congress to focus on securing tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations when we should be focusing on expanding and increasing Social Security benefits so that everyone can retire with dignity.”
    “Social Security is your hard-earned money; it is not an entitlement. President Donald Trump and his unelected billionaire sidekick Elon Musk think they alone can decide if you get your Social Security check. They had better think again. That is stealing. Americans pay into the program with each paycheck. We must expand Social Security benefits, not cut them, and I have a bill to do just that,” said Schakowsky. “The Social Security Expansion Act will protect the national treasure that is Social Security by extending the trust fund’s solvency for 75 years and expanding benefits by $2,400 a year so that everyone in America can retire with the security and dignity they deserve after a lifetime of hard work.”
    “Protecting Social Security is our commitment to seniors who’ve worked their whole lives to earn it,” said Hoyle. “While Congressional Republicans continue to threaten cuts to Social Security, I am proud to join Senator Sanders, Senator Warren and Representative Schakowsky in introducing a concrete proposal that extends the program for another 75 years by having millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share like every other working American. The Social Security Expansion Act was my first bill in Congress, and I will not stop fighting until I see it passed into law.”
    Social Security is the most successful government program in the history of our country. For 86 years, through good times and bad, Social Security has paid out every benefit owed to every eligible American on time and without delay. Before 1935, when it was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, about 50 percent of the nation’s seniors lived in poverty, as did countless Americans with disabilities and surviving dependents of deceased workers. Nearly 90 years later, the senior poverty rate is down to 9.7 percent and in 2023 alone, Social Security lifted 27.6 million Americans out of poverty, including more than 19.5 million seniors.
    Despite this success, tens of millions of seniors are still struggling to get by, and many older workers fear that they will never be able to retire with security and dignity. While the average Social Security benefit is only $1,838 a month, nearly 40 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for a majority of their income; one in seven rely on it for more than 90 percent of their income; and nearly half of Americans aged 65 and 74 have no retirement savings at all.
    By requiring millionaires and billionaires to finally pay their fair share into the program, the Social Security Expansion Act would ensure the fund’s solvency to the end of the century, help low-income workers stay out of poverty by improving the Special Minimum Benefit, restore student benefits up to age 22 for children of disabled or deceased workers, strengthen benefits for senior citizens and people with disabilities, increase Cost-Of-Living-Adjustments (COLAs) and expand program benefits across-the-board.
    The Social Security Expansion Act has also been endorsed by over 25 groups, including: Social Security Works, MoveOn, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Strengthen Social Security Coalition, American Federation of Teachers, Justice in Aging, Income Movement, Public Citizen, Blue Future, Campaign for America’s Future, Labor Campaign for Single Payer, Indivisible, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AAFGE Council 215, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFSCME Retirees, American Postal Workers Union, People Power United, Left Click, Defeat Republicans, Progress America, The People United, Iron PAC, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Other98 and Solidarity Action.
    Read the bill text, here.
    Read the fact sheet and full list of supporting organizations, here.
    Read the Social Security Administration’s 2023 analysis of the legislation, here.
    Read a 2021 analysis of what the world’s wealthiest people would pay under this legislation, here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Activities of Secretary-General in Barbados, 19-20 February

    Source: United Nations 4

    The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados, from New York, on Wednesday, 19 February, to attend the forty-eighth Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, also known as CARICOM.

    In the afternoon, he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the host of the meeting.  They exchanged views on regional and global issues, particularly the situation in Haiti and climate change.  He also commended Barbados for spearheading efforts to advance reforms to the international financial architecture through the Bridgetown Initiative 3.0.

    In the evening, the Secretary-General spoke at the opening ceremony of the Conference.  He said that the exquisite beauty of the Caribbean is famed the world over, but that there is trouble in paradise.

    The Secretary-General noted that wave after wave of crisis is pounding the people of the Caribbean and their islands — with no time to catch their breath before the next disaster strikes.  Stressing that international solutions are essential to create a better today and a brighter tomorrow for the wonderful region and for the world, he said that he sees three key areas where, together, we must drive progress.

    First, the Secretary-General said, unity for peace and security, particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti — where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on the people of Haiti.  Mr. Guterres added that he would soon report to the Security Council on the situation in Haiti, including proposals on the role the UN can play to support stability and security and address the root causes of the crisis.  He further highlighted unity on the climate crisis and sustainable development as areas where progress is needed.  (See Press Release SG/SM/22559.)

    Following the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General attended a cocktail reception and then a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Mottley.

    On Thursday morning, the Secretary-General participated in a closed session with CARICOM Heads of Government, where he exchanged views on pressing issues in the region, such as finance, climate and security, with a focus on Haiti.

    Soon after, he had a bilateral meeting Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness.  The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for Jamaica’s active role as Co-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Stimulus Leaders Group.  They also exchanged views on international developments and discussed the need to scale up support for the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti, as well as climate issues and financing for development.

    Before leaving Barbados, the Secretary-General also had meetings with the Presidential Adviser of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, Laurent Saint-Cyr, and with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland.  He returned to New York on Thursday evening, 20 February.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Law Professors Lead Drafting of New Proposed Hate Crimes Bill

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council and Governor Ned Lamont have proposed a bill to simplify and strengthen the state’s hate crimes statutes. UConn Law professors Sachin Pandya and Richard A. Wilson took lead roles in drafting the statute.

    Currently,  there are 20 separate hate crime statutes created over a 100-year period. This has created confusion as the statutes differ on what is covered and who is protected, as well as what hate crimes were covered by which statute. The new bill aims for consistency to make the law clear.

    “The proposal puts all the hate crimes in one place in the criminal code,” Pandya said at a news conference held by the governor. “That makes it easier for police to find them. It makes them more consistent in what they require and who they protect. That makes the law easier to understand and enforce. It adds hate crime penalty enhancements for crimes involving physical injury or property damage, including for murder, arson, and other more serious crimes.”

    The reform process began in 2021, when the council was created. It helped establish the Hate Crime Investigative Unit in the state police and then developed a hate crime reporting form for police, the first of its kind in the country.

    “Then it became apparent that there were flaws with the hate crime statutes,” Wilson said. “There are 20 of them, and none are called ‘hate crime.’ They only cover minor felonies and do not specifically sanction bias-motivated murder or arson or other serious crimes. The statutes list different protected groups and they have different intent requirements. The list of flaws goes on; they’re a mess. They are outdated and inadequate to the task of protecting Connecticut’s citizens from hate crime, in a context where the willingness of the federal government to prosecute hate crime is uncertain.”

    Wilson, who has been a member of the Hate Crimes Advisory Council since its inception, recruited Pandya to work on a new statute. Together, they visited every courthouse in the state and interviewed 72 police officers, prosecutors, judges, public defenders, and community groups in Connecticut as well as New York. They found a widespread consensus that the statutes were not workable.

    Pandya drafted a new statute that brought all the 20 statutes into a single chapter and addressed the glaring inconsistencies. He and Wilson met with stakeholders on the council and throughout the state to discuss the draft and made adjustments based on the feedback, keeping consolidation as the main objective.

    Wilson called the effort a “labor of love.”

    In addition to consolidating all the hate crime statutes into one statute, the proposed bill authorizes the attorney general to investigate and bring civil actions on behalf of victims and authorizes judges to order participation in anti-bias programs for someone convicted of any hate crime. Previously only some of the statutes allowed for those actions.

    While Pandya and Wilson led the efforts to draft the bill, bringing it to the legislature has been an effort from the whole Hate Crimes Advisory Council and is now a governor’s bill. It has support from many government agencies and community organizations across the state. It also has many ties to UConn.

    Council co-chairs Douglas S. Lavine ’77 and Amy Lin Meyerson ’94 are law school alumni, and Meyerson is an adjunct professor currently leading the school’s Transactional Law Clinic. Council members Michelle Querijero ’08 and Ken Barone, who led the creation of the reporting form, are also connected to the university – Querijero as a law alumna and Barone as Associate Director of the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at the School of Public Policy.

    Querijero has taken the lead in creating a new statewide hate crimes reporting portal (reporthate.ct.gov) available to the public.

    “Hate crimes are vastly and systemically underreported, and for that reason the council determined that we needed to put together a public-facing reporting portal by which the public could report these hate crimes,” Querijero said at the news conference.

    The next step for the new bill will be a public hearing before it is voted on later in the legislative session.

    “When you hear from the [Anti-Defamation League], when you see the news, when you see that racist language out there, it’s a crime against that individual,” Lamont said at the news conference. “It’s also a dog whistle to others to commit similar type crimes. And that’s why we take this with the utmost seriousness. That’s why we treat it differently than just an individual crime. And this is why every day we want to make it easier for you to report this, easier for us to be able to enforce it, and make sure people know we’re here fighting for you.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Southern Tier Winners of DRI and NY Forward Program

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that Binghamton will receive $10 million in funding as the Southern Tier winner of the eighth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, and the Villages of Bath and Dryden will each receive $4.5 million as the Southern Tier winners of the third round of NY Forward. For Round 8 of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and Round 3 of the NY Forward Program, each of the State’s 10 economic development regions are being awarded $10 million from each program to make for a total state commitment of $200 million in funding and investments, to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods.

    “By investing in the future of these Southern Tier communities, this funding will revitalize their downtown areas by building vibrant and thriving destinations where businesses, families and visitors can flourish,” Governor Hochul said. “With our Pro-Housing Communities initiative, we’re giving local leaders the tools to transform their cities, towns and villages into hubs of opportunity, culture and affordable living. This is how we build stronger, more connected communities that work for everyone across New York.”

    To receive funding from either the DRI or NY Forward program, localities must be certified under Governor Hochul’s Pro-Housing Communities Program — an innovative policy created to recognize and reward municipalities actively working to unlock their housing potential. Governor Hochul’s Pro-Housing Communities initiative allocates up to $650 million each year in discretionary funds for communities that pledge to increase their housing supply; to date, 273 communities across New York have been certified as Pro-Housing Communities. This year, Governor Hochul is proposing an additional $100 million in funding to cover infrastructure projects necessary to create new housing in Pro-Housing Communities, and a further $10 million to technical assistance to help communities seeking to foster housing growth and associated municipal development.

    Many of the projects funded through the DRI and NY Forward support Governor Hochul’s affordability agenda. The DRI has invested in the creation of more than 4,400 units of housing — 1,823 of which are affordable or workforce. The programs committed over $8.5 million to 11 projects that provide affordable or free child care and child care worker training. DRI and NY Forward have also invested in the creation of public parks, public art (such as murals and sculptures) and art, music and cultural venues that provide free outdoor recreation and entertainment opportunities.

    $10 Million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Award for Binghamton

    The City of Binghamton’s Clinton Street Neighborhood Business District is primed for revitalization. Its historic storefronts, walkable footprint, development ready spaces and proximity to Binghamton’s urban core make it ready-built as the next great downtown in Upstate New York. The Clinton Street corridor is recognized as the “backbone” of the City’s First Ward, providing a social center with dense commercial activity proximate to nearby residential areas. The area has a storied history of immigration, a legacy still felt today in the diverse churches and neighborhoods of the First Ward. The area also boasts a history of a “walk to work” culture fostered by General Aniline and Film (GAF)/Anitec Industries, a former area employer who attracted economic and social activity in the neighborhood. Binghamton seeks to make Clinton Street a reinvigorated corridor better connected to the city and serving the First Ward neighborhood through support for infill development, expanded affordable housing, adaptive reuse and rehabilitation and enhanced public infrastructure. Combined, these improvements will offer a welcoming, eclectic atmosphere fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and retail activity while retaining cultural and historical heritage.

    $4.5 Million NY Forward Award for Bath

    Situated along the scenic Cohocton River, the Village of Bath is a historic planned community that serves as a “Gateway” to Keuka Lake — renowned for its scenery, wineries and vineyards. The Village of Bath has experienced significant changes over the past decade and has recognized the need to strengthen its core and return to its role as the downtown neighborhood that people experience and enjoy. The Village’s Liberty Street Historic District revitalization is the next step in this journey. The Village seeks to bolster growth by creating an active downtown with enhanced public spaces, strategic placement of amenities and new housing opportunities that will attract visitors and foster an atmosphere that will retain and attract residents and businesses.

    $4.5 Million NY Forward Award for Dryden

    Dryden is an ideal place for young families to grow and for older generations to age. Home to just over 2,000 residents, Dryden has developed over time as a small bedroom community to the nearby cities and universities and as an extremely high traveled and visited community. With median home values and rents that are affordable to all, Dryden’s parks, tree-lined sidewalks and friendly neighborhoods make it a desirable small community to live in, promoting a high quality of life. Dryden seeks to reinvest in its historic downtown by continuing to support an attractive and inviting Main Street with a robust mix of shopping, dining and residential spaces to foster a high quality of life for its residents. The Village will foster a welcoming and walkable downtown community where residents can live a sustainable lifestyle in friendly neighborhoods with convenient access to goods and services.

    New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “The Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward program are playing a pivotal part in the resurgence of the Southern Tier region. The three communities selected as winners for this round — Binghamton, Bath and Dryden — are all focused on creating walkable downtowns with increased housing and economic opportunities that will improve the quality of life for existing residents and attract even more people to their communities. We look forward to seeing the exciting projects these communities select to make their visions for the future become a reality.”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “These dynamic, community-led Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward investments will further fuel the economic engines needed to support local businesses, create new housing and foster growth in the City of Binghamton and the villages of Bath and Dryden. The transformational, inclusive plans will infuse new life into these communities, creating innovative spaces and places that will benefit both current and future generations of residents and visitors, showcasing all that the Southern Tier region has to offer.”

    New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Today’s $19 million investment in Bath, Dryden and Binghamton’s Clinton Street Neighborhood, continue the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward’s history of having a transformative impact on communities across New York. These three communities will soon experience benefits including increased housing supply and improved infrastructure that will enhance vibrancy and promote walkability. Thank you to Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to these targeted investments that create new economic opportunities in the Southern Tier.”

    State Senator Lea Webb said, “It is exciting to see continued investments in our downtowns, which are integral in community development. The City of Binghamton and Village of Dryden will receive funding through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and the New York Forward programs. These state initiatives provide critical funding to support the revitalization and growth of downtowns small and large across New York. I am excited to see the full potential of the Clinton Street Corridor unlocked with this funding so that it can continue its growth as a vibrant neighborhood, attracting more businesses, residents and visitors to Binghamton’s First Ward. I am also thrilled to see the Village of Dryden receive this transformative funding, which will help reenergize the downtown, support long-term growth and economic prosperity.”

    State Senator Thomas O’Mara said, “This is great news for the Village of Bath that will allow local leaders to move forward on development projects that will strengthen our entire region. State investments through the NY Forward program and other initiatives have had an enormously positive impact on communities I represent across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions. These critical state investments have helped our local leaders bolster local communities and economies, spark economic growth and opportunity within the tourism sector and other small businesses and industries, ease the burden on local property taxpayers and strengthen the overall quality of life for community residents and families.”

    Assemblymember Anna Kelles said, “I was thrilled to learn of this award and excited for all the creative and thoughtful initiatives the Village of Dryden will invest in with this NY Forward Grant award. These much-needed funds will play a key role in revitalizing the village’s original business section on West Main Street, an area rich with history. By restoring and enhancing this district, the grant will not only preserve the village’s heritage, but also foster economic growth by attracting new businesses and visitors to support a vibrant walkable downtown. Additionally, these improvements will foster a strong pedestrian-friendly hub, encouraging community engagement and making Dryden an even more welcoming place to live, work and explore. I want to thank Governor Hochul and the Regional Economic Development Council for committing to our growth and helping build our communities.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “I am thrilled that the City of Binghamton’s proposal to revitalize Clinton Street won this year’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. They have exciting plans to develop this historically important section of the city into a thriving hub once again. The DRI and NY-Forward initiatives deliver resources that are reimagining important community spaces across the State. Over the years, we have seen real results from these efforts here in the Southern Tier. I’d like to thank the Governor, the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council and all of the awardees for their effort to transform our downtowns.”

    Assemblymember Philip A. Palmesano said, “This is terrific news for the Village of Bath and the surrounding community. The Village has worked tirelessly, finding ways to move forward with the strategic goals outlined in their Economic Development Strategic Action Plan, Housing Demand Study and Liberty Street Building Evaluation and Design Guidelines. Funding from the NY Forward program will give them the ability to implement that vision to benefit the whole community by promoting economic growth and strengthening the Village’s position as a hub for increased tourism and local investment. Thank you to the Regional Economic Development Council and Governor Hochul for recognizing the hard work and commitment of our local leaders.”

    Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham said, “From my first days in office, we’ve been fighting for the First Ward. I made a commitment early on to invest in the Clinton Street neighborhood and work alongside community partners to unlock its potential as the Southern Tier’s next great downtown. Today’s announcement of $10 million in State funding kicks that work into overdrive and brings us one major step closer to making our vision a reality. Clinton Street’s time is now. With this historic investment from New York State and the hard work of our First Ward partners, the team at City Hall has never been better equipped to deliver on the promise of a better future for the First Ward and our community as a whole. I am grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and the Regional Economic Development Council for recognizing our vision and supporting our efforts to make it a reality.”

    Village of Dryden Mayor Michael Murphy said, “We are incredibly excited and grateful that the Village of Dryden has been awarded $4.5 million from the NY Forward Grant Program! This achievement represents the culmination of a collaborative effort between the Village Board, our dedicated staff, the Dryden Business Association and passionate community members. With the combined support of state and private funding, the Village of Dryden is poised to transform into a thriving destination for new businesses and families. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Governor Hochul for this incredible program and for recognizing the potential of the Village of Dryden. Together, we are building a brighter future for our residents and businesses!”

    Village of Bath Mayor Michael Sweet said, “We are incredibly grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul for awarding this NY Forward grant and to the members of the Regional Economic Development Council for their support in making this possible. A special thank you to Omar Sanders, Regional Director; Judy McKinney-Cherry, Executive Director of SCOPED; Jamie Johnson, Executive Director of the Steuben County IDA; and Matthew Bull, Director of Community and Infrastructure Development at the Steuben County IDA, for their unwavering commitment to our community’s growth. Your leadership and dedication are truly making a lasting impact, and we deeply appreciate all that you do.”

    Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs Judy McKinney-Cherry and Dr Mary Bonderoff said, “The STREDC is incredibly proud to continue our support for the City of Binghamton and the villages of Dryden and Bath, and their promising futures thanks to the Governor’s Downtown Revitalization and NY Forward Initiatives. These targeted, community-driven projects will benefit both residents and visitors alike, promoting economic growth and creating more vibrant downtowns where people will want to live, work and play for generations to come.”

    Binghamton, Bath and Dryden will now begin the process of developing a Strategic Investment Plan to revitalize their downtowns. A Local Planning Committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders, will lead the effort, supported by a team of private sector experts and state planners. The Strategic Investment Plan will guide the investment of DRI and NY Forward grant funds in revitalization projects that are poised for implementation, will advance the community’s vision for their downtown and can leverage and expand upon the State’s investment.

    The Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council conducted a thorough and competitive review process of proposals submitted from communities throughout the region and considered all criteria before recommending these communities as nominees.

    About the Downtown Revitalization Initiative

    The Downtown Revitalization Initiative was created in 2016 to accelerate and expand the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods in all 10 regions of the State to serve as centers of activity and catalysts for investment. Led by the Department of State with assistance from Empire State Development, Homes and Community Renewal and NYSERDA, the DRI represents an unprecedented and innovative “plan-then-act” strategy that couples strategic planning with immediate implementation and results in compact, walkable downtowns that are a key ingredient to helping New York State rebuild its economy from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to achieving the State’s bold climate goals by promoting the use of public transit and reducing dependence on private vehicles. Through eight rounds, the DRI will have awarded a total of $900 million to 89 communities across every region of the State.

    About the NY Forward Program

    First announced as part of the 2022 Budget, Governor Hochul created the NY Forward program to build on the momentum created by the DRI. The program works in concert with the DRI to accelerate and expand the revitalization of smaller and rural downtowns throughout the State so that all communities can benefit from the State’s revitalization efforts, regardless of size, character, needs and challenges.

    NY Forward communities are supported by a professional planning consultant and team of State agency experts led by DOS to develop a Strategic Investment Plan that includes a slate of transformative, complementary and readily implementable projects. NY Forward projects are appropriately scaled to the size of each community; projects may include building renovation and redevelopment, new construction or creation of new or improved public spaces and other projects that enhance specific cultural and historical qualities that define and distinguish the small-town charm that defines these municipalities. Through three rounds, the NY Forward program will have awarded a total of $300 million to 60 communities across every region of the State.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four people sentenced in Hounslow murder investigation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Four people have been jailed for a total of 48 and a half years following a Met Specialist Crime investigation into the murder of a man in Hounslow.

    Ben Laing, 23 (22.05.00), of De Brome Road, Feltham and Durra Abdi, 19 (27.02.04), of Western Avenue, Acton were both imprisoned for 22 years for fatally stabbing Tyreece Scott.

    Laing was also sentenced for being involved in the supply of drugs, while Abdi’s custodial sentence included possession of a bladed article.

    Two others were sentenced for perverting the course of justice.

    Reda Mohamed, 24 (09.01.01) of Linslade Close, Hounslow was jailed for four and a half years whilst Morgan Allen, 29 (09.01.96) of Reeve St, Feltham was jailed for two years which was suspended for 18 months.

    In a trial which started on Tuesday, 26 November at the Old Bailey, the jury heard that shortly before 01:00hrs on Tuesday, 16 January 2024, Tyreece was stabbed to death on Hibernia Road, a quiet residential street in Hounslow.

    Despite the efforts of emergency services, the 24-year-old died as a result of a stab wound to the chest a short time later.

    The prosecution told the jury the murder happened against a background of drug dealing, with a dispute over dealing on other people’s territory.

    Detectives worked around the clock to identify the suspects, and Laing and Abdi were arrested at Stansted Airport after landing back in the UK on Friday, 19 January. They were charged with murder two days later.

    Officers gathered a large amount of CCTV material which was then painstakingly examined, and enabled them to match a bag carried by Abdi at the scene of the murder to one he was carrying when he was arrested.

    Once specialist investigators had possession of the defendants’ mobile phones, they were able to recover all sorts of material including notes, text conversations and other data, including website searches of “Hounslow stabbing” on Abdi’s phone which provided vital evidence during the trial.

    Detective Inspector Paul Fagence, who led the investigation, said:

    “Drug dealing is an ugly business which has cost Tyreece his life.

    “The case is a tragic reminder of how the supply of drugs has devastating consequences on communities.

    “While there was no evidence to suggest Tyreece knew the defendants, it was the combination of CCTV, mobile phones and ANPR technology which checks vehicles of interest which helped us build a compelling case against these defendants.

    “Our thoughts remain, as ever, with Tyreece’s friends and family. We hope they can now find a level of peace to move forward with their lives.”

    All four defendants were convicted of their crimes at the Old Bailey on Friday, 10 January.

    As part of our A New Met for London plan, tackling knife crime and violence is a top priority for the Met, while officers are working alongside communities to crack down on individuals who supply drugs and seek to cause harm in London.

    You can visit Fearless for advice and discover real stories about people who turned their lives around after being involved in knife crime as well as places you can go for further help and support.

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: The Victory Bancorp, Inc. to Present at the Banking Virtual Investor Conference March 6th

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LIMERICK, Pa., Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Victory Bancorp, Inc., (VTYB) based in Limerick, PA, focused on business banking, today announced that Joseph Major, CEO & Chairman, will present live at the Banking Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on March 6th, 2025

    DATE: March 6th
    TIME: 1 pm – 1:30 pm EST
    LINK: https://bit.ly/41x8NQ1

    Available for 1×1 meetings: March 6th, 1:30 pm 4:30 pm

    This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

    It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.  

    Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

    2024 Financial Highlights:

    • Loan Growth: Up $26.6M despite higher rates and softer demand, reflecting strong lending focus.
    • Deposit Growth: Increased $33M, driven by exceptional service and relationship banking.
    • Capital Acquisition: Issued $4.65M in subordinated debt; $2.5M allocated to support growth and capital.
    • Earnings: Q4 net earnings rose $83K year-over-year; slightly down from Q3 ($586K to $558K); Q4 ROAE at 7.58%.
    • Book Value: Stable at $14.84 per share (Q4), down slightly from $14.89 (Q3).
    • Equity: Grew by $1.4M year-over-year to December 31, 2024.
    • Dividends: Paid $0.065 per share in Q4; $0.26 for the year.

    Loan Quality Metrics (as of December 31, 2024):

    • Losses to Average Loans: 0.0% vs. peer average of 0.05%.
    • 30-89 Day Past Due Loans: 0.01% vs. peer average of 0.42%.
    • Non-Performing Loans: 0.05% vs. peer average of 0.49%.

    Victory Bancorp, Inc. is traded on the OTCQX market under the symbol VTYB and is the parent company of The Victory Bank. The Bank, founded in 2008, is a Pennsylvania state-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Limerick Township, Montgomery County. It offers a full range of banking services, including checking and savings accounts, home equity lines of credit, and personal loans. In addition to traditional banking, the Bank specializes in high-quality business lending, serving small and mid-sized businesses and professionals. With three offices across Montgomery and Berks Counties, it is dedicated to meeting the financial needs of the local community. For more information, visit its website at VictoryBank.com. FDIC-Insured.

    About Virtual Investor Conferences®
    Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

    Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

    CONTACTS:

    The Victory Bancorp, Inc.
    Joseph W. Major,
    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

    Robert H. Schultz,
    Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer

    Owen Magers
    Investor Relations
    484-791-3435

    The Victory Bancorp, Inc.
    548 N. Lewis Rd.
    Limerick, PA 19468
    610-948-9000

    Virtual Investor Conferences
    John M. Viglotti
    SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
    OTC Markets Group
    (212) 220-2221
    johnv@otcmarkets.com

    The MIL Network –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Millions have now taken action to access their eVisa

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Millions have now taken action to access their eVisa

    Published statistics show millions have accessed their eVisa, as an extension to the period expired immigration documents can be used for travel is confirmed.

    Over 4 million UK visa holders have successfully created an account to access their eVisa, according to Home Office statistics published today. An estimated 600,000 people are yet to switch from their physical document to an eVisa.

    Securing our borders is a key part of the government’s Plan for Change and eVisas are a key part of delivering a border and immigration system which is more digital and streamlined. This change will enhance the experience of people using the system, and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.

    To support a continued smooth transition to eVisas, and ensure no one is disadvantaged, the Home Office is extending the ‘grace period’ announced in December 2024. We committed to keep this transitional measure under review and we are extending the end date from 31 March 2025 to 1 June 2025.

    This allows people with a biometric residence permit (BRP) or EUSS biometric residence card (BRC) that expired on or after 31 December 2024, and who continue to hold underlying immigration status, to continue to use their expired document for international travel up to and including 1 June 2025.

    From the 2 June 2025, expired BRPs and EUSS BRCs will no longer be acceptable evidence of immigration status when travelling to the UK. 

    Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra MP said:

    Today’s encouraging eVisa statistics show that a significant majority of the immigration status holders who needed to take action have done so.

    We continue to listen carefully to feedback, and our confirmation that expired immigration documents can be used for travel until June this year will help to further ensure the transition to eVisas continues to be as smooth as possible.

    Those yet to create an account to access their eVisa are encouraged to do so as soon as possible, to make the most of the benefits of using an eVisa and join the millions – including all EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status holders – who already have an eVisa. It is free, and straightforward for those who hold physical and paper documents to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa.

    People with indefinite leave to remain (ILR, also known as settlement) who use an ink stamp or vignette in a passport to prove their rights can continue to use their documents as they do today, including for travel, but are encouraged to make the switch to an eVisa to take advantage of the benefits it brings.

    We had previously estimated the number of BRP holders who need to create an account to access their eVisa at over 4 million, but this number is hard to establish accurately given the daily fluctuations in this data. This is because of people’s leave expiring, people leaving the country before their leave expires, or leave being cancelled or curtailed.

    Since the first eVisa statistics publication in December 2024, we have carried out further analysis and quality assurance to enhance our understanding of who has not yet acted, though the data is presented in same format for clarity.

    A number of people who created a UKVI account already had one created as part of their visa application, and therefore now have 2 UKVI accounts – although only one eVisa. This should not cause issues for those people, but it does mean that the published data includes a number of duplicate accounts. To maintain consistency, we are continuing to publish data on eVisa account creation numbers, recognising that this contains duplicates.

    However, we are also clarifying our revised estimate of the numbers of immigration status holders who still need to access their eVisa, which we anticipate to be approximately 600,000 BRP holders. This number will decrease as people’s leave expires and they leave the UK.

    Further information can be found in our eVisa factsheet.

    Share this page

    The following links open in a new tab

    • Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
    • Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Increases made to higher education grants27 February 2025 The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Deputy Rob Ward, has signed a Ministerial order which increases the funding for a number of grants for higher education students from 1 September 2025.… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    27 February 2025

    The Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Deputy Rob Ward, has signed a Ministerial order which increases the funding for a number of grants for higher education students from 1 September 2025. 

    These changes contribute towards one of this Government’s top strategic priorities, to ‘increase the provision of lifelong learning and skills development’, by implementing sustainable higher education student finance. 

    For most grants, the amount a student can receive depends on household income thresholds. These thresholds will increase by 5.2%. The increase has been based on the economic assumptions on average incomes in Jersey published by the Fiscal Policy Panel in 2024. 

    The income threshold to receive: 

    1. the maximum maintenance grant will increase from £50,000 to £52,600 
    2. the maximum tuition grant will increase from £110,000 to £115,720 
    3. the clinical component grant will increase from £100,000 to £105,200 
    4. a grant to attend an interview will increase from £50,000 to £52,600 
    5. a grant for specialist equipment for a student with a disability will increase from £90,000 to £94,680. 

    Maintenance grants will receive an uplift of 2.5%, based on the *Consumer Price Index for December 2024 published by the Office for National Statistics. The maximum maintenance grant will increase from £8,915 to £9,138. 

    Tuition fee grants will increase by 3.1% to align with the new higher cap in England and Wales. The new maximum tuition grant will increase from £9,250 to £9,535. 

    Deputy Ward said: ‘It is important we continue to review the support we have available for our students to continue their education post the age of 18. 

    ‘These changes ensure we are in line with increases to the cost of living and will help to reduce any cost-based barriers that may prevent our young people from continuing their studies, particularly when the majority of our young adults study in the UK and so living at home to reduce those costs isn’t an option.’

    ​*As most students study in the UK, that is where the majority of their maintenance money is spent.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Reminder for residents after council takes action over unauthorised building work

    Source: City of Leeds

    Leeds City Council has reminded local residents of the need to abide by planning laws after taking enforcement action against two rule-breaking homeowners.

    One of the owners was hit with financial penalties running into tens of thousands of pounds following the separate cases, which both relate to unauthorised building work at domestic properties in Leeds.

    In the first case, planning permission was granted in 2017 for side and rear extensions to a property in the Rawdon Road area of Horsforth but once work started it became clear that what was taking shape differed substantially – in design elements and size – from the approved plans.

    This, the council noted, meant the finished development had an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of the area.

    Following an unsuccessful application by the owner for retrospective planning permission that would have allowed the extensions to remain as built, the council served an enforcement notice that required them to be modified or removed.

    After the owner failed to comply with this notice, the council brought a prosecution which culminated in a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

    Following a guilty plea, the owner was fined £17,000 and ordered to pay the council’s costs, which were in excess of £19,000.

    The property is now under different ownership but, despite the successful prosecution, the extensions are still in place.

    The council has therefore made clear to the new owner that they must be modified – so they are in line with the approved 2017 plans – or removed.

    In the second case, an outbuilding was constructed next to a property in the Selby Road area of Garforth in 2020 without the proper planning permission being obtained.

    An application for retrospective permission was refused in 2022 on the grounds that the outbuilding – due to its position and size – was causing harm to the openness of an area that sits within Leeds’s green belt.

    An enforcement notice served by the council in March last year required the outbuilding to be dismantled and the resulting material removed from the site.

    An appeal by the homeowner against the notice was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in October, with the council successfully applying for a full award of costs. The total amount payable has yet to be decided. The outbuilding, meanwhile, has been demolished.

    Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

    “The council takes its duties as the planning authority for Leeds extremely seriously, with investigations into potential regulation breaches being conducted as quickly and effectively as possible.

    “Where it is considered appropriate for us to do so, we will use our enforcement powers to protect the character and appearance of the city and maintain public confidence in the planning system.

    “The cases in Horsforth and Garforth have been long-running and complex, and I would like to thank officers involved for the diligence and determination they have shown.

    “We hope the results will act as a reminder to people in Leeds that breaches of planning regulations can have significant and costly consequences.”

    Matters that can be investigated by the council’s planning enforcement service include developments without planning permission, developments that fail to comply with agreed permission, unauthorised changes of use and unauthorised work on buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

    People with concerns about a possible breach of planning regulations can contact the council by e-mailing planning.enforcement@leeds.gov.uk. Further information about the authority’s enforcement work can be found here.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hardy County Man Convicted of Firearms Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal jury has convicted a West Virginia man of firearms charges.

    James Douglas Lambert, age 36, of Moorefield, West Virginia, was found guilty of two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Lambert has prior convictions of domestic battery, breaking and entering, and escape, prohibiting him from having firearms. The jury heard testimony that the West Virginia State Police, acting on a tip, visited Lambert’s home. During a search of the residence, troopers recovered seven firearms. On a separate date, Lambert was arrested for brandishing a firearm, which also led to the recovery of an additional firearm. 

    Lambert faces up to 15 years in federal prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Warner and Will Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fugitive from West Virginia Arrested by U.S. Marshals in Akron, Guns And Drugs Seized

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Akron, OH – Early this morning, members of the U.S. Marshals led Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) along with members of the Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division (CUFFED) from West Virginia, arrested Dayshon Lewis, 24.

    Lewis was wanted by authorities in Wood County West Virginia for bond violations.  The original charges on the bond violation were for delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, and conspiracy.  The bond violation and warrant for Lewis’ arrest were issued back in June 2023.  Additionally, Lewis was wanted by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office for firearms violations.  A warrant for that offense was issued in June of 2022.

    Today, members of the task force narrowed down where Lewis was staying to a home in the 900 block of Jason Ave. in Akron.  Lewis was arrested after he was found hiding in a closet in the home.  In addition to his arrest, 2 handguns, $24,000 in U.S. currency, suspected methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and marijuana were also recovered.   A female located inside the home was also charged with obstruction.

    U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “This fugitive has been on the run for a long time, but the U.S. Marshals Service will always catch up to those on the run.  We are thankful to have two more guns and drugs off the streets of our communities.”

    Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous.  Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.  

    The NOVFTF Akron Division consists of the following federal, state and local agencies:  
    The United States Marshals Service, Akron Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Bath Township Police Department, Copley Township Police Department, Cuyahoga Falls Police Department, Fairlawn Police Department, Hudson Police Department, Kent Police Department, New Franklin Police Department, Norton Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Reminderville Police Department, Tallmadge Police Department, United States Secret Service, University of Akron Police Department, Wayne County Court of Common Pleas.

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: How the UK’s rollback of banking regulations could risk another financial crisis

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alper Kara, Head of Department of Economics and Finance, Brunel University of London

    1000 Words/Shutterstock

    After the global financial crisis of 2007-08, the UK’s banking sector was placed under a much stricter regime. Bonuses were limited, regulations were beefed up and the whole industry scrutinised like never before.

    The idea was to make banks safer places for everyone’s money. But regulators are now thinking about easing some of these financial safeguards in a bid to boost economic growth.

    One proposal is to change the rules on mortgage affordability. One industry regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, is considering relaxing the lending restrictions which were designed to prevent households from building up unsustainable debt.

    This includes reviewing affordability tests and allowing banks to lend more freely to borrowers with smaller deposits or lower incomes. Some commentators argue that these changes will help first-time buyers and increase overall mortgage availability.

    But the risks of easier mortgage lending cannot be ignored. Before the last crisis, lenders approved loans to borrowers without verifying income or creditworthiness, assuming that rising property values would provide a safety net.

    And when interest rates increased and property values collapsed, many borrowers could not afford their repayments – and lost their homes.

    In fact, mortgage repayments are already becoming more difficult. The Bank of England has warned that over 1.5 million UK households will face significantly higher mortgage costs in 2025 after their current deals expire.

    And loosening lending rules could easily push house prices even higher. When more buyers qualify for mortgages, demand for housing increases and prices go up. This makes home ownership even less affordable, especially for those first-time buyers.

    Expanding access to debt without fixing underlying issues around housing supply only creates more financial risk. And it seems to be part of a broader trend towards deregulation.

    Internationally agreed banking rules, which require banks to hold more capital as protection against financial shocks, are being delayed in the UK until 2027. The Bank of England has justified the wait by
    saying that banks need more flexibility to increase lending and investment without the constraints those rules would bring.

    Banks are also challenging regulations that require them to hold on to a specific type of debt designed to ensure that failing banks can absorb financial losses without taxpayer bailouts. But if these rules are weakened, the banking system could become more fragile, forcing governments to intervene.

    The banking system is showing other signs of fragility too.

    Banking on regulations

    One worrying trend is the increasing use of something called “synthetic risk transfers”. This is a technique that banks use to reduce the amount of risk on their balance sheets, by transferring it to outside investors – such as hedge funds or insurers – through special financial contracts.

    These are sometimes compared to “collateralised debt obligations” (or CDOs), where a bank bundles multiple loans (such as mortgages, corporate debt or car loans) and sells portions of that bundle to investors. These complex transactions were a key factor in the global financial crisis because they concealed risky loans, spreading financial instability across global markets.

    Then there’s the UK’s motor finance sector, where lenders have been accused of charging excessive interest rates on car loans. This could lead to compensation claims of up to £44 billion, making it potentially one of the biggest consumer finance scandals since payment protection insurance (PPI).

    On that occasion, banks and lenders wrongly sold PPI to millions of customers, leading to a record £50 billion in compensation payouts.

    With the ongoing case of motor finance, the British government wanted regulators to limit compensation payouts to avoid disrupting financial markets, but this was rejected by the supreme court.

    Yet despite these problems, some still claim that deregulation will do wonders for the sector’s financial flexibility. The British chancellor Rachel Reeves has argued that relaxing some regulations and reducing red tape will encourage growth and increase the UK’s competitiveness in global financial markets.

    Sometimes there’s a reason for red tape.
    Oksana Valiukevic/Shutterstock

    Perhaps she agrees with Donald Trump, whose aggressive financial agenda includes relaxed capital requirements and weakened regulatory oversight.

    But past experience suggests that weakening financial safeguards and encouraging more debt in pursuit of short term growth can have severe long-term consequences.

    Research shows that financial deregulation often leads to financial instability and economic crises. It also suggests that expanding credit does not fix housing affordability, and that reducing capital requirements does not make banks safer.

    The global financial crisis was a direct result of excessive risk-taking in an underregulated system. Governments had to bail out banks with taxpayer money, leading to more than a decade of austerity.

    The same mistakes could happen again. For now though, it looks like some of those hard lessons have been forgotten.

    Alper Kara 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 the UK’s rollback of banking regulations could risk another financial crisis – https://theconversation.com/how-the-uks-rollback-of-banking-regulations-could-risk-another-financial-crisis-249386

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Colombia wants to ban Pablo Escobar and other narco-themed merchandise – here’s why

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ross Bennett-Cook, PhD Researcher, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University

    When you think of Colombia, what images come to mind? For some, it may be coffee or perhaps the country’s diverse landscapes and cultures. For many others, it will be cartels, crime and cocaine.

    Colombia’s history as a drug trafficking hub plays a major role in attracting visitors to the country – a form of travel known as “dark tourism”. But the Colombian government and much of the population are desperate to shake off this sordid association.

    A new bill going through Colombia’s congress is proposing to ban the sale of souvenirs that depict notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and other convicted criminals. The proposed law would mean fines for those who violate the rules, and a temporary suspension of businesses.

    Colombia became a major producer of cocaine in the 1970s, fuelled by demand in North America. Led by Escobar, the Medellín cartel dominated this trade, controlling roughly 80% of the cocaine supply to the US.

    In 1988, Time magazine famously dubbed Medellín the “most dangerous city” in the world. Car bombings, assassinations, kidnap and torture became part of everyday life. In a failed attempt to assassinate presidential hopeful César Gaviria in 1989, Escobar was even behind the bombing of a commercial flight that killed all 107 passengers and crew onboard.

    By 1991, the homicide rate in Medellín was a shocking 381 for every 100,000 inhabitants, with 7,500 people murdered in the city that year alone. In comparison, there were a total of 107 homicides in London in 2024.

    Nowadays, Medellín is much more peaceful. Since Escobar’s death in 1993, its homicide rate has dropped by 97% due to increased security crackdowns and peace deals between the narco gangs.

    Colombia now has a booming tourism industry, breaking records for its highest number of visitors in 2024. Medellín has even become a trendy location for digital nomads due to its exciting nightlife, stunning landscape and excellent weather.

    A tourist poses for a picture in the Comuna 13 neighbourhood of Medellín.
    Anamaria Mejia / Shutterstock

    Yet, when I visited Colombia in 2024, it was hard not to become infatuated by Escobar. His face is everywhere: on key rings, magnets, mugs and t-shirts, while you often see lookalikes posing for photographs. Even airports – the last place I would expect to be associated with drugs – stock Escobar souvenirs.

    A quick look on TripAdvisor’s “best things to do in Medellín” shows Museum Pablo Escobar at number one. Almost every tour in the city is related to the notorious cartel leader, including visits to the neighbourhoods he controlled (and often terrorised), his hideout spots, and the location of his final shootout with the police.

    Narco tourism’s boom can be largely attributed to the huge popularity of Narcos, a critically acclaimed series on Netflix that dramatised the life of Escobar. But shows such as Narcos have been criticised by some experts for glorifying the cartel lifestyle – focusing on money, glamour and sex rather than the harsh realities of life within Colombia’s drug trade.

    According to dark tourism researcher Diego Felipe Caicedo, popular media related to narco culture often portrays cartel members as heroes managing to defeat the class structure established by the elite capitalist system.

    This has resulted in a dissonant heritage of people like Escobar. To some, he is a Robin Hood-type figure who built houses and gave to the poor. To others, he is an evil figure and vicious murderer. And while Escobar did use some of his fortune to improve deprived neighbourhoods, many saw this as a tactic to buy loyalty and mask his criminal activity.

    The romanticism of Escobar angers many in Colombia who hate the idea of a murderous drug tycoon being the most recognised image of the country. In a city where almost every family knows of someone affected by the violent consequences of the drug trade, victims in Medellín now live with reminders plastered across storefronts, vendor stalls and tourist’s t-shirts.

    Yet those who rely on this souvenir trade are furious at the possibility of restrictions. In many developing tourist destinations, selling souvenirs is an accessible way of benefiting from tourism and can act as a gateway out of poverty.

    The souvenir trade is one of supply and demand – vendors are only selling Escobar souvenirs because they are the most popular. So, perhaps the focus should be on changing the attitudes and interests of tourists, rather than penalising the vendors.

    Controlling the narrative

    Camille Beauvais, a researcher of Colombian history, suggests it is up to local authorities to take control of the narrative through commemoration and education. This could follow the example of the anti-mafia museum in Palermo, Italy, which is designed to recognise the courage of the city and its people in standing up to criminal activity.

    Attempts like this could steer tourists away from sensationalist tours to a more nuanced and historically accurate representation of this turbulent time. But the Colombian authorities have, up to now, tried to ignore this important period in the country’s history.

    It was only in 2022 that the Colombia Truth Commission released an official report on the root causes of violence in Colombia, including governmental and international failures in tackling narcotraffickers.



    Read more:
    Dark tourism: why atrocity tourism is neither new nor weird

    However, some groups in Colombia have already tried to develop an alternate narrative. In 2019, the NGO Colombia ConMemoria (Colombia Remembers) created an online “Narcostore”, a fake souvenir website full of Escobar-themed products.

    When visitors clicked to purchase the item, they were redirected to video testimonies of those affected by the drugs trade, many of whom had lost friends or relatives to Escobar’s terror. The site reached 180 million visitors worldwide.

    Narco tourism does not seem to be disappearing. Fascination with true crime, drugs and cartels is as popular as ever. But perhaps these tourists should take a moment to consider how they might feel, if someone who had murdered their loved ones became a souvenir fridge magnet for people to remember their country by.

    Ross Bennett-Cook 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. Colombia wants to ban Pablo Escobar and other narco-themed merchandise – here’s why – https://theconversation.com/colombia-wants-to-ban-pablo-escobar-and-other-narco-themed-merchandise-heres-why-249916

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Domestic abuse: how it escalates and why that makes it so hard to leave

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tirion E. Havard, Professor of Gender Abuse and Policy, London South Bank University

    Ryan Wellings has been jailed for more than six years after the death of his partner Kiena Dawes. Wellings was convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour, having abused Dawes repeatedly throughout their relationship.

    Dawes took her own life in July 2022 and squarely blamed Wellings’ abuse, leaving a suicide note that read: “I was murdered. Slowly … Ryan Wellings killed me.” Wellings was acquitted of manslaughter.

    In the UK it is estimated that 1.6 million women aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse last year. Yet when we hear horrific stories like Dawes’s, a common response is to ask, “Why would she stay with him?” This attitude perpetuates misconceptions about abuse, and misses the reality that anyone can become a victim.

    Abuse often escalates over time, meaning that what looks like a loving relationship initially may become violent or controlling.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    In the 1970s, psychologist Lenore Walker’s book The Battered Woman Syndrome proposed a theory that abuse in intimate relationships often occurs in a cycle, consisting of three main phases.

    The first, tension building, is when the perpetrator indicates signs of anger or frustration and can last from minutes to months. It usually escalates until it shifts into the second phase (explosion), when there is physical or sexual violence.

    After the event, the perpetrator may feel some remorse or guilt at the violence. Here they may enter the honeymoon phase, when the perpetrator apologises and promises that it will never happen again. The cycle is repeated, often becoming quicker (the honeymoon phase becomes shorter).

    This explanation can be overly simplistic and is not consistent with all survivors’ experiences. But it can be helpful to understand how abuse can change over time.

    As a probation officer, I worked with a woman who was severely abused by her long-term partner. Convinced that if she left him, he would kill her, she developed coping strategies based on the cycle of abuse. As the tension-building phase intensified, she became adept at recognising when the risk he posed became life-threatening.

    To avoid an explosion (and serious harm to herself) she would deliberately shoplift in front of security guards. Her criminal record and reputation was so well established that she was banned from most shops in her area.

    Once in court, she would plead for a custodial sentence. This would offer her some safety and “time out” from the abuse, but it also gave her partner time to reflect. At the time of her release, he would be sufficiently remorseful and the honeymoon period would start again.

    Control and isolation

    Like most intimate connections, abusive relationships typically start filled with romance, excitement and lust. In these early periods, perpetrators can be “over the top” with excessive communication and extreme flattery, even showering their partner with unnecessary gifts.

    This “love bombing” is often accompanied with early and intense conversations about a future together, as exhibited by Wellings who had Kiena Dawes’s name and face tattooed on his body within only days of meeting.

    Physical abuse typically comes later, sometimes triggered by life events such as marriage, pregnancy or childbirth. Usually, elements of control seep into the relationship as the couple becomes more established. These acts are discrete and difficult for the survivor, friends, family and professionals to recognise.

    Abusers may persuade their partner to stay in to watch a film or have a romantic meal at home, rather than going out to meet friends or family. When a night out is organised, the perpetrator might invite themselves or turn up unexpectedly to social events.

    This isolation is part of a perpetrator’s wider intention to control their partner. With no one to speak to and nothing to measure their relationship against, it becomes more difficult for survivors to recognise their relationship as abusive. Instead, they may doubt themselves and their perceptions.

    Even if they do recognise their relationship as abusive, the lack of contact with others makes it more difficult to reach out for help. Survivors feel trapped, having no choice but to stay.

    Mobile phones and other tech have given abuse perpetrators a new tool of control.
    Bits and Splits/Shutterstock

    Over time, the control escalates and becomes more overt, often hiding in plain sight. As a probation officer, I once worked with a perpetrator who, on his wedding night, took the hotel towel and used it to strangle his new wife.

    Thereafter when they had guests, he would purposefully place a towel over a chair – signalling to his partner that her friends needed to leave, or that she had crossed an invisible line and she would pay for it later.

    The symbolism of this simple act would likely be missed by those around the couple, but would serve as a warning to the survivor of the abuse that was to come. As the evening continued, the tension would build alongside her crippling fear.

    This kind of control can also occur when someone experiencing abuse is out in public or with friends. As I have found in my research, smartphones have given abusers more tools to control their victims, creating a panopticon effect, where victims feel surveilled and watched by their partners 24/7.



    Read more:
    Even before deepfakes, tech was a tool of abuse and control

    Breaking the cycle

    As Kiena Dawes’ story shows, there is no easy way to break this cycle. Research has shown that leaving an abusive relationship can be dangerous for women, as abuse typically continues post-separation.

    The number of suicides linked with domestic abuse has risen steadily in recent years. There are currently more domestic abuse related deaths linked to suicide than homicide between partners. Between 2019 and 2022, 30% of suspected suicides in Kent and Medway identified domestic abuse as a factor.

    The last government took important steps to recognise that abusive relationships can and do result in survivors taking their own lives, replacing the term “domestic homicide” with “fatal domestic abuse” in law.

    Yet misunderstandings, particularly about why people stay with their abusers, persist. When faced with women who are experiencing abuse, the question should not be why do they stay, but what is stopping them from leaving – and how do we remove those barriers?

    If you or someone you know is affected by abuse, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247, and other resources are available.

    Tirion E. Havard 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. Domestic abuse: how it escalates and why that makes it so hard to leave – https://theconversation.com/domestic-abuse-how-it-escalates-and-why-that-makes-it-so-hard-to-leave-238919

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: A robot nearly headbutted a festival spectator in China – here are four urgent steps to make the tech safer

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Carl Strathearn, Lecturer in Computer Science, Edinburgh Napier University

    Humanoid robots will start to become much more common as prices tumble. thinkhubstudio

    Humanoid robots are supposed to be our loyal assistants, but we saw another side to them the other day. Chinese robot manufacturer Unitree was demonstrating its latest H1 robots at a lantern festival in the city of Taishan, Guangdong province, when one walked up to the crowd barrier and seemed to lunge at an elderly woman, nearly headbutting her.

    The incident quickly went viral, and sparked a fierce debate about whether the robot actually attacked the woman or had tripped up. It’s mostly being overlooked that we’re a long way from having robots that could intentionally attack someone – machines like these are often remote controlled – but the danger to the public is clearly real enough.

    With sales of humanoid robots set to skyrocket over the next decade, the public will increasingly be at risk from these kinds of incidents. In our view as robotics researchers, governments have put very little thought into the risks.

    Here are some urgent steps that they should take to make humanoid robots as safe as possible.

    1. Increase owner requirements

    The first important issue is to what extent humanoid robots will be controlled by users. Whereas Tesla’s Optimus can be remotely operated by people in a control centre, others such as the Unitree H1s are controlled by the user with a handheld joystick.

    Currently on sale for around £90,000, they come with a software development kit on which you can develop your own artificial intelligence (AI) system, though only to a limited extent. For example, it could say a sentence or recognise a face but not take your kids to school.

    Who is to blame if someone gets hurt or even killed by a human-controlled robot? It’s hard to know for sure – any discussion about liability would first involve proving whether the harm was caused by human error or a mechanical malfunction.

    This came up in a Florida case where a widower sued medical robot-maker Intuitive Surgical Inc over his wife’s death in 2022. Her death was linked to injuries she sustained from a heat burn in her intestine during an operation that was caused by a fault in one of the company’s machines.

    The case was dropped in 2024 after being partially dismissed by a district judge. But the fact that the widower sued the manufacturer rather than the medics demonstrated that the robotics industry needs a legal framework for preventing such situations as much as the public do.

    While for drones there are aviation laws and other restrictions to govern their use in public areas, there are no specific laws for walking robots.

    So far, the only place to have put forward governance guidelines is China’s Shanghai province. Published in summer 2024, these include stipulating that robots must not threaten human security, and that manufacturers must train users on how to use these machines ethically.

    For robots controlled by owners, in the UK there is currently nothing preventing someone from taking a robot dog out for a stroll in a busy park, or a humanoid robot to the pub for a pint.

    As a starting point, we could ban people from controlling robots under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or when they are otherwise distracted such as using their phones. Their use could also be restricted in risky environments such as confined spaces with lots of members of the public, places with fire or chemical hazards, and the roofs of buildings.

    2. Improve design

    Robots that looks sleek and can dance and flip are fun to watch, but how safe are the audiences? Safe designs would consider everything from reducing cavities where fingers could get caught, to waterproofing internal components.

    Protective barriers or exoskeletons could further reduce unintended contact, while cushioning mechanisms could reduce the effect of an impact.

    Robots should be designed to signal their intent through lights, sounds and gestures. For example, they should arguably make a noise when entering a room so as not to surprise anyone.

    Even drones can alert their user if they lose signal or battery and need to return to home, and such mechanisms should also be built into walking robots. There are no legal requirements for any such features at present.

    ‘I am now exiting the room.’
    Simple Line

    It’s not that manufacturers are entirely ignoring these issues for walking robots. Unitree’s quadroped Go2, for instance, blinks and beeps when the battery is low or if it is overheating.

    It also has automatic emergency cut-offs in these situations, although they must be triggered by a remote operator when the robot is in “telemetric mode”. Crucially, however, there are no clear regulations to ensure that all manufacturers meet a certain safety standard.

    3. Train operators

    Clearly there will be dangers with robots using AI features, but remote-operated models could be even more dangerous. Mistakes could result from users’ lack of real-world training and experience in real-life situations.

    There appears to be a major skills gap in operator training, and robotics companies will need to prioritise this to ensure operators can control machines efficiently and safely.

    In addition, humans can have delayed reaction times and limited concentration, so we also need systems that can monitor the attention of robot operators and alert them to prevent accidents. This would be similar to the HGV-driver distraction-detection systems that were installed in vehicles in London in 2024.

    4. Educate the public

    The incident in China has highlighted current misconceptions about humanoid robots as the media is once again blaming AI despite the fact that this was not the issue. This risks causing widespread mistrust and confusion among the public.

    If people understand to what extent walking robots are owner-operated or remote-operated, it will change their expectations about what the robot might do, and make everyone safer as a result.

    Also, understanding the owner’s level of control is vital for managing buyers’ expectations and forewarning them about how much they’ll need to learn about operating and programming a robot before they buy one.

    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. A robot nearly headbutted a festival spectator in China – here are four urgent steps to make the tech safer – https://theconversation.com/a-robot-nearly-headbutted-a-festival-spectator-in-china-here-are-four-urgent-steps-to-make-the-tech-safer-250851

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Freetown’s celebrated tree planting scheme won’t work for other African cities, or the planet

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Milo Gough, Lecturer in African Studies, University of Oxford

    More than a million trees have been planted in the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone since 2020. This reforestation scheme, known as “FreetownTheTreeTown”, has been celebrated for its innovative approach to climate action, with ambitious plans to plant another 5 million trees by 2030 and 20 million more by 2050.

    A global network of mayors known as the C40 Cities and other urban development experts have called this a “highly replicable” solution for environmental crises across urban Africa.

    Reforestation helps Freetown cope with excess heat, annual seasonal floods, landslides and other environmental problems. Because of its geography, squeezed between wooded mountains and coastline, and widespread poverty, the city is one of the most vulnerable in the world to the effects of the climate change.

    Deforestation of Freetown’s mountains for wood, charcoal and housing space led to a landslide in 2017 that killed 1,100 people and left at least another 3,000 people homeless. FreetownTheTreetown is a response to this disaster.



    Read more:
    Sierra Leone mudslide was a man-made tragedy that could have been prevented

    There are also important historical contexts. I’ve conducted research into the colonial history of Freetown and the changing historical meaning of its trees. From the spiritual meaning of trees in Indigenous west African cultures, through to their use in colonial planning schemes, trees in Freetown have been central to political struggles over the urban landscape.

    Tree planting should not be viewed simply as a generic social good. Trees are embedded in wider structures of power. From colonial-era tree planting, which aimed to reorganise Freetown into a European style city, to the 21st century’s green capitalism – in which tree “tokens” have become commodities for their marketable “carbon offset” – trees are far from apolitical.

    Tree planting projects alone cannot solve environmental problems in African cities. As the world heats up, reliance on fossil fuels must be reduced. Green capitalism’s tree planting schemes won’t cut greenhouse gas emissions at source.

    Climate solutions

    FreetownTheTreeTown is organised through an app, TreeTracker, used by community growers who plant and care for saplings that have been grown in a nursery. They use the app to tag the geographical location of each new tree and track tree growth with photographs.

    The community growers, largely women and young people, receive payments from the city administration once every quarter in the form of tokens that can be exchanged for cash. Thanks to this community, the project has achieved a high tree survival rate of over 80%.

    Inside Freetown’s tree planting scheme.

    Since 2020, this project has received almost US$3 million (£2.4 million), largely from the World Bank and the Global Environmental Facility.

    But the project is supposed to start covering its own costs through selling carbon offset tokens to foreign nations and companies. Buyers will buy these to “cancel out” their own carbon emissions. A polluting airline in the US, for example, could claim it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions if it buys carbon offset tokens from FreetownTheTreeTown.



    Read more:
    There aren’t enough trees in the world to offset society’s carbon emissions – and there never will be

    Carbon offset schemes have been criticised by academics and journalists for overstating the rate and speed at which they can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. They’ve been accused of distracting attention from the necessary and difficult work of transitioning away from polluting energy sources.

    Charcoal is the most important product of the deforestation of Freetown’s mountainous peninsula because the city’s residents use it as cooking fuel. It is, however, highly polluting. People living in informal communities are encouraged to move to cleaner cooking fuels. Some briquettes are even made from human waste. Freetown is genuinely trying to reduce its extremely low carbon emissions.

    Tensions in tree town

    Tension between the conservation and exploitation of Freetown’s mountain forest has existed for centuries. Freetown was established by British colonists in 1792 as a site for the resettlement of formerly enslaved people from across west Africa. Mountain forests were cut down and turned into timber for the board houses of Freetown.

    My research into the late 19th century history of Freetown has revealed that an enormous iroko tree with a trunk circumference of over 15 metres was a place of great spiritual and ritual significance in the area of Brookfields.



    Read more:
    Bringing forests to the city: 10 ways planting trees improves health in urban centres

    Many formerly enslaved people from Yorubaland, in what is today south-western Nigeria, believed iroko trees were inhabited by powerful spirits. Witches were thought to hold meetings around them.

    The Brookfields iroko tree was feared. But it was also respected. Processions of the Bondo, an all-female secret society, visited the tree with offerings, such as corn and pieces of cloth.

    The colonial government planted new trees to demarcate the gridded streetscape of Freetown. But Freetonians did not like the new trees. They suspected them of harbouring mosquitoes and snakes. Twenty years after the first planting, most had been cut down by the city’s residents. The colonial government attempted to overwrite west African understandings of trees by imposing a new order.

    Tree planting schemes must pay close attention to histories of government-led dispossession if they are to successfully transform cities. FreetownTheTreeTown has begun to tackle this history head on by co-creating this reforested city with its communities. This is important work. But, there must be caution about simply transplanting the technical solutions from Freetown to other cities across Africa.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. 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 so far.

    Milo Gough has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council through CHASE DTP.

    – ref. Why Freetown’s celebrated tree planting scheme won’t work for other African cities, or the planet – https://theconversation.com/why-freetowns-celebrated-tree-planting-scheme-wont-work-for-other-african-cities-or-the-planet-247254

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Reston predator sentenced to 19 years in prison for sexually exploiting minors

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Reston man was sentenced today to 19 years in prison for sexually exploiting minor victims he met online.

    According to court documents, on July 1, 2024, Xavier Dejuan Jackson, 28, arrived on a flight into Dulles International Airport. Customs and Border Protection Officers initiated a secondary inspection of Jackson’s devices, resulting in the discovery of several videos and images that appeared to depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

    Jackson met Minor Victim 1 on a social media application in January 2024. Minor Victim 1 revealed to Jackson she lived with her parents, attended high school, and was 17 years old. On various occasions, Jackson transported Minor Victim 1 across state lines to engage in sexual activity with him. Beginning on Jan. 16, 2024, Jackson repeatedly traveled to Maryland to pick up Minor Victim 1 and transported her 40 minutes to his apartment in Reston to engage in sexual activity with him. Each time Jackson engaged in sexual activity with Minor Victim 1, he recorded his exploitation of her on his cellphone. Jackson then distributed the videos to Minor Victim 1 via Snapchat.

    In February 2024, Jackson began communicating with Minor Victim 2 on Instagram. On March 1, 2024, Minor Victim 2 informed Jackson she was 14 years old. When Minor Victim 2 asked how old he suspected she was, Jackson replied, “Like 17 maybe 16 but that was a stretch and ya it’s not too hard when you know what to look for.”

    After Minor Victim 2 revealed her age, Jackson resumed sexually explicit conversations with her. Jackson requested that Minor Victim 2 produce for and send to him explicit videos and directed her in what he wanted her to say and how he wanted her to expose herself. Jackson received these videos via Snapchat and stored them in a folder under the victim’s name. Also stored within that folder were three videos depicting Minor Victim 2 engaged in sexual activity.

    On March 2, 2024, Jackson asked Minor Victim 2 to meet in person for sexual activity. Over the next several days, the two discussed potential opportunities. Minor Victim 2 expressed fear of embarrassing herself, but Jackson persisted. Jackson pressed Minor Victim 2 for her address. Jackson continued to engage in sexually explicit messages and exchange sexually explicit photos with Minor Victim 2. They discussed locations Jackson could pick up Minor Victim 2, including her specific high school or a mall near her parent’s house.

    On June 23, 2024, Minor Victim 2 asked Jackson when he would next be available to meet up for sexual activity. He responded that it would be over a week because he would be out of the country. He was arrested on July 1, 2024, after his return flight to Dulles.

    On Feb. 4, 2024, Jackson initiated contact on Snapchat with a person he believed was 15 years old. Though he was then 27 years old, Jackson told the person he was 19. On March 25, 2024, Jackson inquired how much the person would charge for nude depictions of herself and sent a detailed request describing what type of sexually explicit videos he wanted. The person said that sort of video would cost $45, which Jackson sent her via PayPal. Jackson received and saved on his cellphone videos responsive to his request approximately two hours after Jackson sent the money to the person’s PayPal account. Further investigation revealed that the person Jackson believed was 15 years old was actually 19 years old.

    On Nov. 21, 2024, Jackson pled guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of minors, and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity. In addition to his

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa K. Strobbe prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-212.

    MIL Security OSI –

    February 28, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: A dual challenge for the battery industry: ramping up production while innovating game-changing chemistries for the future

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press contact: 
    Florence Lièvre  
    Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 71  
    Email: florence.lievre@capgemini.com

    A dual challenge for the battery industry: ramping up production while innovating game-changing chemistries for the future

    • Battery innovation is fueling industry transformation, but overcoming current production ramp-up challenges will be crucial for European and US manufacturers
    • Lithium-ion batteries currently dominate due to their proven performance, scalability, and well-established supply chain, while next-generation batteries are gaining traction
    • 76% of manufacturers will need to upgrade or build new production lines to support the future generation of battery cells

    Paris, February 27, 2025 – The Capgemini Research Institute’s report ‘The battery revolution: Shaping tomorrow’s mobility and energy’, published today, shows that batteries are transforming existing industries and enabling the emergence of new business models. However, despite the surging demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and energy-storage solutions, the future of batteries depends on overcoming a series of complex challenges across the entire value chain, from securing sustainable raw materials and optimizing manufacturing processes to advancing recycling capabilities.

    According to the new report, the battery industry is reaching an inflection point, driven on the one hand by the need for higher energy density, faster charging times, improved safety, greater sustainability, and, on the other, the need for manufacturers to reduce costs.

    While batteries are playing a critical role in decarbonizing carbon-intensive mobility and driving the renewable energy transition1, the industry is facing series of challenges that have wide ranging implications for scaling production, gigafactory industrialization and ramp-up, economic viability, and supply chain constraints.

    Battery technology is constantly evolving to improve performance and reduce costs
    While almost all (98%) battery manufacturers surveyed produce lithium-ion batteries (using liquid electrolyte), the industry is actively exploring alternative chemistries to support electric mobility and accelerate energy storage. Amongst them, solid-state batteries (using solid electrolyte), represent a major shift in battery technology, primarily for EVs. They answer the need for improved performance owing to their potentially higher energy densities, faster charging times, and improved safety compared with traditional lithium-ion batteries.

    “Innovation is driving a sustainable and competitive battery industry, with advancements in technologies and alternative chemistries improving performance and longevity. At this transformative time, while European and North American manufacturers are navigating production ramp-ups and exploring next generation of batteries, a solid and scalable digital foundation will be crucial for the industry’s future,” said Pierre Bagnon, Global Head of Intelligent Industry Accelerator at Capgemini. “Data and digital technologies can enhance the entire battery value chain, optimizing lifecycle management from quality control to waste management and recycling. Equally, collaboration within an innovation ecosystem that brings together all players and regulators is vital to continue the industry’s journey towards a battery-driven sustainable future.”

    Advances will enable new business models but not without challenges
    According to the survey, batteries are enabling new business models in the mobility industry to make EVs accessible to a broader range of consumers: a majority (around 64%) of mobility players are exploring battery swapping; nearly two-thirds of automotive organizations are considering battery-leasing and over half Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model that allows EV owners to lease or rent their batteries, rather than buy them. However, the success of these business models depends heavily on the implementation of standards, battery performance notably regarding longevity, adequate infrastructure, and economies of scale.

    In the energy and utilities sector, two in five organizations say they are integrating batteries with renewable energy systems to optimize energy storage and usage, with most of them (69%) currently offering or planning to offer BaaS solutions. However, key challenges remain; while a battery is considered an expensive asset, the electricity it stores is relatively cheap. Furthermore, most organizations emphasize the lack of robust grid infrastructure and advanced control systems (65%); the need for multiple battery types to facilitate both short-term and long-term storage solutions (61%) and for open performance standards to ensure reliability and transparency (59%).

    Beyond the automotive and energy sectors, multiple industries are rapidly integrating batteries into their operations: three in five of the organizations surveyed stated that battery innovation will impact fleet operators and heavy transportation in the next 5-10 years. Disruptions are also expected in aviation and shipping. Innovations in these industries include battery-powered eVTOLs (Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing), heavy-duty vehicles, and electric ships on short sea routes.

    Overcoming production ramp-up challenges with scalable digital foundations
    The battery industry is facing a number of complex and pressing challenges. Over half of battery manufacturers cite time required to build and ramp up gigafactories and difficulties in securing a stable supply chain for battery components and materials (respectively 59% and 53%). Uncertainty, around economic viability and profitability, appears as a key concern to scaling production.

    The scarcity of experienced talent also represents a significant challenge for the battery industry, with 60% of organizations facing skills shortages in both battery technology and manufacturing. Expertise gaps extend beyond specialized skills and encompass data scientists and manufacturing engineers who can analyze and correlate production data with battery performance, enabling process optimization and defect reduction.

    While batteries are key to decarbonizing carbon-intensive mobility and driving the renewable energy transition, only one in three battery manufacturers surveyed have taken meaningful steps toward establishing a sustainable circular economy.

    A majority (67%) of respondents acknowledge that data and digital technologies are crucial to the industry’s future. However, digitalization among battery manufacturers is currently low, at just 17% and data usage remains minimal in sustainability-related fields. In Europe, a Digital ‘battery passport’2, setting high environmental standards for battery production and recycling, will enable suppliers and OEMs to make informed decisions by considering the complete lifecycle of battery manufacturing.

    To read the full report: LINK

    Report Methodology
    The Capgemini Research Institute surveyed 750 senior executives from large battery, automotive, and energy and utilities organizations across 15 countries in North America, Europe, and APAC. The survey findings are complemented by in-depth discussions with 22 experts from battery, automotive, and energy and utilities sectors. The organizations surveyed are significant players in their respective segments, including battery manufacturers with annual revenue exceeding $50 million; energy and utilities firms with revenues over $1 billion (except those from Sweden and Norway, whose revenue exceeds $500 million); and automotive manufacturers with revenue above $1 billion (excluding two- and three- wheeler original equipment manufacturers [OEMs] with revenue over $300 million). The global survey was conducted in September-October 2024.

    About Capgemini
    Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, generative AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2024 global revenues of €22.1 billion.

    Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

    About the Capgemini Research Institute
    The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgemini’s in-house think-tank on all things digital. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts for six consecutive times – an industry first.

    Visit us at https://www.capgemini.com/researchinstitute/

    1 According to IEA, batteries account for 90% of the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE Scenario), with 60% of CO2 emissions reductions to be made in the energy sector by 2030 associated with batteries – Source: IEA, “Batteries and secure energy transitions,” April 2024.
    2 From February 2027, EVs sold within the EU must be equipped with ‘battery passports’ that provide detailed information on battery composition, including sources of key materials, carbon footprint, and recycled content.

    Attachments

    • Infographic-Future-Of-Batteries_Report
    • 2025_02_27_ Capgemini_Press Release_Future of Batteries report

    The MIL Network –

    February 28, 2025
←Previous Page
1 … 985 986 987 988 989 … 1,471
Next Page→
NewzIntel.com

NewzIntel.com

MIL Open Source Intelligence

  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Authors
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Patterns
  • Themes

Twenty Twenty-Five

Designed with WordPress