NewzIntel.com

Category: Latin America

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Joins Van Hollen, 23 Senate Colleagues in Letter Demanding Answers, Return of Maryland Father Wrongfully Deported to El Salvador

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and 23 Senators in writing to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Tedd Lyons urging them to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally, under protected status, in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration last month to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The Administration has admitted that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error.”
    In their letter, the Senators call on the Trump Administration to comply with the court order requiring that they facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and ask for responses to a series of questions regarding ICE’s enforcement policies that may have led to this grave error – and what measures they will take to ensure such an incident does not occur again.
    The Senators were joined on this letter by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    The Senators began, “We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.
    “Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence,” the Senators wrote. “This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.
    “Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible,” they continued. “And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens.
    “On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order,” the Senators urged.
    The Senators closed the letter with a series of questions to Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons, requesting a response by April 22:
    The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case?  
    In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?   
    Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
    Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
    Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors. 
    Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors? 
    What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process? 
    A copy of the letter is available here and below.
    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,   
    We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.  
    According to court filings, on March 12, 2025, shortly after Mr. Abrego Garcia had picked up his son from the boy’s grandmother’s house, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped Mr. Abrego Garcia, inaccurately telling him that his protected status had changed. After giving his wife a few minutes to arrive to take custody of his son, ICE arrested and detained him without any further explanation as to the reason for his arrest. ICE then transferred Mr. Abrego Garcia and other detainees to Texas, where on March 15, 2025, they were loaded onto planes and deported to El Salvador. Mr. Abrego Garcia was reportedly on the only plane that was not sent under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act but instead was transporting migrants with formal removal orders signed by a judge. This occurred despite the fact that ICE knew, as the Administration conceded in court, that his protected legal status specifically prohibited his removal to El Salvador.  
    Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence. The judge found that Mr. Abrego Garcia and his relatives credibly testified that gang members had been trying to extort his family and recruit him and his brother to join the gang, forcing his family to move multiple times, ultimately compelling both him and his brother to flee to the United States out of fear.  
    The immigration judge agreed that Mr. Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution if deported back to El Salvador and thus granted him a form of legally mandated protection known as “withholding of removal.” Withholding of removal, which may only be granted by an immigration judge, provided Mr. Abrego Garcia the ability to stay and work in the United States despite being the subject of a deportation order. This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.  
    Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible. Though the Administration has admitted in court that his deportation was a mistake, it alleges that there is nothing it can do to address this injustice, given that Mr. Abrego Garcia is now in the jurisdiction of the government of El Salvador as part of an agreement to imprison U.S. deportees in exchange for financial compensation.  
    Your unwillingness to immediately rectify this “administrative error” is unacceptable. Under multiple Democratic and Republican administrations, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE followed the rule of law and worked to quickly return people who were wrongfully deported, in the rare instances where such “administrative errors” occurred. The Administration’s mass deportation agenda does not transcend immigration law or the need for due process. And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens. On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order.
    To address our concerns about this matter and to provide clarity on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s policy regarding the immigration enforcement actions against immigrants with protected status, we ask that your Administration answer the following questions by April 22, 2025: 
    The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case?  
    In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?   
    Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
    Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
    Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors. 
    Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors? 
    What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process? 
    We appreciate your prompt attention to this vital matter and look forward to reviewing your fulsome, timely response. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 900 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the First week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 900 defendants with criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.

    The Southern District of Texas filed 225 cases in relation to immigration and border security. Of those cases, 70 face allegations of illegally reentering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent and/or sexual crimes and prior immigration offenses, among others. A total of 144 people face charges of illegally entering the country, nine cases involve various instances of human smuggling with others relating to firearms and assault of a federal officer.

    The Western District of Texas filed 259 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases.  Among the new cases, Mexican national Miguel Angel Torres-Segura resided illegally in San Antonio and was arrested March 28 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges that Torres-Segura participated in a human smuggling organization (HSO) that transported illegal aliens using tractor trailers, carrying out at least 19 human smuggling events and leading to the apprehension of more than 900 aliens between May 2021 and June 2022. Torres-Segura allegedly communicated with high-level leaders and organizers and assisted the HSO by transporting aliens and preparing tractor trailers for transport. Torres-Segura has multiple convictions, including two illegal entries in 2009 and 2010 and an illegal re-entry in 2011. He was convicted again for illegal re-entry on March 26 following an October 2024 arrest and has now been charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

    The District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 204 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 83 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 107 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 13 cases against 14 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Among those convicted was Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a Mexican national, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison after smuggling more 100 illegal aliens to the United States. Many of the illegal aliens were coached by Hernandez-Mosqueda to illegally enter the United States and claim asylum under false pretenses.

    The Southern District of California filed 97 border-related cases last week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, bringing in aliens for financial gain, receipt of bribes by public official, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances. Among those charged was Francisco Anguiano Rios, a Mexican national, who was arrested and charged with importation of a controlled substance after Customs and Border Protection officers found 209 packages containing 547 pounds of cocaine concealed in the fuel tank of the tractor trailer Rios was driving as it attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

    The Central District of California filed criminal charges against 24 defendants who allegedly were found in the U.S. following removal, the Justice Department announced today. Among these defendants included criminals who previously were convicted of felonies prior to their removal from the United States, including one previously convicted of narcotics crimes involving methamphetamine and cocaine. The crime of being found in the United States following removal carries a base sentence of up to two years in federal prison. Defendants who were removed after being convicted of a felony face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and defendants removed after being convicted of an aggravated felony face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

    The District of New Mexico brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico: 56 individuals were charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326), 11 individuals were charged with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324), and 32 individuals were charged with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325). Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions, with some of those convictions being for aggravated felonies, including convictions for solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct, leaving the scene of an accident with fatality, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As Canada is threatened, it’s urgent to revisit Indigenous sovereignty and nationhood

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Frank Deer, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba

    Early in his second term as president of the United States, Donald Trump began making explicit threats about Canada becoming the 51st American state.

    In the midst of his absurd and at times disrespectful rhetoric that’s also included a proposal to acquire Greenland and the Gaza Strip, some have argued Trump’s interest in annexing Canada is an imperialistic impulse.

    As a Kanienʼkehá꞉ka educator concerned with Indigenous language education, civic education and reconciliation, I believe it’s important to explore how Canadians should think about Indigenous nationhood with Canada’s sovereignty under threat. I also believe a U.S. annexation of Canada would be devastating for Indigenous Peoples.

    Re-asserting Canadian nationhood amid threats

    Trump has stated that Canada can be annexed through economic force while others have speculated a military invasion may be part of this conquest attempt.

    Although Trump’s threats against Canada seem ludicrous, many Canadians are taking them seriously and regard the ongoing imperialist rhetoric as a threat to Canadian sovereignty.



    Read more:
    Canada, Greenland, Panama, Gaza and now Ukraine: Wake up, world, Donald Trump is coming for you

    Canadian politicians, public intellectuals and members of the public have reacted strongly to this threat in ways that assert Canadian nationhood, sovereignty and identity. Some suggest a sense of national unity has been stoked in Canada for the first time in generations.

    However, that sense of unity that many may be feeling in Canada — and could affect how Canadians cast their votes in the forthcoming federal election — conceals the realities of nationhood in Canada. There are several aspects of nationhood in Canada that may merit conversation in terms of unity and the current American threats. But I’m particularly concerned that the nationhood that exists among First Nations, Inuit and Métis may be particularly threatened by an American annexation.

    Indigenous Peoples

    Canada is a nation state that occupies the traditional territories of many Indigenous nations, representing a broad diversity of cultural and language backgrounds. The Indigenous Peoples of these nations had served as stewards of the territories of North America far longer than the European colonizers who eventually seized control of the territories.

    Many of the Canadian government’s colonial and post-colonial activities, abetted by their partners (for example, churches of various denominations), were genocidal in nature.

    These colonial actions resulted in Indigenous communities becoming constituent parts one unified nation — Canada. Very little public discourse acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples had already established their own concepts of nation and nationhood. These were displaced by those who established control of the territories.



    Read more:
    Indigenous people invented the so-called ‘American Dream’

    Indigenous nationhood

    Indigenous nations have and continue to regard their communal connections and responsibilities through Indigenous nationhood.

    There are various key aspects of Indigenous nationhood: sociologist Stephen Cornell, who has worked with Indigenous nations and organizations in North America, Australia and New Zealand, observes five of them, including connections to the land, kinship and community, narratives and history associated with the land and culture, self-governance and collective well-being.

    For example, many Anishinaabe consider nationhood as being built on stories and traditions and shaped by relationships and communities. Views like these are enriched by the diversity among Indigenous Peoples.

    The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people share many stories, traditions and language that inform their concept of nationhood and their treaty arrangements (such as the Kaswentha). But the Haudenosaunee also consist of different Indigenous nations — including my own, the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka — with each having their own unique manifestations of Indigenous knowledge, heritage and consciousness.

    These different nations functioned in tandem with one another by forming allyships and sharing land.

    Canada not a single, homogenous nation

    Colonialist incursions by French, British and, later, Canadian authorities have disrupted how Indigenous notions of nationhood may be understood by Canadians.

    In ignoring aspects of Indigenous nationhood by exploiting land, dividing families and communities, reconstructing historical narratives, stymying self-governance and emphasizing individual well-being over the collective, the notion of Indigenous nationhood has been marginalized in mainstream public consciousness in Canada.

    Instead, the prevailing notion is that Canada is a single and somewhat homogenous nation. This might sound desirable to some and even idyllic, but it’s a myth.

    Legal implications, reconciliation journey

    Why does Indigenous nationhood have to do with an American president’s threats to Canadian sovereignty?

    Indigenous nationhood has not just been a part of Indigenous consciousness and ways of life for centuries, but is now closely tied to established and developing legal and constitutional principles in Canada.

    These principles are now, after generations of oversight and subjugation, finally allowing Indigenous nations to explore and enact approaches to self-determination and self-governance.

    Trump’s threats imply that existing Canadian legal and constitutional frames would be abolished. They also suggest that the cultural and linguistic mores of Indigenous nations would be endangered even more than they have already been. The reconciliation journey — one that has been informed by the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada — would almost certainly be abandoned.

    Treaty relations and 51st state?

    More specific concerns about nationhood emerging from Trump’s threats are connected to particular Indigenous nations. For instance, many First Nations have treaty relations with the Crown.

    These treaties codify the relationship that these First Nations have with the government of Canada. There is a lot of work being done to better understand treaties in modern times. Treaty arrangements and ongoing efforts to better understand them would be terminated should Canada become the 51st American state.



    Read more:
    Revisiting the Williams Treaties of 1923: Anishinaabeg perspectives after a century

    Much has been achieved by Indigenous Peoples — sometimes in partnership with non-Indigenous people — to enhance their well-being and their place in the world to determine their way forward.

    There is, of course, a lot of work still to be done. Poverty, for example, is still widespread among Indigenous Peoples, the languages and cultures of many are endangered and Indigenous women and girls continue to be treated horrifically. But the journey of Indigenous nations toward well-being and self-determination has led to achievements that can make Indigenous Peoples can be proud.

    Would this journey continue as a 51st state? I have my doubts.

    Frank Deer has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. As Canada is threatened, it’s urgent to revisit Indigenous sovereignty and nationhood – https://theconversation.com/as-canada-is-threatened-its-urgent-to-revisit-indigenous-sovereignty-and-nationhood-253199

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Nursing Promotes Conversation and Education on Reproductive Health in Guatemala

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    In Guatemala, stigma and misinformation can leave women without the proper knowledge or care they need surrounding reproductive health. Cultural taboos surrounding menstruation and menopause create barriers, leading to confusion, shame, and possible health risks. 

    A woman from the community shared that “we don’t talk about it in the community, we don’t really talk about it much in our family and we don’t really talk about it at school.” 

    UConn Nursing students and faculty in Guatemala educating community on reproductive rights.

    This year, Michelle Cole, DNP, MSN, RN, CPN and Carrie Eaton, Ph.D., RNC-OB, C-EFM, CHSE had the unique opportunity to conduct a quality improvement project in the Greater Panchoy Valley surrounding the colonial city of La Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

    Cole is an associate clinical professor and director of global initiatives at UConn’s School of Nursing. Her research centers on nursing education, global nursing, pediatric care, and children’s health needs. Eaton is also an associate clinical professor at UConn. Her own scholarship interests lie within maternal mental health, obstetric emergencies, and nursing simulation.  

    Their complementary interests provided a medium through which health disparities in Guatemala could be effectively addressed. Professor Cole and Eaton’s collaboration focused on breaking down certain barriers and promoting conversation about reproductive health. 

    The weeklong scholarly project was possible due to UConn’s Dean’s Award for Pilot Research, Innovation, and Scholarship Projects. This seed grant was created to support faculty in developing and implementing innovative research and scholarship initiative, with a focus on projects with potential for significant impact.  

    As the grant was written, Cole’s intention was to mentor others. As a faculty member, her focus goes beyond just scholarship – she strives to foster continuous improvement and demonstrate the impact such projects can have. Thus, two students were able to join the expedition.  

    “Dr. Cole has been working with these communities for many years, and it’s truly inspiring to see the strong bonds she has built,” Willett explains. “Nurses have a unique ability to connect with people in many different circumstances through the mutual understanding and value of human connection and understanding. The dedication she has put into this work is incredibly meaningful and beautiful.” 

    UConn Nursing student Emily Brochu in Guatemala educating the community on reproductive health.

    Senior nursing students Emily Brochu and Junior Madeleine Willet participated to gain valuable experience in quality improvement initiatives. Eaton shared “I cannot fathom more mature, responsive and capable students. They were both so invested in the work and education.” 

    The group assembled food bags as an incentive for women in the community to participate in the focus groups. Cole led these focus groups to provide education on menstrual health and distributed reusable menstrual products.  

    “Nurses have a unique ability to connect with people in many different circumstances through the mutual understanding and value of human connection and understanding. The dedication she has put into this work is incredibly meaningful and beautiful.” – Madeleine Willet

    The work done in these communities is based upon trust that Cole has built through years of work. Additionally, translators were there to provide important cultural context. The older women who participated were interested in topics that were impacting them, such as menopause. It was important to them to teach the younger women and girls in the community. 

    “I think it really highlights the power of human connection and how the firsthand stories and experiences people share shape our perspectives, communication, and relationships. It also helps put into perspective how valuable love and compassion is,” Willett adds. 

    By sharing their experiences in quality improvement, such as educating women in rural Guatemala about menstrual health and distributing reusable menstrual products, nurse faculty help foster students’ professional development and appreciation for the importance of quality improvement. This initiative had numerous positive outcomes, ultimately empowering women in Guatemala with the knowledge and resources to improve their health. Cole and Eaton are currently analyzing the qualitative data collected from focus groups and plan to share their findings with a broader audience. 

    “It is both an honor and a privilege, as a nurse and as a woman, to work alongside the remarkable women of Guatemala,” shares Cole. “I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from them and share knowledge on our journey toward empowerment and better health. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to the School of Nursing for their support in making this project a reality.” 

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: This April on nfb.ca, we’re celebrating our culture and marking National Canadian Film Day. First on the agenda: three new docs to be discovered and spark conversations.

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    April 7, 2025 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

    April 16 is National Canadian Film Day. Of course, nfb.ca is all about Canadian films all the time, streaming free of charge. Throughout the month of April, viewers can explore three new documentaries on hard-hitting subjects, all made by women directors.

    • In Am I the skinniest person you’ve ever seen?, director Eisha Marjara tackles her personal battle with anorexia.
    • Seguridad, by Tamara Segura, sees the director explore her father’s troubled past and its connection to the Cuban Revolution.
    • A Losing Game, from Jenny Cartwright, examines the ways in which the Quebec electoral system is dysfunctional—a topical film as an election campaign is in full swing.

    The themed channel Our Planet in Focus will mark Earth Day, April 22, featuring over 60 films about the environment.

    Remember, nfb.ca is home to more than 7,000 streaming films and a collection of over 100 interactive works.

    Starting April 7

    Am I the skinniest person you’ve ever seen? by Eisha Marjara (Compass Productions/9466-7565 Québec/NFB)
    Documentary (24 min 6 s) / Press kit

    • In this deeply personal short doc by Quebec director Eisha Marjara, dieting together seems like fun for two sisters—until their project takes a dark turn and Eisha, consumed by anorexia, is pushed to the very brink of death. The film sheds new light on the complex subject of eating disorders.

    Starting April 15

    Seguridad by Tamara Segura (2024, NFB)
    Documentary (76 min) / Press kit

    • Once dubbed “Cuba’s youngest soldier” in a militia publicity stunt, Newfoundland-based filmmaker Tamara Segura uncovers family secrets and portrays her troubled relationship with her father. A rare glimpse into the inner lives of Cubans in the post-revolutionary era.
    • The film was selected to screen at Hot Docs and won an award at the Atlantic International Film Festival.
    • English Collection Curator Camilo Martín-Flórez is publishing a new blog post on April 15. “The Latina-Canadian Gaze” shines a spotlight on the new wave of Latina-Canadian filmmakers who’ve directed NFB-produced films over the past decade, including Segura.

    Starting April 24

    A Losing Game by Jenny Cartwright (2025, NFB)
    Documentary (98 min) / Press kit

    • A Losing Game follows three people who ran for office in the 2022 Quebec provincial election, casting a critical eye on this system. For most, the race is over before it even begins. But, thanks to the way the electoral system is set up, the big losers are the rest of us.
    • The doc had its world premiere as the opening film of the 2025 Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma.

    Marking Earth Day, April 22

    • Channel: Our Planet in Focus – NFB
      This channel presents documentaries and animated films on environmental topics, selected from the many fascinating productions about these subjects in the NFB’s collection. Watch recent films like Kevin McMahon’s Borealis or classics like Bill Mason’s Cry of the Wild.
    • French Collection Curator Marc St-Pierre’s latest blog post, available soon, takes a look at climate change as depicted in three compelling films. He examines perspectives drawn from Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper’s Metamorphosis (2018), Jennifer Abbott’s The Magnitude of All Things (2020) and Leanne Allison’s Losing Blue (2023).

    – 30 –

    Stay Connected

    Online Screening Room: nfb.ca
    NFB Facebook | NFB Twitter | NFB Instagram | NFB Blog | NFB YouTube | NFB Vimeo
    Curator’s perspective | Director’s notes

    About the NFB

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wasserman Schultz Leads House Dems to Demand DHS Restore Oversight Offices, Overhaul Inhumane Detention Conditions

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

    The Members wrote that, “people detained at Krome have faced alarming conditions, including prolonged confinement in unsanitary environments, lack of medical care, overcrowding, and mistreatment by staff. At least three deaths have occurred in ICE custody and several detained men and women and their families have alleged serious abuses. Immigration advocates have called it an ‘international human rights disaster.’ One detainee labeled Krome ‘a concentration camp.’”

    Washington DC – Today, U.S Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) led 48 other House members who wrote Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to demand an immediate restoration of Congressionally-mandated oversight agencies, and called for an immediate end to the immoral mistreatment of detained individuals. Closure and mass firings at oversight offices within the Department of Homeland Security have coincided with allegations of inhumane conditions and abuses, especially inside Krome Detention Center in South Florida.

    The Members wrote that, “people detained at Krome have faced alarming conditions, including prolonged confinement in unsanitary environments, lack of medical care, overcrowding, and mistreatment by staff. At least three deaths have occurred in ICE custody and several detained men and women and their families have alleged serious abuses. Immigration advocates have called it an ‘international human rights disaster.’ One detainee labeled Krome ‘a concentration camp.’”

    Wasserman Schultz was joined by fellow Florida Reps. Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto, and Frederica Wilson. Among the other Members signing the letter were U.S. Reps.: Yassamin Ansari; Nanette Barragán; Suzanne Bonamici; André Carson; Troy Carter; Judy Chu; Yvette Clarke; Jason Crow; Danny Davis; Diana DeGette; Veronica Escobar; Adriano Espaillat; Laura Friedman; Jesús García; Robert Garcia; Daniel Goldman; Pablo Hernández; Jonathan Jackson; Pramila Jayapal; Henry Johnson; Robin Kelly; Ro Khanna; Rick Larsen; George Latimer; Betty McCollum; James McGovern; Grace Meng; Seth Moulton; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Ilhan Omar; Brittany Pettersen; Mark Pocan; Brad Sherman; Marilyn Strickland; Shri Thanedar; Bennie Thompson; Rashida Tlaib; Paul Tonko; Norma Torres; Gabe Vasquez; Marc Veasey; Nydia Velázquez. No Republican House Members signed this letter.

    The Wasserman Schultz-led letter is supported by several immigration and human rights advocacy groups, including the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ), National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, National Immigration Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center.

    Wasserman Schultz has led Congressional Democrats in the fight to restore Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Venezuelans, and she’s challenged the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport parole recipients from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Wasserman Schultz also sponsored the legal statute guaranteeing Members of Congress access to detention facilities, and has consistently called out the Trump Administration’s failure to prioritize criminals and neglect of migrant detainees.  

    Read the final signed letter here or below:

    The Honorable Kristi Noem

    Secretary of Homeland Security

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security

    2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE

    Washington, D.C. 20528

    Secretary Noem:

    We write to express our outrage regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to shut down key oversight offices responsible for ensuring civil rights and humane treatment of migrants in detention. The closure of these offices raises serious questions about DHS’s transparency and compliance with the law, particularly as reports continue to surface detailing inhumane conditions at facilities like Krome Detention Center in Florida. We demand immediate action to restore oversight and halt the immoral mistreatment of detained individuals.

    Recent reporting from the Miami Herald indicates that people detained at Krome have faced alarming conditions, including prolonged confinement in unsanitary environments, lack of medical care, overcrowding, and mistreatment by staff. At least three deaths have occurred in ICE custody and several detained men and women and their families have alleged serious abuses. Immigration advocates have called it an “international human rights disaster.” One detainee labeled Krome “a concentration camp.” 

    Krome is overcrowded far beyond its capacity Advocates have alleged that ICE is underreporting the detained population in public data. As the Administration seeks to unlawfully terminate the legal status of over 1 million TPS and humanitarian parole recipients—all of whom were vetted by DHS upon entry or after applying for protections—conditions will likely worsen.

    Rather than acting in response to dozens of complaints, reports, and lawsuits regarding inhumane conditions and civil rights violations at ICE detention facilities, the Administration has opted to cut off personnel and expertise tasked with ensuring medical, hygiene, mental health, and due process standards. On March 21, DHS effectively closed several oversight offices, the USCIS Ombudsman, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), and the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO). This will have impacts far beyond detention: it will cut off avenues for the public to file complaints about DHS policies and practices from airport screenings to

    ICE raids against schools, hospitals, and religious centers.

    The elimination of oversight mechanisms leaves individuals detained at Krome and around the country without recourse, undermines transparency, and erodes public trust in the Department’s ability to uphold basic human rights and responsibly manage billions of taxpayer dollars. This decision is particularly troubling given previous findings of abuse and neglect in DHS facilities, which underscore the necessity of independent oversight.

    DHS has an obligation to ensure that all individuals in its custody are treated with dignity in accordance with the law and that federal spending on private contracts receives appropriate oversight and monitoring. The removal of essential oversight functions—whose activities are mandated by Congress—defies this obligation and places vulnerable populations at even greater risk of abuse. Given these concerns, we request answers to the following questions:

    1.         What was the justification for shutting down oversight offices within DHS that Congress has tasked with ensuring humane conditions and compliance with civil rights laws at DHS detention facilities?

    2.         What specific legal authority has DHS claimed in effectively shutting down internal oversight functions and withholding information from Congress and the public?

    3.         How will funds appropriated by Congress for these offices be utilized going forward?

    4.         What steps, if any, has DHS taken to ensure accountability and oversight in the absence of these offices, particularly in detention contracts with private prison companies?

    5.         How does DHS plan to address the specific issues reported at Krome, including allegations of prolonged solitary confinement, overcrowding, physical abuse, and denial of medical treatment? Have additional medical staff or other personnel been surged to the facility considering reported overcrowding?

    6.         What actions have been taken by DHS or ICE officials to guarantee access to detained persons for their family members and legal counsel?

    7.         Has DHS conducted any internal reviews on the impact of reduced oversight on the conditions within detention centers? If so, what were the findings?

    We demand you reverse this decision and provide Congress with a detailed plan for how DHS will restore humane conditions for detained migrants and provide transparency in detention operations. We look forward to your prompt response to these critical questions to ensure that the Trump Administration’s immigration policy does not devolve further into callous cruelty.

    Sincerely,

    ####

    Wasserman Schultz lidera a los demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes para exigir que el DHS restablezca las oficinas de supervisión y revise las condiciones inhumanas de detención.

    Washington DC – Hoy, la representante estadounidense Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) encabezó a otros 48 miembros de la Cámara de Representantes que escribieron a la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, para exigir el restablecimiento inmediato de las agencias de supervisión establecidas por el Congreso y el fin inmediato del maltrato inmoral a las personas detenidas. El cierre y los despidos masivos de las oficinas de supervisión del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional han coincidido con denuncias de condiciones inhumanas y abusos, especialmente en el Centro de Detención Krome, en el sur de Florida.

    Los miembros escribieron que “las personas detenidas en Krome han enfrentado condiciones alarmantes, incluyendo confinamiento prolongado en entornos insalubres, falta de atención médica, hacinamiento y maltrato por parte del personal. Al menos tres muertes han ocurrido bajo custodia de ICE, varios hombres y mujeres detenidos y sus familias han denunciado graves abusos. Defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes lo han calificado de “desastre internacional de derechos humanos”. Un detenido calificó a Krome de “campo de concentración”.

    Wasserman Schultz estuvo acompañada por otros representantes de Florida: Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto, and Frederica Wilson. Entre otros miembros que firmaron la carta se encontraban representantes de EE. UU.: Yassamin Ansari; Nanette Barragán; Suzanne Bonamici; André Carson; Troy Carter; Judy Chu; Yvette Clarke; Jason Crow; Danny Davis; Diana DeGette; Veronica Escobar; Adriano Espaillat; Laura Friedman; Jesús García; Robert Garcia; Daniel Goldman; Pablo Hernández; Jonathan Jackson; Pramila Jayapal; Henry Johnson; Robin Kelly; Ro Khanna; Rick Larsen; George Latimer; Betty McCollum; James McGovern; Grace Meng; Seth Moulton; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Ilhan Omar; Brittany Pettersen; Mark Pocan; Brad Sherman; Marilyn Strickland; Shri Thanedar; Bennie Thompson; Rashida Tlaib; Paul Tonko; Norma Torres; Gabe Vasquez; Marc Veasey; Nydia Velázquez. Ningún miembro republicano de la Cámara de Representantes firmó esta carta.

    La carta, dirigida por Wasserman Schultz, cuenta con el apoyo de varios grupos de defensa de la inmigración y los derechos humanos, entre ellos el Centro Nacional de Derecho de Inmigración, la Coalición de Inmigrantes de Florida, la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles, Americanos por Justicia Immigrante, la Campaña Religiosa Nacional Contra la Tortura, la Red de Defensa de los Inmigrantes de las Montañas Rocosas, el Proyecto Nacional de Inmigración y el Centro Nacional de Justicia para Inmigrantes.

    Wasserman Schultz ha liderado a los demócratas del Congreso en la lucha por restaurar el Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para haitianos y venezolanos, y ha desafiado los esfuerzos de la Administración Trump para deportar a beneficiarios de libertad condicional de Cuba, Haití, Nicaragua y Venezuela. Wasserman Schultz también impulsó el estatuto legal que garantiza a los miembros del Congreso el acceso a los centros de detención, y ha denunciado constantemente la falta de prioridad de la Administración Trump para los delincuentes y la negligencia hacia los detenidos migrantes.

    Lea la carta final firmada aquí o abajo:

    La Honorable Kristi Noem

    Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional

    Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos

    2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE

    Washington, D.C. 20528

    Secretaria Noem:

    Escribimos para expresar nuestra indignación por la decisión del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) de cerrar oficinas clave de supervisión, responsables de garantizar los derechos civiles y el trato humano a los migrantes detenidos. El cierre de estas oficinas plantea serias dudas sobre la transparencia y el cumplimiento de la ley por parte del DHS, en particular ante la continua aparición de informes que detallan condiciones inhumanas en centros como el Centro de Detención Krome en Florida. Exigimos medidas inmediatas para restablecer la supervisión y poner fin al maltrato inmoral de las personas detenidas.

    Informes recientes del Miami Herald indican que las personas detenidas en Krome han enfrentado condiciones alarmantes, incluyendo confinamiento prolongado en entornos insalubres, falta de atención médica, hacinamiento y maltrato por parte del personal. Al menos tres personas han fallecido bajo custodia del ICE y varios hombres y mujeres detenidos, junto con sus familias, han denunciado graves abusos. Defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes lo han calificado de “desastre internacional para los derechos humanos”. Un detenido calificó a Krome de “campo de concentración”.

    Krome está sobrepoblado, superando con creces su capacidad. Defensores de derechos han alegado que el ICE no reporta la población detenida en los datos públicos. A medida que el gobierno intenta cancelar ilegalmente el estatus legal de más de un millón de beneficiarios del TPS y de la libertad condicional humanitaria —todos ellos examinados por el DHS al ingresar o después de solicitar protección—, es probable que las condiciones empeoren.

    En lugar de actuar en respuesta a las decenas de quejas, informes y demandas sobre las condiciones inhumanas y las violaciones de los derechos civiles en los centros de detención del ICE, el Gobierno ha optado por recortar el personal y los expertos encargados de garantizar los estándares médicos, de higiene, de salud mental y del debido proceso. El 21 de marzo, el DHS cerró varias oficinas de supervisión: el Defensor del Pueblo de USCIS, la Oficina para los Derechos Civiles y las Libertades Civiles (CRCL) y el Defensor del Pueblo para la Detención de Inmigrantes (OIDO). Esto tendrá consecuencias mucho más allá de la detención: eliminará las vías para que el público presente quejas sobre las políticas y prácticas del DHS, desde los controles en aeropuertos hasta las redadas del ICE en escuelas, hospitales y centros religiosos.

    La eliminación de los mecanismos de supervisión deja a las personas detenidas en Krome y en todo el país sin recursos, socava la transparencia y erosiona la confianza pública en la capacidad del Departamento para defender los derechos humanos fundamentales y gestionar responsablemente miles de millones de dólares de los contribuyentes. Esta decisión es particularmente preocupante, dados los hallazgos previos de abuso y negligencia en las instalaciones del DHS, que subrayan la necesidad de una supervisión independiente.

    El DHS tiene la obligación de garantizar que todas las personas bajo su custodia reciban un trato digno conforme a la ley y que el gasto federal en contratos privados reciba la supervisión y el monitoreo adecuados. La eliminación de las funciones esenciales de supervisión — cuyas actividades son exigidas por el Congreso — contraviene esta obligación y expone a las poblaciones vulnerables a un riesgo aún mayor de abuso. Dadas estas preocupaciones, solicitamos respuestas a las siguientes preguntas:

    ¿Cuál fue la justificación para cerrar las oficinas de supervisión dentro del DHS a las que el Congreso encargó garantizar las condiciones humanas y el cumplimiento de las leyes de derechos civiles en los centros de detención del DHS?

    ¿Qué autoridad legal específica ha reivindicado el DHS para cerrar efectivamente las funciones de supervisión interna y retener información al Congreso y al público?

    ¿Cómo se utilizarán en el futuro los fondos asignados por el Congreso para estas oficinas?

    ¿Qué medidas, si las hubiera, ha adoptado el DHS para garantizar la rendición de cuentas y la supervisión en ausencia de estas oficinas, en los contratos de detención con empresas penitenciarias privadas?

    ¿Cómo planea el DHS abordar los problemas específicos reportados en Krome, incluyendo las acusaciones de aislamiento prolongado, hacinamiento, abuso físico y denegación de tratamiento médico? ¿Se ha incrementado el personal médico u otro personal en las instalaciones considerando el hacinamiento reportado?

    ¿Qué acciones han tomado los funcionarios del DHS o del ICE para garantizar el acceso de sus familiares y abogados a las personas detenidas?

    ¿Ha realizado el DHS alguna revisión interna sobre el impacto de la reducción de la supervisión en las condiciones dentro de los centros de detención? De ser así, ¿cuáles fueron las conclusiones?

    Exigimos que revoque esta decisión y proporcione al Congreso un plan detallado sobre cómo el DHS restaurará las condiciones humanas para los migrantes detenidos y garantizará la transparencia en las operaciones de detención. Esperamos su pronta respuesta a estas preguntas cruciales para garantizar que la política migratoria de la Administración Trump no se convierta en una crueldad aún mayor.

    Atentamente,

    ####

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE removes Mexican national convicted of child molestation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    DALLAS — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed a Mexican national convicted for molesting a child under the age of 16. Nestor Adiel Salamanca, 32, was removed to Mexico by ICE officials and turned over to authorities in his home country March 31.

    Salamanca was convicted of lewd molestation of a child under 16 by the District Court of Creek County Sapulpa, Oklahoma, Feb. 11. He was sentenced to 3.5 years, 5 years suspended, following an agreement to self deport.

    “The removal of this egregious child sexual offender demonstrates our commitment to ensuring criminal aliens will not roam the streets of our communities, preying on our most vulnerable citizens,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office acting Director Josh Johnson. “Through collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we will ensure that sexual predators like this offender are promptly removed.”

    ICE officers arrested Salamanca, Feb. 14. An immigration judge ordered Salamanca’s removal to Mexico, March 29.

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

    For more news and information on ICE’s efforts to enforce our nation’s immigration laws in North Texas and Oklahoma, follow us on X @ERODallas.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Announces Latest SmartThings Update

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics today announced an update to its global connected living platform, SmartThings — further enhancing the AI Home experience. SmartThings introduces new features and improvements each quarter to deliver a more convenient and seamlessly connected lifestyle for users.
     
    The highlight of this update is the integration of SmartThings with Samsung Health, designed to improve users’ sleep environments while enabling more personalized automation experiences. The update also expands Calm Onboarding to support a wider range of devices and adds compatibility with the Matter 1.4 standard.
     
    “SmartThings’ latest update represents our ongoing efforts to make the smart home more intuitive, connected and personalized,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President and Head of SmartThings at Samsung Electronics. “We’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of smart home innovation by empowering users though enhanced personalization and automation, including sleep wellness.”
     
    Samsung Newsroom outlines some of the key changes below.
     
    ▲ (Left) A sleep environment summary card displayed in Galaxy Now Briefing, (Right) a detailed sleep environment report
     
    ▲ (Left) The automation routine setup screen with Samsung TV Plus actions, (Right) a broadcasting feature using SmartThings linked speakers
    * The UI in the above image may differ from the actual app screen or may be subject to change.
     
     
    Smarter Sleep Environments With Samsung Health Integration
    Sleep environment reports1 from Samsung Health on Galaxy devices help users create optimal conditions for rest by providing detailed insights into key factors — such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels and light intensity — through connected devices and sensors. These reports summarize the previous night’s sleep conditions and offer personalized suggestions for improvement.
     
    When paired with a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring, the latest update enables SmartThings to automatically adjust the environment based on the user’s actual sleep and wake times.2 For example, routines can be set to turn off lights and the TV at bedtime or to open curtains and play music in the morning.
     

    Greater Flexibility With SmartThings Routines
    With the latest update, SmartThings now supports automation routines based on recurring schedules — weekly, monthly or annual — offering added flexibility for a variety of scenarios. For instance, users can automatically change the color of smart lights to celebrate special occasions like family birthdays.
     
    In addition, SmartThings routines now integrate with Samsung TV Plus on 2025 Samsung TV models. This allows users to include entertainment preferences in their smart home routines — whether it’s setting the TV to turn on the news in the morning or switching to a favorite channel at a preset time to ensure they don’t miss a show.
     
     
    Broadcasting via SmartThings-Connected Speakers
    A new broadcasting feature allows users to send voice messages across SmartThings-connected speakers, making in-home communication more convenient. For example, if a parent is away and sends a voice message through the SmartThings app — “I’ll be home soon, but have a snack from the fridge if you’re hungry” — it will automatically play on the designated home speaker. With real-time message delivery, families can stay connected no matter where they are.
     

    Expanding Calm Onboarding to More Devices
    Samsung has offered the Calm Onboarding3 feature since late 2023, streamlining setup for Samsung home appliances purchased through Samsung.com or official Samsung stores by linking the entire product journey — from order and delivery to connection with the SmartThings app.
     
    In the latest SmartThings update, Samsung is expanding Calm Onboarding beyond its own products to include compatible third-party smart home devices for a more seamless and intuitive connectivity experience. Users who purchase SmartThings-compatible smart home devices directly from Samsung.com will now receive purchase and delivery updates within the SmartThings app. Additionally, users will receive step-by-step onboarding instructions to simplify product setup. The rollout will begin in Korea, with plans to expand to other countries.4
     

    Matter 1.4 Support
    SmartThings continues to advance the IoT landscape by expanding its support for Matter 1.4. The latest version of the standard includes a wide range of energy management devices — such as water heater, heat pump, solar power device, battery storage device, mounted on/off control switch and mounted dimmable load control device. These newly supported device categories build on existing popular device types like lights, thermostats, switches, air conditioners, air purifiers, fans, door locks and more.
     
    By integrating AI-powered routines, broadening device compatibility and adopting the latest Matter standard, SmartThings reinforces its ongoing commitment to innovation — making the connected home more intelligent, energy-efficient and seamless for users and their families.
     
     
    1 The Sleep environment report feature is available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones running One UI 7.0 or later and Samsung Health version 6.29 or later. Availability may expand in the future. For more information on compatible devices that can measure sleep environments, refer to the Sleep condition report under the “How to Use” section in the SmartThings app.2 Setting routines based on sleep conditions may not be supported in certain countries. This feature is available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones with One UI 7.0 or Samsung Health version 6.29 or later, with plans for future expansion. A connected device capable of detecting sleep and wakefulness — such as Galaxy Watch4/5/6/7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Fit3 and Galaxy Ring — is required. For more information, refer to the “Accessories” section in the sleep tab of the Samsung Health app.3 As of April 2025, the Calm Onboarding feature for Samsung products is available in 14 countries including Korea, the United States, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Further expansion is planned throughout the year.4 This support is planned for countries where the IoT Marketplace, which sells SmartThings compatible smart home devices on Samsung.com, is available. It will be first applied in Korea and gradually expanded to other countries.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former UNM Football Player Convicted of Methamphetamine Trafficking in Cibola County Correctional Center

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury convicted a former University of New Mexico football player on charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine while incarcerated at Cibola County Correctional Center. The verdict came after a five-day trial and approximately three-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, while in custody awaiting trial for the 2022-armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Service employee, Rayshawn Boyce, 29, was implicated in a separate case involving drug trafficking within the Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC). On May 17, 2022, CCCC personnel conducted a search of a unit and discovered a bag containing approximately one pound of methamphetamine in the shower area.

    Photo of drugs in shower area

    Review of surveillance footage revealed that on the evening of May 16, 2022, Correctional Officer Gabriella Torres smuggled a bundle of methamphetamine into the facility under her hoodie and dropped it in cell in an area that was not covered by a camera for Boyce to retrieve. A short time later, Boyce retrieved the bundle, concealed it in a blanket, and walked back to his cell. When he learned that the jail was being searched the next day, Boyce moved the bundle from his cell in the middle of the night, submerged it in water, and left it near the showers, where it was found that morning by CCCC personnel.

    Federal investigators determined that Boyce and Torres were in a romantic relationship, during which Boyce persuaded Torres to smuggle drugs into the CCCC. On two separate occasions, Torres successfully smuggled marijuana into the facility for Boyce to distribute. Boyce instructed buyers to send payments through a CashApp account he had Torres established specifically for these transactions. On May 16, 2022, Boyce coordinated the delivery of a methamphetamine shipment to Torres for smuggling into CCCC.

    Torres pled guilty to one count of conspiracy and remains on conditions of release pending sentencing, which is not currently scheduled. At sentencing, Torres could face 10 years to life in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

    Following the verdict, the Court ordered that Boyce remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Boyce faces a mandatory minimum term of ten years of imprisonment and up to life.

    In April 2024, a federal jury convicted Boyce of robbing a postal carrier, stealing an arrow key belonging to the United States Postal Service, and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. At sentencing for this prior conviction, Boyce faces up to ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Cibola County Correctional Center and CoreCivic. Assistant United States Attorneys Letitia Carroll Simms and Joseph M. Spindle are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Haiti: MSF withdraws from two medical facilities in Port-au-Prince as widespread violence intensifies

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Port-au-Prince – Following the targeted attack on 15 March against a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) convoy travelling between our Turgeau emergency centre and Carrefour trauma hospital, and in view of the deteriorating security situation in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from these two facilities for a minimum period of three months. This period will allow an assessment as to whether the evolving security context offers the necessary conditions for the return of MSF teams.

    On the day of the attack, MSF had already evacuated the Turgeau emergency centre, as the fighting and the frontline had advanced dangerously close to the centre, with stray bullets landing in the compound every day. During the evacuation of teams from Turgeau to the Carrefour trauma hospital, clearly identified MSF vehicles, using the only access road separating the two structures, were deliberately targeted by at least one hooded man in uniform. The MSF vehicles were shot 15 times. The incident forced us to stop using this route.   

    One of the four MSF vehicles shot during an evacuation from Turgeau emergency centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 2025.
    MSF

    “The Turgeau emergency centre and the Carrefour trauma hospital are closely linked in their operations. Without the possibility of using this road to transfer patients, transport personnel or deliver medical supplies, these structures can no longer function,” says Benoît Vasseur, MSF’s head of mission in Haiti. “This is why we have also been forced to withdraw from Carrefour as of 9 April 2025. This is an extremely painful decision, at a time when people’s vital medical needs continue to grow.”

    At these two medical structures, MSF teams noted an alarming increase in the number of victims of violence. Between January and March 2025, MSF treated more than 550 people for violent trauma. At the same time, these two medical facilities carried out over 3,600 medical consultations and treated more than 3,600 emergency cases over the same period. They were the only medical facilities in the area to offer free care to victims of road accidents and domestic accidents, or to refer patients to appropriate facilities.

    Despite these withdrawals, MSF is continuing our activities in other medical facilities in Port-au-Prince and the south region of Haiti. The Tabarre trauma reference centre continues to treat victims of serious burns, accidents and violence. Hôpital Drouillard in Cité Soleil maintains a 24-hour emergency service, which includes physical and mental health treatment for victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

    The Pran Men’m clinic continues to provide comprehensive medical and psychological care to sexual violence victims and survivors, including at its main facility in Delmas and at the Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital. Since 2021, MSF has also been sending mobile clinics to several sites for displaced people and disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince. However, medical transport has been suspended for all MSF teams in Port-au-Prince. Finally, in the south region, notably in Port-à-Piment and in the surrounding area, MSF continues to provide emergency obstetric and neonatal care, as well as maternal health services.

    For over 30 years, MSF has responded to the major crises that have hit Haiti – earthquakes, hurricanes, cholera epidemics – and continues to support people in the face of the current violence. However, MSF staff cannot continue risking their lives to provide this service. Previously, on 22 November 2024, we had to suspend all operations in Port-au-Prince metropolitan area for around three weeks due to repeated attacks and threats against our staff. This is the second critical incident we have suffered in the last four months, and MSF is still waiting for the results of the investigations carried out by the Haitian authorities.

    “The extreme suffering of people in Haiti makes this decision all the more heartbreaking, but a dead or injured doctor or nurse can do nothing for patients in need,” says Vasseur. “We reiterate our appeal to all parties concerned to respect the medical mission and ensure the protection of health structures, ambulances, patients and staff.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rivers are increasingly being given legal rights

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    The River Ouse in East Sussex, which has been given rights by Lewes District Council

    By Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Anglia Ruskin University

    A district council in England has passed a motion to grant its local river the rights to flow freely, to be free from pollution and to enjoy its native biodiversity. The move by Lewes District Council in East Sussex to recognise the fundamental rights of the River Ouse is the first of its kind in the UK.

    The Ouse (not to be confused with larger rivers of the same name in Yorkshire and East Anglia) flows southwards for 35 miles into the English Channel and suffers from the usual problems afflicting many rivers in the UK: chemical pollution, sewage dumping and so on.

    As a legal academic who researches exactly these sorts of rights, I was excited to see the news from Lewes (even if the council’s motions ultimately can’t overrule national laws). But simply granting a river some rights isn’t enough. We now need to think about who will actually defend these rights.

    This may mean appointing someone to represent the rights of the river. Who these representatives are, and how they think about nature and conservation, can be as important as the granting of these rights in the first place.

    Appointing representatives who care about their own personal and property interests would be a grave mistake, as would appointing anyone who prioritises the rights of humans to a healthy environment over a more intrinsic right of nature (remember: the idea is that the River Ouse has rights in itself and shouldn’t need to demonstrate its worth to humans).

    As further rivers, lakes, forests and more are granted rights like the Ouse, we’ll need to train up an army of people willing to represent the rights of nature.

    Natural entities should have legal rights

    The law professor Christopher Stone pioneered the rights of nature concept back in the 1970s. He argued that natural entities, like rivers or forests, should have legal rights and that a “guardian” or representative should be appointed to defend those rights in court when they are threatened.

    Some legal systems have adopted this model. For example, in New Zealand, the Whanganui River was granted legal personhood, and two “human faces” were appointed to act and speak on its behalf. Their duties are outlined in a 2017 act, which specifies that these representatives must have the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively advocate for the river’s rights.

    But even as rights of nature are being considered in many countries, there is still little consideration of who will represent these rights effectively. For instance, back in 2008 Ecuador became the first country to grant the rights of nature in its constitution. However the constitution states that “all persons” are representatives of the rights of nature. This is simply impractical: we can’t expect every citizen to truly care about the rights of nature.

    Efforts to apply the rights of nature in Ecuador have often failed. Legal challenges can become highly politicised and there is little legal infrastructure beyond general constitutional principles.

    For example, in a case brought after road builders had dumped material into the Vilcabamba River, plaintiffs claimed to represent nature in court. However, they were not genuinely advocating for the river’s rights – their main concern was protecting their downstream property.

    An ecocentric perspective

    Ultimately, defending the rights of nature in court will be a struggle if the nature in question – the river, forest or lake – is not represented by someone with an ecocentric perspective. That means prioritising the intrinsic value of nature itself, rather than focusing on how it can serve human interests.

    Ecocentric advocates have proved to be the most effective defenders of the rights of nature in many court cases. For example, in lawsuits involving Ecuador’s Los Cedros cloud forest and its marine ecosystems, ecocentric arguments helped secure stronger legal protections and even inspired the courts to grant further rights of nature.

    One of the most common legal frameworks involves appointing “all persons”, “a person”, or “a resident” as representatives or protectors. For instance, Uganda’s National Environment Act 2019 states that anyone has the right to bring an action before a court “for any infringement of rights of nature”.

    Similarly, the city of Toledo, Ohio, tried to introduce the Lake Erie bill of rights which stated that the city or any resident could act on behalf of the lake’s ecosystem. (The bill was declared unconstitutional by a federal court in 2020 and did not become the law).

    Having such broad representation can make these legal protections less effective. This is what Stone, the law professor, envisioned back in the 70s: representatives should be trained to view nature as having intrinsic value – the very reason it is granted rights – and to protect it on that basis.

    There are some promising examples. Guardians were appointed to protect the Magpie River in Canada, for instance, after it was granted legal personhood in 2022. Their responsibilities include participating – on behalf of the river itself – in any consultations on projects that might affect the river.

    When the River Atrato in Colombia was also granted legal rights, the court required the formation of a commission (with representatives from the state and local communities) to train and oversee the work of the guardians.

    Moves to give rights to nature are promising. But from Colombia to Canada to Sussex, we’ll need a whole army of nature protectors to actually enforce those rights.

    Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Lecturer in Law, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Launches Three Exclusive Promotions and Two Innovative Tools to Revolutionize 100x Crypto Futures Trading

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amid heightened volatility in the global cryptocurrency market, BexBack, a rapidly growing crypto derivatives exchange, today announced the launch of three major promotional offers alongside two innovative trading tools. These initiatives are designed to empower traders with greater flexibility, enhanced capital efficiency, and a superior trading experience.

    Three Exclusive Promotions to Maximize Traders’ Potential

    • 100% Deposit Bonus
      Users who deposit more than 0.001 BTC or 100 USDT per transaction are eligible for a 100% deposit bonus, instantly doubling their trading margin.
      (Note: The bonus itself cannot be withdrawn directly, but profits earned using the bonus are fully withdrawable.)
    • $50 Welcome Bonus
      New users who complete their first trade (open and close a position) will receive a $50 USDT bonus credited to their USDT-M account. The bonus can be used for trading or withdrawal, providing new traders with extra flexibility at the start of their journey.
    • No KYC Requirement
      Upholding the spirit of decentralized finance, BexBack allows users to register and trade without any identity verification, offering a faster, more private onboarding experience for traders worldwide.

    Two New Trading Tools for a Smarter Crypto Trading Experience

    • 100x Leverage Crypto Futures
       Traders can now access up to 100x leverage on Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and over 50 additional major cryptocurrencies.
      Whether the market moves up or down, traders can open long or short positions to seize opportunities in any condition, with adjustable leverage settings to suit different risk appetites.
    • Free Real-Time BTC to USDT Conversion
      BexBack introduces a zero-fee BTC/USDT conversion feature, enabling users to switch between Bitcoin and USDT instantly at real-time prices, optimizing asset allocation without incurring extra costs.

    Why Choose BexBack

    • Headquartered in Singapore, Licensed Under U.S. MSB
    • Over 50 Major Crypto Futures Available
    • Cold Wallet Custody to Protect User Funds
    • Zero Deposit Fees and Fast Withdrawals
    • 10 BTC Demo Account for Strategy Testing
    • 24/7 Multilingual Customer Support

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform that offers 100x leverage on BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, and XRP futures contracts. It is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. It holds a US MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 500,000 traders worldwide. Accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe. There are no deposit fees, and traders can get the most thoughtful service, including 24/7 customer support.

    Start Trading Smarter Today

    Take advantage of the Double Deposit Bonus, the $50 Welcome Bonus, 100x flexible leverage, and start trading without any KYC requirements.
    Sign up now at www.bexback.com and unlock your full trading potential.

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

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    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How storytelling, creativity and collaborations can inspire climate action

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cecilia Manosa Nyblon, Director – We Are the Possible Programme, University of Exeter

    Imagine heading into space, landing on the moon and walking in the dust. As you adjust to the weightlessness, you see something unexpected on the horizon. You’re looking back at the Earth, experiencing the “overview effect”. How would you feel? What would you see, hear, touch, taste and smell?

    We asked these questions when we launched a creative writing workshop to harness the beauty and power of storytelling, education, theatre, and music to inspire a greener, healthier and fairer world for future generations.

    One of us, Cecilia Mañosa Nyblon, brought together a team from the University of Exeter, the Met Office and international experts including marine scientists, poets, soundscape artists, musicians, playwrights and children’s authors who recognise the power of the arts to bridge the gap between science and society.

    In 2021, our team launched We Are the Possible. This international award-winning programme brings together artists, scientists, educators and health professionals to connect hearts and minds. Together, we develop creative content and performances that are presented to policymakers and the public at annual UN climate summits and other public events.

    As Kathleen Jamie, Scotland’s makar (national poet), said during the 2021 UN climate summit in Glasgow: “We can’t have that massive event around nature and environment without a poetry presence there.”

    Since 2021, this programme has engaged more than 16,000 people in the UK, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. Our projects have reached more than 33 million people worldwide through mainstream media, social media and online platforms. By inspiring global and local audiences, we hope to mobilise communities to care for and protect our planet.

    “We Are the Possible” collaborated with artists, scientists, educators, musicians and schoolchildren to perform at Cop28, the UN climate summit, in Dubai in 2023.

    The project’s creative lead, Sally Flint, weaves the words of climate scientists, health professionals, storytellers, artists, youth, educators and translators into an anthology of 12 poems or stories for the 12 days of each UN climate summit, showing what people value most and what’s at stake in our changing planet.

    In our anthology for Cop28 (the 2023 climate summit in Dubai), Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who spent years negotiating for climate action at the UN summits, shared that “while this remains vital, I have also realised that connecting with people from the heart and with love is the most powerful place to start.”

    Scientists have the data. We have the technological solutions. But governments and leaders are failing to act with urgency. The climate crisis is our biggest communication failure.

    Culture has the power to help people imagine and inspire action through dialogue, images, storytelling and shared experiences. But for far too long, the arts, cultural heritage and creative industries have been absent in climate policy frameworks. In 2024, ministers of culture and education gathered in Abu Dhabi to establish a framework which recognises the transformative power and impact of culture and arts education [for sustainable development]https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2024/02/WCCAE_UNESCO%20Framework_EN_0.pdf).

    Since Cop28, our team has been working with our partner, a not-for-profit called the Emirates Literature Foundation, to involve Indigenous poets through visual artforms. This involvement shines a light on the importance of Indigenous knowledge in our climate conversations to heal and restore our planet.

    We have also collaborated with a sustainable theatre company called The Theatre of Others to deliver The Earth Turns and Bright Light Burning. These immersive theatre performances (inspired by We Are the Possible anthologies) and panel discussions involve both policymakers and the public. After one of the performances, Jonathan Dewsbury, director of capital operations and net zero at the UK government’s Department for Education, told us: “If we don’t grab the arts, the poems, the music and embed them into our top policy thinkers, our top decision-makers, we are not going to make the right choices, the right solutions.”

    Carpet weaving is an important part of Azerbaijan’s cultural identity. At Cop29 (the 2024 UN climate summit in Azerbaijan), one group of academics and students at Khazar University in Baku wove a traditional “Chelebi” carpet. This conveyed a message of unity and environmental stewardship through symbolic patterns inspired by We Are the Possible’s anthology.

    Ocean-literate cultures

    Around 50% of countries have no mention of climate change in their school curriculum, according to Unesco. Most teachers (95%) feel that teaching about climate climate change is important but less than 30% say are ready to teach it. Meanwhile, 75% young people around the world say they are frightened about their future.

    Schools Across the Ocean, the education strand of We Are the Possible, is addressing this climate education gap. Led by our colleague, senior lecturer in education Anita Wood, this initiative has already connected more than 2,000 schoolchildren (aged 8-13) and more than 100 teachers in the UK, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and other countries.

    Inspiring children to put their words and artwork of hope about the ocean.

    This six-week programme involves providing a toolkit for teachers plus activities and online workshops that engage children in science, art, storytelling and action for the ocean. The goal is for more children to understand why we all need a healthy ocean, develop their sense of agency and inspire others in their local communities to take action too.

    Wendy Wilson, headteacher St Anne’s School in Alderney on the Channel Islands, found that Schools Across the Ocean meant that her students were not just learning about climate change. She said they were also “becoming active, global citizens who are climate literate, empowered and full of hope.”

    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.

    We Are the Possible programme has been funded by the University of Exeter, Met Office, British Council, British Embassy Gulf Strategy Fund, British Embassy Azerbaijan, UKRI, AHRC, Knowledge E Foundation,Arts Council England and supported by Emirates Literature Foundation, American University in Cairo, Khorfakkan University, Khazar University, BIMM University, Extreme Hangout, Banlastic, Ocean Generation, Tahrir Cultural Centre, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Cygnet Theatre, among others.

    We Are the Possible programme has been funded by the University of Exeter, Met Office, British Council, British Embassy Gulf Strategy Fund, British Embassy Azerbaijan, UKRI, AHRC, Knowledge E Foundation, Arts Council England and supported by Emirates Literature Foundation, American University in Cairo, Khorfakkan University, Khazar University, BIMM University, Extreme Hangout, Banlastic, Ocean Generation, Tahrir Cultural Centre, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Cygnet Theatre, among others.

    – ref. How storytelling, creativity and collaborations can inspire climate action – https://theconversation.com/how-storytelling-creativity-and-collaborations-can-inspire-climate-action-252256

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University

    A pre-Hispanic canal funnels water from mountains to farm fields. Ari Caramanica

    Seeing the north coast of Peru for the first time, you would be hard-pressed to believe it’s one of the driest deserts in the world.

    Parts of the region receive less than an inch of rain in an entire year. Yet, water and greenery are everywhere. This is the nation’s agro-industrial heartland, and, thanks to irrigation canals, almost every inch of the floodplain is blanketed in lucrative export crops, such as sugarcane, asparagus and blueberries.

    However, the apparent success of this system masks an underlying fragility.

    Water shortages have plagued the region for centuries, and now modern climate change combined with agro-industrial practices have further intensified droughts. In response, the Peruvian government has invested billions of dollars in irrigation infrastructure in recent years designed to deliver more water from a resource more than 100 miles away: glaciers in the Andes.

    But the Andean glaciers are disappearing as global temperatures rise. Peru has lost over half its glacier surface area since 1962. At the same time, floods often connected to wet El Niño years are increasing in both frequency and intensity. These floods often destroy or obstruct critical irrigation infrastructure.

    Andean glaciers are disappearing as global temperatures rise. Peru lost over half its glacier surface area in the past half-century.
    mmphoto/DigitalVision via Getty Images

    As an archaeologist investigating societal responses to environmental and climate disaster in Peru, I’m interested in unraveling the histories of complex systems to understand how to improve similar systems today. To understand the Peruvian heartland’s vulnerabilities, it helps to look to the deep past.

    Most of the modern canal network originally dates to pre-Hispanic times, more than 1400 years ago. However, evidence suggests that while the canal systems of the past may have looked similar to those of the present, they functioned in more efficient, flexible ways. The key to adapting to our present and future climate may lie in comprehending the knowledge systems of the past – not just the equipment, technology or infrastructure, but how people used it.

    An environment of extremes

    The north coast of Peru is an environment of extremes.

    In this desert, thousands of years ago, societies encountered many of the same challenges posed by the modern climate crisis: expanding drylands, water scarcity, vulnerable food production systems, and frequent, intense natural disasters.

    Yet, people not only occupied this area for millennia, they thrived in it. Moche and Chimu societies created sophisticated, complex political and religious institutions, art and technology, and one of the largest pyramidal structures in the Americas.

    Relief of fish adorn an adobe wall in the historic Tschudi Complex archaeological site at Chan Chan, the former capital of the Chimu empire in Peru.
    FabulousFabs/Flickr, CC BY-NC

    When the Spanish arrived on the desert north coast of Peru shortly after 1532 C.E., early chroniclers remarked on the verdant, green valleys across the region.

    The Spanish immediately recognized the importance of the canal network. They had used similar canal technology in Spain for centuries. So, they set about conscripting Indigenous labor and adapting the irrigation system to their goals.

    Just a few decades later, however, historic records describe sand dunes and scrublands invading the green valleys, water shortages, and in 1578 a massive El Niño flood that nearly ended the young colony.

    So how did the Indigenous operation of this landscape succeed, where the Spanish and the modern-day agro-industrial complex have repeatedly failed?

    Culture was crucial for ancient canal systems

    Ancient beliefs, behaviors and norms – what archaeologists call culture – were fundamentally integrated into technological solutions in this part of Peru in ancient times. Isolating and removing the tools from that knowledge made them less effective.

    Scientists, policymakers and stakeholders searching for models of sustainable agriculture and climate adaptations can look to the archaeological record. Successfully applying past practices to today’s challenges requires learning about the cultures that put those tools to work effectively for so long, so long ago.

    The pre-Hispanic societies of Peru developed agricultural principles around the realities of the desert, which included both dry seasons and flash floods.

    Large-scale irrigation infrastructure was combined with low-cost, easily modified canals. Aqueducts doubled as sediment traps to capture nutrients. Canal branches channeled both river water and floodwater. Even check-dams – small dams used to control high-energy floods – worked in multiple ways. Usually made of mounded cobble and gravel, they reduced the energy of flash floods, captured rich sediments and recharged the water table.

    A drone’s view of sugarcane fields shows a pre-Hispanic adobe aqueduct on the right and small feeder canals in the modern fields.
    Ari Caramanica

    The initial failures of the Spanish on the north coast exemplify the problem of trying to adopt technology without understanding the cultural insights behind it: While they may be identical in form, a Spanish canal isn’t a Moche canal.

    Spanish canals operated in a temperate climate and were managed by individual farmers who could maintain or increase their water flow. The Moche and Chimu canal was tied to a complex labor system that synchronized cleaning and maintenance and prioritized the efficient use of water. What’s more, Moche canals functioned in tandem with floodwater diversion canals, which activated during El Niño events to create niches of agricultural productivity amid disasters.

    A handmade gate on a modern canal in northern Peru doesn’t seem that different from ancient canals, but the pre-Hispanic canal systems were generally more conceptually complex and interconnected.
    Ari Caramanica

    Desert farming required flexibility and multifunctionality from its infrastructure. Achieving that often meant forgoing impermeable materials and permanent designs, which stands in stark contrast to the way modern-day water management works are constructed.

    Copying ancient practices without the culture

    Today, the Peruvian government is pushing forward with a decades-old, multibillion-dollar project to deliver water to the north coast from a glacier-fed river.

    The Chavimochic project promises a grand transformation, turning desert into productive farmland. But it may be sacrificing long-term resilience for short-term prosperity.

    The project feeds on the temporary abundance of glacial meltwater. This is creating a water boom as the ice melts, but it will inevitably be followed by a devastating water bust as the glaciers all but disappear, which scientists estimate could happen by the end of the 21st century.

    Farmers sell locally grown corn and other crops at a street market in Piura, Peru.
    Christian Ender/Getty Images

    Meanwhile, sustainable land management practices of past Indigenous inhabitants continue to support ecosystems hundreds and even thousands of years later. Studies show higher levels of biodiversity, crucial to ecosystem health, near archaeological sites.

    On the Peruvian north coast, pre-Hispanic infrastructure continues to capture floodwater during El Niño events. When their modern-day fields are flooded or destroyed by these events, farmers will sometimes move their crops to areas surrounding archaeological remains where their corn, squash and bean plants can tap into the trapped water and sediments and safely grow without the need for further irrigation.

    Critics might point out the difficulty of scaling up ancient technologies for global applications, find them rudimentary, or would prefer to appropriate the design without bothering with understanding “the cultural stuff.”

    But this framing misses the bigger point: What made these technologies effective was the cultural stuff. Not just the tools but how they were used by the societies operating them. As long as modern engineering solutions try to update ancient technologies without considering the cultures that made them function, these projects will struggle.

    Understanding the past matters

    Archaeologists have an important role to play in building a climate-resilient future, but any meaningful progress would benefit from a historical approach that considers multiple ways of understanding the environment, of operating an irrigation canal and of organizing an agriculture-based economy.

    That approach, in my view, begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded, as well as preserving archaeological and sacred sites, and creating partnerships built on trust with the people who have worked with the land and whose cultures have adapted their practices to the changing climate for thousands of years.

    Ari Caramanica receives funding from The National Endowment for the Humanities.

    – ref. Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed – https://theconversation.com/perus-ancient-irrigation-systems-succeeded-in-turning-deserts-into-farms-because-of-the-culture-without-it-the-systems-failed-251199

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: HUMBL, Inc. Announces Name Change Application and Ticker Symbol Updates

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    San Diego, CA, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HUMBL, Inc. (OTC: HMBL) announced today that it will be submitting an application to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to change its corporate name to HUMBL Ventures, Inc. The company has a deadline of June 30, 2025 to apply to change the legal name from HUMBL, Inc. to HUMBL Ventures, Inc. The completion of the name change is subject to final approval by FINRA. HUMBL, Inc. has also received permission from WSCG, Inc. to continue to utilize the HUMBL brand logo and trademark as a component part of its use of the name HUMBL Ventures.

    As an additional part of this transition, HUMBL, Inc. has received formal permission from WSCG (WSCG)—the entity that owns the HUMBL brand and ticker symbol (OTC: HMBL), to continue to use the ticker symbol (OTC: HMBL) following the name change. This approval ensures continuity for shareholders and market participants throughout the corporate evolution.

    “We believe the name HUMBL Ventures best reflects the company’s business model and strategic roadmap in technology joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions within the holding company, while recognizing the brand DNA of HUMBL and its powerful shareholder base,” said HUMBL, Inc. CEO, Thiago Moura.

    The company also announced today a joint venture with MultiCortex AI, a U.S. and Brazilian-based artificial intelligence company as the newest addition to its holding company portfolio.

    About HUMBL, Inc.

    HUMBL, Inc. is shifting toward a shareholder value-centric model under the leadership of CEO Thiago Moura, Principal of Ybyra Capital — a Brazilian holding company with diversified investments, such as commodities and mining.

    The company’s unique structure enables it to create two-way distribution pipelines throughout the United States and Latin America, leveraging Ybyra Capital’s established regional presence to offer strategic partners immediate access to high-growth markets.

    The company most recently announced a joint venture with a U.S. and Brazilian-based, Artificial Intelligence (AI) company – MultiCortex AI. MULTICORTEX | HPC FOR AI

    HUMBL, Inc. (OTC: HMBL)
    Investor Relations: IR@humbl.com
    Media Contact: Media@humbl.com

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “may,” “will,” “could,” and similar expressions. All forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with the ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the joint venture, competitive conditions, and general market dynamics. HUMBL, Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: HUMBL, Inc. Announces Joint Venture Agreement with MultiCortex to Expand its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Distribution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    San Diego, CA, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HUMBL, Inc. (OTC: HMBL) is pleased to announce a joint venture agreement with MultiCortex, LLC, a U.S. and Brazilian-based company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing.

    Under the terms of the agreement, HUMBL, Inc. will hold a 51% equity stake in the joint venture, while MultiCortex co-founders Bruno Ghizoni and Alessandro Faria will retain 49% and lead daily operations. HUMBL, Inc. will invest up to $3 million USD from its upcoming Regulation A+ public offering to support go-to-market initiatives and expansion.

    The partnership will enable MultiCortex to further complete and commercialize its proprietary “Forest of Algorithms” — a federated large language model (LLM) platform designed to integrate multiple AI systems into a unified, intelligent framework.

    Developed by MultiCortex CTO Alessandro Faria, the “Forest of Algorithms” enables seamless orchestration of diverse LLMs and has been recognized by NVIDIA for its innovation. The federated AI system will be distributed globally through major cloud marketplaces, including AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

    Mr. Faria, a globally recognized leader in biometric AI and a member of the Intel International Council, has led the development of technologies that have processed over 100 million biometric identities. MultiCortex is a recognized partner of AWS and Intel, and is committed to delivering advanced AI solutions through global cloud ecosystems and enterprise channels.

    “This venture allows us to take cutting-edge AI and deliver it globally through our commercial reach in the United States and Latin America,” said Thiago Moura, CEO of HUMBL, Inc. “Together, the companies aim to shape the future of AI through an integrated, collaborative model that prioritizes interoperability over competition.”

    Looking ahead, the joint venture will support MultiCortex in expanding its sales, strategic partnerships, and financing capabilities within the U.S. market. It will also drive the development of tailored AI integrations for enterprise clients across specific use cases and industry verticals.

    About HUMBL, Inc.

    HUMBL, Inc. is shifting toward a shareholder value-centric model under the leadership of CEO Thiago Moura, Principal of Ybyra Capital — a Brazilian holding company with diversified investments, such as commodities and mining.

    The company’s unique structure enables it to create two-way distribution pipelines throughout the United States and Latin America, leveraging Ybyra Capital’s established regional presence to offer strategic partners immediate access to high-growth markets.

    About MultiCortex, LLC

    MultiCortex, LLC is a U.S. and Brazilian-based artificial intelligence and high-performance computing company focused on developing advanced federated AI platforms. Co-founded by Bruno Ghizoni and Alessandro Faria, the company is the creator of the Forest of Algorithms — a proprietary system designed to integrate multiple large language models (LLMs) into a unified AI environment. Mr. Faria is a globally respected innovator in biometric AI and has served on the Intel International Council. Mr. Faria has developed Forest of Algorithms for the biometric sector, processing over 100 million individuals, and the company is a trusted partner of AWS and Intel.

    MULTICORTEX | HPC FOR AI

    HUMBL, Inc. (OTC: HMBL)
    Investor Relations: IR@humbl.com
    Media Contact: Media@humbl.com

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “may,” “will,” “could,” and similar expressions. All forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with the ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the joint venture, competitive conditions, and general market dynamics. HUMBL, Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Pleads Guilty After Smuggling More Than 60 Pounds of Cocaine into the U.S.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national pleaded guilty in a federal court in Del Rio to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

    According to court documents, Genaro Ivan Hernandez-Sarabia, was referred to secondary inspection as he attempted to drive into the U.S. from Mexico at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, Sept. 22, 2024. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and a narcotics detection K-9 located a non-factory compartment inside Hernandez-Sarabia’s vehicle, which contained 32 packages of a white powdery substance which tested positive for 27.66 total kgs of cocaine. Hernandez-Sarabia stated he had been hired for $5,000 to transport the cocaine to Houston.

    Hernandez-Sarabia faces a penalty of 10 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    Homeland Security Investigations and CBP investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass is prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Announces Collaboration with Stanford Medicine to Advance Sleep Apnea Detection and Beyond

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Stanford University today jointly announced a research project with Stanford Medicine to initiate an innovative health solution based on Samsung’s obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) feature1 which has received De Novo — the first of its kind authorization — by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In recognition of World Health Day, this project underscores the importance of sleep in overall health by taking further steps in proactive care, beginning with a pioneering study.
    Led by professor Robson Capasso as principal investigator and professor Clete Kushida as co-principal investigator, the joint study is designed to explore potential ways to further enhance Samsung’s Sleep Apnea feature to better support sleep health through timely interventions. Looking ahead, efforts will focus on going beyond detection by leveraging AI technology for daily monitoring to sleep apnea management, empowering users with the best possible sleep tools to improve their health.

    Samsung’s Sleep Apnea feature on the Galaxy Watch2, which detects signs of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, previously received authorization by the US FDA following approval by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). With its latest approval by Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), the feature will become available to users in Brazil in late April, increasing availability to 29 markets globally. The Sleep Apnea feature will continue to be expanded to more countries around the world, allowing more people to proactively spot symptoms earlier, which help prevent further long-term OSA health-related complications.
    “The ethical, equitable and evidence-based use of technology, after its validation through research is crucial in developing new approaches to detection and management of sleep apnea and other serious sleep-related health conditions,” said Robson Capasso, MD, FAASM, Chief of Sleep Surgery, Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, former Associate Dean of Research, Stanford University School of Medicine. “We are excited about this groundbreaking collaboration and proud to be initiating a study utilizing smartwatches, a friendly and commonly accepted wearable”
    “This collaboration with Stanford Medicine will combine our deep technological expertise with Stanford’s leading research capabilities to unlock new innovation in preventive care,” said Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team, Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics. “Together, we aim to move beyond screening to also provide more meaningful daily support that helps people better understand and manage their sleep health.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Lowrey, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Health Sciences, Northeastern University

    Farmworkers at Del Bosque Farms pick and pack melons on a mobile platform in Firebaugh, Calif., in July 2021. AP Photo/Terry Chea

    Agricultural employers who provide farmworkers with health insurance earn higher profits, even after accounting for the cost of that coverage. In addition, farmworkers who get health insurance through their employers are more productive and earn more money than those who do not.

    These are the key findings from our study published in the March 2025 issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

    To conduct this research, we crunched over three decades of data from the Labor Department’s National Agricultural Workers Survey. We focused on California, the nation’s largest producer of fruits, nuts and other labor-intensive agricultural products in the U.S., from 1989 to 2022.

    We determined that if 20% more farmworkers got health insurance coverage, they would have earned $23,063 a year in 2022, up from $22,482 if they did not. Their employers, meanwhile, would earn $7,303 in net profits per worker annually in this same scenario, versus $6,598.

    Why it matters

    Roughly half of California’s agricultural employers are facing labor shortages at a time when the average age of U.S. farmworkers is also rising.

    Some of them, including grape producers, are responding by investing more heavily in labor-saving equipment, which helps reduce the need for seasonal manual labor. However, automated harvesting isn’t yet a viable or affordable option for labor-intensive specialty crops such as melons and strawberries.

    Despite labor shortages, agricultural employers may be reluctant to increase total compensation for farmworkers. They may also be wary of providing additional benefits such as health insurance for two main reasons.

    First, seasonal workers are, by definition, transient, meaning that the employer who provides coverage may not necessarily be the same one who benefits from a healthier worker. Second, it costs an employer money but doesn’t necessarily benefit them in the future if the worker moves on.

    Most U.S. farmworkers are immigrants from Mexico or Central America. Roughly 42% are immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal authorization, down from 55% in the early 2000s.

    As the share of farmworkers who are unauthorized immigrants has declined, the share who are U.S. citizens – including those born here – has grown and now stands at about 39%.

    The low wages farmworkers earn offer little incentive for more U.S. citizens and permanent residents to take these jobs. These jobs might become more attractive if employers offered health care coverage to protect the health of the worker and their household.

    Farmworkers who lack legal authorization to be in the U.S. are not eligible for private health insurance policies, and many can’t enroll in Medicaid, a government-run health insurance program that’s primarily for low-income Americans and people with disabilities. Regardless, some employers do take steps to help them gain access to health care services. As of 2025, a large share of farmworkers remain uninsured, including many citizens and immigrants with legal status.

    Limited access to health care is an unfortunate reality for farmworkers, whose jobs are physically demanding and dangerous. In addition, farmworkers are paid at or near the minimum wage and are constantly searching for their next employment opportunity. This uncertainty causes high levels of stress, which can contribute to chronic health issues such as hypertension.

    What still isn’t known

    It is hard to estimate the effect of employer-provided health insurance on workers and employers, since labor market outcomes are a result of highly complex interactions.

    For example, wages, productivity and how long someone keeps their job are highly interdependent variables determined by the interaction between what workers seek and what employers offer. And wages do not always reflect a worker’s skills and abilities, as some people are more willing to accept a job with low pay if their compensation includes good benefits such as health insurance.

    The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

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

    – ref. Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research – https://theconversation.com/providing-farmworkers-with-health-insurance-is-worth-it-for-their-employers-new-research-253200

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Peru’s ancient irrigation systems turned deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University

    A pre-Hispanic canal funnels water from mountains to farm fields. Ari Caramanica

    Seeing the north coast of Peru for the first time, you would be hard-pressed to believe it’s one of the driest deserts in the world.

    Parts of the region receive less than an inch of rain in an entire year. Yet, water and greenery are everywhere. This is the nation’s agro-industrial heartland, and, thanks to irrigation canals, almost every inch of the floodplain is blanketed in lucrative export crops, such as sugarcane, asparagus and blueberries.

    However, the apparent success of this system masks an underlying fragility.

    Water shortages have plagued the region for centuries, and now modern climate change combined with agro-industrial practices have further intensified droughts. In response, the Peruvian government has invested billions of dollars in irrigation infrastructure in recent years designed to deliver more water from a resource more than 100 miles away: glaciers in the Andes.

    But the Andean glaciers are disappearing as global temperatures rise. Peru has lost over half its glacier surface area since 1962. At the same time, floods often connected to wet El Niño years are increasing in both frequency and intensity. These floods often destroy or obstruct critical irrigation infrastructure.

    Andean glaciers are disappearing as global temperatures rise. Peru lost over half its glacier surface area in the past half-century.
    mmphoto/DigitalVision via Getty Images

    As an archaeologist investigating societal responses to environmental and climate disaster in Peru, I’m interested in unraveling the histories of complex systems to understand how to improve similar systems today. To understand the Peruvian heartland’s vulnerabilities, it helps to look to the deep past.

    Most of the modern canal network originally dates to pre-Hispanic times, more than 1400 years ago. However, evidence suggests that while the canal systems of the past may have looked similar to those of the present, they functioned in more efficient, flexible ways. The key to adapting to our present and future climate may lie in comprehending the knowledge systems of the past – not just the equipment, technology or infrastructure, but how people used it.

    An environment of extremes

    The north coast of Peru is an environment of extremes.

    In this desert, thousands of years ago, societies encountered many of the same challenges posed by the modern climate crisis: expanding drylands, water scarcity, vulnerable food production systems, and frequent, intense natural disasters.

    Yet, people not only occupied this area for millennia, they thrived in it. Moche and Chimu societies created sophisticated, complex political and religious institutions, art and technology, and one of the largest pyramidal structures in the Americas.

    Relief of fish adorn an adobe wall in the historic Tschudi Complex archaeological site at Chan Chan, the former capital of the Chimu empire in Peru.
    FabulousFabs/Flickr, CC BY-NC

    When the Spanish arrived on the desert north coast of Peru shortly after 1532 C.E., early chroniclers remarked on the verdant, green valleys across the region.

    The Spanish immediately recognized the importance of the canal network. They had used similar canal technology in Spain for centuries. So, they set about conscripting Indigenous labor and adapting the irrigation system to their goals.

    Just a few decades later, however, historic records describe sand dunes and scrublands invading the green valleys, water shortages, and in 1578 a massive El Niño flood that nearly ended the young colony.

    So how did the Indigenous operation of this landscape succeed, where the Spanish and the modern-day agro-industrial complex have repeatedly failed?

    Culture was crucial for ancient canal systems

    Ancient beliefs, behaviors and norms – what archaeologists call culture – were fundamentally integrated into technological solutions in this part of Peru in ancient times. Isolating and removing the tools from that knowledge made them less effective.

    Scientists, policymakers and stakeholders searching for models of sustainable agriculture and climate adaptations can look to the archaeological record. Successfully applying past practices to today’s challenges requires learning about the cultures that put those tools to work effectively for so long, so long ago.

    The pre-Hispanic societies of Peru developed agricultural principles around the realities of the desert, which included both dry seasons and flash floods.

    Large-scale irrigation infrastructure was combined with low-cost, easily modified canals. Aqueducts doubled as sediment traps to capture nutrients. Canal branches channeled both river water and floodwater. Even check-dams – small dams used to control high-energy floods – worked in multiple ways. Usually made of mounded cobble and gravel, they reduced the energy of flash floods, captured rich sediments and recharged the water table.

    A drone’s view of sugarcane fields shows a pre-Hispanic adobe aqueduct on the right and small feeder canals in the modern fields.
    Ari Caramanica

    The initial failures of the Spanish on the north coast exemplify the problem of trying to adopt technology without understanding the cultural insights behind it: While they may be identical in form, a Spanish canal isn’t a Moche canal.

    Spanish canals operated in a temperate climate and were managed by individual farmers who could maintain or increase their water flow. The Moche and Chimu canal was tied to a complex labor system that synchronized cleaning and maintenance and prioritized the efficient use of water. What’s more, Moche canals functioned in tandem with floodwater diversion canals, which activated during El Niño events to create niches of agricultural productivity amid disasters.

    A handmade gate on a modern canal in northern Peru doesn’t seem that different from ancient canals, but the pre-Hispanic canal systems were generally more conceptually complex and interconnected.
    Ari Caramanica

    Desert farming required flexibility and multifunctionality from its infrastructure. Achieving that often meant forgoing impermeable materials and permanent designs, which stands in stark contrast to the way modern-day water management works are constructed.

    Copying ancient practices without the culture

    Today, the Peruvian government is pushing forward with a decades-old, multibillion-dollar project to deliver water to the north coast from a glacier-fed river.

    The Chavimochic project promises a grand transformation, turning desert into productive farmland. But it may be sacrificing long-term resilience for short-term prosperity.

    The project feeds on the temporary abundance of glacial meltwater. This is creating a water boom as the ice melts, but it will inevitably be followed by a devastating water bust as the glaciers all but disappear, which scientists estimate could happen by the end of the 21st century.

    Farmers sell locally grown corn and other crops at a street market in Piura, Peru.
    Christian Ender/Getty Images

    Meanwhile, sustainable land management practices of past Indigenous inhabitants continue to support ecosystems hundreds and even thousands of years later. Studies show higher levels of biodiversity, crucial to ecosystem health, near archaeological sites.

    On the Peruvian north coast, pre-Hispanic infrastructure continues to capture floodwater during El Niño events. When their modern-day fields are flooded or destroyed by these events, farmers will sometimes move their crops to areas surrounding archaeological remains where their corn, squash and bean plants can tap into the trapped water and sediments and safely grow without the need for further irrigation.

    Critics might point out the difficulty of scaling up ancient technologies for global applications, find them rudimentary, or would prefer to appropriate the design without bothering with understanding “the cultural stuff.”

    But this framing misses the bigger point: What made these technologies effective was the cultural stuff. Not just the tools but how they were used by the societies operating them. As long as modern engineering solutions try to update ancient technologies without considering the cultures that made them function, these projects will struggle.

    Understanding the past matters

    Archaeologists have an important role to play in building a climate-resilient future, but any meaningful progress would benefit from a historical approach that considers multiple ways of understanding the environment, of operating an irrigation canal and of organizing an agriculture-based economy.

    That approach, in my view, begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded, as well as preserving archaeological and sacred sites, and creating partnerships built on trust with the people who have worked with the land and whose cultures have adapted their practices to the changing climate for thousands of years.

    Ari Caramanica receives funding from The National Endowment for the Humanities.

    – ref. Peru’s ancient irrigation systems turned deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed – https://theconversation.com/perus-ancient-irrigation-systems-turned-deserts-into-farms-because-of-the-culture-without-it-the-systems-failed-251199

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Melissa Celebrates 40th Anniversary as the Address Expert

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Celebrating an industry milestone, Melissa today announced its 40th anniversary as the Address Expert. The company is a global leader in data quality and address management solutions, and now marks four decades of innovation and market leadership in data quality, identity verification, and customer address management.

    Established in 1985 by Ray Melissa, the company started with a simple ZIP Code data offering aimed at improving address accuracy for mailers. Today, Melissa has grown into a global powerhouse, serving over 10,000 businesses worldwide with a robust suite of solutions that enhance address, email, phone, and identity verification. Melissa’s newly released catalog features a spectrum of integrations, tools, and services supporting customer data quality across key international arenas such as fintech and financial services, healthcare, public sector services, and online commerce.

    “For Melissa, 2025 is an incredibly special year,” said company founder Ray Melissa. “It’s gratifying to reflect on our journey—from a small data provider to an industry leader shaping the future of data quality and verification. Operating at the crossroads of customer data, global business operations, and emerging AI-driven platforms, we take pride in empowering enterprises to harness the full potential of clean, standardized data in an increasingly connected world.”

    Melissa has long focused on global growth, building partnerships that serve a worldwide enterprise customer base and support data professionals from developers to database managers to data end-users. In 2024 alone, the company introduced new integrations with FedRAMP®, Shopify, Microsoft AppSource, and Google Workspace, reinforcing its presence in cloud-based data services. Additionally, Melissa expanded its international footprint by opening new offices in Mexico and Brazil, further solidifying its role as a trusted partner across five continents.

    Beyond geographic expansion, Melissa has remained at the forefront of technological advancements in data quality. The company recently launched its Melissa Alert Service, a cutting-edge solution designed for continuous data monitoring and automated cleansing. Melissa’s success has also been built on strong collaborations with key postal agencies, technology providers, and recognized authoritative data sources. The company maintains USPS® CASS™, PAVE™, NCOALink® Service, and Canada Post SERP® certifications, ensuring its data solutions meet the highest postal standards worldwide. Melissa is also partnered with ESRI, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, with data integrations that support retailers with optimized address data for smarter ecommerce. Partnerships with Salesforce, Talend, Stripe, Snowflake, and other major platforms continue to enable seamless integrations for enterprise clients.

    “Our partnerships have been instrumental in driving Melissa’s reach,” added Melissa. “By working alongside leading global organizations and authoritative data sources, we ensure that businesses have access to the most accurate, up-to-date, and compliant data solutions available. We don’t plan on slowing down and can see a bright future for continued pioneering of smart, sharp data tools to empower business.”

    Click here to download Melissa’s 2025 Data Quality and Enrichment Catalog; to connect with members of Melissa’s global intelligence team, visit www.Melissa.com or call 1-800-MELISSA.

    About Melissa
    Powering clean customer data for 40 years, Melissa is the Address Expert. Providing address validation, address autocomplete, and geo-verified address data for 240+ countries, Melissa supports global businesses with its offices across five continents. Melissa’s suite of data quality, ID verification, and location data tools and services drives better decision-making, reduced costs, increased efficiency, and improved compliance. Our APIs, CRM and ecommerce integrations, and online tools help Melissa’s 10,000 customers worldwide process billions of addresses daily, fully capitalizing on the business value of customer data. For more information, visit www.Melissa.com or call 1-800-MELISSA (635-4772).

    Media contacts
    Greg Brown
    Vice President, Global Marketing, Melissa
    greg.brown@Melissa.com
    +1-800-635-4772 x1130

    MPoweredPR for Melissa
    pr@mpoweredpr.com
    +1-877-794-6777

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Abaxx Provides Q1 2025 Corporate Update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Abaxx Technologies Inc. (CBOE:ABXX)(OTCQX:ABXXF) (“Abaxx” or the “Company”), a financial software and market infrastructure company, majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte Ltd., the owner of Abaxx Commodity Exchange and Clearinghouse (individually, “Abaxx Exchange” and “Abaxx Clearing”), and producer of the SmarterMarkets™ Podcast, provides an update on operational milestones and the continued execution of the Company’s business strategy in the first quarter of 2025.

    The Company also announces that it plans to host an investor call and presentation on Thursday, April 10th. For more information, see “Q1 2025 Business Update Investor Call” below.

    Abaxx Corporate Milestone Highlights

    Commercial Development

    • Executed the Company’s first trades in Nickel Sulphate and Lithium Carbonate Futures, including the world’s first trade of a non-Chinese, USD-denominated and physically-deliverable Lithium Carbonate Futures contract.
    • The Company saw the first OTC LNG cargo trade indexed to Abaxx LNG Futures (see the Company’s press release from March 24, 2025).
    • Established active market makers in all three LNG contracts and both carbon contracts across our trading hours.
    • A total of six clearing firms, 29 trading firms, and 14 interdealer brokers (IDBs) are now connected to Abaxx Exchange and Clearing, with an additional four clearing firms, 12 trading firms, and 12 IDBs currently in progress.
    • Completed the first brand listing under the Lithium Carbonate Futures contract.
    • Finalized onboarding with a major global data distribution network expected to expand visibility of Abaxx markets to over 100 million viewers. Added six new market data partners in Q1 2025, bringing the total to six.
    • Engaged in exploratory discussions with an external exchange group seeking to use Abaxx Clearing for third-party clearing services, and also engaged in exploratory discussions with external exchange groups based in China to collaborate on cross-jurisdictional (i.e. onshore/offshore) product listing opportunities with Abaxx Exchange and Clearing.

    Exchange Product Development

    • Launched four new battery metals contracts in Q1 2025, including Nickel Sulphate Futures and three regional physically-deliverable Lithium Carbonate Futures contracts.
    • Submitted a 1-kilobar Singapore Gold Futures contract for regulatory review.
    • Currently in the final development stage of: (i) a financially-settled copper spread contract to support price transparency in global base metals markets, and (ii) the first contracts in a suite of weather futures.

    Risk and Regulatory Development

    • Applied to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for recognition as a Foreign Board of Trade (FBOT).
    • Completed public consultation on rule amendments to introduce additional currencies as acceptable margin collateral.
    • Convened the inaugural meeting of its Risk Advisory Panel and successfully executed a default management fire drill.

    Systems and Operations Development

    • Expanded system capabilities to support multi-currency settlement and collateralization, with projected completion by May 2025.
    • Completed the upgrade of Verifier+ (a digital credentials storage provider) into the Abaxx Trade Registration Platform.
    • Continued progress on ISO/IEC 27001 audit for Abaxx Exchange infrastructure, with certification targeted for June 2025.
    • Enhanced client onboarding workflows and expanded market data access to support growing participant demand.

    Abaxx Console Suite Development

    • Rolled out Verifier+ v2.0 with expanded capabilities and integrated the app with Abaxx Exchange to enable passwordless login for the Abaxx Trade Registration Platform (ATRP).
    • Advanced Abaxx Messenger into pre-release testing as a member support tool for Abaxx Exchange.
    • Reached the initial development milestone for Abaxx Sign, currently progressing through testing and feedback with design partners.
    • Initiated development of AbaxxOne, a middleware solution connecting enterprise identity systems (e.g., Auth0, Okta) to ID++ and the Abaxx Console Suite.

    Financing Development

    • On March 27, 2025, the Company announced it had closed the first tranche of a non-brokered private placement, securing C$22.85 million through the issuance of secured convertible debentures bearing 7.0% annual interest, convertible at C$13.00 per share and maturing in 2028. The Company is currently in discussions for a potential second tranche (see the Company’s press release dated March 27, 2025).

    Following the successful launch of Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing in mid-2024, the first quarter of 2025 marked a period of accelerated growth across product development, commercial engagement, and systems expansion. First trades were executed in the Nickel Sulphate and Lithium Carbonate markets, alongside the first OTC LNG cargo trade indexed to Abaxx LNG Futures, reflecting early adoption of our benchmark contracts.

    We launched four new contracts across our battery metals product suite and submitted a 1-kilobar Singapore Gold Futures contract to support Asia’s kilobar market, an offering not currently matched in London or New York. In parallel, we incorporated Abaxx Spot, a separate entity designed to support convergence between futures and physical gold markets. While the gold futures contract will be listed by Abaxx Exchange, Abaxx Spot enables electronic settlement and physical delivery of 99.99% purity kilobars in Singapore through a secure, transparent gold pool. Together, these initiatives advance our vision of building smarter markets for physical gold trading. Onboarding momentum continued through targeted, on-the-ground engagement at commercial events globally.

    We also scaled platform infrastructure, enhancing client onboarding workflows, expanding market data access, and progressing toward ISO 27001 certification. Core protocol development advanced with upgrades to the ID++ protocol and Verifier+, the initiation of AbaxxOne middleware, and continued development of Abaxx Messenger.

    The following sections provide further information related to these developments across business units and platform initiatives.

    Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing Developments

    Risk and Regulatory: Abaxx Exchange submitted its application to the U.S. CFTC for recognition as a Foreign Board of Trade (FBOT). Once granted, this recognition would enable U.S. trading participants to directly access products listed on Abaxx Exchange. In February, the Company completed a public consultation on rule amendments to support the introduction of additional currencies as acceptable margin collateral. These amendments are now under regulatory review, with the final list of approved currencies to be announced in due course.

    The Company also convened the inaugural meeting of its Risk Advisory Panel on March 17, 2025 with participation from all three direct clearing members. The Risk Advisory Panel serves as a forum for ongoing collaboration between the clearinghouse and its members to strengthen risk management, transparency, and operational resilience. In late March, Abaxx Clearing conducted its first default management firedrill with member participation, a process which validated its preparedness to manage member defaults and execute crisis response procedures effectively.

    Commercial: The Abaxx Commercial team secured market participation leading to the first trades in Nickel Sulphate and Lithium Carbonate Futures during the first quarter of 2025, including the world’s first trade of a non-Chinese, USD-denominated and physically-deliverable Lithium Carbonate Futures contract. The quarter also saw the first OTC LNG cargo trade indexed to Abaxx LNG Futures, reflecting growing confidence in Abaxx’s benchmark contracts. Active market makers were established across all three LNG contracts and both carbon contracts during core trading hours.

    Onboarding efforts continued across firm types. Abaxx maintained six active clearing members and non-direct clearing firm connections, with four additional clearers, that include global bank clearers, currently in progress to establish new clearing connectivity. Twenty-nine trading firms comprised of merchant traders and financial trading firms are now fully onboarded to execute Block Trades with twelve additional firms currently in the onboarding process; clients connected to Abaxx continue to be able to access Abaxx markets through the central limit order book. Fourteen interdealer brokers (IDBs) are onboarded with twelve more in progress. The quarter also included the first brand listing under the Lithium Carbonate Futures contract.

    Abaxx representatives participated in over 300 high-level meetings across 10 global industry events in Q1 2025. Executives were featured on panels at both E-World and the FT Commodities Global Summit, supporting commercial visibility and momentum. Abaxx was also shortlisted for the World LNG Award for Outstanding Contribution 2024.

    To support commercial growth in Asia in Q1, Abaxx expanded marketing efforts in China, including the launch of a dedicated Chinese-language website (https://cn.abaxx.exchange/) and the announcement of a co-hosted Mandarin-language battery metals seminar with Shanghai Metals Market, taking place April 8, 2025. The team also engaged in exploratory discussions with an external exchange group seeking to use Abaxx Clearing for third-party clearing services, and also engaged in exploratory discussions with external exchange groups based in China to collaborate on cross-jurisdictional (i.e. onshore/offshore) product listing opportunities with Abaxx Exchange and Clearing.

    To support broader market visibility, Abaxx Exchange launched abaxx.exchange/marketdata to provide access to market data publicly. Abaxx also formally launched its market data program in Q1, with six partners onboarded to date: five subscribers and one redistributor. Progress is underway to onboard multiple data distributors, including the leading global financial data provider currently in technical integration, another with a distribution network expected to extend Abaxx market visibility to over 100 million viewers, as well as additional partners supporting our broader data distribution strategy.

    Systems and Operations: Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing continued to operate reliably with no downtime since launch, supporting stable onboarding and trading. Systems testing is underway to support multi-currency settlement and collateralization, with rollout on track for completion by May 2025. The ISO/IEC 27001 audit for Abaxx Exchange infrastructure is in progress, with certification targeted for June 2025.

    The Company continues to enhance client onboarding workflows to ensure a seamless experience for market participants. In parallel, integration work is advancing across major market data vendors to expand access to Abaxx Exchange market data and meet growing participant demand.

    Exchange Product Development: Development of the Gold Singapore Futures contract progressed through Stage 3 (Industry Review/Risk/Regulatory), with launch planning underway. Abaxx also advanced a regional copper spread futures contract, a suite of weather derivatives, and carbon market contracts aligned with regional compliance programs, each currently in Stage 3. Certain weather and compliance carbon futures are expected to become the first Abaxx contracts priced in currencies other than U.S. dollars.

    Enhancements to the LNG contract suite included updates to the LNG Northwest Europe contract to incorporate Phase 2 compliance requirements under the EU Methane Regulation. Additional research is underway to update the list of eligible ports, including newly commissioned infrastructure. As of April 4, 2025, Calcasieu Pass LNG was added as an Eligible Loading Port under the Abaxx LNG Gulf of Mexico Futures Contract.

    Phase 2 work also continued on contract extensions designed to complement Abaxx benchmark products, as well as on meeting regulatory requirements for a suite of physically and financially-settled options.

    Additional Corporate Updates

    Abaxx Console Apps:   The Company released upgrades to the ID++ protocol and Verifier+ in Q1 2025, including integrations with Abaxx Exchange and SmarterMarkets Coffeehouse™. Verifier+ improvements followed its public release on the Apple App Store and Google Play, with enhanced app speed, simplified account recovery, broader device compatibility, and expanded user controls for account editing and deletion. Device-native features such as PIN entry and camera functionality were also upgraded.

    Messenger is in its final stages of pre-release testing ahead of deployment as a user support tool for Abaxx Exchange. Feature development for initial release is complete, with improvements to maintaining performance at scale now in testing. These include faster load times for messages, improved performance under load, and interface tools that help support teams manage multiple, ongoing conversations.

    Development of AbaxxOne was initiated as a middleware solution connecting enterprise identity systems (e.g., Auth0, Okta) to the Abaxx ecosystem.

    Abaxx Sign reached its initial functional milestone and is now progressing through internal testing and design partner feedback cycles.

    Integration of PrivacyCode progressed in Q1, with Verifier+ now available as a login option. This marks continued growth in the number of applications and platforms offering Verifier+ as a privacy-enabled authentication method across the Abaxx ecosystem.

    SmarterMarkets™: SmarterMarkets™ conducted on-site interviews at key industry events hosted by the Futures Industry Association and Financial Times in Q1 2025, capturing real-time insights from global market participants for upcoming compilation episodes. These conversations contribute to the ongoing dialogue around the future of energy, climate, technology, and finance — conversations that the SmarterMarkets Coffeehouse platform is designed to elevate.

    Development also began on the mobile application for SmarterMarkets Coffeehouse™, and contributor onboarding was completed for the first cohort of over 50 thought leaders across energy, AI, digital identity, carbon, and market infrastructure. Early contributors have begun publishing content on the platform. By combining verifiable credentials with tiered levels of access, Coffeehouse is designed to facilitate more open and trusted dialogue than traditional social media environments currently support.

    Those interested in joining as commenters or members can join the waitlist at https://smartermarkets.media/waitlist/.

    Q1 2025 Business Update Investor Call

    The Company plans to host a quarterly business update investor presentation, to provide a business update and respond to investor questions.

    The Company will hold the investor presentation via Zoom Meetings on Thursday, April 10th, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST). The Company invites current and prospective shareholders to attend this quarterly business update and Q&A session with the Abaxx executive team. Attendees may email their questions in advance to ir@abaxx.tech.

    Registration will be required to access the meeting. Following the presentation, a recording of the session will be made available on the Abaxx Investor Relations website at investors.abaxx.tech.

    PRESENTATION DETAILS
    DATE: Thursday, April 10, 2025
    TIME: 10:00 a.m. EST
    LOCATION: Zoom Meeting
    To receive the meeting link and passcode, please register here.
    QUESTIONS: Please submit questions ahead of the presentation to: ir@abaxx.tech

    About Abaxx Technologies

    Abaxx is building Smarter Markets — markets empowered by better financial technology and market infrastructure to address our biggest challenges, including the energy transition. In addition to developing and deploying financial technologies that make communication, trade, and transactions easier and more secure, Abaxx is a majority-owner of Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing, subsidiaries recognized by MAS as an RMO and ACH, respectively.

    Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing are a Singapore-based commodity futures exchange and clearinghouse, introducing centrally cleared, physically deliverable commodities futures and derivatives to provide better price discovery and risk management tools for the commodities critical to our transition to a lower-carbon economy.

    For more information please visit abaxx.tech, abaxx.exchange and smartermarkets.media.

    For more information about this press release, please contact:
    Steve Fray, CFO
    Tel: +1 647 490 1590

    Media and investor inquiries:
    Abaxx Technologies Inc.
    Investor Relations Team
    Tel: +1 647 490 1590
    E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” which do not consist of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Abaxx’s future plans, objectives, or goals, including words to the effect that Abaxx expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “seeking”, “should”, “intend”, “predict”, “potential”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, “continue”, “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Since forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Abaxx, Abaxx does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet respective management expectations. Risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors involved with forward- looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

    Forward-looking information related to Abaxx in this press release includes, but is not limited to: the business plans and objectives of Abaxx; the development of new products, futures contracts, markets and technologies and associated benefits; anticipated receipt of regulatory approvals; closing of a second tranche offering of secured convertible debentures; and onboarding of clearing members and firms. Such factors impacting forward-looking information include, among others: the inability to receive regulatory approvals in connection with financings or inability to finalize transaction documentation; risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; Abaxx’s limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; acquiring and maintaining regulatory approvals for Abaxx’s products and operations; the ability to list Abaxx’s securities on stock exchanges in a timely fashion or at all; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions, protection of intellectual property rights, contractual risk, third-party risk; clearinghouse risk, malicious actor risks, third-party software license risk, system failure risk, risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure; and changes in the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labor and international travel and supply chains, and the risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent management discussion & analysis filed on SEDAR+. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx’s normal course of business.

    Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. When relying on forward- looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraphs will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Abaxx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and information. Cboe Canada does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California sues Trump administration after funding for critical library services threatened

    Source: US State of California 2

    Apr 7, 2025

    What you need to know: As National Library Week begins, California is suing the Trump administration after millions of dollars in grants to the state’s libraries were terminated abruptly when the federal administration illegally dismantled a federal agency.

    Sacramento, California – As National Library Week begins, Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration after millions of dollars in grants to state libraries were terminated abruptly through the Trump administration’s efforts to illegally shutter the agency that administers them. This threatens federal funding to California libraries that support library staff and critical library programs, including literacy and language tutoring and summer reading and activity programs.

    In California, we know libraries hold more than books. Libraries, and librarians, stand at the crossroads of opportunity and information, offering countless programs and supports for everyone in the community, from career help to free meals for children. An attack on libraries is an attack on communities – and California is fighting back.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    “Our libraries are hubs for learning, civic engagement, and community. They provide important services to Californians, from kids summer reading and meal programs, to programs that help families, seniors, and veterans navigate an increasingly digital world,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “On Friday, we sued the Trump Administration for unlawfully attempting to shutter the Institute of Museum and Library Services—a federal agency that supports libraries across the nation. This National Library Week, we recognize the essential role that libraries play in our communities and to preserve our rich cultural heritage, and vow to continue the fight to ensure that all Californians can access the public services libraries provide our communities every day.”

    Executive Order No. 14238 continues the Trump administration’s unlawful attack on several Congressionally-established agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which supports educational and cultural institutions and programs across the country. Through IMLS’s Grants to States Program, the California State Library received $15.7 million in federal funding to support statewide library programs and staffing – less than 40 cents per Californian. Over 21 percent of that funding has yet to be sent to California. 

    IMLS funds support numerous programs that serve all Californians – especially lower-income families, seniors, and veterans. These funds also help expand access to the Career Online High School program that enables adults to earn their high school diplomas through local libraries, and the Braille and Talking Book Library that ensures that visually impaired Californians have free access to books in accessible formats. If the Order stands, all functions and staff positions paid for with IMLS funding will be at risk. 

    Attorney General Bonta joined the lawsuit alongside the attorneys general of New York, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

    This is California’s 12th lawsuit against the Trump administration. A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

    More on California’s State Library

    With IMLS funding, the State Library works with the 1,127 libraries across the state to provide high-quality literacy and summer programs, high-speed broadband, disaster preparedness, early learning, homework help, teen services, career resources, and collections. It supports transparency, providing free and open access to government information through the Federal and State Depository Library Programs. The State Library also maintains and expands the Braille and Talking Book Library, providing audio and braille books, magazines, and descriptive videos to blind and print disabled Californians. 

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Apr 5, 2025

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    News California Just a Nevada-Sized Economy Away from Overtaking Germany and Japan as World’s No. 3 Economy— Bloomberg News SACRAMENTO — As President Trump threatens the U.S. economy with reckless tariffs and rising uncertainty, Governor Gavin Newsom announced new…

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    News “California is not Washington, D.C.” What you need to know:As President Trump’s tariffs take effect, Governor Gavin Newsom is pursuing new strategic partnerships with international trading partners while calling for California-made products to be excluded from…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog and New Development Bank’s Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) Sign a Statement of Intent to Strengthen Independent Evaluation in India

    Source: New Development Bank

    New Delhi, India, 7 April 2025: The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the New Development Bank (NDB) have signed a statement of intent to enhance cooperation in the field of independent evaluation and capacity-building.

    The statement of intent establishes a framework for strategic and technical collaboration between DMEO and IEO, supporting evidence-based policymaking and improving development effectiveness. The partnership will focus on knowledge exchange, evaluation capacity-building, and awareness initiatives to reinforce India’s evaluation landscape.

    Key areas of cooperation between DMEO and IEO include:

    • Technical assistance: Sharing expertise and best practices in independent evaluation methodologies.
    • Capacity-building: Organising workshops and training programmes to strengthen technical capabilities at national and state levels.
    • Knowledge-sharing: Facilitating exchange of methodologies, tools and evaluation approaches.
    • Awareness and communications: Joint activities to promote M&E, including conferences, stakeholder meetings and learning events.

    In her message on this occasion, Ms. Nidhi Chhibber, Director-General, DMEO, NITI Aayog, stated, “By bringing together the expertise of DMEO, NITI Aayog and IEO, NDB, the partnership will facilitate the sharing of technical knowledge, development of methodologies, and capacity building, leading to a more synergistic and strengthened monitoring & evaluation ecosystem”.

    In his remarks, Mr. Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director General, IEO, NDB, noted, “With 26 projects worth USD 8.6 billion financed in India since 2016, NDB is deeply committed to supporting the country’s development journey. Independent evaluation ensures that these investments yield sustainable results. Through this collaboration with DMEO, we aim to not only enhance evaluation capacity but also contribute to India’s long-term development goals by strengthening accountability, evaluation-based knowledge-sharing and evidence-driven decision-making”.

    NDB’s portfolio in India spans critical sectors such as transport infrastructure (with 55% of its projects focused on this sector), water and sanitation (16%), renewable energy (3%), and COVID-19 emergency assistance (23%). These projects are spread across 13 states and union territories, with four initiatives having a nationwide scope.

    This partnership underscores NDB’s commitment to supporting India’s development agenda and reinforces its role in fostering sustainable and inclusive growth.

    About the New Development Bank

    NDB is a multilateral bank established in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) with the aim of mobilising resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS countries and emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs). In alignment with its members’ development objectives and commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, NDB prioritises high-impact operations that are climate-smart, disaster-resilient, technology-integrated, and socially inclusive. NDB’s Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is responsible for independently evaluating the Bank’s policies, strategies, processes, initiatives and operations. IEO also contributes and provides oversight to improve the effectiveness of the Bank’s quality assurance and self-evaluation activities.

    About the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO)

    DMEO was established by the Government of India on 18th September 2015, as an attached office of the NITI Aayog by merging the erstwhile Program Evaluation Office and Independent Evaluation Office. To ensure that DMEO is able to function independently, it has been given separate budgetary allocations and manpower in addition to complete functional autonomy. The Programme Evaluation Organization (PEO) was established by the Government of India in October 1952 with a specific task of evaluating the community development programmes and other intensive area development schemes which were being funded by the Government of India. It worked as a division of the erstwhile Planning Commission and was headed by an Adviser (PEO) who reported to the Member, Planning Commission. PEO had 15 field units (7 Regional Evaluation Offices + 8 Project Evaluation Offices) located across the country. In an effort to accord more functional autonomy to the programme evaluation mechanism in the country, the Government of India established the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) in November, 2010. The IEO was headed by a Director General, equivalent to a Union Minister of State in rank and status.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – Women in Politics and the Fight Against Violence – Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

    Source: European Parliament

    On Wednesday, 9 April 2025, the FEMM Committee in association with EP Delegation for relations with the Federative Republic of Brazil will exchange views on Women in Politics and the Fight Against Violence.

    Four Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil have been invited to exchange views on the challenges that women in politics are facing, and what measures we can jointly take to improve the situation, especially in the fight against violence.

    In Europe, women politicians face significant levels of violence, both online and offline, as a barrier to their participation in public life. A 2018 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) found that 85% of surveyed women parliamentarians in Europe had experienced psychological violence, including threats and harassment, while 47% had received death, rape, or other forms of threats. Online abuse is particularly widespread, with Amnesty International reporting that women politicians in Europe receive disproportionate levels of hate speech, often with sexist and misogynistic undertones.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: West Yorkshire manufacturer opens factory and expands global reach with UKEF support

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    West Yorkshire manufacturer opens factory and expands global reach with UKEF support

    Rosehill Polymers Group has opened a new factory in Sowerby Bridge following a previous financing agreement with UK Export Finance (UKEF) and Virgin Money.

    • The company now exports directly to over 60 countries, through an established network of distributors and end customers.

    • The financing is also supporting apprenticeship schemes and university placements in West Yorkshire, helping to develop the region’s future manufacturing workforce.

    Founded in 1988, Rosehill Polymers Group is a UK manufacturer of high-performance polymer systems using recycled rubber. Its solutions are widely used across sectors such as highways, rail, energy, sport, and security infrastructure.

    In 2023, UKEF, the UK government’s export credit agency, issued a credit guarantee for Rosehill under its General Export Facility. This unlocked new financing from Virgin Money, enabling Rosehill to scale its operations and invest in global growth.

    Thanks in part to this financing, the company has now expanded its direct export markets from 52 to over 60 countries and opened a second factory in Sowerby Bridge. This reflects strong international demand and the versatility of its solutions across diverse applications.

    In 2024–25 alone, Rosehill used the new financing to break into nine new export markets, including Chile, Colombia, the Cayman Islands, South Africa, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, and Romania.

    Further growth is anticipated in 2025, with market entries planned in Argentina, Bolivia, Panama, Suriname, French Guiana, Namibia, Malaysia, Croatia, Latvia, and Singapore.

    With around 100 staff based at its West Yorkshire site, including in-house chemists and technical specialists, Rosehill continues to invest in skills through apprenticeships and university placements, ensuring a strong foundation for the future.

    UKEF’s support has been instrumental in helping Rosehill drive sustainable manufacturing growth, expand its international footprint, and contribute to the UK’s global trade ambitions under the government’s Plan for Change.

    Alexander Celik, CEO at Rosehill Polymers Group, said:

    “Rosehill has an established history of exporting our products to several developed key markets. However, as competition within the sector increases, it is more important than ever to mirror this success elsewhere. Working with UKEF has not only enabled us to tap into the potential held within Latin America, Southeast Asia and Europe, but also expand our innovative product offering to even more customers worldwide.

    “As we enter this next exciting phase of growth, our attention turns to meeting global demand, all while providing opportunities for people across Yorkshire. Our apprenticeship and placement schemes lay at the heart of what we do, and as we expand our overseas footprint, we hope to see this result in increased opportunities to attract the best talent to the industry.”

    Alissia Deane, West Yorkshire Export Finance Manager at UKEF, said:

    “The support provided to Rosehill Polymers highlights UKEF’s commitment to helping British SMEs achieve growth in overseas markets – something which in turn supports economic growth across the UK.

    “It’s fantastic to see how our support ended up helping Rosehill to reach new export markets and develop jobs and talent in the local manufacturing industry.”

    Craig Wilson, Head of FX Sales & Trade Finance at Virgin Money, said:

    “Rosehill are a fabulous example of a successful and innovative UK manufacturing business growing their customer base through the world, and in the process growing their workforce locally.

    “We are proud to be a key partner of Rosehill and provide some of the international tools and expertise to help them to continue to grow their already impressive international success.  The current deal in conjunction with UK Export Finance is another great example of collaboration between Virgin Money and UKEF to support customers trading internationally.”

    Contact 

    Media enquiries:

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Remarks by CE at media session before ExCo (with video)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following are the remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting today (April 8):

    Reporter: Chief Executive, two questions. Are there any concrete measures the Government would do to help local businesses affected by tariff and, in your perception, how would the tariff attack Hong Kong’s unemployment rate? And the second question is on the Panama deal, how should local companies respond to Beijing’s criticism, and would the antitrust probe and the possible failed deal affect people’s perception that companies in Hong Kong must ultimately answer to Beijing?
     
    Chief Executive: Last week, the US announced the imposition of so-called reciprocal tariff on trading partners around the world, including an additional 34 per cent tariff on Hong Kong products. Together with the 20 per cent tariff announced earlier, the total tariff imposed on Hong Kong products is up to 54 per cent. The US no longer adheres to free trade, arbitrarily undermining the internationally established rules of world trade. Its ruthless behaviour damages global and multilateral trade. The reckless imposition of tariff affects many countries and regions around the world with huge tax rate increases covering a wide range of goods, disrupting the world economic and trade order, and bringing great risks and uncertainties to the world. In response to the US’s imposition of tariff, the Government will strengthen its strategy in seven areas.
     
         First, we shall fully seize the opportunities in our country, China’s development, and actively integrate into national development. China is the world’s second-largest economy and second-largest consumer goods market, with a domestic market of 1.4 billion people. Hong Kong will take full advantage of CEPA (Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) to attract more foreign companies to set up operations to capitalise on the benefits of “one country, two systems”. As of the end of last year, the accumulated tariff concessions on goods under CEPA exceeded RMB10.2 billion.
     
         Second, we shall strengthen international exchanges and deepen regional ties and co-operation. We shall sign more free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries and economies. Today, Hong Kong’s FTAs already cover 21 economies. We are currently negotiating investment agreements with Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt and Peru. We will continue to push for Hong Kong’s early accession to the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) to deepen regional co-operation. We are already planning to establish economic and trade offices in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council have set up offices in Cairo, Egypt; Izmir, Türkiye; and Cambodia to proactively expand Hong Kong’s global trade and economic network.
     
         Third, Hong Kong will accelerate industrial transformation by developing a high value-added, innovation-driven economic model. We will expedite the establishment of a high value-added supply chain service hub and promote the growth of a headquarters economy.
     
         Fourth, we will intensify efforts to develop technological innovation, attract top-tier talent, and further strengthen Hong Kong’s competitiveness. We will focus efforts on establishing Hong Kong as a technological and Innovation hub, accelerating development of the Hetao (Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone) and San Tin Technopole, and continuing to attract top-tier talent and enterprises, particularly key strategic companies.
     
         Fifth, we will vigorously advance international financial co-operation to attract investments and capital. I, along with government officials, have conducted multiple visits to emerging markets to forge new partnerships. Notably, we engaged with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Middle East countries to establish mutual recognition with their stock exchanges.
     
         Sixth, we will seize the world’s major trend of geographical diversification, proactively attracting foreign companies and capital to establish in Hong Kong, because Hong Kong can provide security and stability to investors and enterprises under “one country, two systems”.
     
         Seventh, we will continue to provide various support to help Hong Kong enterprises to cope with the impact of tariff and external challenges, including capital flow assistance, export credit insurance measures, supporting Hong Kong enterprises in brand development, upgrading and exploring new markets through the BUD special fund (Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales), etc.
     
         In respect to your question about Hutchison’s deal to sell some ports, I have earlier made three points, and they remain valid, clear and explicit. I will repeat them. First, there have been extensive discussions in society about the issue, and this reflects society’s concern over the matter. These concerns deserve serious attention. Second, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government urges foreign governments to provide a fair and just environment for enterprises, including enterprises from Hong Kong. We oppose the abusive use of coercion or bullying tactics in international economic and trade relations. Third, any transaction must comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Hong Kong will handle it in accordance with the law and regulations. I have noted that the State Administration for Market Regulation of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has noticed the deal, and will review it in accordance with the law to ensure fair market competition and protect public interest.
     
    (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University held an international conference on construction

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The Civil Engineering Institute of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University held the II International Scientific Conference “Civil, Industrial and Urban Construction – 2025” as part of the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Science Week of the Civil Engineering Institute 2025”. The conference was held in person with the possibility of remote connection for foreign participants.

    The event was attended by the Director of the Civil Engineering Institute Marina Petrochenko, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Water Management and Engineering and Communication Systems of the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Elgiz Hasanov, Rector of Segu University Yizhai Dau, Rector of Tahri University Mohammed Bujema Bezzazi, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Urban Development and Modern Transport of Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology Li Xiaolong, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Belarusian-Russian University Olga Golushkova, heads and faculty of the ICI, as well as researchers, design engineers and representatives of design and construction organizations from Russia and foreign countries, including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, China, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and other countries. The conference became a significant platform for exchanging experiences and discussing current issues in the development of modern construction, engineering technologies and sustainable development of the industry.

    The opening of the conference began with a welcoming speech by the Director of the Institute of Civil Engineering Marina Petrochenko, who emphasized the importance of organizing such events: The Institute of Civil Engineering has been organizing the international conference “Civil, Industrial and Urban Construction — 2025” for the second year in a row. We are very pleased that representatives from 12 countries are taking part in the conference today. I hope that this event will become a platform for exchanging professional and scientific results and, of course, a way to expand your professional contacts.

    The conference featured 27 reports on such topical issues as:

    digital transformation of the construction industry; innovative construction materials and technologies; problems of integrating natural elements into the urban environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable development; ways to improve the quality of construction documentation and the level of training of specialists.

    Participants also discussed such important issues as reservoir management and wastewater treatment, extreme precipitation modeling, development of new building materials and technologies, including concrete with modifier additives for 3D printing, and the use of secondary materials to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Particular attention was paid to the safety of hydraulic structures, seismic resistance of bridges, autonomous life support systems and innovative waterproofing solutions. Participants presented research on the use of renewable energy sources, environmental modeling, bioclimatic analysis of premises and the implementation of modern irrigation systems.

    The conference became a unique international platform for the presentation of advanced research and technologies from around the world. Among the reports presented, research related to the use of modern materials and technologies attracted special attention. Elgiz Hasanov (Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction) presented a report on new materials for creating the stability and durability of reinforced concrete structures used in coastal marine defense structures. Scientists study the features of using these structures in difficult operating conditions, which is key to ensuring the safety and reliability of hydraulic structures. Also of considerable interest was the report by Nabil Bella (Tahri Mohamed University), dedicated to geotechnical and environmental modeling of the use of coal waste in road construction. The author explores the possibilities of using these materials to improve construction efficiency and reduce the negative impact on the environment. Luo Pingping (School of Water Resources and Environmental Management, Chang’an University) presented a paper on GPU-based urban 2D hydrodynamic modeling of extreme precipitation events. This approach can help to more accurately predict the impact of natural disasters and develop effective environmental protection measures.

    Conference participants noted that such events not only facilitate the exchange of experience, but also the development of new approaches to solving current problems in the construction industry.

    Today’s conference touches upon truly important and topical issues that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the development of the construction industry and scientific research in general. Our cooperation with the Civil Engineering Institute is of particular joy. This partnership opens up new horizons and opportunities for all participants, Elgiz Gasanov emphasized.

    At the end of the conference, guests were given a tour of the campus of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai receives credentials from new Tuvalu Ambassador Lily Tangisia Faavae  

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-03-28
    President Lai meets British Office Taipei Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones
    On the afternoon of March 28, President Lai Ching-te met with British Office Taipei Representative Ruth Bradley-Jones. In remarks, President Lai welcomed Representative Bradley-Jones as she takes up her post in Taiwan, and thanked the United Kingdom government and parliament for demonstrating staunch support for Taiwan. The president indicated that Taiwan and the UK enjoy close economic and trade ties, and our industries complement each other well, with great potential for collaboration in such fields as semiconductors, AI, unmanned vehicles, and medium- and low-orbit satellites. He stated that he looks forward to expanding exchanges with the UK across all domains so as to enhance democratic and economic resilience, jointly advancing the prosperous development of the Indo-Pacific region and economic security around the world. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a pleasure to meet Representative Bradley-Jones here at the Presidential Office for this exchange. I understand that she has proactively called at many government agencies since taking up her post last month. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a warm welcome. Taiwan and the UK are partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. In recent years, our bilateral relations have continued to deepen. With the efforts of Representative Bradley-Jones and our respective governments, I look forward to the expansion of dialogue and cooperation between Taiwan and the UK. This will further elevate our bilateral ties. Especially in the face of expanding authoritarianism, the UK is not only playing an important role in crafting a unified European response; it is also demonstrating staunch support for Taiwan through various channels. For example, joint statements released after the Australia-UK ministerial consultations, as well as the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, underlined a high level of concern for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The UK government has publicly expressed support for Taiwan’s international participation on multiple occasions. And last November, the UK House of Commons passed a motion clearly asserting that United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan. These actions attest to the UK’s belief in supporting democracy and peace, and have further solidified our countries’ friendship. I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to the UK government and parliament.  Currently, the UK is Taiwan’s fourth largest trading partner in Europe and second largest source of investment from Europe. We enjoy close economic and trade ties, and our industries complement each other well. There is also great potential for collaboration in such fields as semiconductors, AI, unmanned vehicles, and medium- and low-orbit satellites. We look forward to expanding exchanges with the UK across all domains so as to enhance democratic and economic resilience. We also hope the UK will continue to support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership so that together, we can work with more like-minded partners, jointly advancing the prosperous development of the Indo-Pacific region and economic security around the world. Once again, I welcome Representative Bradley-Jones to Taiwan and wish her all the best with her work. I anticipate that Taiwan-UK relations will continue to steadily advance through our joint efforts. Representative Bradley-Jones then delivered remarks, first saying in Mandarin that she is honored to meet with President Lai to discuss topics of mutual concern and jointly deepen Taiwan-UK relations, promoting mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation. She went on to say that she came to Taiwan last August to study Mandarin, and began her post as British Office Taipei representative in February this year, noting that every day she learns more about and gains a deeper understanding of Taiwan. Last year, she said, she visited Tainan and Wanli, and found Tainan’s wetlands and the scenery in Wanli very impressive. She added that she has also tried many different Taiwanese foods, and is looking forward to experiencing even more of Taiwan’s local culture and customs over the next four years. Continuing her remarks in English, Representative Bradley-Jones stated that since taking up her post, she has borne witness to the strength of the relationship between Taiwan and the UK and the potential for it to continue to grow. She said that on trade and investment, there is significant complementarity between Taiwan’s Five Trusted Industry Sectors and the UK’s Industrial Strategy, particularly in areas such as digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy. Both governments are also together supporting Taiwan and UK businesses through our Enhanced Trade Partnership and annual trade talks, she said. Representative Bradley-Jones went on to say that on science and technology, Taiwan and the UK can and should do more together. She noted that the UK has the third largest tech sector in the world and is valued at over US$1.1 trillion, while Taiwan is the center of the semiconductor and AI hardware world. Given our complementary strengths, especially in areas such as semiconductors, space, and communications technology, she said, the UK has stepped up its level of activity in Taiwan, including by regularly hosting a UK Pavilion at SEMICON and funding 18 joint R&D programs through our new collaborative R&D fund, and looks forward to doing more together in the future.  In support of Taiwan’s whole-of-society resilience, the representative said, the UK is supporting valuable exchanges, co-hosting GCTF (Global Cooperation and Training Framework) workshops, sharing lessons on financial sector resilience, and reaching out to mayors and community leaders across Taiwan. From financial resilience to cyber resilience, she said, the UK’s public sector and private industries have plenty to share and learn. Representative Bradley-Jones stated that on people-to-people links, parliamentarians, civil society, and academics are continuing to deepen contact, and that she is particularly excited by a new smart parliament partnership agreed upon by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the UK’s Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which aims to facilitate cross-party, cross-society, and cross-border exchanges on issues such as democratic governance, AI, inclusive policy-making, and public safety. The representative indicated that the examples she mentioned just scratch the surface of the full potential of the Taiwan-UK relationship. She said that the UK’s longstanding policy remains unchanged, and fundamentally, that is because we share a common set of values and interests. We are together focused on how to make our societies safer and more prosperous tomorrow than they are today, she said, and as like-minded democracies, innovative economies, and practical partners, the sincere and pragmatic cooperation between Taiwan and the UK is bringing material benefits to the prosperity and well-being of our people every day. 

    Details
    2025-03-21
    President Lai meets Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy
    On the morning of March 21, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. In remarks, President Lai said that Alaska has long been an important trading partner of Taiwan, and that we have built a solid foundation for cooperation in such fields as energy, fisheries, and tourism. The president expressed hope that Taiwan and Alaska will have more frequent engagement and exchanges so that our relations can continue to grow to create prosperous development for both sides. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincerest welcome to our guests. This is Governor Dunleavy’s first visit to Taiwan, and last night, we both attended the Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯) banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan. I am delighted to have this opportunity to meet with Governor Dunleavy today at the Presidential Office for further dialogue. Alaska has long been an important trading partner of Taiwan. Our sister-state relationship was established in 1988, and we have built a solid foundation for cooperation in such fields as energy, fisheries, and tourism. Currently, Taiwan is Alaska’s eighth largest export market and ninth largest source of imports. This goes to show just how close our trade and economic ties are and how much potential there is for further growth. As I said in my remarks at last night’s Hsieh Nien Fan banquet, Taiwan is interested in buying Alaskan natural gas. I am sure that Governor Dunleavy’s visit will help us explore even more opportunities for cooperation and continue to deepen Taiwan-United States relations. In the face of such challenges as expanding authoritarianism, climate change, and pandemics, we look forward to strengthening collaboration between Taiwan and the US. By drawing on our strengths, we can jointly build non-red supply chains to bolster our economic resilience and drive the advancement of global technology. I want to thank the US government for reiterating the importance it attaches to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and its opposition to any attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion. These statements backing Taiwan help in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region. Once again, I thank Governor Dunleavy for traveling such a long way to Taiwan. We hope to see more frequent engagement and exchanges between Taiwan and Alaska so that our relations can continue to grow, and we can create prosperous development for both sides. Governor Dunleavy then delivered remarks, saying that their trip to visit friends in Taiwan has been fantastic, thanking President Lai for the invitation to meet, and thanking all the staff. Governor Dunleavy said that as the pandemic was raging, the world went from “before COVID” to “after COVID.” Before COVID, he said, the world relied on a number of systems that were in place for decades after World War II involving supply chains, alliances, sources of energy, trading partners, and friends. He went on to say that as we go beyond COVID, we are reestablishing and reevaluating who our friends are, where we are going to get our energy, and who our trading partners are going to be. The governor said that we are creating a new world for the next 50 years with the new administration in Washington, and this is an opportunity for us to reevaluate and reinvest with our friends for the next 50 years in each other, our futures, and our security. Governor Dunleavy stated that one thing is for certain: that Taiwan is a friend of the US and a friend of Alaska, and has been for many, many decades. He said that it is their hope in this trip and subsequent trips to establish an even tighter bond among their friends in Taiwan, the US, and Alaska. The governor also said that we have much in common in that we are members of the Pacific family, are democracies, and believe in freedom, free speech, and capitalism. He indicated that he has much optimism for the future, and that as we reestablish relationships throughout the world, energy is going to be the key and the basis for our economic development, our national security, and our friendship. Governor Dunleavy said that he believes this trip is going to lay the groundwork for a fantastic future between Taiwan, Alaska, and the US, and that with President Lai’s support as well as the support of the US administration, we can work together to build even better relationships.

    Details
    2025-03-20
    President Lai attends AmCham Taiwan 2025 Hsieh Nien Fan
    On the evening of March 20, President Lai Ching-te attended the annual Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯) banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan). In remarks, President Lai pointed out that the United States is now a major source of investment in Taiwan, adding that last year US investment accounted for 11.5 percent of total foreign investment in Taiwan. The president also pointed out that the US has become Taiwan’s largest investment destination, as Taiwan’s direct and indirect investment in the US accounted for more than 40 percent of its total outbound investment last year. President Lai expressed hope that AmCham will continue to offer support in quickly resolving the issue of double taxation, further enhancing the mutually beneficial Taiwan-US economic and trade partnership. He also emphasized that one essential element for our economic prosperity is maintaining security and stability, both regionally and globally. The president expressed his belief that, so long as we coordinate our efforts, we can achieve more in our respective defense industries and build non-red supply chains, advancing peace, stability, and prosperity. A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows: I’m delighted to be here tonight. I want to wish everyone and their families a happy, healthy, and prosperous year ahead. For many years now, AmCham has acted as a bridge between Taiwan and the US. It not only advocates for Taiwan to various sectors in the US, but also offers advice for the development of Taiwan’s industries. So tonight, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all our friends from the American business community. The 2025 Business Climate Survey, published by AmCham this January, demonstrates the confidence foreign businesses have in the Taiwan market. We are happy to see that over 80 percent of survey respondents reported stable or increased revenue last year, and around 80 percent expressed confidence in Taiwan’s economic prospects for the coming year. Moreover, 90 percent of businesses surveyed are planning to maintain or expand their investments in Taiwan. The positive developments in Taiwan made by our American friends here tonight, their outlook for the future, and their confidence in Taiwan, are further proof of Taiwan’s ideal environment for investment. The US is now a major source of investment in Taiwan. Last year, US investment accounted for 11.5 percent of total foreign investment in Taiwan. In 2023, Entegris opened a new manufacturing facility in Kaohsiung and Micron launched a new facility in Taichung. Last year, Google further solidified Taiwan as its biggest R&D hub outside of the US by opening a new office here. AMD, Nvidia, and major cloud computing companies from the US have also been choosing Taiwan to expand their presence. Over the past several years, the US has also become Taiwan’s largest investment destination. Taiwan’s direct and indirect investment in the US accounted for more than 40 percent of our total outbound investment last year. Four years ago, TSMC’s [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company] investment in facilities in Arizona became the biggest FDI [foreign direct investment] in a greenfield project in US history. And this month, TSMC announced it would expand that investment, breaking another record and highlighting the enduring prosperity shared by Taiwan and the US. In addition to TSMC, Taiwan’s GlobalWafers has built a 12-inch silicon wafer factory in Texas, the biggest in the US. This will be followed by many other industries. These companies are confidently expanding their global presence across the Pacific and eastward into the Americas. The US is moving to reindustrialize its manufacturing industry and consolidate high-tech leadership, as it moves to become a global AI hub. In these efforts, Taiwan is an indispensable partner for the US. While the US is a leader in chip design, Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing plays an irreplaceable part in the supply chain. Adapting to the changing geopolitical landscape and the coming era of smart technology, Taiwan will continue to promote its Five Trusted Industry Sectors of semiconductors, AI, military, next-gen communications, and security and surveillance. This will drive the next stage in our economic development. A great time to invest in Taiwan is now. We will continue to better connect relevant government agencies and align with international standards to foster a friendlier investment environment. And I am confident that Taiwanese and American companies can leverage their respective high-tech expertise and invest in each other, boosting growth in industrial innovation and development for both our economies. At the same time, we hope to continue deepening Taiwan-US trade relations. Last year, Taiwan was the seventh largest trading partner of the US, up one spot from the previous year, and bilateral trade grew by 24.2 percent. Taiwan is going to expand procurement from the US of industrial and agricultural products, as well as natural gas. I am very happy to welcome Governor [Mike] Dunleavy of Alaska, who has specially come all the way to Taiwan. Alaska is a source of high-quality natural gas, and its relatively short distance from Taiwan facilitates transportation. So we are very interested in buying Alaskan natural gas because it can meet our needs and ensure our energy security. We hope that AmCham will continue to offer support in quickly resolving the issue of double taxation and removing tax barriers to bilateral investment and trade, further enhancing the mutually beneficial Taiwan-US economic and trade partnership. One essential element for our economic prosperity is maintaining security and stability, both regionally and globally. So we are grateful for the joint leaders’ statement issued by [US] President [Donald] Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, in which they expressed their solid support for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. As we face growing authoritarianism, Taiwan will continue to uphold our values of freedom and democracy and will be a responsible actor in regional and global security. Currently, Taiwan’s defense budget stands at about 2.5 percent of GDP. Going forward, the government will prioritize special budget allocations to ensure that our defense budget exceeds 3 percent of GDP. At the same time, we will continue to reform national defense, further enhancing Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. And we will advance our cooperation with the US and other democracies in upholding regional stability and prosperity. We also welcome continued Taiwan-US cooperation in the defense sector. I believe that, so long as we coordinate our efforts, we can achieve more in our respective defense industries and build non-red supply chains, advancing peace, stability, and prosperity. In closing, I look forward to seeing even greater achievements from Taiwan-US economic and trade cooperation. Thank you. After remarks, President Lai, AmCham Chairperson Dan Silver, American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene, and Governor Dunleavy raised their glasses in recognition of the strong Taiwan-US friendship.  

    Details
    2025-03-18
    President Lai meets Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs  
    On the afternoon of March 18, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. In remarks, President Lai said that Taiwan and Arizona enjoy close economic and trade relations, and expressed hope that through our joint efforts, Arizona will become a shining example for Taiwan-United States high-tech collaboration and the creation of non-red supply chains. The president indicated that the next goal for Taiwan and the US is the signing of an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation, which would provide greater incentives for Taiwanese businesses to invest in the US, facilitate the establishment of more comprehensive industry clusters, and generate more job opportunities, representing a win-win outcome for Taiwan-US relations. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome you all to the Presidential Office. Governor Hobbs previously visited Taiwan after taking office in 2023. Her leading a delegation to Taiwan once again demonstrates Arizona’s continued friendship and the importance Arizona attaches to Taiwan. For this, I express my sincerest gratitude, and I welcome you again. In recent years, ties between Taiwan and Arizona have continued to expand and progress. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)’s investment in Arizona is the largest greenfield investment in US history. This month, TSMC announced that it would increase its investment in the US by US$100 billion. It plans to build more semiconductor fabrication and research and development facilities in greater Phoenix, transforming the area into a US semiconductor hub. Due to our close industrial engagement, we now have more than 30,000 Taiwanese living in Arizona. I would like to thank Governor Hobbs for taking care of Taiwanese businesses and people. I believe that through our joint efforts, Arizona will become a shining example for Taiwan-US high-tech collaboration and the creation of non-red supply chains. Taiwan and Arizona also enjoy close economic and trade relations. Taiwan is Arizona’s eighth largest export market and fifth largest source of imports. Last December, the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade officially came into effect. I believe this will help further deepen our trade and economic ties. At present, the next goal for Taiwan and the US is the signing of an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation. I hope that we can work together to achieve this goal as soon as possible. This would provide greater incentives for Taiwanese businesses to invest in the US, facilitate the establishment of more comprehensive local industry clusters, and generate more job opportunities, representing a win-win outcome. With Governor Hobbs’s support, we look forward to continuing to advance Taiwan-US relations and promoting further cooperation and exchanges between Taiwan and Arizona across all domains. I understand that during this visit, you have visited many important companies and exchanged opinions with government agencies on how to strengthen bilateral relations. These efforts all go toward building an even more solid foundation for future Taiwan-US cooperation. Once again, I thank you all for supporting Taiwan and welcome you to visit us often in the future. Governor Hobbs then delivered remarks, stating that under President Lai’s leadership, Taiwan continues to thrive as a global hub for technology, innovation, and advanced manufacturing. She said that she is proud to be back in Taiwan alongside her secretary of commerce, Sandra Watson, as part of a diplomatic and economic delegation from Arizona. Since arriving, she said, they’ve hit the ground running, meeting with key partners, businesses, and leaders, noting that the takeaway from their meetings has been incredibly positive, and that they underscore the strong and enduring partnership between Arizona and Taiwan. Adding that our partnership that is built on shared values, mutual cultural appreciation, and commitment to innovation and economic growth, Governor Hobbs indicated that Arizona and Taiwan’s partnership extends back decades, as Taiwanese fighter pilots have been training at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix since 1996. She said that we have built a strong base of collaboration across many areas, including technology, workforce, and cultural exchange, and that Arizona is even slated to get its own Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐), which she expressed she is very thrilled about. Governor Hobbs went on to say that Arizona’s relationship with Taiwan is anchored by its ongoing partnership with TSMC and many Taiwan-based companies in semiconductor and other industries, and that TSMC’s US$165 billion investment in Arizona will help power development of the world’s most advanced technology, such as AI, and promises to cement an unbreakable bond between our two economies.  She stated that as governor, she can say with confidence that her administration is fully committed to strengthening this relationship in every way possible, because when Arizona and Taiwan succeed, we all succeed. Lastly, Governor Hobbs once again expressed gratitude to President Lai and the people of Taiwan for their warm hospitality. She then invited President Lai to Arizona to continue their productive conversations and further strengthen ties between our people and our economies, adding that she knows there is no limit to what we can achieve together, and that she is looking forward to what is to come. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene.

    Details
    2025-03-18
    President Lai meets 2025 Yushan Forum participants
    On the afternoon of March 18, President Lai Ching-te met with participants in the 2025 Yushan Forum. In remarks, President Lai thanked the guests for gathering here in Taiwan and discussing ways to enhance regional cooperation, demonstrating that our democratic allies and friends are standing together as we take on the challenges of a new world and a new era. The president reiterated that Taiwan will continue to engage with the world, and we welcome the world to come closer to Taiwan. He stated that Taiwan will continue to work with international partners to deepen cooperation, exchanges, and partnership in various domains and resist the expansion of authoritarianism. Together, the president emphasized, we can pursue regional peace and security and realize a new vision for a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I would like to begin by thanking Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former prime minister of Denmark and chairman of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, for inviting then-President Tsai Ing-wen to address the Copenhagen Democracy Summit via video over five consecutive years since 2020, and for inviting myself to give remarks via video last year. Those opportunities allowed Taiwan to share with the world our motivation for, and our work toward, safeguarding freedom and democracy. I would also like to thank Mr. Janez Janša, former prime minister of the Republic of Slovenia, who has visited Taiwan many times already, for actively elevating the cordial ties between Taiwan and Slovenia during his term as prime minister, helping expand friendship for Taiwan throughout Europe. Today’s guests have traveled a long way to show their strong backing for Taiwan. For this, I express my deepest gratitude. Yesterday was my first time attending the Yushan Forum as president. I saw political leaders and representatives gather here in Taiwan and discuss ways to enhance regional cooperation. The event demonstrated that our democratic allies and friends are standing together as we take on the challenges of a new world and a new era. It was truly moving. As I stated at the opening ceremony, Taiwan will continue to engage with the world, and we welcome the world to come closer to Taiwan. Our government will help guide Taiwanese small- and medium-sized enterprises as they expand into the international market and extend Taiwan’s economic power. I hope that during this visit, our guests will be able to explore more opportunities for cooperation in such fields as AI, smart healthcare, and advanced technologies, and join hands in contributing to the prosperity and development of our democratic allies and friends. Taiwan will continue to work with international partners, building upon the shared values of freedom and democracy, to deepen cooperation, exchanges, and partnership in various domains and resist the expansion of authoritarianism. Together, we can pursue regional peace and security and realize a new vision for a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. And I hope, with the assistance of our guests here today, that we can further strengthen the ties between Taiwan and Europe so that we can all take up the work of maintaining global peace and stability. Once again, I welcome our guests to Taiwan. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in a few moments. I also hope you will visit Taiwan often in the future and continue to experience our vibrant democratic society and culture. Chairman Rasmussen then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great pleasure to be back here in Taipei after meeting with President Lai in 2023. He then thanked President Lai for the Taiwanese hospitality on behalf of the Yushan Forum international visitors and participants, who represent four continents and very different political parties but who are united by one thing – the commitment to democracy. Chairman Rasmussen mentioned that over the past few days, they have met with members of the government, legislature, and civil society in Taiwan. He said that he is more convinced than ever that in a very uncertain world, Taiwan continues to stand as a beacon of democracy, from which people in Europe and in the rest of the world have a lot to learn. Over the past eight years, he has been proud to step up his engagement with Taiwan, he said, as he has always subscribed to the view that freedom must advance everywhere, or else it is in decline everywhere. Chairman Rasmussen noted that they have many interests in making sure Taiwan remains free and that we must always stand up for freedom when it is under assault by a dictator. This is why Ukraine’s fight is also everyone’s fight, he explained. He then praised Taiwan for all of the support it has given to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and honored the two Taiwanese volunteer soldiers who gave their lives for freedom in Ukraine. Chairman Rasmussen remarked that Taiwan is a strong feature of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit that he convenes each year. His foundation, the Alliance of Democracies, has even been sanctioned by the Chinese government due to its support of Taiwan, he said, which is something he takes as a badge of honor. He added that this year’s Copenhagen Democracy Summit in May will be no different, as they plan to focus on the new world order, urgent measures to strengthen Europe’s military, and the situation in Ukraine. But as the United States pulls back from the transatlantic alliance and Europe focuses more on its own defense, he said, Europe should not retreat from the world. He added that to ensure European security, we need more Europe in the Indo-Pacific, and that is why he has been making the argument for more political and economic cooperation with Taiwan. Chairman Rasmussen praised President Lai’s recent decision to increase Taiwan’s national defense budget to more than 3 percent of GDP, adding that it is important that each nation does what it can for its own defense. The chairman once again thanked President Lai for meeting with them today and for the opportunity to visit Taiwan, a beacon of democracy and liberty in Asia. Also in attendance at the meeting were Chairman of the Czech Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Pavel Fischer; Member of the National Security Advisory Board to India’s National Security Council Anshuman Tripathi; former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Anna Fotyga; former Minister of Health of Canada Tony Clement; and former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and current Secretary General of the Polish-based Community of Democracies Mantas Adomėnas.

    Details
    2025-04-06
    President Lai delivers remarks on US tariff policy response
    On April 6, President Lai Ching-te delivered recorded remarks regarding the impact of the 32 percent tariff that the United States government recently imposed on imports from Taiwan in the name of reciprocity. In his remarks, President Lai explained that the government will adopt five response strategies, including making every effort to improve reciprocal tariff rates through negotiations, adopting a support plan for affected domestic industries, adopting medium- and long-term economic development plans, forming new “Taiwan plus the US” arrangements, and launching industry listening tours. The president emphasized that as we face this latest challenge, the government and civil society will work hand in hand, and expressed hope that all parties, both ruling and opposition, will support the measures that the Executive Yuan will take to open up a broader path for Taiwan’s economy. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: My fellow citizens, good evening. The US government recently announced higher tariffs on countries around the world in the name of reciprocity, including imposing a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan. This is bound to have a major impact on our nation. Various countries have already responded, and some have even adopted retaliatory measures. Tremendous changes in the global economy are expected. Taiwan is an export-led economy, and in facing future challenges there will inevitably be difficulties, so we must proceed carefully to turn danger into safety. During this time, I want to express gratitude to all sectors of society for providing valuable opinions, which the government regards highly, and will use as a reference to make policy decisions.  However, if we calmly and carefully analyze Taiwan’s trade with the US, we find that last year Taiwan’s exports to the US were valued at US$111.4 billion, accounting for 23.4 percent of total export value, with the other 75-plus percent of products sold worldwide to countries other than the US. Of products sold to the US, competitive ICT products and electronic components accounted for 65.4 percent. This shows that Taiwan’s economy does still have considerable resilience. As long as our response strategies are appropriate, and the public and private sectors join forces, we can reduce impacts. Please do not panic. To address the reciprocal tariffs by the US, Taiwan has no plans to adopt retaliatory tariffs. There will be no change in corporate investment commitments to the US, as long as they are consistent with national interests. But we must ensure the US clearly understands Taiwan’s contributions to US economic development. More importantly, we must actively seek to understand changes in the global economic situation, strengthen Taiwan-US industry cooperation, elevate the status of Taiwan industries in global supply chains, and with safeguarding the continued development of Taiwan’s economy as our goal, adopt the following five strategies to respond. Strategy one: Make every effort to improve reciprocal tariff rates through negotiations using the following five methods:  1. Taiwan has already formed a negotiation team led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君). The team includes members from the National Security Council, the Office of Trade Negotiations, and relevant Executive Yuan ministries and agencies, as well as academia and industry. Like the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, negotiations on tariffs can start from Taiwan-US bilateral zero-tariff treatment. 2. To expand purchases from the US and thereby reduce the trade deficit, the Executive Yuan has already completed an inventory regarding large-scale procurement plans for agricultural, industrial, petroleum, and natural gas products, and the Ministry of National Defense has also proposed a military procurement list. All procurement plans will be actively pursued. 3. Expand investments in the US. Taiwan’s cumulative investment in the US already exceeds US$100 billion, creating approximately 400,000 jobs. In the future, in addition to increased investment in the US by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, other industries such as electronics, ICT, petrochemicals, and natural gas can all increase their US investments, deepening Taiwan-US industry cooperation. Taiwan’s government has helped form a “Taiwan investment in the US” team, and hopes that the US will reciprocate by forming a “US investment in Taiwan” team to bring about closer Taiwan-US trade cooperation, jointly creating a future economic golden age.  4. We must eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade. Non-tariff barriers are an indicator by which the US assesses whether a trading partner is trading fairly with the US. Therefore, we will proactively resolve longstanding non-tariff barriers so that negotiations can proceed more smoothly. 5. We must resolve two issues that have been matters of longstanding concern to the US. One regards high-tech export controls, and the other regards illegal transshipment of dumped goods, otherwise referred to as “origin washing.” Strategy two: We must adopt a plan for supporting our industries. For industries that will be affected by the tariffs, and especially traditional industries as well as micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, we will provide timely and needed support and assistance. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and his administrative team recently announced a package of 20 specific measures designed to address nine areas. Moving forward, the support we provide to different industries will depend on how they are affected by the tariffs, will take into account the particular features of each industry, and will help each industry innovate, upgrade, and transform. Strategy three: We must adopt medium- and long-term economic development plans. At this point in time, our government must simultaneously adopt new strategies for economic and industrial development. This is also the fundamental path to solutions for future economic challenges. The government will proactively cooperate with friends and allies, develop a diverse range of markets, and achieve closer integration of entities in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of industrial supply chains. This course of action will make Taiwan’s industrial ecosystem more complete, and will help Taiwanese industries upgrade and transform. We must also make good use of the competitive advantages we possess in such areas as semiconductor manufacturing, integrated chip design, ICT, and smart manufacturing to build Taiwan into an AI island, and promote relevant applications for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as military, security and surveillance, next-generation communications, and the medical and health and wellness industries as we advance toward a smarter, more sustainable, and more prosperous new Taiwan. Strategy four: “Taiwan plus one,” i.e., new “Taiwan plus the US” arrangements: While staying firmly rooted in Taiwan, our enterprises are expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. This has been our national economic development strategy, and the most important aspect is maintaining a solid base here in Taiwan. We absolutely must maintain a solid footing, and cannot allow the present strife to cause us to waver. Therefore, our government will incentivize investments, carry out deregulation, and continue to improve Taiwan’s investment climate by actively resolving problems involving access to water, electricity, land, human resources, and professional talent. This will enable corporations to stay in Taiwan and continue investing here. In addition, we must also help the overseas manufacturing facilities of offshore Taiwanese businesses to make necessary adjustments to support our “Taiwan plus one” policy, in that our national economic development strategy will be adjusted as follows: to stay firmly rooted in Taiwan while expanding our global presence, strengthening US ties, and marketing worldwide. We intend to make use of the new state of supply chains to strengthen cooperation between Taiwanese and US industries, and gain further access to US markets. Strategy five: Launch industry listening tours: All industrial firms, regardless of sector or size, will be affected to some degree once the US reciprocal tariffs go into effect. The administrative teams led by myself and Premier Cho will hear out industry concerns so that we can quickly resolve problems and make sure policies meet actual needs. My fellow citizens, over the past half-century and more, Taiwan has been through two energy crises, the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis, and pandemics. We have been able to not only withstand one test after another, but even turn crises into opportunities. The Taiwanese economy has emerged from these crises stronger and more resilient than ever. As we face this latest challenge, the government and civil society will work hand in hand, and I hope that all parties in the legislature, both ruling and opposition, will support the measures that the Executive Yuan will take to open up a broader path for Taiwan’s economy. Let us join together and give it our all. Thank you.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Enhanced strategy to counter tariffs

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    (To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

     

    Chief Executive John Lee today outlined a seven-pronged strategy that aims to meet any challenges in the face of the US’ move to impose a cumulative 54% tariff on products from Hong Kong.

     

    Meeting the media ahead of this morning’s Executive Council meeting, Mr Lee expressed his concerns over the magnitude of the US tariff measures.

     

    “Last week the US announced the imposition of so-called reciprocal tariff on trading partners around the world, including an additional 34% tariff on Hong Kong products.

     

    “Together with the 20% tariff announced earlier, the total tariff imposed on Hong Kong products is up to 54%.

     

    “The US no longer adheres to free trade, arbitrarily undermining the internationally established rules of world trade.

     

    “Its ruthless behaviour damages global and multilateral trade. The reckless imposition of tariff affects many countries and regions around the world with huge tax rate increases covering a wide range of goods, disrupting the world’s economic and trade order.”

     

    In response, the Chief Executive said that the Government will strengthen its strategy in seven areas.

     

    “First, we shall fully seize the opportunities in our country, China’s development, and actively integrate into the national development.”

     

    He also emphasised that Hong Kong will take full advantage of the Mainland & Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement to attract more foreign companies to set up operations in the city to capitalise on the benefits of “one country, two systems”.

     

    “Second, we shall strengthen international exchanges and deepen regional ties and co-operation. We shall sign more free trade agreements with countries and economies.”

     

    To this end, Mr Lee pointed out that the Government is currently negotiating investment agreements with Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Egypt and Peru, and will continue to push for Hong Kong’s early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

     

    “Third, Hong Kong will accelerate industrial transformation by developing a high value-added, innovation-driven economic model. We will expedite the establishment of a high value-added supply chain service hub and promote the growth of a headquarters economy.

     

    “Fourth, we will intensify efforts to develop technological innovation, attract top-tier talent and further strengthen Hong Kong’s competitiveness.

     

    “Fifth, we will vigorously advance international financial co-operation to attract investments and capital.

     

    “Sixth, we will seize the world’s major trend of geographical diversification, proactively attracting foreign companies and capitals to establish in Hong Kong because Hong Kong can provide security and stability to investors and enterprises under ‘one country, two systems’.

     

    “Seventh, we will continue to provide various support to help Hong Kong enterprises to cope with the impact of tariff and external challenges.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –