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Category: Latin America

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Stansbury Leads Letter Urging Speaker Johnson to Call House Back Into Session to Vote on Emergency Disaster Relief Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)

    ALBUQUERQUE—Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) led a letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04) to bring the U.S. House of Representatives back into session to approve necessary funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to fulfill their Hurricane Helene and Milton relief missions. Recent legislation has provided initial relief funds but falls critically short of what will be necessary to address the scale of destruction and the recovery needs for Fiscal Year 2025. From Milton and Helene, to wildfires and flooding at home in New Mexico, replenishment of federal disaster funds is critically needed. 

    61 Members of Congress signed the letter.  

    “I want to send everyone who is in the path of Hurricane Milton my prayers,” Congresswoman Stansbury said. “This is a difficult time, especially as Hurricane Helene made landfall just a few days ago. In New Mexico, our communities experienced a catastrophic fire and flooding in Lincoln and Otero counties and are still recovering. But beyond that, we need to make sure that all families and all communities across the United States can access necessary disaster relief funds. That’s why I co-led this letter. We must do the work to ensure our communities are safe.” 

    “We write to you amidst a season marked by unprecedented natural disasters and increasingly severe weather events that have left communities across our nation in dire need of additional and comprehensive disaster relief funding,” wrote the Members. “The funds previously allocated were a necessary first step, allowing for an initial response to the immediate aftermath of these disasters. However, as recovery efforts continue, it is abundantly clear that these funds will not suffice.” 

    As representatives of the American people, it is our duty to ensure that every community has the resources to recover and rebuild in the wake of devastation. This is not merely a matter of policy but a profound obligation to the citizens we serve, who depend on their government for support in their most critical times of need,” the Members continued. “Therefore, we strongly urge you to bring the US House of Representatives back into session to approve the necessary funding that will empower FEMA and the SBA to fulfill their disaster relief missions. Our communities cannot wait, and we must act swiftly to provide them with the assurance that their government will stand by them.” 

    A full copy of the letter can be found by clicking here, or reading below: 

    Dear Speaker Johnson,  

    We write to you amidst a season marked by unprecedented natural disasters and increasingly severe weather events that have left communities across our nation in dire need of additional and comprehensive disaster relief funding. 

    Recent legislation has provided initial relief funds, yet these provisions fall critically short of what will be necessary to address the scale of destruction and the recovery needs for Fiscal Year 2025. We, therefore, urge you to immediately reconvene the US House of Representatives so that it can pass robust disaster relief funding.  

    The funds previously allocated were a necessary first step, allowing for an initial response to the immediate aftermath of these disasters. However, as recovery efforts continue, it is abundantly clear that these funds will not suffice. 

    Furthermore, the frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events are a clarion call for proactive measures. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must be equipped not only to respond to current disasters but also to adequately prepare for future events. This requires substantial funding that ensures FEMA can maintain a state of readiness and provide immediate assistance when disasters strike. Additionally, the Small Business Administration disaster relief loan program must be replenished as soon as possible to help business owners rebuild their enterprises and communities. 

    As representatives of the American people, it is our duty to ensure that every community has the resources to recover and rebuild in the wake of devastation. This is not merely a matter of policy but a profound obligation to the citizens we serve, who depend on their government for support in their most critical times of need. 

    Therefore, we strongly urge you to bring the US House of Representatives back into session to approve the necessary funding that will empower FEMA and the SBA to fulfill their disaster relief missions. Our communities cannot wait, and we must act swiftly to provide them with the assurance that their government will stand by them. 

    Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We hope for your leadership in reconvening the House and ensuring that our nation is prepared to meet the challenges posed by natural disasters. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: October 10th, 2024 Heinrich Unveils N.M. Minority Business Development Center’s New Office in Albuquerque

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Heinrich was instrumental in establishing and standing up the Minority Business Development Center in New Mexico
    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chairman of the U.S. Joint Economic Committee, joined Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, community leaders, and small business owners to unveil a new, larger office space for the New Mexico Minority Business Development Center (Business Center) as part of a new Business Resource Center that will also house the City of Albuquerque’s Small Business Office.
    Heinrich wrote the legislative provision that established and funded the New Mexico Business Center in 2020, securing more than $2.5 million in federal resources through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency for its staffing and programming.

    U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participates in a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the newly expanded office space for the New Mexico MBDC in Albuquerque, October 10, 2024.
    “Local businesses are the beating hearts of our communities and backbone of our economy. That’s why, four years ago, I wrote the federal legislative provision that re-opened New Mexico’s Minority Business Development Center and fought to fund its operations. And it’s why I am so pleased to celebrate this expanded Center in Albuquerque and the locations now open in Las Vegas and Las Cruces,” said Heinrich. “With the $2.5 million-plus in federal resources I’ve been able to deliver, we are expanding support for local businesses across our state as they create the types of careers New Mexicans can build their families around, in their home communities.”  
    Background:
    The federal Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) mission is to promote the growth and global competitiveness of Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) in order to unlock the country’s full economic potential. The MBDA supports a national network of Business Centers and technical assistance programs that help entrepreneurs and small business owners overcome obstacles and grow their businesses.
    In 2018, New Mexico’s previous Minority Business Development Center closed. In 2020, Heinrich authored report language in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Appropriations Bills that required the U.S. Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency to re-open a new Business Center in New Mexico. 
    Heinrich then worked closely with the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce to secure an initial $300,000 in federal funding to help establish the new Business Center, along with delivering $1.875 million in federal funding to support the first five years of its operations. 
    In subsequent funding cycles, Heinrich has secured additional federal resources to expand the staffing and services offered by the Minority Business Development Agency in New Mexico. 
    In the FY2023 Appropriations Bills, Heinrich secured $200,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) to help the Business Center hire two more business advisors based in Las Cruces and expand the reach of their services throughout New Mexico. 
    In the FY2024 Appropriations Bills, Heinrich secured an additional $200,000 CDS to help the Business Center launch a new technical assistance project that will provide professional business development services to support and promote the growth and success of minority-owned businesses across the state. 
    Earlier this year, Heinrich included $300,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending within the FY2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, which advanced out of the Senate Appropriations Committee in August, to help the Business Center create a Food and Beverage “New to Export” Cohort that will provide comprehensive support to business enterprises looking to export their products.
    Heinrich recently welcomed the opening of a new Minority Business Development Centerin Las Cruces, thanks to the federal funding he secured in the FY2023 Appropriations Bills, and an additional $183,000 award from the MBDA and $20,000 from the City of Albuquerque to open a new Rural Minority Business Development Center in Las Vegas.    

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM holds talks with Colombian counterpart in Beijing

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo in Beijing, China, Oct. 10, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo in Beijing on Thursday.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that the two sides announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Colombia last October, leading bilateral relations into a new stage of development. China is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with Colombia and welcomes the country to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) at an early date, he said.

    Murillo said that Colombia is committed to fully implementing the important strategic consensus reached by the two heads of state, and to deepening cooperation in various fields. Colombia attaches great importance to and is willing to participate actively in the joint construction of the BRI, he added.

    Wang stressed that Taiwan is an integral part of China’s territory, and that the Taiwan question is a legacy of the Chinese civil war that will eventually be resolved in full with the complete reunification of the country. China appreciates Colombia’s long-standing adherence to the one-China principle and is willing to continue the mutual support between the two countries in safeguarding their core interests, he said.

    Murillo emphasized that Taiwan is a component of China’s territory, and that Colombia will continue to adhere firmly to the one-China principle and support China’s just position on the issue.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China-led resolution on women’s rights wins broad support at UNHRC

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

    Chen Xu, China’s permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, speaks during the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 9, 2024. A resolution marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted by consensus on Wednesday during the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. [Photo/Xinhua]

    GENEVA, Oct. 10 — A resolution marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted by consensus on Wednesday during the 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

    Chen Xu, China’s permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, introduced the draft resolution. It was co-submitted by China, Denmark, France, Kenya, and Mexico, and received widespread support, with 112 countries backing the initiative as co-sponsors.

    Chen noted that the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, marking a historic milestone in the development of women’s rights globally.

    While acknowledging the significant progress in women’s social status over the past three decades, Chen emphasized that challenges remain in fully realizing the goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The resolution aims to revitalize the declaration’s spirit, reflecting the shared ambition to accelerate gender equality and strengthen international cooperation in tackling these persistent challenges.

    During the adoption of the resolution, representatives from countries including France, Finland, Gambia, Sudan, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Argentina, and Japan affirmed that the declaration’s spirit continues to guide global efforts to promote and protect women’s rights.

    China has also proposed convening a Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in 2025, marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

    The 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is held in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 9, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Festival celebrates renowned playwright

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Lao She Theater Festival, an annual cultural event in Beijing, celebrates renowned Chinese playwright and novelist Lao She (1899-1966).

    Named after the famous writer, whose works explore social issues in modern China with wit and humanism, the festival features performances of Lao She’s plays and other contemporary theatrical works, with a highlight on the connection between theatrical productions and literary works.

    On Sept 27, the eighth edition of the festival was announced at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. In the following three months, 35 theatrical productions will be staged in the capital with 90 performances divided into seven sections. The festival showcases a variety of theatrical performances not just by Lao She but also new plays by contemporary playwrights from China and beyond.

    These productions explore themes relevant to modern audiences, including social issues, cultural identity and human nature, according to Yang Cheng, president of the Beijing Artists Management Corp, the festival organizer.

    “Literature can evoke deep emotions through the reader’s imagination and connection to the written word, while theater amplifies this emotional impact by presenting stories live. The immediacy and presence of actors onstage allow audiences to feel the tension, humor or sorrow in real-time, making the emotional engagement more direct,” he says.

    Last year, the festival commissioned director Fang Xu to adapt Lao She’s classic novel Rickshaw Boy into a play. Featuring an all-male cast, the play has been staged in over 20 shows across the country. On Sunday and Monday, it was staged again at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

    Fang says that while literature is often the product of a single author’s vision, theatrical productions are highly collaborative. The process of staging a play involves writers, directors, actors, set designers and more, contributing their skills to interpret the original text. This collaboration can lead to multiple layers of meaning beyond what is present in the original literary work.

    This year, the festival announced its second commission for the event. Chinese director Zhang Xiao will adapt Chinese writer Du Liang’s popular novel Peking in Flames into a play, which will premiere on Dec 12 with shows running till Dec 15.

    The novel is a historical drama set in Beijing (formerly Beiping) during the late stages of the War of Liberation (1946-49), specifically in 1948, just before the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The novel was turned into a hit TV drama in 2009 featuring actor Liu Peiqi playing the lead role of Wen San’er, who makes a living by pulling a rickshaw and is depicted as clever, street-smart and knows how to navigate the complex political landscape of Beiping.

    “The novel focuses on the lives of various characters from different social classes caught up in the political and military struggles of the time. Du Liang is known for his detailed and immersive storytelling, bringing historical events to life with rich characterizations and dramatic tension,” says Zhang. “The writer uses the setting of Beiping to symbolize the broader transformation of Chinese society during this period. The character Wen San’er is vivid and, despite his petty, streetwise demeanor, possesses a trait that shines brightly. This trait carries a resilient vitality.”

    On Dec 7 and 8, the festival will stage The Family by the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group adapted from Chinese writer Ba Jin’s novel of the same title. Depicting the oppressive effect of traditional feudal families upon younger generations, the novel is Ba Jin’s most famous and influential work, which has been adapted into different art forms.

    Over the years, the Lao She Theater Festival has expanded to include collaborations with international theater groups, bringing diverse theatrical styles and influences to the event. This has helped position it as a platform for cross-cultural exchange.

    The Armazem Theatre Company from Brazil will debut in Beijing by staging its production Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas from Oct 31 to Nov 3. Adapted from the book by Brazil’s celebrated writer Machado de Assis, the production, directed by Paulo de Moraes, sold out when it was staged during the 10th edition of the Wuzhen Theater Festival — an annual theater event in the ancient water town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

    The Song of the Goat Theatre from Poland will return with its theatrical experiment Hamlet — A Commentary, featuring actors interpreting the characters, events and emotions through sounds. The text is given a melody and the dialogue is presented as musical harmonies. The words and music reflect the characters’ and family’s emotions. In 2019, the theater company staged its production Songs of Lear, an interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear, during the third edition of the Lao She Theater Festival.

    Other highlights of the ongoing festival will include a new section for dance productions. Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan will present the dance drama Tian Gong Kai Wu, or The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, inspired by the science classic of the same title by Song Yingxing, a scientist who lived in the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. First published in 1637, the book offers a summary of ancient China’s manufacturing and farming techniques, earning recognition as an encyclopedia of science and technology. The eponymous drama, coproduced by the Jiangxi Cultural Performance Group and the Beijing Dance Academy, revolves around Song’s quest, portraying his journey to gather the techniques and tools and emphasizing the craftsmanship of ancient Chinese laborers.

    Since its launch in 2017, the festival has supported young theater lovers from various universities. Eighteen theatrical productions by students of Chinese universities will be staged during the festival, selected among 60 productions from 33 universities.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Basel Committee publishes G20 progress report on the 2023 banking turmoil and liquidity risk

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    • Basel Committee provides update to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors on its analytical work of the 2023 banking turmoil.
    • Report summarises empirical analysis on liquidity risk dynamics observed during the turmoil.
    • Committee will continue work to strengthen supervisory effectiveness and assess whether specific features of the Basel Framework performed as intended.

    The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is today publishing a progress report to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors on its analytical work of the 2023 banking turmoil. The report, requested by the G20 Brazilian Presidency, provides an update on the Committee’s analytical work on liquidity risk dynamics observed during the turmoil. It builds on the Committee’s stocktake report published in October 2023.

    The progress report includes updated empirical analysis on the liquidity outflow rates experienced by distressed banks during the turmoil and assesses the materiality of liquidity risk factors that are not explicitly covered by the Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR). The report also analyses the impact of the accounting treatment and valuation of liquid assets eligible to meet the LCR and other potential impediments to banks’ ability and willingness to draw down their liquidity buffer. It also assesses the use and role of supervisory monitoring tools and other stress indicators.

    Drawing on the findings of this progress report, the Committee is continuing to pursue a series of follow-up initiatives related to the turmoil, including:

    • prioritising work to strengthen supervisory effectiveness and identify issues that could merit additional guidance at a global level; and
    • pursuing additional follow-up analytical work based on empirical evidence to assess whether specific features of the Basel Framework, such as liquidity risk and interest rate risk in the banking book, performed as intended during the turmoil and assess the need to explore policy options over the medium term.

    This follow-up work is fully in line with the imperative of implementing the Basel III standards in a full and consistent manner, and as soon as possible. 

    Note to editors

    The Basel Committee is the primary global standard setter for the prudential regulation of banks and provides a forum for cooperation on banking supervisory matters. Its mandate is to strengthen the regulation, supervision and practices of banks worldwide with the purpose of enhancing financial stability. The Committee reports to the Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision and seeks its endorsement for major decisions. The Committee has no formal supranational authority, and its decisions have no legal force. Rather, the Committee relies on its members’ commitments to achieve its mandate. The Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision is chaired by Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada. The Basel Committee is chaired by Erik Thedéen, Governor of Sveriges Riksbank. 

    More information about the Basel Committee is available here.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI: Red Cat Ships Teal-2 Drones to Florida Army National Guard to Assist with Hurricane Milton Disaster Response

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Oct. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCAT) (“Red Cat”), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, today announced it is fulfilling an order by the Florida Army National Guard for its Teal 2 drones. The drones will be used to support the ongoing disaster response to Hurricane Milton, which has left more than 3 million people without power.

    “Our drones are specifically designed for the defense industry, but we understand that our warfighters’ roles extend beyond combat, especially during natural disasters,” said Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. “Small, portable drones like our Teal 2, built for the toughest environments, can be invaluable for first responders in damage assessment and search and rescue missions. We are proud to support the Florida Army National Guard soldiers in their efforts to assist with the aftermath in Milton.”

    Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones builds its Teal 2 system, designed to support U.S. and allied military operations, public safety organizations, and government agencies, at its Utah facility. Teal 2 is a cost-effective, man-portable sUAS designed to “Dominate the Night™” that has best-in-class night vision, multi-vehicle control support, and a fully modular design. It is both Blue UAS Certified and FAA Remote ID approved.

    About Red Cat, Inc.
    Red Cat (Nasdaq: RCAT) is a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations. Through two wholly owned subsidiaries, Teal Drones and FlightWave Aerospace, Red Cat has developed a bleeding-edge Family of ISR and Precision Strike Systems including the Teal 2, a small unmanned system offering the highest-resolution thermal imaging in its class, the Edge 130 Blue Tricopter for extended endurance and range, and FANG™, the industry’s first line of NDAA compliant FPV drones optimized for military operations with precision strike capabilities. Learn more at http://www.redcat.red.

    Forward Looking Statements
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on Red Cat Holdings, Inc.’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 8, 2024. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Red Cat Holdings, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

    Contact:

    INVESTORS:
    E-mail: Investors@redcat.red

    NEWS MEDIA:
    Phone: (347) 880-2895
    Email: peter@indicatemedia.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: I Am Navy Medicine – and Hispanic Heritage – assigned to NHB/NMRTC Bremerton

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    The Peruvian coastal capital of Lima is approximately 4,970 miles south of Naval Hospital Bremerton.

    Yet Lt. Renzo D. Sobrevilla has seamlessly bridged that distance from South American to North America as a Navy Medical Service Corps officer assigned to NHB.

    In conjunction with October recognized by the Department of Defense as [National] Hispanic Heritage Month, Sobrevilla reflected on his roots, culture, and lineage.

    “Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, is a time of great pride for me,” said Sobrevilla. “It’s an opportunity to recognize the vibrant contributions of Hispanic Americans and celebrate the rich cultures, histories, and traditions of the Hispanic community.”

    “As someone with Hispanic roots, I take pride in celebrating the Hispanic community’s rich cultures, histories, and traditions,” continued Sobrevilla. “I value the diversity of the Hispanic diaspora. I appreciate the influence of countries which have contributed immensely to the arts and culture in the U.S.”

    With this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month theme, ‘Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,’ Sobrevilla notes that the premise is directly applicable to his responsibility at NHB which is dedicated to ensuring that the right material, contracted services and healthcare equipment are in the right place at the right time to provide medical and dental care to active duty, retirees and their families at NHB and three branch health clinics.

    “The theme is significant in my role at the command. It highlights the importance of diversity and collaboration in shaping the future. It’s about how a diverse community, like ours, can come together to bring about positive change, not just within our command but also in the broader context of Navy Medicine,” stated Sobrevilla, who started from humble beginnings to embark upon his chosen career path.

    “As an immigrant, I always encourage my Sailors to take full advantage of the opportunities the Navy provides. Starting as an E-1 and working my way up, I’ve seen firsthand how hard work, dedication, and motivation can turn the American dream into reality. Becoming an MSC officer was a pivotal moment for me and proof that with the right attitude, anyone can succeed,” remarked Sobrevilla.

    His interest in Navy Medicine began after he enlisted in the Navy in 2007. Several influential leaders set the foundation for him to pursue a career in the medical field. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Northeastern University, Sobrevilla merged his growing healthcare interest with leadership and chose the Navy’s most diverse corps, MSC, which offers a number of healthcare administrator specialties.

    “The Navy Medical Service Corps appealed to me because of its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. This career has allowed me to work in various settings, each contributing to the mission of Navy Medicine,” shared Sobrevilla, NHB Materiel Management Department head, who has been part of Navy Medicine since 2016 and served in various roles, including as a plans, operations, and medical Intelligence officer, comptroller, and logistics officer.

    Sobrevilla epitomizes the value of education, having attained his Master of Healthcare Administration with Executive Concentration, Specialization in Management, Education and Training Management, and Healthcare Management from George Mason University. He is currently completing his dissertation for his Doctor of Business Administration at Grand Canyon University.

    He can also add linguistic chops to a growing curriculum vitae.

    “Thanks to my parents’ heritage, I am bilingual in Italian and Spanish,” Sobrevilla added, noting that the best part of his career has been the opportunity to work with diverse people from all over the world. “There’s the sense of fulfillment that comes from making a positive impact in their lives through Navy Medicine.”

    Sobrevilla is optimistic that staff, as well as patients and visitors, look favorable on NHB’s Hispanic Heritage Month recognition.

    “I hope others take away an appreciation for the contributions of Hispanic Americans to our society, both within the military and in broader cultural contexts,” exclaimed Sobrevilla. “It’s about understanding the importance of diversity and how it strengthens our Navy and our country.”

    When asked to sum up his experience with Navy Medicine, Sobrevilla replied, “Navy Medicine has been a transformative journey, offering me the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. It’s a testament to the fact that with hard work and a strong work ethic, anything is possible.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: B10-0056/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Jorge Martín Frías, Hermann Tertsch del Valle, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Mireia Borrás Pabón, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

    B10‑0056/2024

    Motion for a European Parliament resolution on attacks on freedom of expression, in particular, in Brazil

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the recent attacks on freedom of expression, including the decision of the Brazilian Federal Court to block access to the platform X,

     

    – having regard to Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

     

    – having regard to Rule 149 of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas those attacks are unlawful and a reflection of ideological interests;

     

    B. whereas the banning of X in Brazil breaches that country’s constitution, in particular, the right to freedom of expression and access to information enshrined in Article 5 thereof, along with other international laws and treaties;

     

    C. whereas a global trend has emerged in which online freedom of expression is censored in an effort to control public opinion, and whereas the EU is no exception to that trend, taking into account that a European Commissioner directly threatened a social network and that it has a regulatory framework that promotes the censorship of content;

     

    1. Condemns the attack on freedom of expression and fundamental rights in Brazil;

    2. Urges the Commission to propose amendments to the current regulatory framework with a view to protecting freedom of expression and putting an end to any pressure being placed on both media and social media platforms.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Navy Reserve Medical Team Achieves Key Certification, Demonstrating Readiness and Capability

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    In a significant milestone for Navy Reserve Medicine, Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical Suite (ERSS) Team 17 recently passed their Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE), certifying them as a fully capable unit. This achievement marks the first ERSS Reserve team to complete the rigorous process, aligning them with the same standards as active-duty units. The certification confirms the team is ready to deploy and provide critical medical care in support of Navy operations worldwide.

    The Navy Reserve Medical community, which operates under the same training and certification standards as active-duty units, ensures that when a fleet commander requests medical support, they receive the same level of capability, regardless of whether the team is active or reserve. “The elements of training, billet requirements, and capabilities are identical between active and reserve forces,” stated Rear Adm. Eric Peterson, Deputy Director Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, emphasizing the unified nature of Navy Medicine’s operational readiness.

    ERSS Team 17 underwent months of preparation leading up to the ORE at Camp Pendleton, where they were tested against a curriculum designed to assess their medical, logistical, and operational proficiency. The successful completion of this evaluation now officially designates the team as mission-ready, meaning they can be called upon by the fleet to provide immediate damage control and surgical care in forward-deployed locations.

    Sustaining Readiness

    According to Peterson, the teams ORE certification will last for one year, during which the team will enter a “sustainment phase” in the Navy’s operational readiness framework. Throughout this time, team members will focus on maintaining their skills through professional development and leadership training while preparing for future deployments. After this phase, they will reenter the cycle of preparation and training for their next operational readiness evaluation.

    The readiness process for Navy Reserve medical teams spans approximately three years, moving through phases that include basic training, advanced preparation, and eventual certification. This timeline accommodates the unique demands on reservists, who must balance their military duties with civilian careers. Despite these challenges, the certification process ensures that Navy Reserve medical teams remain on par with their active-duty counterparts.

    Integration into Exercises and Operations

    ERSS teams, like their active-duty counterparts, are integrated into fleet exercises and real-world missions. These exercises are essential for ensuring the team’s skills remain sharp and their readiness validated.

    The importance of certifying reserve teams like ERSS Team 17 goes beyond operational readiness. It also highlights the Navy’s commitment to building a unified medical force. “Whether it’s a reserve or active unit, when a capability is requested by the fleet, they receive the same level of readiness,” said Peterson. “This ensures that regardless of a team’s reserve or active status, they are prepared to meet the mission’s needs.”

    A Vital Capability

    Peterson went on to explain that ERSS teams bring a specialized capability to the battlefield. With a seven-person team, they are designed to provide immediate surgical care in austere environments, where larger medical units might not be feasible. This capability enables them to deliver life-saving care closer to the front lines, stabilizing casualties for evacuation to more comprehensive medical facilities.

    The team includes a diverse array of medical professionals, including a surgeon, an emergency room doctor, a certified nurse anesthetist, a physician assistant, a respiratory therapist, and other key specialists. Together, they offer a range of critical services, from damage control surgery to emergency medical care, in challenging and rapidly changing environments.

    Looking Ahead

    As the Navy continues to align its medical forces with its broader operational strategy, the certification of reserve teams like ERSS Team 17 plays a crucial role in ensuring that Navy Medicine remains ready for any contingency. The team’s success is part of a larger effort to integrate reserve and active-duty medical capabilities, minimizing the differences between the two and fostering a “one Navy Medicine” approach.

    Looking toward the future, the Navy plans to continue certifying and deploying more reserve medical teams. With three more ERSS teams scheduled for certification in the coming months, Navy Medicine is building a deep bench of highly trained, fully capable medical units. These teams will be ready to support the fleet in exercises, real-world operations, and any emerging global challenges.

    “Our people are excited,” Peterson remarked. “This process validates the expertise and readiness of our reserve forces, and it demonstrates that Navy Medicine, whether active or reserve, is prepared to meet the operational demands of today and tomorrow.”

    By aligning their readiness process with that of the broader Navy, these reserve teams are contributing to the Navy’s overall goal of maintaining a constant state of readiness and deterrence, ensuring that they are prepared for the challenges of the future.

    Naval Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL) delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment, and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command’s, logistics, public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Europe, and the Middle East.

    Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Switzerland and US sign new agreement on the exchange of trainees and young professionals

    Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in English

    Bern-Wabern, 11.10.2024 – Switzerland and the US today signed a new agreement in Bern on the exchange of trainees and young professionals. The agreement will make it easier for young Swiss people to receive training in the US, and for Americans to do the same in Switzerland, for short periods. This new agreement replaces the agreement from 1980.

    State Secretary for Migration Christine Schraner Burgener signed the new agreement in Bern today. It will take effect from 30 November, and is aimed at young Swiss people between 18 and 35 years old. Those wishing to participate must either be in training or have a vocational diploma or higher education qualification. People who do not meet these requirements may still be eligible if they have some professional experience. In particular, they must be seeking to complete their studies or to improve their skills in their specialisation.

    For both Swiss and American participants, residence and work permits are issued for up to 12 months, with the possibility of a 6-month extension.

    Purpose of the agreement

    The new agreement makes it easier for young professionals from both countries to obtain visas, and opens up the exchange programme to a wider range of people than under the 1980 agreement. The immersive experience of training abroad allows participants to improve their language, cultural and social skills.

    Under the old programme, more than 100 people each year from Switzerland and as many from the United States benefited from an exchange in the 1980s and early 1990s. This number has fallen steadily since the 2000s, mainly because of changes in the requirements for obtaining a US visa.

    Switzerland also has trainee exchange agreements in place with Argentina, Australia, Chile, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, Tunisia and Indonesia. Switzerland also has individual agreements with the member states of the European Union; however, these are no longer applied because the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU offers more favourable conditions.

    Since the first trainee agreement was concluded (with Belgium in 1936), almost 40,000 Swiss trainees have been able to work temporarily abroad. Conversely, more than 58,000 foreign trainees have had the opportunity to experience the Swiss work environment.

    Address for enquiries

    SEM Information and Communication, medien@sem.admin.ch

    Publisher

    State Secretariat for Migration
    https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home.html

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Venezuela: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on post-election developments

    Source: Government of Sweden

    Venezuela: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on post-election developments – Government.se

    Please enable javascript in your browser

    Statement by Ministry for Foreign Affairs

    Published

    The European Union continues to follow developments in Venezuela with great concern. Reports from international election observation missions clearly state that the presidential elections on 28th July did not meet international standards of electoral integrity.

    Despite its own commitment, the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE) has not yet published the official voting records (“actas”) of polling stations. Without evidence to support them, the results published on 2nd August by the CNE cannot be recognised. Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records will only cast further doubt on the credibility of the officially published results.

    Copies of the electoral voting records published by the opposition, and reviewed by several independent organisations, indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia would appear to be the winner of the Presidential elections by a significant majority.

    The European Union thus calls for further independent verification of the electoral records, if possible by an internationally reputed entity.

    At this critical time, it is important that demonstrations and protests remain peaceful. The European Union calls for calm and restraint. Venezuelan authorities, including security forces, must fully respect human rights, including freedom of expression and of assembly.

    The European Union is seriously concerned about the growing number of arbitrary detentions and the continued harassment of the opposition. The European Union calls on Venezuelan authorities to put an end to arbitrary detentions, repression and violent rhetoric against members of the opposition and civil society, and to release all political prisoners.

    The European Union welcomes the efforts of regional partners, with whom it remains in close contact, to promote dialogue and a negotiated solution to the crisis.

    Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy and to solve the current humanitarian and socio-economic crisis.

    The statement published on the website of the European Council

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NMRLC Member Becomes U.S. Citizen

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    Congratulations LSSR Andrea Ordinola Valdez, on becoming a United States citizen, Oct. 8, 2024, during the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America ceremony.

    Throughout our history, the United States has welcomed immigrants from all over the world who have helped shape and define our country. Granting citizenship to eligible lawful permanent residents is vital to our nation’s security, economic prosperity, and a future built on the principles of the U.S. Constitution.

    “The Navy is the most powerful and greatest institution worldwide, so I was excited when my recruiter told me I had the requirements to join, such as having a green card, a Social Security number, and my certificates and academic degrees,” said Ordinola Valdez. “I was interested in the rate or career related to business, logistics and administration.”

    Ordinola Valdez attended one of Peru’s most prestigious universities, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin, studying economics and logistics and earning an undergraduate degree. Additionally, she has a master’s in business management and a PhD in administration.

    She was a professor in universities in Tacna, Jorge Basadre Grohmann University, and Private University of Tacna. She studied at San Agustin University and held the number one ranked position during the development of her career. She also won the Criscos Scholarship to study in Argentina, and ultimately returned to the city where she was born to share her knowledge with local youth in Tacna.

    “My parents always taught me ethics, honesty and the importance of work, since work dignifies human beings,” said Ordinola Valdez. “I’m a person with solid ethical values and a professional at work. These are the values that my parents instilled in me.”

    Today, Ordinola Valdez serves as a logistics specialist responsible for operating financial accounting systems and managing inventories of repair parts and general supplies that support ships, squadrons and shore-based activities.

    “I like all the activities in the office and in the storerooms, the training to learn more about the Navy and the different programs, and to learn more about logistics,” said Ordinola Valdez. “It is the perfect job that combines physical and mental activity.”

    Headed by Capt. Christopher Barnes, NMRLC develops, acquires, produces, fields, sustains, and provides enduring lifecycle support of medical materiel solutions to the Fleet, Fleet Marine Force, and Joint Forces in high-end competition, crisis, and combat. At the forefront of Navy Medicine’s strategic evolution, NMRLC is well positioned to be the Joint Force’s premier integrated medical logistics support activity.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow Fashion Week was visited by 65 thousand people

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The third Moscow Fashion Week has ended in the capital. It was held from October 4 to 9 in the Central Exhibition Hall “Manezh”. Collections were presented by about 200 designers from 41 cities of Russia, as well as seven other countries. Among them are China, the United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica and India. This was reported by Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.

    “The participants were able to demonstrate their skills, find new business partners, and exchange experiences with colleagues from different parts of the world. As in previous years, the event generated great interest. Over the course of six days, the venue was visited by 65,000 people,” said Natalia Sergunina.

    During Moscow Fashion Week, 83 fashion shows took place. Many brands relied on the cultural codes and national characteristics of their native land. For example, a designer from Cheboksary presented a collection based on the national Chuvash costume. A representative of the Republic of South Africa created evening and casual looks in a bright color scheme. Some wardrobe elements were shaped like butterfly wings.

    In addition, a market was open during the fashion week. Anyone could buy clothes and accessories from 80 brands. A business showroom was opened for the professional community, with over 50 Russian specialists taking part. They held meetings with potential partners and wholesale buyers.

    Industry leaders gave 25 lectures to the event’s guests. The audience was told about trends and how they changed over time, as well as the influence of neural networks on the creation of collections. More than two million people watched the online broadcasts of the meetings with experts.

    In addition, the World Fashion Short short film festival took place. It brought together directors not only from Russia, but also from other countries, including Belarus, Colombia, Mexico and Turkey. The works selected by the international expert council were shown at the Artplay design center.

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145082073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Dark energy: could the mysterious force seen as constant actually vary over cosmic time?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Robert Nichol, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean, University of Surrey

    Globular cluster NGC 2005. ESA/Hubble & Nasa, F. Niederhofer, L. Girardi, CC BY-SA

    As I finished my PhD in 1992, the universe was full of mystery – we didn’t even know exactly what it is made of. One could argue that cosmologists had made little progress in our understanding of these basic facts since the discovery of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the afterglow of the Big Bang, in the 1960s.

    I left the UK after my doctoral studies to begin a research career in the US, where I was lucky to be recruited to work on a new experiment called the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This new survey embraced advances in digital technologies with the ambition of measuring the “redshifts” (how light becomes more red if a source appears to move away from you) of a million galaxies.

    These redshifts were then used to measure distances, and allowed cosmologists to map the three-dimensional structure of the universe.

    One cosmic puzzle in the 1980s, based on the pioneering CfA Redshift Survey of Margaret Geller and John Huchra, was the significant lumpiness of galaxies, and therefore matter, in our cosmic neighbourhood. Galaxies were clustered together across a wide range of scales, with evidence for coherent “superclusters” of galaxies spanning over 30 million light years in length.

    This article is part of our series Cosmology in crisis? which uncovers the greatest problems facing cosmologists today – and discusses the implications of solving them.

    It was important to know how such superclusters could have formed from the smooth CMB, as it would tell us the total amount of matter in the universe and, more intriguingly, what that matter was made of. That was assuming the only force in play was gravity.

    By the end of the first phase of the SDSS, we had achieved our goal of a million redshifts. This data was used to discover many superclusters across the universe, including the amazing “Sloan Great Wall”, which remains one of the largest known coherent structures in the universe, over a billion light years in length.

    Type 1A supernova remnant.
    Nasa/CXC/U.Texas

    I am lucky to have lived through this amazing era of cosmic discovery around the turn of the century. Surveys like SDSS, combined with new observations of the CMB and searches for distant exploding stars known as Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa), coincided to deliver an emphatic answer to the question: “What is the universe made of?”

    The discovery of dark energy

    From 1999 to 2004, the cosmological community came together to agree that the universe was 5% normal (baryonic) matter, 25% dark matter (unknown, invisible matter), and 70% “dark energy” (an expansive force) – essentially a cosmological constant, which was first postulated by Einstein. The discovery that the universe was dominated by this constant energy shocked everyone, especially as Einstein had called the cosmological constant his “biggest blunder”.

    Today, cosmologists still agree this is the most likely make-up of our universe. But observational cosmologists like me have refined our measurements of these cosmic variables significantly – reducing the errors on these quantities.

    The latest numbers from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) indicate that 31.5% of the universe is matter (a combination of dark and normal), with the remainder being dark energy assuming a cosmological constant. The error on this measurement is just 3%.

    Knowing these numbers to higher precision will hopefully help cosmologists understand why the universe is like this. Why would we expect to have 70% of the universe today as “dark” (can’t be seen via electromagnetic radiation) and not associated with “matter” like everything else in the universe?

    The origin of this dark energy remains the biggest challenge to physics, even after 20 years of intense study.

    Intriguing measurements

    Like me, a few cosmologists have become distracted by other problems over the last two decades. However, 2024 could be the start of a new era of discovery. This year, cosmologists published new results based on two of our best cosmological probes.

    The first probe consists of exploding stars dubbed “SNeIa”. As these stars have a narrow range of masses, their explosions can be well calibrated, giving cosmologists a predictable brightness that can be seen far away. By comparing the known brightness of these SNeIa to their redshifts, we can determine the expansion history of the universe. These objects were, in fact, critical for discovering that the expansion of our universe is accelerating.

    The second probe works by looking at Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) – relics of predictable sound waves in the plasma (charged gas) of the early universe, before the CMB. These are now frozen into the large-scale structure of galaxies around us. Like SNeIa, their predictable size can be compared with their observed size today to measure the expansion history of the universe.

    Recently, DES reported its final SNeIa results from over a decade of work, detecting and characterising many thousands of supernova events. While these SNeIa results are consistent with the orthodox view that the universe is dominated by a cosmological constant, they do leave open the tantalising possibility of new physics – namely, that the dark energy could be varying with cosmic time.

    That said, scientists are trained to be sceptical, and there are many reasons to distrust a single experiment, single observation, or even a single set of cosmologists!

    Cosmologists now go to extraordinary lengths to “blind” their results from themselves during analysis of the data, only revealing the answer at the last moment. This blinding is done to avoid unconscious human biases affecting the work, which could possibly encourage people to get the answer they believe they should see.

    This is why repeatability of results is at the heart of all science. In cosmology, we cherish the need for multiple experiments checking and challenging each other.

    The second result to turn heads was the first BAO measurements from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), successor to the SDSS. The first DESI map of the cosmos is deeper and denser than the original SDSS. Its first BAO results are intriguing – the data alone is still consistent with a cosmological constant, but with hints of a possible time-varying dark energy when combined with other data sources.

    DESI in the dome of the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.
    wikipedia, CC BY-SA

    In particular, when DESI analyses the combination of its BAO results with the final DES SNeIa data, the significance of a time-varying dark energy increases to 3.9 sigma (a measure of how unusual a set of data is if a hypothesis is true) – only 0.6% chance of being a statistical fluke.

    Most of us would take such odds, but scientists have been hurt before by systematic errors within their data that can mimic such statistical certainty. Particle physicists therefore demand a discovery standard of 5 sigma for any claims of new physics – or less than a one in a million chance of being wrong!

    As scientists will say: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”

    Mindboggling implications

    Are we entering a new era of cosmological discovery? If so, what would it mean?

    The answer to my first question is probably yes. The next few years will be fun for cosmologists, with new data and results due from the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission. Launched last year, it is already scanning the sky with unprecedented accuracy.

    Likewise, DESI will get more and better data, while the European Southern Observatory starts its own massive redshift survey in 2025. Then you have the Rubin Observatory in Chile coming online soon. Combining these datasets should prove beyond doubt if dark energy varies with cosmic time.

    If it does, it implies there is less dark energy now than in the past. This could be caused by many things but, interestingly, it could signify the end of a present, accelerated phase of the expansion of the universe.

    It also implies that dark energy is probably not a cosmological constant thought to be due to the background energy associated with empty space. According to quantum mechanics, empty space isn’t really empty, with particles popping in and out of existence creating something we call “vacuum energy”. Ironically, predictions of this vacuum energy do not agree with our cosmological observations by many orders of magnitude.

    So, if we did discover that dark energy varies over time, it might explain why observations are at odds with quantum mechanics, which is an extremely well-tested theory. This would suggest the assumption in the standard model of cosmology, that dark energy is constant, needs a rethink. Such a realisation may help solve other mysteries about the universe – or pose new ones.

    In short, the new cosmological observations coming this decade will stimulate a new era of physical thinking. Congratulations to my younger cosmologists: it is your era to have fun.



    Read more:
    The earliest galaxies formed amazingly fast after the Big Bang. Do they break the universe or change its age?



    Read more:
    Astronomers can’t agree on how fast the universe is expanding. New approaches are aiming to break the impasse



    Read more:
    The universe is smoother than the standard model of cosmology suggests – so is the theory broken?



    Read more:
    Cosmology is at a tipping point – we may be on the verge of discovering new physics

    Robert Nichol receives funding from STFC for work on 4MOST.

    – ref. Dark energy: could the mysterious force seen as constant actually vary over cosmic time? – https://theconversation.com/dark-energy-could-the-mysterious-force-seen-as-constant-actually-vary-over-cosmic-time-238247

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Dark energy: could the mysterious force we think of as constant actually vary over cosmic time?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Robert Nichol, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean, University of Surrey

    Globular cluster NGC 2005. ESA/Hubble & Nasa, F. Niederhofer, L. Girardi, CC BY-SA

    As I finished my PhD in 1992, the universe was full of mystery – we didn’t even know exactly what it is made of. One could argue that cosmologists had made little progress in our understanding of these basic facts since the discovery of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the afterglow of the Big Bang, in the 1960s.

    I left the UK after my doctoral studies to begin a research career in the US, where I was lucky to be recruited to work on a new experiment called the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This new survey embraced advances in digital technologies with the ambition of measuring the “redshifts” (how light becomes more red if a source appears to move away from you) of a million galaxies.

    These redshifts were then used to measure distances, and allowed cosmologists to map the three-dimensional structure of the universe.

    One cosmic puzzle in the 1980s, based on the pioneering CfA Redshift Survey of Margaret Geller and John Huchra, was the significant lumpiness of galaxies, and therefore matter, in our cosmic neighbourhood. Galaxies were clustered together across a wide range of scales, with evidence for coherent “superclusters” of galaxies spanning over 30 million light years in length.

    This article is part of our series Cosmology in crisis? which uncovers the greatest problems facing cosmologists today – and discusses the implications of solving them.

    It was important to know how such superclusters could have formed from the smooth CMB, as it would tell us the total amount of matter in the universe and, more intriguingly, what that matter was made of. That was assuming the only force in play was gravity.

    By the end of the first phase of the SDSS, we had achieved our goal of a million redshifts. This data was used to discover many superclusters across the universe, including the amazing “Sloan Great Wall”, which remains one of the largest known coherent structures in the universe, over a billion light years in length.

    Type 1A supernova remnant.
    Nasa/CXC/U.Texas

    I am lucky to have lived through this amazing era of cosmic discovery around the turn of the century. Surveys like SDSS, combined with new observations of the CMB and searches for distant exploding stars known as Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa), coincided to deliver an emphatic answer to the question: “What is the universe made of?”

    The discovery of dark energy

    From 1999 to 2004, the cosmological community came together to agree that the universe was 5% normal (baryonic) matter, 25% dark matter (unknown, invisible matter), and 70% “dark energy” (an expansive force) – essentially a cosmological constant, which was first postulated by Einstein. The discovery that the universe was dominated by this constant energy shocked everyone, especially as Einstein had called the cosmological constant his “biggest blunder”.

    Today, cosmologists still agree this is the most likely make-up of our universe. But observational cosmologists like me have refined our measurements of these cosmic variables significantly – reducing the errors on these quantities.

    The latest numbers from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) indicate that 31.5% of the universe is matter (a combination of dark and normal), with the remainder being dark energy assuming a cosmological constant. The error on this measurement is just 3%.

    Knowing these numbers to higher precision will hopefully help cosmologists understand why the universe is like this. Why would we expect to have 70% of the universe today as “dark” (can’t be seen via electromagnetic radiation) and not associated with “matter” like everything else in the universe?

    The origin of this dark energy remains the biggest challenge to physics, even after 20 years of intense study.

    Intriguing measurements

    Like me, a few cosmologists have become distracted by other problems over the last two decades. However, 2024 could be the start of a new era of discovery. This year, cosmologists published new results based on two of our best cosmological probes.

    The first probe consists of exploding stars dubbed “SNeIa”. As these stars have a narrow range of masses, their explosions can be well calibrated, giving cosmologists a predictable brightness that can be seen far away. By comparing the known brightness of these SNeIa to their redshifts, we can determine the expansion history of the universe. These objects were, in fact, critical for discovering that the expansion of our universe is accelerating.

    The second probe works by looking at Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) – relics of predictable sound waves in the plasma (charged gas) of the early universe, before the CMB. These are now frozen into the large-scale structure of galaxies around us. Like SNeIa, their predictable size can be compared with their observed size today to measure the expansion history of the universe.

    Recently, DES reported its final SNeIa results from over a decade of work, detecting and characterising many thousands of supernova events. While these SNeIa results are consistent with the orthodox view that the universe is dominated by a cosmological constant, they do leave open the tantalising possibility of new physics – namely, that the dark energy could be varying with cosmic time.

    That said, scientists are trained to be sceptical, and there are many reasons to distrust a single experiment, single observation, or even a single set of cosmologists!

    Cosmologists now go to extraordinary lengths to “blind” their results from themselves during analysis of the data, only revealing the answer at the last moment. This blinding is done to avoid unconscious human biases affecting the work, which could possibly encourage people to get the answer they believe they should see.

    This is why repeatability of results is at the heart of all science. In cosmology, we cherish the need for multiple experiments checking and challenging each other.

    The second result to turn heads was the first BAO measurements from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), successor to the SDSS. The first DESI map of the cosmos is deeper and denser than the original SDSS. Its first BAO results are intriguing – the data alone is still consistent with a cosmological constant, but with hints of a possible time-varying dark energy when combined with other data sources.

    DESI in the dome of the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.
    wikipedia, CC BY-SA

    In particular, when DESI analyses the combination of its BAO results with the final DES SNeIa data, the significance of a time-varying dark energy increases to 3.9 sigma (a measure of how unusual a set of data is if a hypothesis is true) – only 0.6% chance of being a statistical fluke.

    Most of us would take such odds, but scientists have been hurt before by systematic errors within their data that can mimic such statistical certainty. Particle physicists therefore demand a discovery standard of 5 sigma for any claims of new physics – or less than a one in a million chance of being wrong!

    As scientists will say: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”

    Mindboggling implications

    Are we entering a new era of cosmological discovery? If so, what would it mean?

    The answer to my first question is probably yes. The next few years will be fun for cosmologists, with new data and results due from the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission. Launched last year, it is already scanning the sky with unprecedented accuracy.

    Likewise, DESI will get more and better data, while the European Southern Observatory starts its own massive redshift survey in 2025. Then you have the Rubin Observatory in Chile coming online soon. Combining these datasets should prove beyond doubt if dark energy varies with cosmic time.

    If it does, it implies there is less dark energy now than in the past. This could be caused by many things but, interestingly, it could signify the end of a present, accelerated phase of the expansion of the universe.

    It also implies that dark energy is probably not a cosmological constant thought to be due to the background energy associated with empty space. According to quantum mechanics, empty space isn’t really empty, with particles popping in and out of existence creating something we call “vacuum energy”. Ironically, predictions of this vacuum energy do not agree with our cosmological observations by many orders of magnitude.

    So, if we did discover that dark energy varies over time, it might explain why observations are at odds with quantum mechanics, which is an extremely well-tested theory. This would suggest the assumption in the standard model of cosmology, that dark energy is constant, needs a rethink. Such a realisation may help solve other mysteries about the universe – or pose new ones.

    In short, the new cosmological observations coming this decade will stimulate a new era of physical thinking. Congratulations to my younger cosmologists: it is your era to have fun.



    Read more:
    The earliest galaxies formed amazingly fast after the Big Bang. Do they break the universe or change its age?



    Read more:
    Astronomers can’t agree on how fast the universe is expanding. New approaches are aiming to break the impasse



    Read more:
    The universe is smoother than the standard model of cosmology suggests – so is the theory broken?



    Read more:
    Cosmology is at a tipping point – we may be on the verge of discovering new physics

    Robert Nichol receives funding from STFC for work on 4MOST.

    – ref. Dark energy: could the mysterious force we think of as constant actually vary over cosmic time? – https://theconversation.com/dark-energy-could-the-mysterious-force-we-think-of-as-constant-actually-vary-over-cosmic-time-238247

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Slow-moving sloths will struggle to adapt quickly to climate change – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heather Ewart, Postdoctoral Researcher, Evolutionary Biology, University of Manchester

    Conservation biologist Rebecca Cliffe fits an accelerometer backpack to a wild three-fingered sloth to measure its movement. The Sloth Conservation Foundation, CC BY-NC-ND

    Sloths are more vulnerable to the rising temperatures associated with climate change than other mammals, due to their unique physiology.

    In a new study, my colleagues and I found that sloths’ ability to adapt to warming temperatures varies between the cooler, high-altitude and warmer, low-altitude forests of Costa Rica.

    Unlike most mammals, sloths do not actively regulate their body temperature. Like reptiles, they rely heavily on ambient temperature to do so. This affects all aspects of their survival, including digestion, metabolism and movement. Combined with their extremely low-calorie, relatively inflexible leaf-based diet, these traits mean sloths have much less energy at their disposal than most other mammals.

    As sloth body temperatures become hotter with rising temperatures, their metabolic rate increases. But those with sharply increasing metabolic rates are at risk of lower survival rates when temperatures rise, compared with other sloths.

    The author, Heather Ewart, returns a wild three-fingered sloth back to its point of capture following the application of a GPS tracking collar and accelerometer.
    Heather Ewart, CC BY-NC-ND

    Together with colleagues, including the founder of UK-based Sloth Conservation Foundation Rebecca Cliffe, I found that their degree of vulnerability depends on the altitude of the forests where each sloth originates from.

    We calculated the metabolic rates of high- and low-altitude sloths across a range of temperatures using a method called respirometery. This involves putting a sloth in a large, closed box (comfortably) to measure how much oxygen it consumes at each temperature within an allotted time period.

    Lowland sloths were able to slow their metabolic rate when temperatures became too hot. This is an important survival mechanism that may benefit these populations as climate change continues.

    Highland sloths were unable to slow their metabolic rate, which increased with temperature and became critical above 32°C. Highland sloths are at another disadvantage – cooler, high-altitude forests tend to be smaller due to the slower growth rate of trees at higher elevations coupled with habitat loss. Highland sloths are therefore much less able to migrate and are more restricted than lowland sloths.

    Sloths can’t adapt their metabolism quickly so are at risk from rising temperatures.
    Rebecca Cliffe, CC BY-NC-ND

    Sloths with higher metabolic rates use more energy, so they need to eat more food to produce more energy. However, due to their extremely slow rates of food intake and digestion, sloths take much longer to process food into energy than other mammals. Essentially, sloths cannot simply eat more food to match their energy requirements or achieve “energy balance” – the state where calories consumed equals calories burnt through physical activity.

    Combined with inflexible migration options, the restricted metabolism of highland sloths makes them especially vulnerable to climate change. However, while lowland sloths appear to have more flexible metabolic responses to warming temperatures, they won’t be able to escape the effects of climate change if temperature increases are too extreme, putting their survival at risk as well.

    There is a considerable lack of data on the current status and abundance of sloths. No comprehensive, long-term population monitoring has been conducted at a scale that reflects the true challenges sloths face.

    Conserving cooler microclimates

    My team of ecologists, who have been studying sloth behaviour and abundance across Costa Rica for 15 years, are concerned about how sloths are being affected by climate change. Areas once highly populated are now devoid of sloths, driven primarily by habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from extensive destruction of rainforests.

    Costa Rica has transformed into a predominantly urban society over the past 40 years, with its urban footprint increasing by 112%. In the Talamanca province, where our team currently tracks wild sloths, urban sprawl has increased substantially with an estimated 3,000 sloths lost annually. Electrocution is one of the leading causes of admissions to wild animal sanctuaries in Costa Rica, partly because sloths use power lines to cross between fragmented forests in certain places.

    A two-fingered sloth uses power lines over a busy road to move between trees.
    Heather Ewart, CC BY-NC-ND

    Both native sloth species of Costa Rica are now listed as conservation concerns. Globally, an estimated 40% of all sloth species are threatened with extinction. Climate change poses a serious threat – and sloth conservation efforts need to take this into account. We predict that rising temperatures will have devastating consequences for sloths’ ability to maintain their energy balance and survive.

    Sloth conservation is crucial, as they play a vital role in keeping the rainforest ecosystem healthy. Sloths are herbivores (plant eaters) that help regulate plant growth and recycle nutrients. They are an integral part of the food web, hosting a diverse ecosystem of unique organisms in their fur and serving as prey for other animals, such as ocelots and jaguars.

    Protecting sloths is an incredibly complex challenge. Right now, natural habitats must be preserved and restored to support cooler microclimates. Particularly in vulnerable high-altitude regions, remaining forest fragments should be reconnected by building wildlife corridors – strips of natural habitat that connect fragmented areas and allow animals to move more easily.

    Sloth conservation is challenging.
    Katarzyna Przygodzka/Shutterstock

    Sloth conservation can only be achieved by addressing the root issue: climate change. A global, coordinated effort is required, with strict adherence to international climate accords such as the Paris agreement to limit global warming to below 1.5°C and prevent irreversible damage to rainforests.

    If climate change continues unchecked, sloths won’t be able to migrate like other species. Once their environment becomes too hot, their survival is unlikely. Sloth conservation is directly linked to the actions humanity now takes to preserve our planet.


    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 35,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

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

    – ref. Slow-moving sloths will struggle to adapt quickly to climate change – new study – https://theconversation.com/slow-moving-sloths-will-struggle-to-adapt-quickly-to-climate-change-new-study-240052

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Bolstering local journalism to strengthen democracy

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Bolstering local journalism to strengthen democracy

    A free press is essential to healthy democracy, and local journalism is a critical component of a free press. Microsoft’s Democracy Forward initiative works to preserve, protect, and advance the fundamentals of democracy by safeguarding open and secure democratic processes, promoting a healthy information ecosystem, and advocating for corporate civic responsibility.

    Four years ago, we launched a journalism initiative to explore ways in which we could help address the growing crisis facing independent local news organizations around the world. Two years ago, our Vice Chair and President Brad Smith and USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced our plan to partner with Internews to build a Media Viability Accelerator (MVA). We were thrilled to officially launch this tool during a panel event at the UN General Assembly last month.

    Bolstering Independent Journalism through the Media Viability Accelerator

    The Media Viability Accelerator is a free web analytics platform built by Internews and Microsoft Azure. Funded by USAID and Microsoft’s Democracy Forward initiative, the MVA aims to strengthen independent journalism by helping participating organizations achieve financial sustainability. Using Azure AI, the MVA harnesses the power of big data and machine learning to provide performance insights while ensuring that participants retain control over their own data. Through the MVA, media outlets can access a multilingual tool that visualizes performance data and receive actionable insights to improve performance.

    Graphic of how the Media Viability Accelerator (MVA) functions.

    More than 250 media outlets and over 500 journalists used the platform during the MVA’s initial pilot phase. Our goal is to empower over 1,000 more media outlets and thousands more journalists over the next two years, reaching audiences of hundreds of millions of people. Strengthening local journalism helps strengthen democracies around the world by ensuring that communities and voters have accurate, credible information about what’s happening around them, including and especially elections.

    Strengthening journalism globally can also help turn the tide on rising authoritarianism. One of the guests on the panel we cohosted to launch the MVA was Juan Holmann, the publisher of Nicaragua’s longest-running newspaper, La Prensa. Holmann, who spent a year and a half in one of Nicaragua’s most notorious prisons, later said of his experience:

    “I left jail with a stronger conviction that I have to continue fighting for freedom of expression. The most important right is the right to live, to be born, and to be. And the second most important is the right to free expression. The first right is useless if the second is taken away from us. Freedom of expression is the greatest because it is what makes us what we are. Freedom of expression is the right to be educated, the right to learn, to know, and to discern.”

    We’re grateful to have La Prensa as a participant in the MVA, and we’re grateful for the tremendous work Internews has put into building and running this platform. We look forward to supporting its continued growth in the years to come.

    Strengthening Democracy through Partnerships with News Organizations

    As part of our efforts to strengthen democracy around the world, we have announced projects with a number of organizations designed to help journalists and newsrooms deploy AI responsibly in newsgathering, as well as bolster business practices to help build sustainable newsrooms. These ongoing partnerships include:

    • The Institute for Nonprofit News is leveraging AI to curate stories from the Rural News Network and connect rural residents with the stories most relevant to them via SMS messaging. Up to 30 newsrooms are also receiving stipends to produce and distribute voter information guides.
    • The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY brought 25 experienced journalists to a tuition-free program to explore ways to incorporate generative AI into their work and newsrooms in a three-month hybrid and highly interactive program. The AI Journalism Lab has added two new upcoming cohorts, one focused on adoption and another focused on leadership.
    • The Online News Association launched programming to support journalists and newsroom leaders as they navigated the evolving AI ecosystem. ONA’s AI in Journalism Initiative offered a menu of opportunities addressing what is possible across the newsroom through AI and offered workshops to experiment with tools and learn about best practices. More than 2,000 journalists have been reached through in-person and virtual programming this year.
    • The GroundTruth Project, which sends local journalists into newsrooms around the world through its Report for America and Report for the World programs, added an AI track of work for its corps members through the AI in Local News initiative to explore tool adoption. The project helped local newsrooms work together to explore use cases for AI in newsgathering.
    • Semafor harnessed AI tools to assist journalists in their research and source discovery with Semafor Signals, which helped journalists provide a diverse array of credible local, national, and global sources to their audience. They also created an elections display to show connections between different countries in a massive global election year.

    As the media landscape continues to evolve in response to new technology, we are doubling down on our efforts to provide journalists with the tools they need to deliver timely, accurate information to their communities. In doing so, we can help ensure that the “fourth pillar” of democracy remains robust and resilient.

    We expect to have updated impact data on the above partnerships soon and will update this post once this information is available. News outlets or other organizations interested in joining the Media Viability Accelerator can visit http://www.mva.net to learn more.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Haiti: children victims of gang violence amid impunity

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Following the recent interactive dialogue with the UN expert on Haiti, where Amnesty International expressed its deep concern over gang-related violence, particularly against children, perpetrated in total impunity, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, stated:

    “We have documented heartbreaking stories of children forced to work for gangs: from running deliveries to gathering information and performing domestic tasks under threats of violence. Additionally, girls have been subjected to rape and sexual violence. The desperation of their situation is truly disturbing; many have been displaced or have nowhere to go.”

    We have documented heartbreaking stories of children forced to work for gangs: from running deliveries to gathering information and performing domestic tasks under threats of violence. Additionally, girls have been subjected to rape and sexual violence. The desperation of their situation is truly disturbing; many have been displaced or have nowhere to go.

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

    “The violence in Haiti is devastating, and Haitian children are paying the price. Children are sustaining serious injuries that will change their lives due to stray bullets or targeted attacks. Recently, 70 people, including children, died in a gang attack against the population in the department of Artibonite, according to reports,” added Ana Piquer. “The need for resources to comprehensively protect children’s rights and prevent further abuses and violations is urgent, as is ending the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators.”

    The violence in Haiti is devastating, and Haitian children are paying the price. Children are sustaining serious injuries that will change their lives due to stray bullets or targeted attacks. Recently, 70 people, including children, died in a gang attack against the population in the department of Artibonite, according to reports.

    Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Joins Legislation to Build and Renovate Homes for Working Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    October 10, 2024
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is cosponsoring legislation that would provide tax credits to generate incentives for new investments and additional resources for single-family home construction and renovations for working families in Oregon and nationwide.
    Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who led the New Homes Tax Credit Act, released a report on housing supply in America, which found that underbuilding, restrictive zoning policies, and home financing hurdles have caused the supply of starter homes to shrink and prices to rise. High interest rates and mangled supply chains have also contributed to increased home prices. The legislation would address the lack of housing inventory for individuals and families whose incomes are up to 120 percent of the area median income, particularly in areas where middle-income families have historically been priced out. 
    “Democrats are focused on attacking the cost of living, and with rents and home prices climbing every year, the key to solving our housing crisis is to build, build, build. That’s what this bill is all about,” said Wyden. “The housing crisis is no longer just about big cities like Portland, it’s all over Oregon and the entire country – urban centers, suburban communities, even a lot of rural areas. Congress needs to look at every available solution that’ll get more housing built so that families don’t have to break the bank to pay the rent every month.”
    The New Homes Tax Credit would be administered under the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. That fund certifies Housing Development Entities, which can be Community Development Financial Institutions, government and quasi-governmental entities, or non-profits. Following certification, Housing Development Entities will use the capital raised from exchanging their tax credits with investors to provide funds for construction companies that build or renovate single-family homes. 
    Along with Wyden, The New Homes Tax Credit Act is cosponsored by Senators Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
    The legislation is supported by the Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, Housing New Mexico, Homewise, Yes Housing, Inc., and Strong Towns Albuquerque. 
    The text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Does Distant Planet Host Volcanic Moon Like Jupiter’s Io?

    Source: NASA

    The existence of a moon located outside our solar system has never been confirmed but a new NASA-led study may provide indirect evidence for one.
    New research done at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reveals potential signs of a rocky, volcanic moon orbiting an exoplanet 635 light-years from Earth. The biggest clue is a sodium cloud that the findings suggest is close to but slightly out of sync with the exoplanet, a Saturn-size gas giant named WASP-49 b, although additional research is needed to confirm the cloud’s behavior. Within our solar system, gas emissions from Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io create a similar phenomenon.
    Although no exomoons (moons of planets outside our solar system) have been confirmed, multiple candidates have been identified. It’s likely these planetary companions have gone undetected because they are too small and dim for current telescopes to detect.
    The sodium cloud around WASP-49 b was first detected in 2017, catching the attention of Apurva Oza, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and now a staff scientist at Caltech, which manages JPL. Oza has spent years investigating how exomoons might be detected via their volcanic activity. For example, Io, the most volcanic body in our solar system, constantly spews sulfur dioxide, sodium, potassium, and other gases that can form vast clouds around Jupiter up to 1,000 times the giant planet’s radius. It’s possible that astronomers looking at another star system could detect a gas cloud like Io’s even if the moon itself were too small to see.

    [embedded content]
    Exomoons — moons around planets outside our solar system — are most likely too small to observe directly with current technology. In this video, learn how scientists tracked the motion of a sodium cloud 635 light-years away and found that it could be created by volcanos on a potential exomoon. NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Both WASP-49 b and its star are composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of sodium. Neither contains enough sodium to account for the cloud, which appears to be coming from a source that is producing roughly 220,000 pounds (100,000 kilograms) of sodium per second. Even if the star or planet could produce that much sodium, it’s unclear what mechanism could eject it into space.
    Could the source be a volcanic exomoon? Oza and his colleagues set out to try to answer that question. The work immediately proved challenging because from such a great distance, the star, planet, and cloud often overlap and occupy the same tiny, faraway point in space. So the team had to watch the system over time.
    A Cloud on the Move
    As detailed in a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, they found several pieces of evidence that suggest the cloud is created by a separate body orbiting the planet, though additional research is needed to confirm the cloud’s behavior. For example, twice their observations indicated the cloud suddenly increased in size, as if being refueled, when it was not next to the planet.

    They also observed the cloud moving faster than the planet in a way that would seem impossible unless it was being generated by another body moving independent of, and faster, than the planet.
    “We think this is a really critical piece of evidence,” said Oza. “The cloud is moving in the opposite direction that physics tells us it should be going if it were part of the planet’s atmosphere.”
    While these observations have intrigued the research team, they say they would need to observe the system for longer to be sure of the cloud’s orbit and structure.
    A Chance of Volcanic Clouds
    For part of their sleuthing, the researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. Oza’s co-author Julia Seidel, a research fellow at the observatory, established that the cloud is located high above the planet’s atmosphere, much like the cloud of gas Io produces around Jupiter.  
    They also used a computer model to illustrate the exomoon scenario and compare it to the data. The exoplanet WASP-49 b orbits the star every 2.8 days with clocklike regularity, but the cloud appeared and disappeared behind the star or behind the planet at seemingly irregular intervals. Using their model, Oza and team showed that a moon with an eight-hour orbit around the planet could explain the cloud’s motion and activity, including the way it sometimes seemed to move in front of the planet and did not seem to be associated with a particular region of the planet.
    “The evidence is very compelling that something other than the planet and star are producing this cloud,” said Rosaly Lopes, a planetary geologist at JPL who co-authored the study with Oza. “Detecting an exomoon would be quite extraordinary, and because of Io, we know that a volcanic exomoon is possible.” 
    A Violent End
    On Earth, volcanoes are driven by heat in its core left over from the planet’s formation. Io’s volcanoes, on the other hand, are driven by Jupiter’s gravity, which squeezes the moon as it gets closer to the planet then reduces its “grip” as the moon moves away. This flexing heats the small moon’s interior, leading to a process called tidal volcanism.
    If WASP-49 b has a moon similar in size to Earth’s, Oza and team estimate that the rapid loss of mass combined with the squeezing from the planet’s gravity will eventually cause it to disintegrate.
    “If there really is a moon there, it will have a very destructive ending,” said Oza.  
    News Media Contact
    Calla CofieldJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.626-808-2469calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov
    2024-135

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Mexico State Council of Machinists Firms Up Political Action Plan Ahead of Election

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The New Mexico State Council of Machinists and Aerospace Workers recently met in Ruidoso, N.M., to strengthen their Political Action Committee and prepare the political activists for upcoming state legislative priorities.

    The Council also completed necessary business to finetune its bylaws and operating procedures.

    “I continue to be extremely proud of the advances our New Mexico State Council is making through increased transparency and modernizing how we operate our Council,”  said New Mexico State Council of Machinists President John Dyrcz. “Building real power for working people is a team effort, and New Mexico Council delegates have rolled up their sleeves and are doing the real work needed to increase our footprint in both New Mexico policy and politics.”

    The Council discussed its upcoming winter meeting and the legislative issues they’ll be lobbying on in-state, including pursuing a ban on captive audience meetings, safe-staffing hospital ratios, and a bill for paid family medical leave. 

    They also reviewed endorsements for U.S. Congressional candidates and New Mexico’s House and Senate races, and decided on support for New Mexico constitutional amendments.

    IAM Western Territory Chief of Staff Bobby Martinez spoke on behalf of the Territory and General Vice President Allen, voicing the Western Territory’s support for the New Mexico State Council and congratulating them on the positive progress they’ve made so far.

    “The New Mexico State council is a shining example of bringing diverse members together to build on the common purpose of building people to enhance their power, bringing meaningful change for working families in the state of New Mexico,” said Martinez.

    IAM Legislative and Political Assistant Director Loren Ameroth gave an overview of the political landscape in New Mexico right now, laying out where the IAM’s priorities lie.

    IAM Veterans Services Assistant Coordinator Bryan Stymacks informed Council members about the many member support services the IAM provides to members, like the Employee Assistance Program, Veterans Affairs claims processing, and alcohol and addiction resources.

    IAM Grand Lodge Auditor Suzette Trout spoke to the Council about legal compliance in managing their finances. 

    The Council also examined the outlook for its endorsed candidate, Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, in his swing-seat congressional race.

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hurricane Milton nears landfall on Florida’s west coast, disrupts energy infrastructure

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    In-brief analysis

    October 9, 2024

    This TIE was updated with additional mapping.

    As of 8:00 a.m. eastern time on October 9, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday as a major hurricane on the west coast of Florida with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, creating the potential for significant disruptions to energy infrastructure.

    Utilities in Florida are preparing for high volumes of power outages. High winds, flooding, and storm surge from Hurricane Milton might affect energy infrastructure such as power plants, power transmission and distribution lines, and fuel terminals.

    Trade press reports state that some retail gasoline stations in Florida are without fuel as demand increased prior to the hurricane. In a press conference on Tuesday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis indicated that the state was dispatching and staging fuel as needed. However, Florida does not have any refineries or gasoline pipelines that connect it to states with excess supply. Florida’s gasoline and diesel are delivered by truck or ship from domestic and international sources.

    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

    The U.S. Coast Guard reports several ports in Florida are closed. Inbound and outbound vessel traffic to Port Tampa Bay, where over 17 million tons of petroleum- and natural gas-related products move through in a typical year, has ceased. More than 43% of Florida’s petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel for the state’s major airports, moves through Port Tampa Bay. The duration of the port closures and impacts from Hurricane Milton on trade movements for petroleum and natural gas remain uncertain.

    Hurricane Milton follows Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on the Florida Panhandle on September 26 and caused major power outages and damage to electricity infrastructure on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains. Three other named storms have made landfall so far this hurricane season (Beryl, Debby, and Francine) as either Category 1 or 2 hurricanes.

    Much like Hurricane Helene, Milton’s forecasted path toward Florida’s west coast takes it away from the most prolific oil- and natural gas-producing areas near Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

    Press reports indicated earlier this week that Chevron closed its Blind Faith oil platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and evacuated all personnel from the facility in preparation for Hurricane Milton. The Blind Faith platform, which has a production capacity of 65,000 barrels per day, is approximately 160 miles southeast of New Orleans. However, as of Wednesday morning, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement had not reported that significant oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico had been shut in due to Hurricane Milton.

    To help analysts assess potential energy-related storm effects, EIA maintains energy disruption maps that display energy infrastructure and real-time storm information.

    Principal contributors: Matthew French, Paul Merolli

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Celebrates International Day of the Girl and Continues Commitment to Supporting Youth in the U.S. and  Abroad

    Source: The White House

    International Day of the Girl provides an opportunity to celebrate the leadership of girls around the world and recommit to addressing the barriers that continue to limit their full participation. Today, to commemorate International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will host the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize outstanding young women from across the United States who are making a difference in their communities. This year’s event will honor 10 young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future for generations to come.  

    The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; and they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed.

    That’s why, since day one in office, this Administration has taken action to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls, including:

    • Accelerating Learning and Improving Student Achievement. The American Rescue Plan, the largest one-time education investment in our history, included $130 billion to help schools address the impact of the pandemic on student well-being and academic achievement. To sustain these efforts, the Biden-Harris Administration increased funding and targeting of federal grants to better support academic recovery—from the Education Innovation and Research program to extended-day and afterschool programming through 21st Century Community Learning Centers. And the Administration’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024 is helping accelerate academic performance for every child in school.
    • Canceling Student Debt. President Biden and Vice President Harris vowed to fix the federal student loan program and make sure higher education is a ticket to the middle class—not a barrier to opportunity. The Biden-Harris Administration has approved nearly $170 billion in loan forgiveness for almost 5 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions with the goal of helping these borrowers get more breathing room in their daily lives, access economic mobility, buy homes, start businesses, and pursue their dreams.
    • Cutting Child Poverty Nearly in Half in 2021. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that no child should grow up in poverty. Their expansion of the Child Tax Credit helped cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021 to a record low of 5.2%. President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to restore this expansion, which would lift over a million girls out of poverty and narrow racial disparities. The Biden-Harris Administration has also lifted hundreds of thousands of girls out of poverty by updating the Thrifty Food Plan and creating SunBucks, a new program that helps low-income families afford groceries over the summer when they don’t have access to school meals.
    • Supporting Youth Mental Health. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and that mental health care is health care—period. That’s why they invested almost $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure parity for mental health and substance use care, connect Americans to care, and better protect youth from the harms of social media. The Biden-Harris Administration is also delivering the largest investments in school-based mental health services ever, bringing 14,000 new mental health professionals into schools across the country and making it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver care.
       
    • Preventing Gun Violence, Including Domestic Violence with Firearms. Gun violence is the leading killer of children and teenagers in the United States. President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken historic executive action to reduce gun violence and violent crime. In 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant new gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. The intersection between guns and domestic violence can be especially deadly, and BSCA expanded background checks to keep guns out of the hands of more domestic abusers, narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” so an individual convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence against a dating partner is prohibited from purchasing a firearm, and expanded funding for red flag laws that allow for temporary removal of firearms from an individual who is a danger to themselves or others. President Biden established the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in law enforcement and community-led crime prevention and intervention strategies and has announced more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other administration. Most recently, building on life-saving actions that the Administration has already taken, President Biden signed a new Executive Order in September 2024 to improve school-based active shooter drills and combat emerging firearms threats. The President and Vice President also announced new actions to support survivors of gun violence, promote safe gun storage, fund community violence intervention, and improve the gun background check system, among other actions.
       
    • Launching the American Climate Corps. President Biden launched the American Climate Corps to give a diverse new generation of young people the tools to fight the impacts of climate change today and the skills to join the clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The American Climate Corps is tackling the climate crisis, including by restoring coastal ecosystems, strengthening urban and rural agriculture, investing in clean energy and energy efficiency, improving disaster and wildfire preparedness, and more. More than 15,000 young Americans have already been put to work in high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience workforce training and service opportunities through the American Climate Corps—putting the program on track to reach President Biden’s goal of 20,000 members in the program’s first year ahead of schedule.
       
    • Providing Children with Healthier, More Sustainable Environments. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $3 billion and funded approximately 8,700 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide, protecting children from air pollution by transforming school bus fleets across America. The Biden-Harris Administration also invested $15 billion toward replacing every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children’s learning. And earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency provided $58 million to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.
    • Fighting Online Harassment and Abuse. Online harassment and abuse is increasingly widespread in today’s digitally connected world and disproportionately affects women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals. President Biden established the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse to coordinate comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies, and his Executive Order on artificial intelligence directs federal agencies to address deepfake image-based abuse. The Department of Justice also funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of online harassment and abuse, including the non-consensual distribution of intimate images; raised awareness of new legal protections against the non-consensual distribution of intimate images that were included in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022; and funded a new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals.
    • Keeping Students Safe and Addressing Campus Sexual Assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX protections against discrimination on the basis of sex for students and employees. The Department of Justice awarded more than $20 million in FY 2024 to support colleges and universities in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. And the Department of Education—in collaboration with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services—launched a Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education that has released data on sexual violence at educational institutions and is working to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campus.
    • Supporting Vulnerable Youth. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to support the needs of vulnerable and underserved youth—from helping prevent youth homelessness and human trafficking to supporting employment initiatives for youth with disabilities. This includes $800 million in dedicated funding to support students experiencing homelessness through the President’s American Rescue Plan. The Department of Health and Human Services also issued landmark rules to improve the child welfare system, particularly for the most vulnerable children, and to advance the safety and wellbeing of families across the country, including for LGBTQI+ children in foster care. And the Department of Justice has funded programs to help communities develop, enhance, or expand early intervention programs and treatment services for girls who are involved in the juvenile justice system.

    The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken action to support girls around the globe by fighting to advance the human rights of women and girls and promote access to education, health, and safety, including:

    • Promoting Girls’ Education Globally. The United States is investing in girls’ education around the world, which in turn advances health and economic development. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invested more than $2.5 billion from FY 2021-2023 to increase access to quality basic and higher education, and reached 18.7 million girls and women in 69 countries in FY23 alone to advance gender equality in and through education. The Departments of State and Labor have also supported efforts to promote girls’ education through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs in Kenya and Namibia, as well as technical and vocational education training centers for adolescent girls in Ethiopia. The United States has strongly condemned the restriction of girls’ education in Afghanistan, including by restricting visas for individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, repressing women and girls by limiting or prohibiting access to education.
    • Closing the Gender Digital Divide. Last year, Vice President Harris launched the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (Wi-DEF) to accelerate progress towards closing the gender digital divide. To date, Wi-DEF has raised over $80 million, including an initial $50 million commitment from USAID. Building on the success of the Fund, the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative includes commitments from governments, private sector companies, foundations, civil society, and multilateral organizations that have pledged more than $1 billion to accelerate gender digital equality. This Initiative supports girls’ access to digital learning opportunities, provides employment and educational skills, and helps fulfill the historic commitment of G20 Leaders to halve the digital gender gap by 2030. Since the launch of Wi-DEF, the United States has invested $102 million in direct and aligned commitments to closing the gender digital divide and accelerating gender digital equality.
    • Preventing and Responding to Online Harassment and Abuse Globally. To address the scourge of online harassment and abuse against girls and women, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the 15-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which has advanced international policies to address online safety and supported programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Since the Global Partnership was launched in 2022, the Department of State has supported projects in every region to prevent, document, and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, cultivate safe online use, and respond to survivors’ needs. 
    • Championing Girls’ Leadership in Addressing the Climate Crisis. In 2023, Vice President Harris announced the Women in the Sustainable Economy Initiative—an over $2 billion public-private partnership to promote women’s access to jobs in the green and blue industries of the future—including by advancing girls’ access to STEM education. Through WISE, the Department of State is investing more than $12 million in programs to benefit girls, including programs that promote girls’ economic skills and opportunities in STEM and that foster girls’ roles in leading, shaping, and informing equitable and inclusive climate policies and actions.
    • Strengthening HIV Prevention Services for Girls. To address key factors that make adolescent girls and young women particularly vulnerable to HIV, the United States launched the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) public-private partnership as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2014. Announced in 2023, PEPFAR’s DREAMS NextGen program is the next phase of DREAMS that will take a more nuanced approach that is responsive to the current context within each of the 15 DREAMS countries. PEPFAR has invested more than $2 billion in comprehensive HIV prevention programming for girls through DREAMS—including $1.3 billion since the start of the Administration—and the program reaches approximately 2.5 to 3 million girls annually.
    • Increasing Efforts to End Child Marriage Globally. To address the global scourge of child, early, and forced marriage, USAID and the Department of State invested $86 million in 27 countries to support programs that prevent and respond to this harmful practice, including by equipping girls and young women with education and workforce readiness skills; providing education, health, legal, and economic support; and raising awareness. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States also made its first-ever contribution to the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which works in 12 countries in Africa and South Asia to promote the rights of adolescent girls, and is contributing more than $2 million in FY 2024 to UNFPA to help reach refugee adolescent girls and prevent child marriages in humanitarian settings.
    • Leading Programs to End Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting. To address the harmful practice of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), USAID invested in programs to address this issue in Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritania, and Nigeria. The United States is a long-standing donor to the UNICEF-UNFPA Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, and invested $20 million from FY 2020-FY 2023 in this partnership, which has succeeded in advocating for legal and policy frameworks banning FGM/C in 14 of 17 countries and supported more than 6.3 million women and girls with FGM/C-related protection and care services.
    • Promoting Young Women’s Civic and Political Participation. The Biden-Harris Administration has advanced the political and civic participation of women and girls as a pillar of democracy promotion efforts worldwide. The Administration launched Women LEAD, a $900 million public-private partnership focused on building the pipeline of women leaders around the world, including by supporting programs to reach girls and young women. Under this umbrella, the USAID-led Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative provides more than $25 million to identify and dismantle the individual, structural, and socio-cultural barriers to the political empowerment of women and girls in ten focus countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyz Republic, Yemen, and Fiji. Furthermore, the State Department is launching a new $1.25 million program in Africa that will empower and equip young women leaders to take on decision-making roles in democratic transition processes.
    • Protecting Girls in Humanitarian Emergencies. The United States government has increased its support for girls in humanitarian and fragile contexts. Since 2021, USAID has more than doubled the percentage of its humanitarian budget allocated to the protection sector, which includes child protection and gender-based violence activities serving girls. In FY 2023, USAID provided $163 million specifically towards addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. In 2022, USAID and the Department of State launched Safe from the Start: ReVisioned, which seeks to better address the needs of girls and women from the onset of a conflict or crisis.
    • Combatting Child Trafficking. To combat child trafficking, including trafficking of girls, the Department of State has committed $37.5 million through Child Protection Compacts, building capacity in Jamaica, Peru, and Mongolia, and establishing new partnerships with Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Romania. These partnerships strengthen country responses to child trafficking to more effectively prosecute and convict traffickers, provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for child victims—including girls—and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: First Lady Jill  Biden Announces 2024 “Girls Leading Change”  Honorees

    Source: The White House

    In celebration of International Day of the Girl, the First Lady is honoring ten young women who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities 

    In honor of International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will celebrate ten young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future in their communities across the United States.    

    As an educator for more than 40 years, Dr. Biden has continued to be a champion for young people here in the United States and abroad. Together with the White House Gender Policy Council, Dr. Biden is hosting the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize the profound impact young women are having on their communities and their efforts to strengthen our country for generations to come.     

    “Everywhere I travel, I see inspiring girls leading change in their communities,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “These incredible honorees are meeting the challenges they see in the world by developing innovative new technologies, expanding access to education, erasing silence through the power of art and poetry and more. It is an honor to celebrate these young leaders at the White House and I hope that their courage and determination inspires the next generation.”  

    The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed. Since day one in office, this Administration has taken actions to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls. A full summary of these actions can be found via a White House Fact Sheet released today HERE.  

    “Girls Leading Change” will begin at 5:30 PM ET today, Thursday, October 10th, and be available via livestream at whitehouse.gov/live  

      2024 Girl Leading Change Honorees   

    Cheyenne Anderson (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 

    Cheyenne Anderson, Iztac Citlali (White Star), age 17, is an artist and photographer who aims to lift up underrepresented communities, including those of her own Chicana, Mexica, and Apache heritage, through creative art forms. In ninth grade, Cheyenne created and co-edited a book, titled South Valley, which features poetry and artwork from fellow youth poets and local community members that showcase the beauty and spirit of Albuquerque’s South Valley. Through her art and elevating the art of others, Cheyenne hopes to inspire people of all backgrounds to share their unique stories. 

    Emily Austin (Alcabideche, Portugal) 

    Emily Austin, age 17, is a proud daughter of a U.S. Navy service member. Emily and her family have moved to seven different duty stations. She has attended seven different schools, over the course of her education. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Bloom, an organization started by military-connected teens dedicated to empowering teens from military families and elevating their voices. Emily started the Bloom Ambassador program to directly connect teens from military families to Bloom staff members and opportunities in their region, cultivating a sense of community and providing peer support through the shared joys and challenges of the military lifestyle. 

    Sreenidi Bala (Farmington, Connecticut) 

    Sreenidi Bala, age 16, is an advocate for the accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students of all abilities. After recognizing a gap in STEM education for neurodivergent students in her school district, Sreenidi developed an elective to fill that gap called ASPIRE Adaptive STEM. Sreenidi also founded Code for All Minds—a free online platform offering educators and families comprehensive lessons in coding, digital citizenship, and essential technology skills tailored for students with learning disabilities. Through partnerships with neurodiversity advocacy groups and local college access programs, Code for All Minds has created and distributed adaptive STEM curriculums to schools across the country. 

    Noel Demetrio (Lake Forest, Illinois) 

    Noel Demetrio, age 17, is dedicated to supporting refugee and immigrant communities. Noel is the founder of Project Xenia, a local program that aims to educate students about displacement and show how they can support and welcome refugees into their community. Project Xenia has also helped fund scholarships for Ukrainian refugees in her local community. Noel serves as a Girl Delegate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to the United Nations and attended the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to advocate for the rights of girls all over the world. 

    Serena Griffin (Oakland, California) 

    Serena Griffin, age 17, is passionate about empowering youth through poetry, songwriting, and storytelling, and using creative expression as a tool for social change. She is the founder of EmpowHer Poets, a free afterschool program that provides writing workshops to local Bay Area youth, particularly young girls of color, to encourage them to find power in their voices. In addition, Serena is the current Berkeley Vice Youth Poet Laureate. She also serves as a member of the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls Youth Advisory Council, advising on the impact of state legislation on youth and its implementation in schools.  

    Pragathi Kasani-Akula (Cumming, Georgia) 

    Pragathi Kasani-Akula, age 17, is a scientist and innovator dedicated to developing novel solutions that make health care more accessible to people across the world. Following her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she developed a prototype for a low-cost, less invasive test to detect triple negative breast cancer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pragathi also worked with the ScioVirtual Foundation to teach an online course on epidemiology to students across the nation, including education on how to advance public health. 

    Meghna “Chili” and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) 

    Meghna “Chili” Pramoda, age 17, and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda, age 16, are advocates for digital safety for all. As co-founders of SafeTeensOnline (STO), the Pramoda sisters have educated and empowered over 5 million teens worldwide. STO’s work consists of year-round online awareness campaigns through social media and teen-led large-scale survey and research initiatives on topics such as internet usage and patterns of cyber incidents. During the COVID-19 pandemic when the world moved online, the Pramoda sisters noticed that older members of their community often felt isolated due to a lack of digital literacy. As a result, STO expanded from a teen-focused organization to one that also educates parents, teachers, and grandparents on safe digital practices and on how to build judgment-free spaces online. 

    Kira Tiller (Gainesville, Virginia) 

    Kira Tiller, age 18, is a disability rights activist who aims to expand accessibility and amplify the voices of young people with disabilities. After Kira discovered that the flashing lights during school fire drills posed a seizure risk for her due to her epilepsy, she dedicated herself to advocating for legislation to ensure students with disabilities are fully accommodated and protected during emergency situations at school. Kira founded and is the executive director of a national, student-led organization called Disabled Disrupters, which advocates for state and federal disability rights legislation and helps students take action to advance disability equity. 

    Morgaine Wilkins-Dean (Denver, Colorado) 

    Morgaine Wilkins-Dean, age 18, is a Gold Award Girl Scout who is working to eliminate gun violence in her community and across the country.  Morgaine’s high school experienced three firearm-related incidents in a single year that resulted in the loss of two of her classmates. As a result, Morgaine worked with the Denver Public School Board on gun violence prevention and safe gun storage policies. Due in part to Morgaine’s advocacy, this school year, for the first time, Denver Public Schools are required to educate families about the risks associated with unsecured firearms at home. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Global goods trade on track for gradual recovery despite lingering downside risks

    Source: World Trade Organization

    In the October 2024 update of “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics,” WTO economists note that global merchandise trade turned upwards in the first half of 2024 with a 2.3% year-on-year increase, which should be followed by further moderate expansion in the rest of the year and in 2025. The rebound comes on the heels of a -1.1% slump in 2023 driven by high inflation and rising interest rates. World real GDP growth at market exchange rates is expected to remain steady at 2.7% in 2024 and 2025. 

    Inflation by the middle of 2024 had fallen sufficiently to allow central banks to cut interest rates.  Lower inflation should raise real household incomes and boost consumer spending, while lower interest rates should raise investment spending by firms.

    Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “We are expecting a gradual recovery in global trade for 2024, but we remain vigilant of potential setbacks, particularly the potential escalation of regional conflicts like those in the Middle East. The impact could be most severe for the countries directly involved, but they may also indirectly affect global energy costs and shipping routes. Beyond the economic implications, we are deeply concerned about the humanitarian consequences for those affected by these conflicts.”

    “It is imperative that we continue to work collectively to ensure global economic stability and sustained growth, as these are fundamental to enhancing the welfare of people worldwide. In the past three decades since the WTO was established, per capita incomes in low- and middle-income economies have nearly tripled. We must continue our efforts to foster inclusive global trade,” DG Okonjo-Iweala said.

    Diverging monetary policies among major economies could lead to financial volatility and shifts in capital flows as central banks bring down interest rates. This might make debt servicing more challenging, particularly for poorer economies. There is also some limited upside potential to the forecast if interest rate cuts in advanced economies stimulate stronger than expected growth without reigniting inflation.

    Regional trade outlook

    “The latest forecasts for world trade in 2024 and 2025 only show modest revisions since the last Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report in April, but these projections do not capture some important changes in the regional composition of trade. Historical trade volume data have been revised substantially, including downward revisions to European exports and imports back to 2020.  There have also been notable changes in GDP forecasts by region, including a 0.4 percentage point upgrade to North America’s growth, which could influence trade flows in other regions as well,” WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa said.

    Europe is now expected to post a decline of 1.4% in export volumes in 2024; imports will meanwhile decrease by 2.3%. Germany’s economy contracted by 0.3% in the second quarter, with manufacturing indicators hitting 12-month lows in September. European exports have been dragged down by the region’s automotive and chemicals sectors. A slump in EU exports of automotive products is worrying due to the potential impact on the sector’s extensive supply chains. Meanwhile, organic chemical exports — some associated with medicines — are returning to normal trends following a surge during the COVID-19 pandemic. EU machinery imports also plummeted, particularly from China. This trend extends beyond geopolitical tensions, affecting imports from the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Meanwhile, rising imports from India and Viet Nam suggest their growing roles in global supply chains.

    Asia’s export volumes will grow faster than those of any other region this year, rising by as much as 7.4% in 2024. The region saw a strong export rebound in the first half of the year driven by key manufacturing economies such as China, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Asian imports show divergent trends: while China’s growth remains modest, other economies such as Singapore, Malaysia, India and Viet Nam are surging. This shift suggests their emerging role as “connecting” economies, trading across geopolitical blocs, thereby potentially mitigating the risk of fragmentation.

    South America (1) is rebounding in 2024, recovering from weaknesses in both exports and imports experienced in 2023. North American trade is largely driven by the United States although Mexico stands out with stronger import growth compared to the region as a whole. Mexican imports are rebounding after a contraction in 2023, underscoring the country’s growing role as a “connecting” economy in trade.

    Africa’s export growth is in line with the global trend. It has been revised downward from the April forecast, driven by an overall revision of Africa’s trade statistics, and a greater-than-expected weakening in Europe’s imports, Africa’s main trade partner. In April, WTO economists forecasted a contraction in the CIS region’s (2) imports for 2024, but now it is projected to post 1.1% growth, driven by stronger-than-expected GDP expansion. The Middle East had a major revision in its data, explaining the discrepancy between the April forecast and the current projections.

    Merchandise exports of least-developed countries (LDCs) are projected to increase by 1.8% in 2024, marking a slowdown from the 4.6% growth recorded in 2023. Export growth is expected to pick up in 2025, reaching 3.7%. Meanwhile, LDC imports are forecast to grow 5.9% in 2024 and 5.6% in 2025, following a 4.8% decline in 2023. These projections are underpinned by GDP growth estimates for LDCs of 3.3% in 2023, 4.3% in 2024 and 4.7% in 2025.

    Trade in services

    The short-term outlook for services is more positive than for goods, with 8% year-on-year growth in the US dollar value of commercial services trade recorded in the first quarter of 2024. Comprehensive services statistics for the second quarter will be released later in October, but data for available reporters through June suggest that relatively strong growth is likely to be sustained in the second quarter as well. 

    The services new export orders index rose to 51.7 in August, its highest level since July 2023. The services Purchasing Managers’ Index remained firmly in expansion territory at 52.9 as of August, although it did turn down in September.

    The full report is available here.

    Detailed quarterly and annual trade statistics can be downloaded from the WTO Stats portal. In addition, the interactive tool WTO | World Trade Statistics 2023 presents key data and trends for international trade, allowing users to view the latest trends, in terms of both value and volume, using filters to display the data by economy, region, selected grouping, product group and services sector.

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    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Colombia: EIB Global provides Enel Colombia with $300 million loan for renewable energy generation and power grid improvements

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • The facility finances solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totalling approximately 486 MW of capacity, and the improvement and expansion of the Enel Colombia distribution business.
    • The loan is in Colombian pesos and with the help of a synthetic product neutralises exchange rate risks.
    • The loan is the first of its kind to be issued by the EIB in favour of an Enel Group subsidiary.

    The European Investment Bank (EIB), in partnership with Enel and SACE, the Italian Export Credit Agency, has provided Enel Group subsidiary Enel Colombia with a loan in the local currency, for a maximum amount in Colombian pesos equivalent to $300 million, which through a synthetic product neutralises the exchange rate risk. The loan is backed by a SACE guarantee. Through this facility, aimed at financing the development of power grids and renewable energy generation in Colombia, the EIB, Enel and SACE have joined forces to support the energy transition in the country and mitigate the effects of climate change.

    This agreement is in line with the EU Commission’s Global Gateway Investment Agenda, and it is the first EIB framework loan exclusively dedicated to financing Enel Colombia’s sustainable development, as well as being the first EIB synthetic product with an Enel Group subsidiary.

    Specifically, the facility will finance the solar PV plants Guayepo I and II, totalling approximately 486 MW of capacity, and the improvement and expansion of the Enel Colombia distribution business, which serves more than 3.7 million customers in Bogota, boosting resilience as well as enabling new connections and e-mobility, in line with the Bogotá Region 2030 project.

    The agreement builds upon the EIB’s longstanding successful collaboration with Enel and SACE in Latin America which has already granted a multi-country, multi-business and multi-currency facility of up to $900 million in Latin America to Enel Group’s subsidiaries in the area.

    “This project, in line with the Global Gateway Investment Agenda, contributes to reducing the infrastructure gap between wealthier and less developed regions of Colombia and increases the participation of renewable energy in the power matrix of the country by incorporating additional solar energy generation capacity. I welcome the opportunity to continue the fruitful cooperation with the Enel Group, which has a longstanding and successful relationship with the EIB and is one of its largest borrowers, and SACE, with whom the EIB also has an extensive relationship in supporting projects inside and outside the European Union,” said EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris.

    “The agreement with the EIB and SACE is a virtuous example of synergies between the public and private sector and confirms our sustainability commitment,” said Enel CFO Stefano De Angelis. “This partnership adds further value to our business projects through a development strategy focused on renewables and grids, while contributing to accelerate the energy transition as well as the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in line with our Group’s Strategic Plan, the Paris Agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda.”

    “We are pleased to be part of this high-impact transaction, which testifies to our long-lasting partnership with Enel and the EIB and our strategic vision of long-term growth. Latin America and Colombia represent a significant opportunity for both the energy transition and the Italian technologies that can support it. Our team in Bogotá, where we have inaugurated our office in recent days, will continue to play a vital role for these projects,” stated Valerio Perinelli, Chief Business Officer at SACE.    

    Background information

    About the EIB

    The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. The EIB brings the experience and expertise of in-house engineers and economists to help develop and appraise top quality projects. As an AAA-rated, policy-driven EU financial institution, the EIB offers attractive financial terms – loans at competitive interest rates and with durations aligned with the projects it finances. Through our partnerships with the European Union and other donors, we can provide grants to further improve the development impact of the projects we support.

    About EIB Global in Latin America

    EIB Global has been providing economic support for projects in Latin America since 2022, facilitating long-term investment with favourable conditions and offering the technical support needed to ensure that these projects deliver positive social, economic and environmental results. Since the EIB began operating in Latin America in 1993, it has provided total financing of around €14 billion to support more than 160 projects in 15 countries in the region.

    About the Global Gateway initiative

    EIB Global is a key partner in the implementation of the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, supporting sound projects that improve global and regional connectivity in the digital, climate, transport, health, energy and education sectors. Investing in connectivity is at the very heart of what EIB Global does, building on the Bank’s 65 years of experience in this domain. Alongside our partners, fellow EU institutions and Member States, we aim to support €100 billion of investment (around one-third of the overall envelope of the initiative) by the end of 2027, including in Colombia and Latin America.

    About SACE

    SACE is the Italian financial insurance company specialised in supporting the growth and development of businesses and the national economy through a wide range of tools and solutions to improve competitiveness in Italy and worldwide. For over 40 years, SACE has been the partner of reference for Italian companies exporting to and expanding in foreign markets. SACE also cooperates with the banking system, providing financial guarantees to facilitate companies’ access to credit. This role has been reinforced by the extraordinary measures introduced by the so-called Liquidity Decree and by the Simplifications Decree. With a portfolio of insured transactions and guaranteed investments totalling €156 billion, SACE serves over 26 000 companies, especially small and medium businesses (SMEs), supporting their growth in Italy and in around 200 foreign markets, with a diversified range of insurance and financial products and services.

    About Enel

    Enel is a multinational power company and a leading integrated player in the global power and renewables markets. At global level, it is the largest renewable private player, the foremost electricity distribution network player by number of grid customers served and the biggest retail operator by customer base. The Enel Group is the largest European utility by ordinary EBITDA[1]. Enel is present in 28 countries worldwide, producing energy with more than 88 GW of total capacity. Enel Grids, the Group’s global business line dedicated to the management of the electricity distribution service worldwide, delivers electricity through a network of 1.9 million kilometres with 69 million end users. Enel’s renewables arm Enel Green Power has a total capacity of around 64 GW and a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric power, as well as energy storage facilities installed in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Enel X Global Retail is the Group’s business line dedicated to customers around the world, with the aim of effectively providing products and services based on their energy needs and encouraging them towards a more conscious and sustainable use of energy. Globally, it provides electricity and integrated energy services to around 58 million customers worldwide, offering flexibility services aggregating 9 GW, managing around 3 million lighting points, and with 27 300 owned public charging points for electric mobility.

     [1] Enel’s leadership in the different categories is defined by comparison with competitors’ FY2023 data. Fully state-owned operators are not included. 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Formerly Married Couple Sentenced for Multimillion Dollar Fraud Schemes

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    Orlando, FL – United States District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Nikesh Ajay Patel (40, formerly of Windermere), and his ex-wife, Trisha Patel, (41, Orlando), for their roles in a financial scheme defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and others. On October 8, 2024, Nikesh Patel was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, which must run consecutive to a 25-year term he is already serving from the Northern District of Illinois. Trisha Patel was sentenced on September 18, 2024, to 51 months in federal prison. Both are required to pay restitution to the USDA and four other financial institutions.

    According to court documents, Nikesh Patel was charged in 2014 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois for a $179 million fraud scheme. He was arrested and released on bond. For the next several years, Nikesh Patel claimed that he was cooperating with authorities and using his business skills to recover funds to repay the victims. In fact, Nikesh Patel had devised a new scheme against the USDA that netted him over $19 million. Nikesh Patel was planning to flee to Ecuador on a private jet and avoid sentencing in the Chicago case. Instead, FBI agents arrested Nikesh Patel at the Kissimmee airport on January 6, 2018, and arrested him for attempting to abscond. Nikesh Patel was subsequently returned to Chicago, where he was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on June 6, 2018.

    Thereafter, on December 18, 2019, a federal grand jury in Orlando returned a 13-count indictment against Nikesh Patel for stealing $19 million while he was on federal pretrial release in the Chicago case. On February 28, 2023, Patel pleaded guilty as charged to all counts in that indictment: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and eight counts of money laundering.

    In the 2019 case, Nikesh Patel fabricated fraudulent loan documents and used a fictitious identity to perpetrate his conspiracy and scheme. He then applied to the USDA to guarantee the fake loans as part of their Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program. Once the USDA agreed to guarantee the loans, Nikesh Patel sold the guaranteed portion to the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) and received $19,342,392. The FBI was able to recover $11,321,931 and Nikesh Patel was ordered to pay the remaining portion as restitution to Farmer Mac.

    While Nikesh Patel was in federal custody for the 2019 case, he recruited Trisha Patel (his wife at the time) to perpetrate a third financial scheme. Between January 2021 and December 2023, Nikesh and Trisha Patel devised a more sophisticated scheme utilizing a commercial pump manufacturer in Houston, Texas. At the direction of Nikesh Patel, Trisha pretended to be a senior representative of the company and falsely claimed to USDA that they wanted to expand their business in rural Puerto Rico. The Patels then created a fake lender to pretend that it was loaning $8,540,000 to the business for the expansion. USDA guaranteed 80% of the fake loan, and the Patels then sold that guarantee to financial institutions and received $7,446,880. The FBI was able to recover $74,545 in currency and a 2022 BMW model X7. The defendants were ordered to pay the remaining portion to USDA and four other financial institutions as restitution.

    For the third scheme, Trisha Patel and Nikesh Patel each pleaded guilty to an Information charging one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on May 21, 2024, and May 22, 2024, respectively.

    These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General. They were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta and United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks Announcing TD Bank’s Guilty Plea for Bank Secrecy Act and Money Laundering Conspiracy Violations in $1.8B Resolution

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

    Thank you, Mr. Attorney General.

    Today, one of North America’s largest banks pleaded guilty to some of the most serious charges a financial institution can face.

    This case should serve as a warning and a reminder that we will hold corporate wrongdoers accountable, no matter their size or stature.

    But this case also highlights the critical importance of maintaining a culture of compliance — and offers a cautionary tale of how bad things can go without one.

    When you put your hard-earned money in a bank – that bank should meet a very basic requirement.

    It should follow the law.

    For financial institutions, that means — among other obligations — adhering to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).

    This law is fundamental — not only for protecting our financial system — but also our national security.

    The BSA requires that banks:

    • Maintain robust anti-money laundering programs;
    • Report suspicious activity; and
    • Train employees to be the first line of defense against money laundering.

    Despite being one of the largest banks in the country, TD Bank failed to meet these requirements and violated the law.

    Even as profits rose, the bank starved its compliance program of the resources it needed to obey the law.

    Time and time again, TD Bank failed to meet its obligations — day after day, year after year.  

    The problems were so widespread — so pervasive — that it was only a matter of time before the bank’s own employees could exploit these failures and engage in money laundering themselves.

    And that’s exactly what happened.

    As TD Bank admitted in its plea today, its anti-money laundering failures spanned nearly a decade.

    Things got so bad that five of the bank’s own employees participated in a scheme that laundered millions of dollars to Colombia, resulting in felony convictions for individuals both inside and outside the bank.

    What makes this even more troubling is that — for years — TD Bank knew of its compliance failures.

    In 2013, federal regulators began penalizing the bank for its lack of money laundering controls.

    But as the light continued blinking red, TD Bank could only see green.

    Every bank compliance official in America should be reviewing today’s charges as a case study of what not to do.

    And every bank CEO and board member should be doing the same.

    Because if the business case for compliance wasn’t clear before — it should be now.

    The Bank Secrecy Act includes a unique penalty provision: the ability to fine a financial institution up to $500,000 for each day it lacks a functional anti-money laundering program.

    The daily fine provision is rarely used.

    In fact, the Justice Department has never before sought this maximum daily penalty against any financial institution.

    Until now.

    The financial penalty under today’s resolution is based on TD Bank’s failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program every single day from the beginning of 2014 to the end of October 2023.

    Today’s guilty plea — and the resulting $1.8 billion penalty — represents the largest penalty ever imposed under the Bank Secrecy Act.

    And it provides an unmistakable lesson: crime doesn’t pay. And neither does flouting compliance. 

    This resolution also sets a new course for TD Bank.

    With today’s guilty plea, TD Bank has agreed to tough new rules.

    • It must overhaul its compliance program;
    • It must retain an independent monitor;
    • It must report misconduct to the government; and
    • It must cooperate in our ongoing criminal investigations into the individuals responsible – up and down the corporate ladder.

    The bank has begun this work, and we will continue to hold its feet to the fire.

    We are putting down a clear marker on what we expect from financial institutions — and the consequences for failure.

    When it comes to compliance, there are really only two options: invest now – or face severe consequences later.

    As I’ve said before, a corporate strategy that pursues profits at the expense of compliance isn’t a path to riches; it’s a path to federal prosecution.

    I want to thank the women and men of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and investigative partners joining us today for their continued work on this matter.

    With that, I’ll pass it to Deputy Secretary of Treasury, Wally Adeyemo.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks Announcing TD Bank’s Guilty Plea for Bank Secrecy Act and Money Laundering Conspiracy Violations in $1.8B Resolution

    Source: United States Attorneys General 2

    Remarks as Delivered

    Good afternoon everyone. Before we get started today, I want to extend my sympathy to the millions of Americans who’ve had their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene.

    I know I speak for all of us in expressing my gratitude to the first responders on the ground who are carrying out rescue missions. And I want to thank all of the volunteers who are helping their neighbors get through these storms.

    And now to the subject of today’s announcement.

    Today, TD Bank pled guilty to multiple felonies, including conspiring to violate the Bank Secrecy Act and commit money laundering. TD Bank has also agreed to a $1.8 billion criminal penalty. Combined with civil enforcement actions announced today by other agencies, the United States will be imposing a total [penalty] of approximately $3 billion against TD Bank.

    TD Bank created an environment that allowed financial crime to flourish. By making its services convenient for criminals, it became one.

    Today, TD Bank became the largest bank in U.S. history to plead guilty to Bank Secrecy Act program failures and the first U.S. bank in history to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    This is also the largest-ever penalty under the Bank Secrecy Act and the first time the Justice Department has assessed a daily fine against a bank.

    As part of the plea agreement, TD Bank will fundamentally restructure its corporate compliance program at its U.S.-based bank, which is the 10th largest in the United States.

    The bank has also agreed to the imposition of a three-year monitorship and a five-year term of probation. While the bank has started its remediation, it will continue to remediate and improve its anti-money laundering compliance program to ensure that the bank operates lawfully and safely moving forward.

    In addition to obtaining today’s corporate felony pleas, the Justice Department has also prosecuted two dozen individuals for their involvement in money laundering schemes that moved over $670 million in illicit funds through TD Bank accounts. So far, the Justice Department has charged two TD Bank employees for their involvement in one of these schemes.

    Pursuant to the plea agreement, TD Bank is required to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation of the bank and any of its officers, directors, and employees. If the bank fails to do so, it will again be subject to criminal prosecution, in which the statement of facts that are part of the plea agreement may be used as evidence against it.

    Our criminal investigations into individual employees at every level of TD Bank are active and ongoing.

    As is the case in all corporate criminal matters, no one involved in TD Bank’s illegal conduct will be off limits. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads.

    Federal anti-money laundering laws are designed to prevent criminals from using U.S. banks to fuel their crimes.

    Our laws dictate that the narcotics traffickers who flood our communities with deadly drugs cannot use American financial institutions to move their money.

    And our anti-money laundering laws dictate that a bank that willfully fails to protect against criminal schemes is also a criminal.

    That is what TD Bank was, because it failed to maintain an adequate anti-money laundering program between January 2014 and October 2023.

    Over a six-year period, TD Bank failed to monitor $18.3 trillion in customer activity.

    As TD Bank admitted in its plea agreement, this allowed three money laundering networks to transfer over $670 million through TD Bank accounts. At least one of those schemes involved five TD Bank employees.

    The bank maintained an automated transaction monitoring system that was supposed to detect and generate alerts on suspicious transactions and activities. But that system was willfully deficient.

    As the bank admitted in the statement of facts, which it filed today, at various times high-level executives, including the person who became the bank’s chief anti-money laundering officer, knew there were serious problems with the bank’s anti-money laundering program. But the bank failed to correct them.

    Three money laundering networks took advantage of TD Bank’s failed anti-money laundering system.

    First, over the course of a three-year period, a person who TD Bank employees knew as David moved over $470 million in illicit funds through TD Bank branches in the United States.

    David has separately pled guilty to laundering drug proceeds through the bank.

    David had attempted to launder money through numerous financial institutions. But he found that TD Bank had the most permissive policies and procedures and chose to launder most of his funds there.

    He also bribed TD Bank employees with more than $57,000 in gift cards in furtherance of his scheme.

    David’s illegal conduct was obvious, to say the least. On more than one occasion, he deposited more than $1 million in cash in a single day. He then immediately moved the funds out of the bank using official bank checks and wire transfers.

    TD Bank employees at many levels understood and acknowledged the likely illegality of David’s activity.

    In August 2020, one TD Bank store manager emailed another store manager and remarked, “You guys really need to shut this down LOL.”

    In late 2020, another store manager implored his supervisors — several TD Bank regional managers — to act, noting that “[i]t is getting out of hand and my tellers are at the point that they don’t feel comfortable handling these transactions.”

    In February 2021, one TD Bank store employee saw that David’s network had purchased more than $1 million in official bank checks with cash in a single day. The employee asked: “How is that not money laundering.” A back-office employee responded, “oh it 100% is.”

    In a second, separate money laundering scheme, five TD Bank employees conspired with criminal organizations to open and maintain accounts at the bank that were used to launder $39 million to Colombia, including drug proceeds.

    That money laundering organization reused the same Venezuelan passports to open multiple accounts at TD Bank. It sometimes used the same passport to obtain multiple debit cards for a single account.

    Despite significant internal red flags, the bank did not identify that its own employees were conspiring to launder tens of millions of dollars to Colombia, until law enforcement arrested one of them.

    In yet a third scheme, outlined in today’s charges, a money laundering network maintained accounts at TD Bank for at least five shell companies. It used those accounts to move over $100 million in illicit funds through the bank.

    Even though retail employees flagged suspicious activity connected to those accounts, the bank did not file a suspicious activity report until law enforcement alerted the bank to the money laundering network’s activity. By that time, the accounts had been open for over 13 months and had been used to transfer nearly $120 million.

    On multiple occasions, bank employees openly joked about the bank’s enabling of criminal activity.

    In one instance a compliance employee asked a manager what “the bad guys” thought about the bank. The manager replied: “Lol. Easy target.”

    Other employees consistently joked on the bank’s instant messaging platform about the bank’s motto, “America’s Most Convenient Bank.” They linked it to the bank’s approach to combating money laundering.

    For example, a compliance employee asked a colleague why “all the really awful ones bank here lol.”

    The colleague replied: “because … we are convenient.”

    There is nothing wrong with a bank that tries to make its services convenient for its honest customers.

    But there is something terribly wrong with a bank that knowingly makes its services convenient for criminals.

    The Bank Secrecy Act requires financial institutions like TD Bank to establish and maintain compliance programs that guard against money laundering.

    But TD Bank chose profits over compliance, in order to keep its costs down.

    That decision is now costing the bank billions of dollars in criminal and civil penalties.

    Less than a year ago, the Justice Department secured felony guilty pleas from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and from its founder and CEO. We also obtained one of the largest corporate penalties in U.S. history.

    The Department’s actions against both Binance and TD Bank are a reminder that financial institutions in this country have an obligation to guard against criminals exploiting their services.

    The Justice Department will aggressively prosecute any company that fails to do so.

    I want to express my gratitude to the public servants of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and the DEA for their extraordinary work on this case. We are also grateful to IRS Criminal Investigation, the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General, FinCEN, and our other federal, state, and local partners for their work.

    I am proud of them.

    I will now turn the podium over to Deputy Attorney General Monaco.

    MIL Security OSI –