Category: Latin America

MIL-OSI Africa: Springboks cruise to victory

Source: South Africa News Agency

Sunday, September 29, 2024

The Springboks brought joy to the nation after beating Argentina 48-7 and winning the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for the first time in five years.

The world cup winning side beat the Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday evening.
The match saw the Boks lead 27-7 at half time.

“The win was never in doubt after the Springboks – celebrating a new Test record for Eben Etzebeth (128 caps) – had a sublime start that had the sold-out crowd of 43 578 in raptures and hardly gave them time to either sit down or catch a breath in a spellbinding first 15 minutes,” said the SA Rugby in match report.

Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Gayton McKenzie described Etzebeth as a warrior.

“On behalf of South Africa, I would like to acknowledge a warrior of SA, a man that donned the green and gold shirt 128 times doing duty for his country. You have done so much for us and the sport of rugby. You are truly a role model with the most magnificent teammates and coaches,” the Minister said in a post on X.

The Springboks scored a total seven tries in their victory on Saturday.

“A crowd of 43 578 celebrated as the Springboks scored seven tries to claim the southern hemisphere crown for the first time since 2019 – scoring more tries in a match in the competition since scoring nine in beating the same opponents at the FNB Stadium 73-13 in 2013,” said SA Rugby.

Proteas

Meanwhile, the Proteas Men are set to face Ireland in their T20i clash today.

“The Proteas are ready to bring the heat in the final T20i against Ireland! With the series on the line, they’re focused on sealing the deal,” Cricket South Africa said in a post on X ahead of Sunday’s match. The match will get underway at 5:30 pm.

Cricket SA called on the nation to “get behind the Proteas as they aim to dominate and finish strong.” –SAnews.gov.za

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MIL OSI Africa –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ – but not as much as you’d think

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Maksim Rudnev, Research Associate, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo

We all admire wise people, don’t we? Whether it’s a thoughtful teacher, a compassionate doctor, or an elder in the community, we recognise wisdom when we see it. But have you ever thought about how people in different cultures perceive wisdom? Does someone in Morocco view a wise person in the same way as someone in Ecuador? Our recent study explored how people across cultures think of wisdom.

This large-scale project required a joint effort of 34 researchers across fields of philosophy, psychology, anthropology, social science and psychometrics – and from all over the world, connected in a research consortium called The Geography of Philosophy.

What we found was somewhat surprising. Wisdom may appear to be shaped by cultural differences, but the core aspects of what makes someone wise are largely the same across cultures. From urban college students in Japan to villagers in South Africa, participants associated wisdom with two key characteristics: reflective orientation and socio-emotional awareness. We explain what that means below.

Contrary to widespread stereotypes, people recognise wisdom in a similar way across east and west, south and north. Despite the divisions of the world, we see wisdom in the same individuals and associate it with similar traits. Are we indeed more alike than we are different, when it comes to how we perceive wisdom? And what characterises wise people?

These are the characteristics of wise people

There are two key characteristics. Reflective orientation is about people who think before acting, carefully consider different perspectives, and use logic and past experiences to guide their decisions. They’re the type of person who keeps their cool in difficult situations, taking time to weigh all the options before making a move.

The second is socio-emotional awareness. Wise people are good at understanding and caring about the thoughts and feelings of others. They pay attention to emotions and consider different views on the situation. Such an individual might be skilled at mediating conflicts by understanding each party’s point of view, or be adept at providing emotional support during difficult times.

Together, these two dimensions combine to form the global image of wisdom. The study suggests that the wisest people are those who balance both, showing strong abilities in reasoning while also being emotionally and socially aware.

A highly reflective person who is suppressing their own emotions but doesn’t notice the social context of the problem wouldn’t be called wise. Likewise, someone who is entirely driven by emotion and the social environment but fails to make logical connections wouldn’t be called wise either. Real wisdom, according to our study, is about finding a balance between thoughtful reasoning, social understanding, and emotional awareness.

Cultures do differ, but not as much as you might think

To uncover these dimensions, we employed a method sometimes called experimental philosophy. Participants across 16 different cultures in 12 countries on five continents compared a set of targets to each other. For example, one of the questions asked participants to compare whether a doctor or a religious person was more likely to think logically when making a hard life decision with no right or wrong answers. Our participants also rated themselves. Then we asked how wise each of these persons were.

When we started this project, we expected to find big differences between cultures. Previous research suggested that people in “the west” use and value analytical thinking, which tends to dismiss social and emotional parts of the situation. In contrast, individuals in “the east” emphasise holistic thinking, that is, all-encompassing views of complex situations.

But that’s not what we found. While there were some small differences – people in South Africa, for example, placed more importance on nature and divinity when thinking about socio-emotional awareness – the overall picture was strikingly similar. Across the globe, people rated individuals who were both reflective and socially and emotionally aware as the wisest. For instance, they named a doctor and a 75-year-old person as the wisest, and at the same time the highest on both dimensions.

What was particularly fascinating was that people tended to rate themselves differently from how they rated others. Most people saw themselves as less reflective but more socially and emotionally aware than the “wise” figures they were asked to rate. In other words, people were ready to admit a moderate level of their own intellectual capabilities, but they were quite confident in their ability to understand and care for others.

Why this matters

This research defies stereotypes of a cold analytical ideal of “the west” and a social-minded and emotionally driven image of “the east” and “the south”. The idea that wisdom is purely intellectual, or conversely, purely social or divine, is too simplistic. It also highlights that wisdom manifests in a balance of traits traditionally attributed to different cultures.

In a time when global cooperation is more important than ever, recognising our shared appreciation for certain qualities can help bridge cultural divides.

The study opens up new avenues for research. Could these dimensions of wisdom help us understand how to solve global problems? Are people more likely to trust leaders who show both reflective thinking and socio-emotional awareness? And how do these qualities affect the way we handle personal relationships, difficult decisions, or conflicts?

One thing is clear: wisdom is something we all value, no matter where we come from. By understanding it better, we can not only become wiser ourselves but also learn to appreciate wisdom in others, wherever they may be.

Veli Mitova receives funding from the John Templeton Foundation and the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences.

Maksim Rudnev 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. What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ – but not as much as you’d think – https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-person-seem-wise-global-study-finds-that-cultures-do-differ-but-not-as-much-as-youd-think-238808

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ – but not as much as you’d think

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Maksim Rudnev, Research Associate, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo

We all admire wise people, don’t we? Whether it’s a thoughtful teacher, a compassionate doctor, or an elder in the community, we recognise wisdom when we see it. But have you ever thought about how people in different cultures perceive wisdom? Does someone in Morocco view a wise person in the same way as someone in Ecuador? Our recent study explored how people across cultures think of wisdom.

This large-scale project required a joint effort of 34 researchers across fields of philosophy, psychology, anthropology, social science and psychometrics – and from all over the world, connected in a research consortium called The Geography of Philosophy.

What we found was somewhat surprising. Wisdom may appear to be shaped by cultural differences, but the core aspects of what makes someone wise are largely the same across cultures. From urban college students in Japan to villagers in South Africa, participants associated wisdom with two key characteristics: reflective orientation and socio-emotional awareness. We explain what that means below.

Contrary to widespread stereotypes, people recognise wisdom in a similar way across east and west, south and north. Despite the divisions of the world, we see wisdom in the same individuals and associate it with similar traits. Are we indeed more alike than we are different, when it comes to how we perceive wisdom? And what characterises wise people?

These are the characteristics of wise people

There are two key characteristics. Reflective orientation is about people who think before acting, carefully consider different perspectives, and use logic and past experiences to guide their decisions. They’re the type of person who keeps their cool in difficult situations, taking time to weigh all the options before making a move.

The second is socio-emotional awareness. Wise people are good at understanding and caring about the thoughts and feelings of others. They pay attention to emotions and consider different views on the situation. Such an individual might be skilled at mediating conflicts by understanding each party’s point of view, or be adept at providing emotional support during difficult times.

Together, these two dimensions combine to form the global image of wisdom. The study suggests that the wisest people are those who balance both, showing strong abilities in reasoning while also being emotionally and socially aware.

A highly reflective person who is suppressing their own emotions but doesn’t notice the social context of the problem wouldn’t be called wise. Likewise, someone who is entirely driven by emotion and the social environment but fails to make logical connections wouldn’t be called wise either. Real wisdom, according to our study, is about finding a balance between thoughtful reasoning, social understanding, and emotional awareness.

Cultures do differ, but not as much as you might think

To uncover these dimensions, we employed a method sometimes called experimental philosophy. Participants across 16 different cultures in 12 countries on five continents compared a set of targets to each other. For example, one of the questions asked participants to compare whether a doctor or a religious person was more likely to think logically when making a hard life decision with no right or wrong answers. Our participants also rated themselves. Then we asked how wise each of these persons were.

When we started this project, we expected to find big differences between cultures. Previous research suggested that people in “the west” use and value analytical thinking, which tends to dismiss social and emotional parts of the situation. In contrast, individuals in “the east” emphasise holistic thinking, that is, all-encompassing views of complex situations.

But that’s not what we found. While there were some small differences – people in South Africa, for example, placed more importance on nature and divinity when thinking about socio-emotional awareness – the overall picture was strikingly similar. Across the globe, people rated individuals who were both reflective and socially and emotionally aware as the wisest. For instance, they named a doctor and a 75-year-old person as the wisest, and at the same time the highest on both dimensions.

What was particularly fascinating was that people tended to rate themselves differently from how they rated others. Most people saw themselves as less reflective but more socially and emotionally aware than the “wise” figures they were asked to rate. In other words, people were ready to admit a moderate level of their own intellectual capabilities, but they were quite confident in their ability to understand and care for others.

Why this matters

This research defies stereotypes of a cold analytical ideal of “the west” and a social-minded and emotionally driven image of “the east” and “the south”. The idea that wisdom is purely intellectual, or conversely, purely social or divine, is too simplistic. It also highlights that wisdom manifests in a balance of traits traditionally attributed to different cultures.

In a time when global cooperation is more important than ever, recognising our shared appreciation for certain qualities can help bridge cultural divides.

The study opens up new avenues for research. Could these dimensions of wisdom help us understand how to solve global problems? Are people more likely to trust leaders who show both reflective thinking and socio-emotional awareness? And how do these qualities affect the way we handle personal relationships, difficult decisions, or conflicts?

One thing is clear: wisdom is something we all value, no matter where we come from. By understanding it better, we can not only become wiser ourselves but also learn to appreciate wisdom in others, wherever they may be.

– What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ – but not as much as you’d think
– https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-person-seem-wise-global-study-finds-that-cultures-do-differ-but-not-as-much-as-youd-think-238808

MIL OSI Africa –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: New tech at expo signals China’s foreign trade momentum

Source: China State Council Information Office

Robots perform dance at a booth during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

The third Global Digital Trade Expo, currently unfolding in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province, is offering a glimpse into avant-garde technologies that are unlocking the country’s burgeoning potential in foreign trade.

Over the span of five days, the exhibition is featuring 446 new products and technologies, ranging from robots performing remarkable tasks like opening bottles and sorting waste to AI-driven digital humans engaging in debate competitions.

“I was impressed most by medical AI displayed at the exhibition, such as robotic surgical arms and screening clinics,” said Kgaladi Melia Thema, a consultant for innovation and technology of Small Enterprise Development Agency, South Africa.

“Nurses can use chronic disease management screening products for patients, which can be applied both at home and in clinics. This reduces costs and enables remote patient monitoring, offering great potential,” she added.

Digital technologies such as big data, cloud computing and blockchain are taking center stage at the expo, underscoring how China is harnessing these innovations to propel its foreign trade.

At the booth of iFLYTEK Co., Ltd., a front-runner in China’s AI and speech technology industry, several African visitors were immersed in real-time conversations with staff through a state-of-the-art multilingual AI-powered translation screen. Despite the bustling environment, the screen, equipped with advanced voice recognition technologies, accurately captured and responded to human voices.

“Overseas business is poised to become a significant growth engine for us in the coming years. Our aspiration is for it to constitute one-third of our business segments in the future,” said Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFLYTEK.

Chinese cultural exports are also stealing the show at the exhibition. In the digital entertainment zone, innovative exhibits such as an AI-powered representation of Su Dongpo, a celebrated poet from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a virtual museum of traditional Chinese music, as well as a 3D display of the four bronze animal heads from the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), are offering visitors a fascinating glimpse into the richness of Chinese culture.

“The fusion of digital technology with the splendor of traditional Chinese culture has not only expanded our export opportunities, but also invigorated the growth of China’s culture industry,” said Wu Shuang, a staff member of Zhejiang Kayou Animation Co., Ltd., a domestic card game creator.

Visitors are also being treated to futuristic transportation solutions, including autonomous boat taxis and the electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles, all being showcased for the first time at this year’s expo.

“China is rightly regarded as a global leader in digital technologies and innovations,” said Zhaslan Madiyev, minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, adding that China’s advancement in digital trade is not only creating new avenues for cooperation, but also enhancing global trade infrastructure, fostering sustainable development worldwide.

“Chinese technologies and innovations are enhancing supply chains, making them faster and more efficient, while also improving access to goods and services,” Madiyev noted.

According to the Global Digital Trade Development Report 2024 released during the event, global digital trade soared to around 7.13 trillion U.S. dollars (about 1.02 trillion yuan) in 2023, up from 6.02 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, marking an average annual growth rate of 8.8 percent.

The report also highlighted that the import and export scale of China’s cross-border e-commerce reached 2.37 trillion yuan last year, up 15.3 percent year on year.

Mercado Libre, a leading Latin American e-commerce platform, witnessed a 70-percent increase in online Chinese sellers and a 75-percent surge in their sales on its platform in 2023.

The company has opened its cross-border e-commerce services to Chinese sellers in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, according to its representative at the expo, who also emphasized the escalating significance of the Chinese market.

As China’s sole national-level event focusing on the theme of digital trade, the expo has drawn over 1,500 enterprises, including more than 300 international companies, and over 30,000 purchasers this year.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Foreign Minister completes successful week of international engagements

Source: New Zealand Government

Foreign Minister Winston Peters today wrapped up a week of high-level engagements at the United Nations in New York and in Papeete, French Polynesia.

“Our visit to New York was about demonstrating New Zealand’s unwavering support for an international system based on rules and respect for the UN Charter, as articulated by then Prime Minister Peter Fraser at the UN’s founding on behalf of New Zealand people,” Mr Peters says.

“The UN Security Council remains at the centre of the international peace and security system. Our bid for a seat on the Security Council for the 2039-40 term is both important and necessary. As a small state and country of the Pacific, we look forward to again bringing a constructive voice to the top table.”

While in New York, Mr Peters also engaged in several high-level meetings and held talks with a range of counterparts, including from Iceland, Italy, Jordan, Egypt, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Sweden, Kiribati, Maldives, Palestinian Authority, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

“Our talks in Papeete today with President Moetai Brotherson, French High Commissioner Dominique Sorain, former Presidents Édouard Fritch and Oscar Temaru, Members of Parliament, and business leaders reinforced the warm and enduring relationships between New Zealand, French Polynesia and France”, Mr Peters says.

Mr Peters is aiming to visit all 17 other Pacific Islands Forum countries in 2024. French Polynesia was the 15^th he visited, leaving only New Caledonia and Kiribati to go.

Mr Peters returns to New Zealand later today.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM outlines China’s vision for addressing global challenges

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

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday outlined China’s vision for tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, reaffirming the country’s role as a proactive force in global governance and cooperation.

“As the world faces increasingly serious challenges, China has never opted to be an indifferent spectator. Instead, we have been playing a bigger part in global governance than ever before,” said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in his speech at the general debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Wang referenced the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping as examples of China’s leadership in proposing solutions to the difficult issues facing humanity.

“They carry China’s wisdom for resolving various difficult issues confronting humanity, and bring impetus from China for improving global governance,” he said.

In the face of uneven and inadequate global development, China’s proposal is to put development at the top of the global agenda, focus on delivering the Sustainable Development Goals of the U.N. 2030 Agenda, increase input in development, and help developing countries better respond to different risks and challenges, said Wang.

At the recent Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Xi outlined 10 partnership actions to be taken together with Africa to advance modernization, and announced the decision to give over 40 least developed countries (LDCs), including those in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines.

“China is the first major developing country and the first major economy to take such a significant step,” Wang said.

He pointed out that in the face of unilateral, bullying acts such as sanctions and blockade, China firmly supports countries in defending their legitimate rights, upholding the equity and openness of the international system, making global development more coordinated and beneficial for all, and jointly opposing technology blockade and rejecting decoupling or severing supply chains.

“Sanctions and pressure will not bring monopolistic advantages. Suppressing and containing others will not solve problems at home. The right of people of all countries to pursue a better life should not be taken away. Here, we once again urge the United States to completely lift its blockade, sanctions and terrorism-related designation against Cuba,” said Wang.

In the face of aggravating ecological challenges, Wang said, China is firmly committed to a path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development.

“We will move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time span in world history, contributing China’s efforts to harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature,” he said.

At the global level, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld, and the Paris Agreement must be implemented in earnest, he added.

“Developed countries should assist developing countries in building their capacity to cope with climate change. Touting the need of climate response while suppressing the green industries of others will only hold back global progress in green transition,” said Wang.

Addressing the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), Wang stressed China is committed to taking a people-centered approach, developing AI for good, and putting equal emphasis on development and security.

“We are working to explore and establish widely-recognized international rules and standards,” he said, adding China supports the U.N.’s role as the main channel for global AI governance and is committed to strengthening international cooperation on AI capacity-building.

“China has put forth the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, and is ready to make more contributions to the sound, orderly, fair and inclusive development of AI,” said Wang.

On human rights protection, Wang reiterated China’s stance that all countries should have the right to independently choose their path of human rights development. He rejected external interference in others’ internal affairs citing human rights as an excuse, asserting that no country should impose its own will on others.

“In human rights protection, China is committed to putting people first and promoting the free and well-rounded development of the people. We have found a path of human rights development that suits China’s national conditions,” he said. “China is ready to engage in dialogue and exchanges with all countries and UN human rights bodies on an equal footing, and jointly promote the sound development of the global human rights cause.”

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: REMARKS BY THE ACTING PRIME MINISTER, HON. TUALA TEVAGA IOSEFO PONIFASIO ON THE OCCASION OF THE CROWNING OF THE MISS UNIVERSE SAMOA – MS. HAYLANI PEARL KURUPPU

Source: Government of Western Samoa

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(20TH SEPTEMBER 2024, ORATOR HOTEL AT 4:30PM)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today marks the dawn of a new chapter in the history of pageantry for our nation. We gather here to celebrate and crown our Miss Universe Samoa, who will have the honor of representing our beautiful country at the 73rd Miss Universe competition, to be held in Mexico City on November 16, 2024.

The Miss Universe competition is globally recognized as one of the top three international pageants. With its empowering motto, “Beautifully Confident,” the Miss Universe pageant aims to provide a platform where adult women from around the world can challenge themselves, express their voices, and be heard on the global stage. It is a movement that advocates for a future shaped by women—women with the courage to defy limits, curiosity to make groundbreaking discoveries, and audacity to continuously push the boundaries of possibility. These women become advocates for social causes, shouldering the responsibility of serving as role models with integrity and purpose.

For over 30 years, Samoa has been absent from the Miss Universe platform. Today, it is time for our talented, intelligent, and vibrant ‘Tama’ita’i Samoa to once again shine on the global stage. As we continue our efforts to promote Samoa as a premier tourist destination, this pageant is yet another significant initiative driven by our dynamic private sector.

The government of Samoa is fully committed to promoting the important role of women in our society. This commitment is not just words but is demonstrated through our policies and actions. We actively support women’s involvement at all levels, including in Parliament and high-level leadership roles. By doing so, we affirm our dedication to the principles of equality and inclusion. We believe in the invaluable contributions of women to the progress and development of our society, and this commitment is woven into the fabric of our national vision for the future. “Pathway to the development of Samoa.

I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Manaia Events for spearheading this effort. It takes vision, dedication, and courage to bring Samoa back onto the world stage, and your hard work and commitment are truly commendable. This is a testament to the power of partnerships between the private sector, local organizations, and national efforts to elevate Samoa’s presence globally.

Special recognition goes to Ms. Haylani Pearl Kuruppu, our Miss Universe Samoa. Ms. Kuruppu has already made us proud on the international stage, having represented Samoa and the Pacific at the Miss Global Pageant in Cambodia in 2023. We all shared in the pride and excitement when Samoa was announced as one of the top two finalists. Millions around the world cheered for you then, and millions more will stand behind you as you step onto the Miss Universe stage. Your journey is not just one of personal achievement, but one that inspires hope and pride in the hearts of Samoans everywhere.

As you prepare to compete in Mexico, remember that you carry with you not only the dreams of young Samoan women but also the rich cultural heritage of our nation. You embody the grace, strength, and resilience of our people. Through your presence on the Miss Universe stage, you are representing more than beauty; you are representing the values of courage, determination, and unity that define Samoa.

Your dedication and service to Samoa have been commendable, and we pray for God’s continued protection and guidance as you undertake this momentous journey. We trust that you will inspire not only those in Samoa but also women around the world, showing them that no matter where they come from, their voices can be heard, their talents recognized, and their dreams realized.

Once again, I extend my sincere thanks to Manaia Events, Vodafone Samoa, Fiji Airways, and everyone who has played a role in preparing our Miss Universe Samoa, Ms. Haylani Pearl Kuruppu, for her upcoming competition in Mexico City.

God bless Haylanni and the Team Miss Universe Samoa.

Fa’afetai tele lava. Thank you.

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September 30, 2024

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI: Internet exchange giant NIC.br selects Nokia to boost internet connectivity in Brazil
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release

Internet exchange giant NIC.br selects Nokia to boost internet connectivity in Brazil
- Largest Internet Exchange Provider (IXP) in the world upgrading network to manage skyrocketing internet and traffic growth over next five years
- NIC.br to scale network capacity, improve resiliency and increase automation, resulting in more advanced services for customers
- Nokia to deploy IP routing technology, designed to handle world’s most demanding traffic environments, supporting Ethernet VPN (EVPN) services and 400/800G interfaces
30 September 2024

Espoo, Finland – Nokia announced it has been selected by the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), the largest IXP operator in the world, to increase the performance and reliability of Brazil’s internet infrastructure. Nokia’s cutting-edge IP routing solutions will support NIC.br’s mission of interconnecting the Brazilian Internet ecosystem and enable its expansion and reliability. The network upgrade comes as the country faces massive internet data traffic growth that is expected to reach 218.5 million users and over 50 terabits per second (Tb/s) in the next five years.

NIC.br is responsible for, among several initiatives, registering and maintaining .br domain, as well as operating the Brazilian Internet Exchange (IX.br), which connects more than 3,500 Autonomous Systems (AS) and facilitates data traffic among internet service providers, content providers, hosting services, hyperscalers and other network operators. With Nokia’s IP routing technology, NIC.br is able to scale up its network capacity, improve its resiliency and availability, and vastly improve automation, resulting in a better customer experience.

NIC.br will replace part of its existing technology with the Nokia 7250 Interconnect Router (IXR) and 7750 Service Router (SR) which support EVPN services and 400/800G interfaces. Nokia is an industry leader in standardizing and expanding the EVPN protocol. EVPN is a next-gen VPN solution that provides a unified architecture, in both the control and data planes, and supports a broad range of carrier and business VPN services and network infrastructures. EVPN delivers a variety of benefits to service providers and their customers, including greater network efficiency, reliability, scalability, and simplifies infrastructures with advanced automation.

Julio Sirota, IX.br Infrastructure Manager at NIC.br, said: “Nokia is a trusted and strategic partner for us, as they have proven their ability to deliver state-of-the-art network solutions that match our needs and expectations. By upgrading our network infrastructure with Nokia’s routing platforms, we will be able to provide faster and more reliable internet connectivity for our customers and partners, as well as foster the development of new applications and services that will benefit the entire Brazilian society.”

Vach Kompella, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IP Networks business at Nokia, said: “Internet exchange giants like IX.br from NIC.br are on the front lines for managing unrelenting internet and data traffic growth spurred by hyperscalers, ISPs, content providers and network operators. Keeping up with Brazil’s skyrocketing growth means increases in network capacity, reliability, and automation are critical to NIC.br’s network upgrade. Nokia’s routing solutions are designed to handle the world’s most demanding traffic environments and enable the delivery of high-quality services, like EVPN. We are delighted to work with NIC.br to help them scale, connect and empower the Brazilian internet ecosystem.”

Resources and additional information
Webpage: Nokia 7250 Interconnect Router
Webpage: Nokia 7750 Service Router
Webpage: Nokia Ethernet VPN

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br

The Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a non-profit entity that is in charge of the operations related to the .br domain, as well as the allocation of IP numbers and the registration of autonomous systems in the country. NIC.br has been implementing decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br since 2005. All the funds that are collected come from its entirely private activities. It takes actions and conducts projects that are of benefit to the infrastructure of the Internet in Brazil. Also part of NIC.br are: Registro.br (https://registro.br), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/), and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br), in addition to projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br) and the portal Best Practices for the Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also houses the office of the W3C Chapter São Paulo (https://w3c.br/).

Media inquiries

Nokia Communications
Email: Press.Services@nokia.com

NIC.br Communications
imprensanic@webershandwick.com

Follow Nokia on social media
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The MIL Network –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Press Release 30 September 2024 Major international drought conference seeks to increase resilience
Source: World Meteorological Organization

Experts, policymakers, and practitioners will gather at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization at the Drought Resilience +10 Conference – so called because it marks a decade since the High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policy.

The conference provides an opportunity for global stakeholders to reflect on a decade of advancements in drought preparedness, response, and adaptation while exploring new ways to turn knowledge into practical solutions that can help countries become more drought-resilient.

“Droughts are an insidious and dangerous climate-related hazard, which undermines food human security and is a major cause of internal displacement in worst-hit countries. It can wreak a devastating impact on the environment and economies and reverse progress in sustainable development,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

“We need sustainable solutions, based on scientific knowledge and tailored policies that promote integrated drought management practices and policies. We have the knowledge and the tools but we all too often lack the necessary political will and financial investment to build drought-resilient societies,” said Celeste Saulo.

The Conference will focus on the escalating drought-related risks posed by climate change and increasing structural vulnerabilities in many societies. It will examine how to accelerate the shift in approach from a reactive, crisis-driven one to a more proactive approach, which leverages climate services such as seasonal forecasts, and anticipatory action tools, including innovative financing mechanisms.

The conference will examine drought monitoring and forecasting advances and will discuss how to strengthen drought monitoring for early warnings for food security and health, and how to embed policies into the international Early Warnings for All initiative. There will be a heavy emphasis on case studies and community-led actions.

It will also look at scientific and policy-making developments, including progress in satellite technology and artificial intelligence tools, which bring new perspectives to forecasting, monitoring and impact assessment.

Drought is not a new phenomenon and has historically occurred as a consequence of natural climatic variability. However, climate change is intensifying the water cycle. This brings more intense rainfall and associated flooding, as well as more intense drought in many regions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Changes in land use and land cover are compounding the challenge.

“Healthy economies depend on healthy lands. We must urgently recognize that our land and natural systems are allies in our responses to climate change and drought, and we must leverage them for integrated, proactive drought management. Drought Resilience +10 is a crucial opportunity to exchange knowledge and build momentum for UNCCD COP16, which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December”, remarked the UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Andrea Meza.
Drought Resilience +10 Conference

State of Climate

Between 1970 and 2019 drought caused approximately 650,000 reported deaths. Poverty and poor land use can increase vulnerability to drought and intensify their impact, according to the WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes.

In Africa, 1 839 disasters attributed to weather, climate and water extremes were reported between 1970 and 2021. They caused 733 585 reported deaths and US$ 43 billion in economic losses. Droughts accounted for 95% of reported deaths.

WMO State of the Climate reports report on the occurrence and impact of droughts.

For instance, a prolonged La Niña event led to five consecutive failed rainfall seasons in the Horn of Africa, culminating in a massive humanitarian, food security and displacement crisis in 2023 in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

With the transition to El Niño in 2023-2024, Southern African nations became the focus of the drought crisis – especially countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi.

Enhanced drought resilience

Despite the challenges, progress has been made in integrated drought management.

The Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) is a joint initiative between WMO and the Global Water Partnership (GWP), which works with over 45 partners to support countries and states, by providing them with policy and management guidance for handing droughts.

There are a number of success stories. These examples underscore the importance of strong drought management policies and early warning systems. They highlight the need for governments to adopt forward-looking approaches that integrate climate data and resource management into their drought preparedness strategies.

Brazil’s Northeast region, which historically faces frequent and severe droughts, provides a prime example of the benefits of proactive drought management policies. Recent policy responses focused on developing a comprehensive drought management system that integrates early warning systems, sustainable water management practices, and integration of climate change scenarios into infrastructure planning. Coordination between federal, state, and local governments was also enhanced to facilitate timely and efficient responses.

Similarly, in the USA, a proactive approach helped mitigate the effects of a severe water shortage in the State of Washington in 2024. With water supplies falling below 75% of normal levels in April, the state issued an early emergency drought declaration, unlocking funding for drought relief measures. This early action allowed communities and public entities to access funding for drought relief in advance, giving them time to implement mitigation strategies such as securing alternative water supplies and preparing for reduced irrigation.

Drought Resilience +10 Conference

Conference themes

Discussions at DR+10 will focus on nine topics, each addressing key aspects of drought management and reflecting the central challenges and opportunities for building drought resilience globally.

It will include national and regional case studies
These include:
- Drought resilience and global mechanisms
- Drought risk governance: the regional, national and local challenges
- Drought monitoring, impact assessment and forecasting
- From policies to action
- Ecosystems
- Social inclusion and climate justice
- Drought finance
- Public-private civil society partnerships
- Health
There will be a high-level closing session: Turning Drought Resilience Challenges into Action.

The Conference’s final declaration will include recommendations for countries to accelerate drought resilience efforts over the next decade. It will focus on policy implementation, drought resilience in countries’ preparedness plans, and adaptation strategies. It will also seek to mobilize resources to support vulnerable countries facing drought-related challenges.

The outcomes of the Conference will inform the global drought community as well as the high-level discussions at the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh in December 2024.

Logos of the World Meteorological Organization, Drought Resilience High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policy, and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation in atmospheric science and meteorology.

WMO monitors weather, climate, and water resources and provides support to its Members in forecasting and disaster mitigation. The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and improving public safety and well-being through its work.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: South African woman arrested for drug trafficking at OR Tambo

Source: South Africa News Agency

Monday, September 30, 2024

A 21-year-old South African woman has been arrested for drug trafficking at the OR Tambo International (ORTIA) Airport.

This is the 11th drug mule to be arrested at the airport in a period of two months.

“The drug mule was profiled and intercepted as she was arriving on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday morning, just before 9am. She was taken to a local hospital where an X-ray confirmed that she had foreign objects in her stomach,” said the police in a statement.

The woman has already released a number of bullets from her body and is in police custody where they are closely monitoring the release of further drug bullets. The process is still unfolding, said SAPS.

National Commissioner of the Police, General Fannie Masemola, commended the vigilance of members of SARS and SAPS at the airport.

“Our men and women in blue working closely with SARS customs and various stakeholders continue to assert the authority of the state at all our ports of entry.

“We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our members and urge them to do more to squeeze the space for criminals. Drug traffickers are feeling the heat and there is nowhere to hide,” said Masemola.

Every week in the last month, SAPS and SARS customs, immigration and the Border Management Authority (BMA) have been intercepting drug traffickers at OR Tambo International Airport.

On Sunday, 22 September 2024, a 30-year-old Namibian drug mule was arrested after arriving from São Paulo.

She too was taken for medical examination and released more than 60 drug bullets. She has already appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of dealing in drugs.

On Friday, 13 September 2024, a Nigerian drug mule was arrested after he was found in possession of cocaine that was concealed in aircraft head phones. He had just landed from São Paulo.

He has already appeared before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of dealing in drugs. – SAnews.gov.za

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MIL OSI Africa –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Business – Hellmann announces logistics partnership with Lacoste Mexico

Source: Hellmann

Osnabrueck, Mexico City, September 30, 2024. Global logistics service provider Hellmann Worldwide Logistics announces a contract logistics partnership with the iconic fashion-sport brand Lacoste in Mexico.

As part of the cooperation, Hellmann, who was recently recognized as an outstanding employer (“Super Empresa”) by Mexican Expansion magazine, is managing a dedicated, full-service distribution center for Lacoste Mexico.

Operating out of a state-of-the-art 11,000 square meter warehouse in Mexico City, Hellmann manages the supply of 45 retail locations and direct to consumer shipments across Mexico. The array of services provided by Hellmann includes receiving, inventory management, as well as pick, pack and ship operations for outgoing B2B and e-commerce orders.

Since Hellmann established its fashion logistics division over two decades ago, the freight forwarder has evolved into a leading provider of end-to-end logistics from production facilities to point of sale for several players in the fashion and retail sector. In addition to contract logistics services, a network of regional teams of experts situated in major markets provide flexible omni-channel concepts, e-commerce, fulfillment and logistics solutions around the globe.

“Thanks to our very successful track record, we are pleased to strengthen our market position in fashion and lifestyle logistics in the Americas by partnering with Lacoste in Mexico. As a company with a strong focus on providing tailor-made solutions to fashion and retail companies, we are delighted to support Lacoste in their expansion in the Mexican market,” says Volker Sauerborn, Chief Operating Officer Contract Logistics, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

About Hellmann

Since its foundation over 150 years ago, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has developed into one of the largest international logistics providers in the world. With more than 12,000 employees, the company is active in 57 countries and generated sales of EUR 3.5 billion in 2023.The range of services includes classic forwarding services by road, rail, air- and seafreight, as well as a comprehensive range of CEP services, contract logistics, industry and IT solutions.

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

January 23, 2025

MIL-OSI: Interim Results for the six months ended 30 June 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Sept. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bango (AIM: BGO), today announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2024.

Financial Overview (unaudited):

Results for the 6 months ended 30 June 2024	1H24	1H23	Change

Total Revenue	$24.1M	$20.3M	+18.6%

Transactional Revenue¹	$16.4M	$15.5M	+5.3%

DVM, Audiences & One-Off²	$ 7.7M	$ 4.7M	+62.5%

Annual recurring revenue (ARR)³	$12.9M	$5.6M	+130.4%

Net Revenue Retention⁴	159%

Adjusted EBITDA⁵	$4.0M	($0.2M)	+$4.2M

Profit/(Loss) before taxation	($3.4M)	($4.9M)	+$1.5M

Net (Debt⁶)/Cash	($5.1M)	$5.5M	-$10.6M

Notes:

Transactional revenue grew 9.4% on a constant currency basis.
Other Income of $1.4M, which is not included in the revenue figure above, related to recovery of tax costs from the acquisition of DOCOMO Digital. $1.1M will be accounted for as a tax cost, resulting in $0.3M profit.
Gross profit margin of 80.8% (1H23: 90.0%) reduced from 82.8% in 2H 2023 due to geographic mix. Improvements expected in 2H 2024 as high margin DVM revenue grows.
Net debt⁶ of $5.1M at 30 June 2024 (net debt of $3.9M at 31 Dec 2023) after R&D investment of $7.6M in the period.

Operational Highlights

Bango signed 4 new Digital Vending Machine® (DVM) customers in 1H24, including a Bank in Brazil. Post-period there has been a further 3 new customer wins.
A leading European telco that adopted the DVM in 2020 extended their contract for a further 3 years, with a minimum contract value of $1.5M over the term.
13 new subscription content providers were added to the DVM in 1H24, taking the total to 106.
The eDisti⁷ program now has 20 content providers, including Microsoft and Disney, allowing Bango to provide a ‘pre-stocked’ Digital Vending Machine, reducing time to revenue for both DVM customers and Bango.
Bango signed a global agreement with Uber to accelerate the take-up of Uber One subscriptions through telco channels, proving the appeal of the Bango DVM beyond digital video, music and gaming services.
The ‘global technology leader’ (announced in June 2022) launched its first two telcos with Bango in 1H24. Additional launches are underway.
Chartered Accountant Tony Perkins joined the Bango Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee. In Q3, Tony was appointed as Senior Independent Director replacing Eric Peacock who retired from the Board to focus on his recovery from an accident.

Presentation and Webcast

A presentation of the interim results will be made to investors and analysts at 10:00 BST today via the Investor Meet Company Platform. Those wishing to join the call can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free via:
https://www.investormeetcompany.com/bango-plc/register-investor

Full RNS announcement

Read the full Interims Results RNS announcement here: https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/bango_plc/news/rns/story/r7ze9jw

Paul Larbey, Chief Executive Officer of Bango, commented:

“The first six months of 2024 have gone to plan and are in-line with the Trading Update issued in July. The payments business continues to deliver growth, providing cash to fund expansion of the Digital Vending Machine® (DVM), which continues to be adopted as the defacto standard platform for subscription bundling by the world’s largest companies. The addition of Disney+ to the Bango eDisti program is further evidence of this and will help accelerate time-to-revenue from DVM deals. With 4 new DVM wins in the 1H and a further 3 in Q3, the pipeline built over the past years continued to deliver results and provides confidence in meeting market expectations for the full year.

The subscriptions market is vast and growing, and the percentage of subscriptions bundled through channels is increasing. Bango’s leadership position in this market is strengthening with the DVM now playing a key role in the customer acquisition and engagement strategies of major content brands. We are excited by the opportunity ahead and remain on track to continue our strong growth trajectory and return to a positive net cash position in FY25.”

¹ Transactional Revenue is revenue derived by charging a percentage of the retail price paid by the consumer and is made up of direct carrier billing, resale and revenue share amounts.
² DVM, Bango Audiences & one-off Revenue includes all DVM license and support fees, revenue from Bango Audiences (discontinued in Q1) and one-off fees including DVM set-up and change requests.
³Annual Recurring Revenue is the expected annual revenues to be generated in the next 12 months based on contracted revenues recognized as at 30 June 2024.
⁴ Net Revenue Retention is a measure of the retention and expansion of revenue from customers over the previous 12 months and is calculated by dividing the ARR from existing customers at the end of 1H24 to the ARR from those same customers at the end of 1H23.
⁵Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortization, negative goodwill, exceptional items, share of net loss of associate and share based payment charge
⁶Net debt is cash and cash equivalents plus short-term investments less the loan from NHN and borrowings. Barclays continues to provide an overdraft facility which was not used at the end of the period .
⁷eDisti is a program that allows Bango to resell subscriptions from content providers removing the need for a commercial agreement between the DVM customer and the content provider.

Contact Details:
investors@bango.com

About Bango

Bango enables content providers to reach more paying customers through global partnerships. Bango revolutionized the monetization of digital content and services, by opening-up online payments to mobile phone users worldwide. Today, the Digital Vending Machine^® is driving the rapid growth of the subscriptions economy, powering choice and control for subscribers.

The world’s largest content providers, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft trust Bango technology to reach subscribers everywhere.

Bango, where people subscribe. For more information, visit http://www.bangoinvestor.com

The MIL Network –

January 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Singapore and Ghana Launch First Call for Project Applications under Implementation Agreement on Carbon Credits Cooperation

Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore

Singapore, 30 September 2024 — Singapore and Ghana have set out the processes for authorising carbon credit projects under their Implementation Agreement on carbon credits cooperation, in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Applications may be submitted through Singapore’s Carbon Markets Cooperation website, at http://www.carbonmarkets-cooperation.gov.sg.

2 The carbon credit projects authorised under the Implementation Agreement will channel financing towards emissions reduction or removal projects in Ghana. These projects can promote sustainable development and generate benefits for local communities, including job creation, clean water access, improvements to energy security, and reducing environmental pollution (See Annex A for potential project types).

3 Authorised projects can generate carbon credits aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Under Singapore’s International Carbon Credit (ICC) Framework, these credits may be eligible for use by Singapore-based carbon tax-liable companies to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions.

4 From 30 September 2024, interested parties may submit applications for their carbon credit projects in Ghana to be authorised. Applications submitted will be reviewed by Singapore and Ghana governments on a rolling basis as they are received.

Application and Authorisation Process

5 The application and authorisation process comprises four stages, each corresponding to a different stage of implementation for the carbon credit project (See Annex B). The first three stages require applicants to submit details on the design and implementation plan for the carbon credit project in the lead-up to project authorisation. The final stage is for corresponding adjustments to be applied to the carbon credits generated from the authorised project, in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

6 Singapore and Ghana will assess applications against each country’s respective requirements. For Singapore, these projects must meet Singapore’s Eligibility Criteria for International Carbon Credits. The Eligibility Criteria, and the list of eligible carbon crediting programmes and methodologies under the Singapore-Ghana Implementation Agreement, are at Annex C, and on the Carbon Markets Cooperation website. The list will be reviewed regularly to maintain relevance and uphold environmental integrity.

Annex A

Potential Carbon Credit Project Types for Applications

Project Type	Description
Clean Water Supply	Rural communities are provided with water purification technologies (e.g. UV-based disinfection systems). This empowers communities with an alternate source of clean and safe drinking water without relying on the conventional method of using firewood to boil water. This reduces carbon emissions from burning firewood and associated deforestation activities, and carbon credits are issued based on the emissions reduced. Local communities can also benefit from improved water safety and security.
Efficient and Clean Cookstoves	In rural areas where households use firewood for their cooking and heating needs, the switch to efficient and clean cookstoves (e.g. cookstoves that use renewable fuel like biogas or solar energy) enables households to meet their cooking and heating needs more efficiently and cleanly. This reduces the burning of firewood and resulting carbon emissions from deforestation. Carbon credits are issued based on the emissions reduced. Co-benefits are also delivered to local communities, including cleaner air quality through the reduction of firewood burning.
Green Mobility	As Electric Vehicles (EVs) replace fossil fuel-powered vehicles for transportation needs, there are emissions reductions as EVs are more efficient and potentially powered by green energy. Carbon credits are issued based on the emissions reduced. There are also sustainable development benefits for local communities. Skilled jobs are created for the maintenance of EV infrastructure, and improves air quality from reduced reliance on fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

Annex B

Flowchart of Application and Authorisation Process

Joint Committee	The Joint Committee is a coordination body that oversees the administration of the Implementation Agreement. The Joint Committee under the Singapore-Ghana Implementation Agreement is co-chaired by the Director-General of Climate Change at the National Climate Change Secretariat of Singapore, and the Director of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ghana.
Stage A: Project Application	Applicants are to submit a concept note on the intended project, indicating the programme and methodology that the project will be developed under, and broadly how the project will be implemented to uphold environmental integrity (e.g. explanations on how the project will demonstrate additionality).
Stage B: Project Design	As the project concept is further developed, applicants are to submit a project design document (PDD) on the intended project. The PDD should contain the detailed implementation plan (e.g. how the baseline emissions will be determined, how the project will address permanence and leakage concerns).
Stage C: Project Authorisation	Under this stage, applicants are to submit a validation report from a third-party auditor determining that the project design meets all the rules and requirements of the intended methodology and carbon crediting programme. After receiving Letters of Authorisation from both Singapore and Ghana, the project should proceed to be registered under the intended carbon crediting programme, and proceed to implementation.
Stage D: Corresponding Adjustment Application	As the authorised project is implemented and the emission reductions and removals have been verified by a third-party auditor, the carbon crediting programme will issue carbon credits to the project. Applicants are to submit a Proof of Issuance from the carbon crediting programme accompanied with the verification report from the third-party auditor, to be considered for corresponding adjustments to be applied to the issued carbon credits, in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Annex C

Singapore’s Eligibility Criteria and the Eligibility List under the Singapore-Ghana Implementation Agreement

Eligibility Criteria

1 The Eligibility Criteria requires ICCs to represent emissions reductions or removals that occur within the timeframe specified under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and meet seven principles to demonstrate environmental integrity (see Table C-1 below).

Table C-1: Eligibility Criteria for ICCs

Principle	Definition
To comply with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the certified emissions reductions or removals must have occurred between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2030.
Not double-counted	The certified emissions reductions or removals must not be counted more than once in contravention of the Paris Agreement.
Additional	The certified emissions reductions or removals must exceed any emissions reduction or removals required by any law or regulatory requirement of the host country, and that would otherwise have occurred in a conservative, business-as-usual scenario.
Real	The certified emissions reductions or removals must have been quantified based on a realistic, defensible, and conservative estimate of the amount of emissions that would have occurred in a business-as-usual scenario, assuming the project or programme that generated the certified emission reductions or removals had not been carried out.
Quantified and verified	The certified emissions reductions or removals must have been calculated in a manner that is conservative and transparent, and must have been measured and verified by an accredited and independent third-party verification entity before the ICC was issued.
Permanent	The certified emissions reductions or removals must not be reversible, or if there is a risk that the certified emissions reductions or removals may be reversible, there must be measures in place to monitor, mitigate and compensate any material reversal of the certified emissions reductions or removals.
No net harm	The project or programme that generated the certified emissions reductions or removals must not violate any applicable laws, regulatory requirements, or international obligations of the host country.
No leakage	The project or programme that generated the certified emissions reductions or removals must not result in a material increase in emissions elsewhere, or if there is a risk of a material increase in emissions elsewhere, there must be measures in place to monitor, mitigate and compensate any such material increase in emissions.

Eligibility List under the Singapore-Ghana Implementation Agreement

2 The Eligibility List of carbon crediting programmes and methodologies in Table C-2 adhere to the Eligibility Criteria and meet the requirements of both Singapore and Ghana. The carbon crediting programmes and methodologies that are eligible may be different for each host country, as host countries also have their own criteria.

Table C-2: Eligibility List under the Singapore-Ghana Implementation Agreement

Carbon Crediting Programmes	Methodologies
Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG)	All active methodologies published before 31 March 2023, except those under the “Land Use and Forestry & Agriculture” category of GS4GG
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)	All active methodologies published before 31 March 2023, except those that are under the “Sectoral Scope 14” category of VCS, with these allowable exceptions: · Scenario 2a and 3 of VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) framework · VM0012 · VM0017 · VM0021 · VM0022 · VM0024 · VM0026 (and VMD0040) · VM0032 · VM0033 · VM0036 · VM0041 · VM0042 Where any VCS methodology is used, the project participant will be required to demonstrate the Sustainable Development contributions or co-benefits of the relevant mitigation activity by submitting to the Joint Committee its verification report under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCB Standards), the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) or another standard recognised by VCS for such purpose.

Carbon Crediting Programmes

Methodologies

Gold Standard for the Global Goals (GS4GG)

All active methodologies published before 31 March 2023, except those under the “Land Use and Forestry & Agriculture” category of GS4GG

Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)

All active methodologies published before 31 March 2023, except those that are under the “Sectoral Scope 14” category of VCS, with these allowable exceptions:
·     Scenario 2a and 3 of VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) framework
·     VM0012
·     VM0017
·     VM0021
·     VM0022
·     VM0024
·     VM0026 (and VMD0040)
·     VM0032
·     VM0033
·     VM0036
·     VM0041
·     VM0042

Where any VCS methodology is used, the project participant will be required to demonstrate the Sustainable Development contributions or co-benefits of the relevant mitigation activity by submitting to the Joint Committee its verification report under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCB Standards), the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) or another standard recognised by VCS for such purpose.

Annex D

Information on the Singapore-Ghana Implementation Agreement

1 Singapore and Ghana signed an Implementation Agreement on carbon credits cooperation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on 27 May 2024. Since the signing, Singapore has been working with Ghana to operationalise the Implementation Agreement.

2 As an additional contribution to mitigation of global emissions, Singapore has committed to having 2% of the correspondingly adjusted carbon credits authorised under this Implementation Agreement cancelled at first issuance. These carbon credits cannot be sold, traded, or counted towards any country’s emission targets, and will instead contribute towards a net reduction in global emissions.

3 Singapore has committed to channelling the value from 5% of the correspondingly adjusted carbon credits authorised under this Implementation Agreement towards adaptation measures such as heat resilience measures and coastal protection in Ghana.

4 This is the second Implementation Agreement for Singapore, after the first with Papua New Guinea which was signed in December 2023. Singapore signed MOUs / Letters of Intent on carbon credits collaboration with countries such as Bhutan, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Mongolia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Vietnam, Rwanda, Senegal, and Sri Lanka, with the aim of inking similar Implementation Agreements.

5 Effective international cooperation, such as through carbon markets, is an important part of Singapore’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, given Singapore’s national circumstances as an alternative-energy disadvantaged country with limited domestic mitigation potential.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Banking: Verizon and Vertical Bridge agree to $3.3 billion tower transaction

Source: Verizon

Headline: Verizon and Vertical Bridge agree to $3.3 billion tower transaction

NEW YORK, NY & BOCA RATON, FL – September 30, 2024 – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Vertical Bridge today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for Vertical Bridge to obtain the exclusive rights to lease, operate and manage 6,339 wireless communications towers across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. from subsidiaries of Verizon for approximately $3.3 billion, including certain commercial benefits. The transaction is structured as a prepaid lease with upfront proceeds of approximately $2.8 billion in cash.

Under the terms, Verizon will enter into a 10-year agreement¹ to lease back capacity on the towers from Vertical Bridge, serving as the anchor tenant, with options that could extend the lease term up to 50 years. Verizon will also have access to certain additional space on the towers for its future use, subject to certain restrictions. This agreement, along with Verizon’s existing build-to-suit joint venture with Vertical Bridge, will support Verizon’s efforts to drive down tower-related costs and provide greater vendor diversity in a concentrated industry.

“As the nation’s largest mobility provider, we are well positioned with greater financial flexibility to invest in our business, return value to our shareholders and make the nation’s best network even better for customers,” said Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg. “This transaction builds on our existing relationship with Vertical Bridge while realizing substantial value for this unique set of assets and allows us to be agile in optimizing the network with one of the best operating partners.”

“We are pleased to have been selected by Verizon as the counterparty in the largest US tower transaction in almost a decade,” said Ron Bizick, President and CEO of Vertical Bridge. “This transaction represents a significant step for Vertical Bridge. The vision of the company founders 10 years ago was to create a permanent, private, and at-scale US tower company. This transaction marks a significant milestone in the realization of that vision. Upon the completion of this transaction, these assets, together with our existing portfolio which includes thousands of young, purpose-built towers, enhance Vertical Bridge’s position as a fast, friendly, and flexible colocation partner to the wireless industry.”

“Since co-founding Vertical Bridge in 2014, we’ve been on a transformative journey, and this landmark transaction with Verizon Communications marks an inflection point in that evolution,” said Marc Ganzi, CEO of DigitalBridge and Vice Chairman of Vertical Bridge. “This transaction not only solidifies our leadership in the tower space but also strategically positions us to capitalize on the growing demand for wireless infrastructure, especially as AI-driven technologies and 5G continue to reshape connectivity needs across industries.”

DigitalBridge, a leading global alternative asset manager dedicated to investing in digital infrastructure and majority owner of Vertical Bridge, has committed capital to support the transaction.

CDPQ, a global investment group and an important shareholder of Vertical Bridge since 2019, also committed capital to finance this transaction.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.

Advisors
J.P. Morgan acted as financial advisor to Verizon and Jones Day acted as legal counsel. Centerview Partners LLC served as financial advisor to Vertical Bridge and Greenberg Traurig acted as legal counsel. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett acted as legal counsel to DigitalBridge. Mayer Brown LLP acted as legal counsel to CDPQ.

About Vertical Bridge
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, was founded in 2014 and is the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, with a portfolio of more than 500,000 sites, including over 11,000 owned and master-leased towers pre-transaction. Vertical Bridge provides build-to-suit and colocation solutions to the wireless industry. The Company’s portfolio spreads across all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

In 2020, Vertical Bridge became the first tower company in the world to achieve the CarbonNeutral® company certified status and has been recertified every year since. For more information, please visit http://www.verticalbridge.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
n this communication we have made forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations. Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words “anticipates,” “assumes,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “hopes,” “intends,” “plans,” “targets” or similar expressions. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

[1] Initial term of 10 years, plus 8 optional renewal terms of 5 years each, subject to certain early termination rights.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Gebrüder Weiss bikes to the moon and back

Source: Gebrüder Weiss

Third GWcycles cycling campaign sets new record / International bike community comes together to cycle over 768,800 kilometers / Corporate forest project in Nicaragua grows by 7,000 new trees

Lauterach, October 1, 2024. Gebrüder Weiss’ international community of bike enthusiasts has raised the bar with this year’s GWcycles cycling campaign: More than 600 participants came together to cycle over 768,800 kilometers – the distance it would take to the moon and back.

Between March and September, the logistics company ran its third and latest cycling campaign, aptly titled “Cycling to the moon and back,” calling on cyclists around the world to dowload the Radbonus app and cover as many kilometers as possible on two wheels.

“It’s clear that bicycle mobility is growing in popularity,” remarks Frank Haas, Head of Communications at Gebrüder Weiss, “and rightly so: Cycling gives people a chance to enjoy being active and boosts both personal health and climate protection. I’m particularly pleased that we were once again able to encourage so many people to do their best to support a good cause. Thank you to everyone who got involved!”

Another benefit is that each kilometer cycled helps to protect the climate. The 2024 cycling campaign has enabled Gebrüder Weiss to plant 7,000 new trees in the corporate forest in Nicaragua. A total of 19,000 trees have been planted since the campaign was launched in 2022. Once fully grown, these trees will absorb around 285 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year.

For more information about “Cycling around the World”, go to: https://info.gw-world.com/gwcycles.

GW Team Lauterach

Frank Haas

Duathlon Malaysia

GW Team Czech republic

GW Team Singapore

Corporate forest Nicaragua

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About Gebrüder Weiss

Gebrüder Weiss Holding AG, based in Lauterach, Austria, is a globally operative full-service logistics provider with about 8,600 employees at 180 company-owned locations.

The company generated revenues of 2.46 billion euros in 2023. Its portfolio encompasses transport and logistics solutions, digital services, and supply chain management.

The twin strengths of digital and physical competence enable Gebrüder Weiss to respond swiftly and flexibly to customers’ needs.

The family-run organization – with a history going back more than half a millennium – has implemented a wide variety of environmental, economic, and social initiatives. Today, it is also considered a pioneer in sustainable business practices. http://www.gw-world.com

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Representative Adriano Espaillat Presents Landmark U.S.- Dominican Republic Open Skies Agreement

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13)

ESPAILLAT HIGHLIGHTS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HISTORIC OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT IN STRENGTHENING BILATERAL RELATIONS, BOOSTING ECONOMIC AND TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) presented the historic Cielos Abiertos (Open Skies) agreement between the United States and the Dominican Republic, at an event held at the Juan Pablo Duarte School in New York. The presentation, which was attended by President of the Dominican Republic, the Honorable Luis Abinader; New York City Mayor Eric Adams; U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment José W. Fernandez; ministers of the Dominican government; and numerous New York elected officials, underscored the landmark deal’s pivotal role in strengthening bilateral ties, spurring economic growth, and expanding travel opportunities between the two nations.

The Open Skies (Cielos Abiertos) agreement, signed on August 5, 2024, came after more than two decades of negotiations, with Representative Espaillat playing a crucial role in advocating for its finalization. During his speech at the event, Rep. Espaillat emphasized the transformative nature of the agreement, which will open up new air routes, increase competition among airlines, and significantly reduce flight costs for travelers between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.

“Today’s Open Skies agreement marks a new chapter in U.S.-Dominican relations,” said Espaillat. “This agreement will have a profound impact on Dominican American families, businesses, and tourists, offering more flight options and making travel more affordable. By increasing competition, this deal ensures lower airline fares and more frequent travel opportunities for consumers between our two nations.”

For years, Dominican American families have faced limited flight options and exorbitant prices for travel to and from the Dominican Republic, particularly during peak travel seasons. Rep. Espaillat has long advocated for solutions to these challenges, and the Open Skies agreement addresses these concerns by providing more affordable and accessible air travel.

The agreement also promises to boost tourism and economic growth in both nations. By increasing flight availability and reducing costs, the deal is expected to drive job creation and enhance commercial ties between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

“Open Skies is not only about making air travel easier,” continued Espaillat. “It ensures stronger connections between our people, strengthening our economies, and reinforcing the deep, historic ties that unite our two great nations.”

The event was also attended by a number of high-profile leaders, including Dominican President Luis Abinader, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and U.S. Under Secretary of State José W. Fernandez, who emphasized the significance of this agreement in the context of U.S. foreign policy.

Rep. Espaillat’s advocacy for the Open Skies agreement reflects his continued commitment representing the Dominican American community while fostering strong, mutually beneficial relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

###

Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: Fact sheet: Fourth Ministerial Meeting on the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection
Source: The White House

On June 10, 2022, President Biden launched the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection with leaders from across the Western Hemisphere to tackle together the challenge of migration and forced displacement. Under this framework, the United States has worked with partner countries to collaboratively reduce irregular migration and advance a safe, humane, and orderly approach to migration across the hemisphere. Over the last two years, the 22 endorsing countries have achieved substantial progress across the Los Angeles Declaration’s three core pillars:
1. addressing root causes and supporting the integration of migrants to foster long-term stabilization;
2. expanding lawful pathways for migration and protection; and
3. strengthening humane enforcement.
On September 25, 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the fourth Los Angeles Declaration Ministerial with White House Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall, White House Coordinator for the Los Angeles Declaration Marcela Escobari, and foreign ministers and senior representatives from the other 21 endorsing countries.

On behalf of the United States, Secretary Blinken announced more than $686 million in new humanitarian, development, economic, and security assistance to support partner countries to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, strengthen humane enforcement efforts, expand lawful pathways, and facilitate the regularization and integration of migrants within the region. With this announcement, the United States has now committed over $1.2 billion under the Los Angeles Declaration framework in 2024 alone, reflecting the Biden-Harris Administration’s unwavering commitment to collaboratively addressing this hemispheric challenge.

The United States also announced expanded enforcement partnerships to deter irregular migration, including a removal pilot program with the Government of Panama and new visa restrictions against travel agencies and tour operators that prey on vulnerable migrants. These actions aim to hold accountable those who exploit migrants for profit and to dissuade migrants from attempting dangerous irregular journeys.

Endorsing countries agreed to further institutionalize the Los Angeles Declaration through the establishment of a Secretariat, which will be managed by the Pan American Development Foundation and the Organization of American States and will ensure that coordinated progress on migration management is sustained into the future under this framework. The Government of Colombia formally announced that it will assume the role of rotating Country Chair over the next year and will host the fifth Los Angeles Declaration Ministerial in 2025.

The endorsing countries presented progress toward their commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration and announced the following new initiatives:

Strengthening Humane Enforcement
- On June 4, 2024, President Biden announced executive actions to bar migrants who cross the U.S. Southern border unlawfully from receiving asylum during times when high levels of encounters exceed our ability to deliver timely consequences. Since June 4, encounters between ports of entry have dropped by more than 50% and remain at their lowest level in years. Encounters in July and August 2024 dropped to the lowest levels since September 2020.
- Panama is implementing a U.S.-funded removal program that has resulted in the removal of hundreds of foreign nationals who did not have a lawful basis to remain in Panama, after they were screened for protection needs.
- The United States continues to take steps to impose visa restrictions on executives of travel agencies and charter air and maritime transportation companies around the globe that are facilitating irregular migration to the United States. On September 24, 2024, the State Department imposed additional visa restrictions against multiple executives of travel agencies operating in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East that are knowingly facilitating illegal migration.
- Partner countries reaffirmed their commitment to stem extracontinental irregular migration through the strategic use of entry and transit visas and passenger vetting. In total, Los Angeles Declaration endorsing countries have taken over 300 new visa policy actions to restrict travel intended solely for irregular migration.
- The United States has mobilized resources to increase investigations, arrests, and prosecutions of human smuggling and trafficking networks, including in partnerships with other Los Angeles Declaration countries. In August, for example, Guatemalan law enforcement—in an investigation supported by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security— dismantled a human smuggling network based in Guatemala that was responsible for the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas in June 2022.
- Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States has sanctioned eight human smuggling networks, including over 30 individuals and entities, to hold accountable those responsible for the exploitation of migrants. On September 24, 2024, for example, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned five Colombian nationals and two Mexican-based businesses, including two individuals affiliated with the Clan del Golfo transnational criminal organization, who are responsible for the control of migrant flows through the Darien Gap. Colombian authorities are offering a reward of 50 million Colombian pesos for the capture of both wanted criminals.
- The United States has enhanced biometric sharing capabilities throughout the region, enabling law enforcement actions against criminal actors before they enter any of our countries. Guatemala, with support from the United States, announced a new biometric program at La Aurora International Airport to cross-reference travelers with U.S. security databases in near-real time in order to identify high-risk arriving passengers.
Expanding Lawful Pathways for Migration and Protection
- The Biden-Harris Administration has rebuilt the United States’ refugee resettlement program and led a historic expansion of lawful pathways to the United States and partner countries. The United States is now on track to welcome 100,000 refugees from around the world this fiscal year, the largest number in three decades.
- Under the U.S. Government’s Safe Mobility Initiative, over 23,000 refugees from within the Western Hemisphere have been resettled safely and legally in the United States in Fiscal Year 2024, a four-fold increase over FY 2023.
- The United States is incorporating Labor Neighbors as part of the Safe Mobility Initiative to refer migrants to more lawful pathways and help match labor demand to labor supply across the hemisphere.
- Belize announced it is establishing a seasonal migrant worker program focused on agriculture and construction.
- Canada seeks to support labor mobility through its Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot.
- Ecuador is launching a new labor mobility unit with U.S. support.
- As part of the Safe Mobility Initiative, the United States continues to provide migrants and displaced persons with information and resources though the Safe Mobility Offices in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador.
- Costa Rica and the United States announced that the Safe Mobility Offices in Costa Rica will be extended until December 2025. Costa Rica will also expand eligibility criteria to include nationals from eligible countries who were present in Costa Rica on or before September 15, 2024.
- Canada began receiving referrals from the Safe Mobility Offices in the hemisphere and expects arrivals to Canada starting in 2025.
- The Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) parole processes have helped reduce irregular flows from these four countries, enabling migrants to apply from where they are for lawful entry to the United States.
Addressing Root Causes and Supporting the Integration of Migrants to Foster Long-term Stabilization
- A significant portion of the United States’ $686 million in new funding announced on September 25, 2024 will support regional efforts to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, like basic food, shelter, and health care for migrants and displaced persons, including nearly 8 million Venezuelans. U.S. funding also supports regional partners’ efforts to absorb and integrate migrants, promoting migrants’ financial inclusion and labor market insertion, and supporting host communities.
- More than half of Los Angeles Declaration endorsing countries have implemented policies that provide regular status and help migrants integrate and rebuild their lives in Latin America and the Caribbean, stemming further displacement and reducing migrant vulnerability. Their combined efforts have enabled 4.4 million Venezuelans to attain legal status to date. The following countries took new actions since May to provide regular status and help integrate more migrants:
- Argentina announced a special admission and regularization program that allows Venezuelans with expired identity documents (within the last 10 years) to seek residency in Argentina, and to verify identity or criminal record through a sworn statement in the absence of documents.
- Canada announced a new Francophone minority community student program that will give program participants access to settlement services while they are studying to help them integrate successfully into their communities.
- Colombia announced the signing of a regularization plan that could benefit an estimated 600,000 undocumented parents and legal guardians of children with valid Colombian Temporary Protective Status.
- Ecuador extended its regularization process until April 2025, allowing approximately 100,000 Venezuelan migrants to gain legal status. Separately, Ecuador committed to renew nearly 95,000 two-year visas previously issued to regularized Venezuelans. As part of the U.S. funding announcement, the U.S. is helping Ecuador unlock additional World Bank lending to support Ecuador’s Social Safety Net project that contributes to stabilizing and integrating the 450,000 Venezuelan migrants currently in the country.
- Mexico committed to opening a Multi-Purpose Processing Center in Chiapas to streamline the processing of migrants seeking refuge and to provide them integration support through access to financial, health, and education services.
- Panama announced the intent to begin a process that would allow migrants currently living in Panama irregularly to apply for legal status and obtain work authorizations.
- Peru, working closely with United Nations implementing agencies, announced plans to prioritize documenting migrant children and adolescents in the public education system. Through these efforts, Peru will provide protection and basic services to minors and their families.
- Uruguay approved two decrees to grant legal status to approximately 25,500 non-citizens living in Uruguay with pending asylum claims who likely would not qualify for asylum.
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MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney and FBI Charge Man for Drive-By Shooting in Zuni

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

ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni Pueblo man was charged by criminal complaint with federal firearms violations following a drive-by shooting that occurred on the Pueblo of Zuni Indian Reservation.

Devin Wyaco, 33, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, appeared before a federal judge today and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint, on September 19, 2024, John Doe and his girlfriend were riding their bikes in Zuni, New Mexico when they noticed a white sedan with tinted windows drive past them, going in the same direction as them. The sedan then did a U-turn and stopped before driving back towards them. As the vehicle passed them, one shot was fired from the passenger side, striking John Doe in his abdomen.

John Doe was transported via ambulance first to Zuni Hospital, then to University of New Mexico Hospital. When he was later interviewed by investigators, John Doe identified the vehicle as belonging to Wyaco’s girlfriend.

Investigators executed a federal search warrant on Wyaco’s girlfriend’s residence. There, they spoke to Wyaco’s girlfriend, who stated she had been in the vehicle with Wyaco at the time of the shooting. Wyaco’s girlfriend told investigators that he had fled and was still in possession of the firearm.

If convicted, Wyaco faces a minimum of 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

# # #

MIL Security OSI –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: ERO Washington, D.C. arrests Venezuelan national charged with malicious wounding, DWI, hit and run, firearms crimes in Virginia

Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

WASHINGTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. apprehended an unlawfully present 30-year-old Venezuelan noncitizen charged in Virginia with malicious wounding, DWI, hit and run, and numerous firearms crimes. Officers with ERO Washington, D.C.’s Special Response Team arrested Yohandri Roger Mosquera-Rosas Sept. 12 in Springfield, Virginia.

“Yohandri Roger Mosquera-Rosas’ charges render him a significant threat to the residents of our Northern Virginia neighborhoods,” said ERO Washington, D.C. Field Office Director. “Mosquera allegedly committed numerous firearms crimes, including one that apparently endangered a child. ERO Washington, D.C. will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities.”

U.S. Border Patrol encountered Mosquera Oct. 11, 2022, after he unlawfully entered the United States near El Paso, Texas. Officials issued Mosquera a record of arrival and lawfully paroled him into the United States. However, Mosquera violated the terms of his lawful admission.

Fairfax County Police arrested Mosquera Jan. 1, 2023, and charged him with malicious wounding, reckless handling of a firearm, leaving a firearm loaded — endangering a child less than 14 years of age, and using a firearm in commission of a felony. Later that day, ERO lodged an immigration detainer against Mosquera with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. However, the detention center refused to honor ERO’s immigration detainer and released Mosquera from custody on an unknown date.

Fairfax County Police again arrested Mosquera June 22, 2023, and charged him with using a firearm in commission of a felony. Later that day, ERO Washington, D.C. contacted the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center to lodge an immigration detainer, but Mosquera had already been released from custody.

Fairfax County Police twice arrested Mosquera on Feb. 18 and again on May 2 and charged him with driving while intoxicated and hit and run with property damage. After each arrest, ERO lodged immigration detainers against Mosquera with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. On both occasions, however, the detention center refused to honor ERO’s immigration detainers and released Mosquera from custody without notification to ERO Washington, D.C.

Officers from ERO Washington, D.C.’s SRT arrested Mosquera Sept. 12 in Springfield, Virginia. Mosquera remains in ERO custody.

Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved — ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, removable noncitizens and the public — by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Because detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

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

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROWashington.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Golden introduces bill to restore American manufacturing with 10 percent tariff on all imports

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today introduced the BUILT USA Act, to incentivize American manufacturing and job creation and address the nation’s ballooning trade deficit by levying a 10 percent tariff on all imports.

“America must once again become a nation of producers, not just consumers,” Golden said. “Decades of globalization have transformed our country from an industrial superpower to one that relies on other countries for basic goods. To secure our future in an increasingly competitive world, we must move toward self-sufficiency, industrial strength and the homegrown innovation that goes hand-in-hand with a strong, productive economy. These tariffs put us on a path to that future.”

Upon enactment, the BUILT USA Act (formally the Balance Unequal International Labor and Trade for the United States of America Act) would assess a ten percent tariff to all goods and services imported into the United States. Each subsequent calendar year, this duty would increase or decrease by 5 percent depending on whether America maintains a trade deficit or surplus, respectively.

Tariffs have been embraced by presidents of both parties, with former President Donald Trump setting new tariffs on Chinese imports, which were kept on the books and in some cases expandedunder President Joe Biden.

“Recent history is bipartisan recognition that the era of free-wheeling free-trade that cost Maine so much must come to an end, as a matter of both national security and economic interest,” Golden said. “We must act to reposition ourselves in the world economy, to a place of strength and self-sufficiency.”

The trade balance — the difference between U.S. exports and U.S. imports — has been in deficit since the mid-70s. In recent years, the figure has approached nearly $1 trillion.

“America’s ever-expanding trade deficit is a clear sign that the current global trade regime is stacked against U.S. workers, industries, and communities,” Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass, said. “Rep. Golden’s BUILT USA Act will address this global trade imbalance head on, reassert U.S. economic interests, and help reestablish the industrial base that made America the most innovative, prosperous, and resilient nation in the world.”

Background:

Seventy years ago, employment in manufacturing made up over 40 percent of nonfarm jobs in Maine, according to the Maine Department of Labor. Today, it’s less than 10 percent. The losses accelerated in the 1990s with the signing of NAFTA, after which Maine lost one in three manufacturing jobs — with 25,000 lost to outsourcing alone. Forty percent of those who lost jobs had to take new ones with lower pay.

Golden has been a leading voice for reconfiguring U.S. trade policy in favor of American industry and workers. In May, he introduced legislation that would raise tariffs on Chinese imports of automobiles and energy components to ensure America’s industrial base, and thus its future, is strong. He published an essay the same month on the importance of a robust production economy for national security and middle-class prosperity.

In 2019, he was one of only 41 House members to vote against the United States-Mexico -Canada Agreement, which he called “a missed opportunity to deliver real and lasting change” to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Full text of his legislation can be found here.

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MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ambassador Louise de Sousa receives new Chevening scholarship recipients
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
English

Español de América Latina

Three Chileans will travel to the United Kingdom to study master’s degrees in London, Cambridge and Edinburgh thanks to the British Foreign Office Scholarship.
Ambassador Louise de Sousa with recipients of the Chevening Scholarship. The call for those interested in applying for the Chevening Scholarship 2025-26 will remain open until 4 November at 20.00 hrs.

The British Ambassador to Chile, Louise de Sousa, met with the recipients of the Chevening Scholarship to study a Master’s degree in the United Kingdom.

The Chevening Scholarship is awarded to people from diverse backgrounds who can demonstrate the commitment and skills necessary to become future leaders or changemakers in their country of origin.

This year, three Chilean women and one Chilean man will travel to begin their studies at British universities in September. They are Bárbara Ferrer, who will study a Master of Science in Data and Artificial Intelligence Ethics en la University of Edinburgh; Mariana Bernasconi, who will study a Master of Philosophy en Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge; Melissa Jeldes, who will study a Master of Science in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics; and Sebastián Mozó, who will study a Master of Science in Regulation at the same university.

Louise de Sousa, British Ambassador to Chile, says: “There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Chevening scholar. We value energy, a broad perspective, curiosity, compassion, a clear vision of the future and the ability to achieve your goals. If you identify with these characteristics, then you are very likely to fit into our community of more than 57,000 alumni worldwide.

Agustín Riesco, Chevening 2023 scholar, who returned to Chile after studying a master’s degree in Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, also shared this vision: “The Chevening scholarship allowed me to experience a unique opportunity, not only academically, but also to be able to live with my family for a year in London, one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Chevening is much more than a scholarship, it is a network that supports you and makes you live a unique experience for a year”, he said.

Applicants must present a realistic and achievable idea to bring about positive change in their country, and be able to demonstrate how a Master’s degree in the UK will help them achieve their goal. The Scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study any eligible Masters degree at over 150 UK universities, plus access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional and cultural experiences.

Applicants must present a realistic and achievable idea for positive change in their country, and be able to demonstrate how a Master’s degree in the UK will help them achieve their goal. The Scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study any eligible Master’s degree at over 150 British universities, plus access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional and cultural experiences.

Since the programme was launched in 1983, more than 57,000 professionals have advanced their careers through Chevening. By the 2025/2026 academic year, there are approximately 1,500 scholarships available worldwide, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to developing tomorrow’s leaders.

Applications open

Chevening is open for applications until 4 November 2024 at 8pm in Chile. For information on eligibility criteria and scholarship details, please visit http://www.chevening.org.

Notes to editors

Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations. The scholarships fund one-year Masters degrees at British universities for people with potential to become future leaders, decision-makers and opinion-formers.

Chevening began in 1983 and has grown into a prestigious international scholarship programme. Chevening scholars come from more than 160 countries and territories around the world. In the last five years, Chevening has awarded more than 8,000 scholarships. There are more than 57,000 Chevening Alumni worldwide who form an influential and prestigious global network.

Further information

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Published 26 September 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation and Florida Power & Light Company Bring Free AI Bootcamp to South Florida Teens

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

JUNO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp hosted by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). Applications for the no-cost bootcamp are closing Sept. 30.

The Mark Cuban Foundation, in partnership with FPL, is bringing the only AI camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in South Florida. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of information technology (IT) professionals.

The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of AI and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for economically disadvantaged high school students. Students are provided with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during the bootcamp.

“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with FPL, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

This year’s bootcamp, taking place at FPL’s James L. Robo campus in Palm Beach Gardens on Nov. 2, 9 and 16, will be hosted and staffed by FPL.

FPL is one of more than 30 companies selected to host camps across the U.S.

“We’re honored to host these workshops,” said Grace Kurian, VP, IT technology solutions and operations at NextEra Energy, Inc., who led the launch of the AI Bootcamp in Palm Beach County. “South Florida continues to grow into a vast tech hub. I’m grateful for the investment by the Mark Cuban Foundation and FPL, which is strengthening our communities and opportunities for our future tech leaders of tomorrow.”

The Sept. 30 deadline is approaching quickly. Do not miss your chance – submit your application now, as spaces are limited.

Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

Media Contact:
Bishop.wash@markcubanai.org

This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative
The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9^th -12^th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

About FPL
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.9 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the most fuel efficient and cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S and in 2022 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the seventh time in the last nine years. The company was also recognized by Escalent in 2022 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities for the ninth consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: http://www.NextEraEnergy.com, http://www.FPL.com, http://www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

The MIL Network –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Ukraine recap: Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling becomes more ominous

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

In recent months, Vladimir Putin and his proxies have been foreshadowing a change in Russia’s nuclear doctrine. This is the set of rules that spells out when and how his country might resort to the use of its nuclear arsenal, which is currently the largest in the world. Most recently his deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said the revisions to the rulebook were “connected with the escalation course of our western adversaries”. In other words: it’s not us, it’s you.

You don’t have to read too much between the lines to discern a connection between the growing clamour by some in the west to allow Ukraine to use western long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia and Russia’s decision to reconsider under what circumstances it would use its nuclear arsenal.

Over the past couple of years – since shortly after he initiated Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – Putin and his inner circle have regularly invoked Russia’s nuclear deterrent, writes Christoph Bluth, an expert in nuclear proliferation and international security at the University of Bradford. All it seems to take is for the west to agree another large package of funding, or change the terms of its aid to Kyiv for the Kremlin to dust off the doomsday scenario.

So it comes as little surprise that, shortly after Volodymr Zelensky gave his impassioned speech to the United Nations general assembly yesterday restating his country’s urgent need for more support and more latitude in how to use it, Putin announced his country’s new “draft” nuclear doctrine. Henceforth, he said, Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if it was attacked by any state with conventional weapons. The trigger for the launch of nuclear missiles against Ukraine or any of its allies, he said, would be “reliable information about a massive launch of aerospace attack means and their crossing of our state border”.

Read more:
Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin ups the ante on his nuclear blackmail – the big question is how the west will respond

Bluth recounts how, earlier this month, one of Putin’s proxies, Alexander Mikhailov, the director of the Bureau of Military Political Analysis, recently called for Russia to “bomb plywood mock-ups of London and Washington to simulate a nuclear attack, so that it would ‘burn so beautifully that it will horrify the world’.” Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house, said that any attacks against Russia would prompt it to respond with nuclear weapons. He is reported to have added – with what appears to have been ghastly relish – that the European parliament in Strasbourg was “only a three-minute flight for a Russian nuclear missile”.

It’s tempting to dismiss Russia’s threats as just so much sabre-rattling. And there have been plenty of voices in the west urging leaders to defy Putin’s threats. After Ukraine launched its lightning raid into Russia’s Kursk province in August, Zelensky said it was clear that Russia’s red lines were a bluff. He said: “The naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled apart these days.”

Colin Alexander, a specialist in political commnunications at Nottingham Trent University, believes that since the end of the cold war the focus of what he calls “fear propaganda” has changed. It has moved away from the prospect of nuclear annihilation to “other threats, such as extremism, pandemics and migration”.

But anyone who grew up during the cold war will remember the omnipresent fear of the “three-minute warning” regularly reinforced by government messaging, TV documentaries and dramas. These all served to remind everyone that a nuclear holocaust was only a series of wrongheaded decisions away. It’s that atmosphere of peril, writes Alexander, which makes a leader’s threats believable.

And the “madman theory” which holds that only an unstable leader would contemplate pushing the button, has helped lull people into the idea that a nuclear conflict is indeed unthinkable, because surely no leader would be mad enough. But Alexander concludes by citing the one leader who actually did drop a nuclear bomb in an enemy:

US president Harry S. Truman pushed the button in 1945. He was then given detailed reports of the death and destruction that his decision caused to Hiroshima. Then he pushed the button again to annihilate Nagasaki.

Read more:
The world isn’t taking Putin’s nuclear threats seriously – the history of propaganda suggests it should

Zelensky’s plea

Zelensky’s speech to the UN general assembly was compelling and moving in equal measure. He warned of intelligence reports that Russia was preparing to target Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as part of its campaign to wreck the country’s energy infrastructure before winter. He mourned for the children of Ukraine, who “are learning to distinguish the sounds of different types of artillery and drones because of Russia’s war”. And he restated his ten-point plan for peace, which involves Russia withdrawing from all the lands it has occupied since 2014.

But, Stefan Wolff notes, a growing number of countries are lining up behind a peace plan proposed earlier in the year by China and Brazil, which would freeze the conflict along the existing frontlines before proceeding to negotiations.

The state of the conflict in Ukraine as at September 25.
Institute for the Study of War

Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham, believes this plan is deeply flawed. For one thing it would inevitably involve Kyiv being forced to give up territory illegally annexed by Russia. It would also give Russia time to regroup, rearm and train extra troops and would almost certainly not guarantee a lasting peace, but would simply stave off another Russian assault on Ukraine.

But Zelensky faces two key problems which make his diplomatic mission that much harder. His voice is in danger of being drowned out by the conflict in the Middle East, which appears almost inevitably bound for a ground war in Lebanon in days to come. And the prospect of Donald Trump winning a second term in about six weeks’ time, means that the days of Washington as Kyiv’s staunchest partner could well be coming to an end.

Read more:
Ukraine war: Zelensky’s pleas for help are getting drowned out in the clamour from the Middle East

As the conflict drags on – 31 months and counting – there is evidence that some Ukrainians would give up territory in return for peace and an end to the killing. Our team of political scientists, Kristin M. Bakke of UCL, Gerard Toal of Virginia Tech and John O’Loughlin of University of Colorado Boulder, have been polling Ukrainians since the invasion and have detected a definite shift in attitudes towards the conflict.

While most Ukrainians still hate the idea of having to give up territory to Russia, support for the proposition that Ukraine should “continue opposing Russian aggression until all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, is liberated” had fallen from 71% in 2022 to 51% now. And, while in 2022 just 11% of respondents agreed with “trying to reach an immediate ceasefire by both sides with conditions and starting intensive negotiations”, that number had almost tripled in the most recent polling.

Interestingly, the researchers note, while most people they spoke with professed unchanged support for their country’s war effort, a growing number said they were worried that their fellow Ukrainians were beginning to suffer from war-weariness.

Read more:
Growing number of war-weary Ukrainians would reluctantly give up territory to save lives, suggests recent survey

Land grabs

Russia is already calling for more territory in eastern Ukraine in the form of a “buffer zone” around Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv in the north-east of the country. This, the Kremlin claims, is to protect Russian towns from shelling and missile attacks from Ukrainian territory.

Interestingly, writes Iain Farquharson, a security expert and military historian at Brunel University London, Israel has also proposed setting up a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, to protect Israelis living near the the country’s northern border from Hezbollah missile barrages.

Farquharson considers the history of buffer zones in the Middle East and beyond. Firstly, buffer zones rarely live up to their supposed function – as Afghanistan’s misfortune to be between British India and southern Russia in the 19th century and Lebanon’s bad luck to be between Syria and Israel in the 1960s and 1970s amply demonstrate.

But what Russia and Israel are proposing are not so much buffer zones as land grabs, pure and simple. There’s no sense that either country is willing to contribute any of its own territory to these so-called demilitarised areas (or that they’ll actually be demilitarised). They should, he writes, “instead primarily be seen as a way of formalising control over contested territory to protect their home bases, which would give them a military advantage”.

Read more:
When Russia and Israel talk about setting up ‘buffer zones’ what they are really talking about is a land grab

– ref. Ukraine recap: Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling becomes more ominous – https://theconversation.com/ukraine-recap-putins-nuclear-sabre-rattling-becomes-more-ominous-239974

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation and Florida Power & Light Company Bring Free AI Bootcamp to South Florida Teens

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

JUNO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp hosted by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). Applications for the no-cost bootcamp are closing Sept. 30.

The Mark Cuban Foundation, in partnership with FPL, is bringing the only AI camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in South Florida. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of information technology (IT) professionals.

The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of AI and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for economically disadvantaged high school students. Students are provided with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during the bootcamp.

“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with FPL, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

This year’s bootcamp, taking place at FPL’s James L. Robo campus in Palm Beach Gardens on Nov. 2, 9 and 16, will be hosted and staffed by FPL.

FPL is one of more than 30 companies selected to host camps across the U.S.

“We’re honored to host these workshops,” said Grace Kurian, VP, IT technology solutions and operations at NextEra Energy, Inc., who led the launch of the AI Bootcamp in Palm Beach County. “South Florida continues to grow into a vast tech hub. I’m grateful for the investment by the Mark Cuban Foundation and FPL, which is strengthening our communities and opportunities for our future tech leaders of tomorrow.”

The Sept. 30 deadline is approaching quickly. Do not miss your chance – submit your application now, as spaces are limited.

Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

Media Contact:
Bishop.wash@markcubanai.org

This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative
The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9^th -12^th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

About FPL
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.9 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the most fuel efficient and cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S and in 2022 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the seventh time in the last nine years. The company was also recognized by Escalent in 2022 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities for the ninth consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: http://www.NextEraEnergy.com, http://www.FPL.com, http://www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

The MIL Network –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal, Casar & Colleagues Introduce Migration Stability Resolution
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), U.S. Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52) introduced a new resolution calling for comprehensive legislation to address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while affirming the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the United States.

“Democrats can build an orderly, humane, and stable immigration system. We should create more legal pathways for migration and citizenship, while also changing the failed U.S. policies that cause displacement abroad and force people to flee their home countries,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Let’s tackle the climate crisis. Let’s remove broad-based sanctions that increase poverty. Let’s prioritize policies to support stability abroad while creating a welcoming and predictable immigration process at home.”

“Too many people around the world face violence, poverty, and persecution and see the United States as a beacon of hope,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). “We must make the immigration system more humane, more orderly, and more effective to welcome immigrants who come to this country rather than turn them away and to recognize not only the contributions they make to this country, but also the moral duty we have to protect people who come here fleeing horrible conditions. We can and must do better for immigrants.”

“Over the past decades, millions of people have been forced to migrate from their homes—and more people are displaced now than ever before. This is the result of converging crises, including climate change, political instability, and violence, some of which are impacted by U.S. policy,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.). “Yet, our immigration and asylum policies have become more restrictive and punitive, disregarding the role our government has played in creating this crisis. It’s time we acknowledge the ways in which U.S. policy has contributed to forced migration and displacement, and advance reforms that address the root causes of migration.”

“Republicans’ dangerous rhetoric about immigration endangers our immigrant communities and completely ignores the root causes of migration,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Migration is not just a border issue but a foreign policy issue. With migration on the rise worldwide and conflict, food insecurity, climate change, and political violence driving immigration to the U.S., it’s imperative that we reshape our immigration policy to address these global crises. This resolution calls upon Congress to do just that.”

“Climate instability, democratic backsliding, economic exclusion, sanctions, and human rights violations are just some of the conditions driving unprecedented levels of global displacement and migration,” said Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Stricter border enforcement, harsh asylum laws, and the vilification of immigrants have consistently failed us and our neighbors. Instead, we need to address how our own policies contribute to the crises and adopt a coordinated regional and global strategy to tackle the root causes of displacement.”

“It’s past time for comprehensive immigration reform. And a critical piece to this is addressing the factors that force families to flee their home countries in the first place,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “From combating climate change to humanitarian assistance, we need to implement productive policies that address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while also working to restore faith in our legal immigration system and creating pathways to citizenship.”

Specifically, this resolution calls for comprehensive legislation that:
- addresses U.S. policies contributing to forced migration and displacement;
- ensures a humane and sustainable immigration system that appropriately addresses the root causes driving migration; and
- affirms the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S.
Over the last few weeks, MAGA Republicans have fabricated xenophobic and racist stories about Haitian immigrant families, adding to a long track record of perpetuating false narratives, conspiracy theories, and racist tropes. This MAGA rhetoric has incited physical violence against many migrant families. Now more than ever, it is important to emphasize the value migrants bring to our communities and to call for policies that will make our immigration system more stable and humane.

The resolution is co-led by U.S. Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52), and co-sponsored by Nanette Barragán (CA-44), André Carson (IN-07), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07).

It is endorsed by ActionAid USA, Ayudemos por una vida mas digna, Border Vigil of Eagle Pass, CASA, Center for Economic Policy and Research, Center for International Policy, Climate Refugees, Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Global Exchange, Justice is Global, Mira Feminisms and Democracies, Movimiento de los pueblos por la paz y la justicia y México negro ac, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Project, OXFAM America, Public Citizen, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Transnational Villages Network/Red de Pueblos, United We Dream, and Win Without War.

“This resolution is the step forward Congress desperately needs to reframe the issue of immigration towards more productive and effective solutions that will ensure migrants’ lives take precedence over politics,” said Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy at United We Dream. “The vast majority of Americans want to see a humane, efficient and fair policies that honor everyone’s freedoms to live safely in their homes without being forcibly displaced, whether here or abroad, and provides the opportunity to become citizens in the U.S. Congress has a clear roadmap in front of them with this resolution that proves that safety, humanity, fairness and justice in our foreign policy and immigration system are not contradictory values but instead deeply interconnected.”

“We need to dig in our heels and end the racism and xenophobia that’s rampant in our immigration and asylum debates in the U.S.,” said Eric Eikenberry, government relations director for Win Without War. “This new resolution lays the groundwork to do just that: welcome people who want to build their lives here, while ensuring that — from arms sales to climate policy and beyond — our government doesn’t create the conditions that force them from their homes and communities.”

“For too long, the U.S. approach to migration has focused on barricading our borders rather than addressing the realities compelling people to leave their homes — including crises exacerbated by U.S. policies. We applaud Congressman Casar and his colleagues for taking this critical step to review and move toward better U.S. policies to address the conditions giving rise to increased migration and displacement,” said Dylan Williams, Center for International Policy Vice President for Government Affairs.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the years about ‘root causes’ of migration, but this is the first legislation of its kind to home in on the elephant in the room: U.S. policy and its role in fueling the involuntary migration and displacement of millions of people in the region and the world,” said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “This groundbreaking resolution helps us all better understand how vulnerable communities in the Global South have been devastated by U.S. broad-based sanctions, U.S.-backed trade agreements that put corporate greed over people, U.S. security assistance that props up repressive governments, and lax gun laws that provide criminals with easy access to U.S. weapons. Most importantly, this legislation proposes bold strategies to undo harmful policies and help truly mitigate ‘root causes’ including through far-reaching reforms to US sanctions policy and foreign assistance, the removal of harmful ISDS provisions from US-backed trade agreements, and the provision of robust support to developing countries fighting inequality and climate change, including through new issuances of debt-free IMF Special Drawing Rights. This resolution is long overdue, and we’re proud and delighted to be supporting it today.”

“Rather than ‘blaming the victims’—immigrants, it is important to acknowledge how failed U.S. foreign (or economic and military) policies have contributed to the spiraling poverty and violence from which people have been fleeing for their lives,” Jean Stokan, Justice Coordinator for Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. “Forced migration is often the result of U.S. foreign policies that prioritize the interests of foreign investors over those of impoverished populations. Thus, this resolution importantly names U.S. responsibility to address those root causes and the need for justice-based pathways to citizenship.”

“To design a just and humane policy response to immigration, we have to ask the question – why are people moving? As an international development organization, ActionAid USA strongly supports this resolution for acknowledging the root causes of migration, including and especially those for which the United States is directly responsible,” said Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA. “A human rights-based approach to immigration policy should start with fixing harmful foreign policies, ongoing climate inaction, and unjust international economic systems that all contribute to force people to leave their homes.”

Background:

The resolution text can be found here.

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security, Immigration

MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal, Casar & Colleagues Introduce Migration Stability Resolution
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), U.S. Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52) introduced a new resolution calling for comprehensive legislation to address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while affirming the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the United States.

“Democrats can build an orderly, humane, and stable immigration system. We should create more legal pathways for migration and citizenship, while also changing the failed U.S. policies that cause displacement abroad and force people to flee their home countries,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Let’s tackle the climate crisis. Let’s remove broad-based sanctions that increase poverty. Let’s prioritize policies to support stability abroad while creating a welcoming and predictable immigration process at home.”

“Too many people around the world face violence, poverty, and persecution and see the United States as a beacon of hope,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). “We must make the immigration system more humane, more orderly, and more effective to welcome immigrants who come to this country rather than turn them away and to recognize not only the contributions they make to this country, but also the moral duty we have to protect people who come here fleeing horrible conditions. We can and must do better for immigrants.”

“Over the past decades, millions of people have been forced to migrate from their homes—and more people are displaced now than ever before. This is the result of converging crises, including climate change, political instability, and violence, some of which are impacted by U.S. policy,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.). “Yet, our immigration and asylum policies have become more restrictive and punitive, disregarding the role our government has played in creating this crisis. It’s time we acknowledge the ways in which U.S. policy has contributed to forced migration and displacement, and advance reforms that address the root causes of migration.”

“Republicans’ dangerous rhetoric about immigration endangers our immigrant communities and completely ignores the root causes of migration,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Migration is not just a border issue but a foreign policy issue. With migration on the rise worldwide and conflict, food insecurity, climate change, and political violence driving immigration to the U.S., it’s imperative that we reshape our immigration policy to address these global crises. This resolution calls upon Congress to do just that.”

“Climate instability, democratic backsliding, economic exclusion, sanctions, and human rights violations are just some of the conditions driving unprecedented levels of global displacement and migration,” said Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Stricter border enforcement, harsh asylum laws, and the vilification of immigrants have consistently failed us and our neighbors. Instead, we need to address how our own policies contribute to the crises and adopt a coordinated regional and global strategy to tackle the root causes of displacement.”

“It’s past time for comprehensive immigration reform. And a critical piece to this is addressing the factors that force families to flee their home countries in the first place,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “From combating climate change to humanitarian assistance, we need to implement productive policies that address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while also working to restore faith in our legal immigration system and creating pathways to citizenship.”

Specifically, this resolution calls for comprehensive legislation that:
- addresses U.S. policies contributing to forced migration and displacement;
- ensures a humane and sustainable immigration system that appropriately addresses the root causes driving migration; and
- affirms the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S.
Over the last few weeks, MAGA Republicans have fabricated xenophobic and racist stories about Haitian immigrant families, adding to a long track record of perpetuating false narratives, conspiracy theories, and racist tropes. This MAGA rhetoric has incited physical violence against many migrant families. Now more than ever, it is important to emphasize the value migrants bring to our communities and to call for policies that will make our immigration system more stable and humane.

The resolution is co-led by U.S. Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52), and co-sponsored by Nanette Barragán (CA-44), André Carson (IN-07), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07).

It is endorsed by ActionAid USA, Ayudemos por una vida mas digna, Border Vigil of Eagle Pass, CASA, Center for Economic Policy and Research, Center for International Policy, Climate Refugees, Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Global Exchange, Justice is Global, Mira Feminisms and Democracies, Movimiento de los pueblos por la paz y la justicia y México negro ac, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Project, OXFAM America, Public Citizen, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Transnational Villages Network/Red de Pueblos, United We Dream, and Win Without War.

“This resolution is the step forward Congress desperately needs to reframe the issue of immigration towards more productive and effective solutions that will ensure migrants’ lives take precedence over politics,” said Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy at United We Dream. “The vast majority of Americans want to see a humane, efficient and fair policies that honor everyone’s freedoms to live safely in their homes without being forcibly displaced, whether here or abroad, and provides the opportunity to become citizens in the U.S. Congress has a clear roadmap in front of them with this resolution that proves that safety, humanity, fairness and justice in our foreign policy and immigration system are not contradictory values but instead deeply interconnected.”

“We need to dig in our heels and end the racism and xenophobia that’s rampant in our immigration and asylum debates in the U.S.,” said Eric Eikenberry, government relations director for Win Without War. “This new resolution lays the groundwork to do just that: welcome people who want to build their lives here, while ensuring that — from arms sales to climate policy and beyond — our government doesn’t create the conditions that force them from their homes and communities.”

“For too long, the U.S. approach to migration has focused on barricading our borders rather than addressing the realities compelling people to leave their homes — including crises exacerbated by U.S. policies. We applaud Congressman Casar and his colleagues for taking this critical step to review and move toward better U.S. policies to address the conditions giving rise to increased migration and displacement,” said Dylan Williams, Center for International Policy Vice President for Government Affairs.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the years about ‘root causes’ of migration, but this is the first legislation of its kind to home in on the elephant in the room: U.S. policy and its role in fueling the involuntary migration and displacement of millions of people in the region and the world,” said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “This groundbreaking resolution helps us all better understand how vulnerable communities in the Global South have been devastated by U.S. broad-based sanctions, U.S.-backed trade agreements that put corporate greed over people, U.S. security assistance that props up repressive governments, and lax gun laws that provide criminals with easy access to U.S. weapons. Most importantly, this legislation proposes bold strategies to undo harmful policies and help truly mitigate ‘root causes’ including through far-reaching reforms to US sanctions policy and foreign assistance, the removal of harmful ISDS provisions from US-backed trade agreements, and the provision of robust support to developing countries fighting inequality and climate change, including through new issuances of debt-free IMF Special Drawing Rights. This resolution is long overdue, and we’re proud and delighted to be supporting it today.”

“Rather than ‘blaming the victims’—immigrants, it is important to acknowledge how failed U.S. foreign (or economic and military) policies have contributed to the spiraling poverty and violence from which people have been fleeing for their lives,” Jean Stokan, Justice Coordinator for Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. “Forced migration is often the result of U.S. foreign policies that prioritize the interests of foreign investors over those of impoverished populations. Thus, this resolution importantly names U.S. responsibility to address those root causes and the need for justice-based pathways to citizenship.”

“To design a just and humane policy response to immigration, we have to ask the question – why are people moving? As an international development organization, ActionAid USA strongly supports this resolution for acknowledging the root causes of migration, including and especially those for which the United States is directly responsible,” said Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA. “A human rights-based approach to immigration policy should start with fixing harmful foreign policies, ongoing climate inaction, and unjust international economic systems that all contribute to force people to leave their homes.”

Background:

The resolution text can be found here.

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security, Immigration

MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Casar & Colleagues Introduce Migration Stability Resolution
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), co-founder of the Global Migration Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52) introduced a new resolution calling for comprehensive legislation to address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while affirming the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the United States.

“Democrats can build an orderly, humane, and stable immigration system. We should create more legal pathways for migration and citizenship, while also changing the failed U.S. policies that cause displacement abroad and force people to flee their home countries,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Let’s tackle the climate crisis. Let’s remove broad-based sanctions that increase poverty. Let’s prioritize policies to support stability abroad while creating a welcoming and predictable immigration process at home.”

“Too many people around the world face violence, poverty, and persecution and see the United States as a beacon of hope,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). “We must make the immigration system more humane, more orderly, and more effective to welcome immigrants who come to this country rather than turn them away and to recognize not only the contributions they make to this country, but also the moral duty we have to protect people who come here fleeing horrible conditions. We can and must do better for immigrants.”

“Over the past decades, millions of people have been forced to migrate from their homes—and more people are displaced now than ever before. This is the result of converging crises, including climate change, political instability, and violence, some of which are impacted by U.S. policy,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.). “Yet, our immigration and asylum policies have become more restrictive and punitive, disregarding the role our government has played in creating this crisis. It’s time we acknowledge the ways in which U.S. policy has contributed to forced migration and displacement, and advance reforms that address the root causes of migration.”

“Republicans’ dangerous rhetoric about immigration endangers our immigrant communities and completely ignores the root causes of migration,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Migration is not just a border issue but a foreign policy issue. With migration on the rise worldwide and conflict, food insecurity, climate change, and political violence driving immigration to the U.S., it’s imperative that we reshape our immigration policy to address these global crises. This resolution calls upon Congress to do just that.”

“Climate instability, democratic backsliding, economic exclusion, sanctions, and human rights violations are just some of the conditions driving unprecedented levels of global displacement and migration,” said Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Stricter border enforcement, harsh asylum laws, and the vilification of immigrants have consistently failed us and our neighbors. Instead, we need to address how our own policies contribute to the crises and adopt a coordinated regional and global strategy to tackle the root causes of displacement.”

“It’s past time for comprehensive immigration reform. And a critical piece to this is addressing the factors that force families to flee their home countries in the first place,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “From combating climate change to humanitarian assistance, we need to implement productive policies that address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while also working to restore faith in our legal immigration system and creating pathways to citizenship.”

Specifically, this resolution calls for comprehensive legislation that:
- addresses U.S. policies contributing to forced migration and displacement;
- ensures a humane and sustainable immigration system that appropriately addresses the root causes driving migration; and
- affirms the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S.
Over the last few weeks, MAGA Republicans have fabricated xenophobic and racist stories about Haitian immigrant families, adding to a long track record of perpetuating false narratives, conspiracy theories, and racist tropes. This MAGA rhetoric has incited physical violence against many migrant families. Now more than ever, it is important to emphasize the value migrants bring to our communities and to call for policies that will make our immigration system more stable and humane.

The resolution is co-led by U.S. Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52), and co-sponsored by Nanette Barragán (CA-44), André Carson (IN-07), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07).

It is endorsed by ActionAid USA, Ayudemos por una vida mas digna, Border Vigil of Eagle Pass, CASA, Center for Economic Policy and Research, Center for International Policy, Climate Refugees, Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Global Exchange, Justice is Global, Mira Feminisms and Democracies, Movimiento de los pueblos por la paz y la justicia y México negro ac, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Project, OXFAM America, Public Citizen, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Transnational Villages Network/Red de Pueblos, United We Dream, and Win Without War.

“This resolution is the step forward Congress desperately needs to reframe the issue of immigration towards more productive and effective solutions that will ensure migrants’ lives take precedence over politics,” saidJuliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy at United We Dream. “The vast majority of Americans want to see a humane, efficient and fair policies that honor everyone’s freedoms to live safely in their homes without being forcibly displaced, whether here or abroad, and provides the opportunity to become citizens in the U.S. Congress has a clear roadmap in front of them with this resolution that proves that safety, humanity, fairness and justice in our foreign policy and immigration system are not contradictory values but instead deeply interconnected.”

“We need to dig in our heels and end the racism and xenophobia that’s rampant in our immigration and asylum debates in the U.S.,” said Eric Eikenberry, government relations director for Win Without War. “This new resolution lays the groundwork to do just that: welcome people who want to build their lives here, while ensuring that — from arms sales to climate policy and beyond — our government doesn’t create the conditions that force them from their homes and communities.”

“For too long, the U.S. approach to migration has focused on barricading our borders rather than addressing the realities compelling people to leave their homes — including crises exacerbated by U.S. policies. We applaud Congressman Casar and his colleagues for taking this critical step to review and move toward better U.S. policies to address the conditions giving rise to increased migration and displacement,” said Dylan Williams, Center for International Policy Vice President for Government Affairs.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the years about ‘root causes’ of migration, but this is the first legislation of its kind to home in on the elephant in the room: U.S. policy and its role in fueling the involuntary migration and displacement of millions of people in the region and the world,” said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “This groundbreaking resolution helps us all better understand how vulnerable communities in the Global South have been devastated by U.S. broad-based sanctions, U.S.-backed trade agreements that put corporate greed over people, U.S. security assistance that props up repressive governments, and lax gun laws that provide criminals with easy access to U.S. weapons. Most importantly, this legislation proposes bold strategies to undo harmful policies and help truly mitigate ‘root causes’ including through far-reaching reforms to US sanctions policy and foreign assistance, the removal of harmful ISDS provisions from US-backed trade agreements, and the provision of robust support to developing countries fighting inequality and climate change, including through new issuances of debt-free IMF Special Drawing Rights. This resolution is long overdue, and we’re proud and delighted to be supporting it today.”

“Rather than ‘blaming the victims’—immigrants, it is important to acknowledge how failed U.S. foreign (or economic and military) policies have contributed to the spiraling poverty and violence from which people have been fleeing for their lives,” Jean Stokan, Justice Coordinator for Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. “Forced migration is often the result of U.S. foreign policies that prioritize the interests of foreign investors over those of impoverished populations. Thus, this resolution importantly names U.S. responsibility to address those root causes and the need for justice-based pathways to citizenship.”

“To design a just and humane policy response to immigration, we have to ask the question – why are people moving? As an international development organization, ActionAid USA strongly supports this resolution for acknowledging the root causes of migration, including and especially those for which the United States is directly responsible,” said Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA. “A human rights-based approach to immigration policy should start with fixing harmful foreign policies, ongoing climate inaction, and unjust international economic systems that all contribute to force people to leave their homes.”

Background:

The resolution text can be found here.

###

Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.

MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Casar & Colleagues Introduce Migration Stability Resolution
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas)

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Greg Casar (TX-35), co-founder of the Global Migration Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52) introduced a new resolution calling for comprehensive legislation to address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while affirming the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the United States.

“Democrats can build an orderly, humane, and stable immigration system. We should create more legal pathways for migration and citizenship, while also changing the failed U.S. policies that cause displacement abroad and force people to flee their home countries,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Let’s tackle the climate crisis. Let’s remove broad-based sanctions that increase poverty. Let’s prioritize policies to support stability abroad while creating a welcoming and predictable immigration process at home.”

“Too many people around the world face violence, poverty, and persecution and see the United States as a beacon of hope,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). “We must make the immigration system more humane, more orderly, and more effective to welcome immigrants who come to this country rather than turn them away and to recognize not only the contributions they make to this country, but also the moral duty we have to protect people who come here fleeing horrible conditions. We can and must do better for immigrants.”

“Over the past decades, millions of people have been forced to migrate from their homes—and more people are displaced now than ever before. This is the result of converging crises, including climate change, political instability, and violence, some of which are impacted by U.S. policy,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.). “Yet, our immigration and asylum policies have become more restrictive and punitive, disregarding the role our government has played in creating this crisis. It’s time we acknowledge the ways in which U.S. policy has contributed to forced migration and displacement, and advance reforms that address the root causes of migration.”

“Republicans’ dangerous rhetoric about immigration endangers our immigrant communities and completely ignores the root causes of migration,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Migration is not just a border issue but a foreign policy issue. With migration on the rise worldwide and conflict, food insecurity, climate change, and political violence driving immigration to the U.S., it’s imperative that we reshape our immigration policy to address these global crises. This resolution calls upon Congress to do just that.”

“Climate instability, democratic backsliding, economic exclusion, sanctions, and human rights violations are just some of the conditions driving unprecedented levels of global displacement and migration,” said Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. “Stricter border enforcement, harsh asylum laws, and the vilification of immigrants have consistently failed us and our neighbors. Instead, we need to address how our own policies contribute to the crises and adopt a coordinated regional and global strategy to tackle the root causes of displacement.”

“It’s past time for comprehensive immigration reform. And a critical piece to this is addressing the factors that force families to flee their home countries in the first place,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “From combating climate change to humanitarian assistance, we need to implement productive policies that address the root causes of forced migration and displacement, while also working to restore faith in our legal immigration system and creating pathways to citizenship.”

Specifically, this resolution calls for comprehensive legislation that:
- addresses U.S. policies contributing to forced migration and displacement;
- ensures a humane and sustainable immigration system that appropriately addresses the root causes driving migration; and
- affirms the need for a true roadmap to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S.
Over the last few weeks, MAGA Republicans have fabricated xenophobic and racist stories about Haitian immigrant families, adding to a long track record of perpetuating false narratives, conspiracy theories, and racist tropes. This MAGA rhetoric has incited physical violence against many migrant families. Now more than ever, it is important to emphasize the value migrants bring to our communities and to call for policies that will make our immigration system more stable and humane.

The resolution is co-led by U.S. Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and Juan Vargas (CA-52), and co-sponsored by Nanette Barragán (CA-44), André Carson (IN-07), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07).

It is endorsed by ActionAid USA, Ayudemos por una vida mas digna, Border Vigil of Eagle Pass, CASA, Center for Economic Policy and Research, Center for International Policy, Climate Refugees, Eagle Pass Border Coalition, Global Exchange, Justice is Global, Mira Feminisms and Democracies, Movimiento de los pueblos por la paz y la justicia y México negro ac, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Project, OXFAM America, Public Citizen, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Transnational Villages Network/Red de Pueblos, United We Dream, and Win Without War.

“This resolution is the step forward Congress desperately needs to reframe the issue of immigration towards more productive and effective solutions that will ensure migrants’ lives take precedence over politics,” saidJuliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy at United We Dream. “The vast majority of Americans want to see a humane, efficient and fair policies that honor everyone’s freedoms to live safely in their homes without being forcibly displaced, whether here or abroad, and provides the opportunity to become citizens in the U.S. Congress has a clear roadmap in front of them with this resolution that proves that safety, humanity, fairness and justice in our foreign policy and immigration system are not contradictory values but instead deeply interconnected.”

“We need to dig in our heels and end the racism and xenophobia that’s rampant in our immigration and asylum debates in the U.S.,” said Eric Eikenberry, government relations director for Win Without War. “This new resolution lays the groundwork to do just that: welcome people who want to build their lives here, while ensuring that — from arms sales to climate policy and beyond — our government doesn’t create the conditions that force them from their homes and communities.”

“For too long, the U.S. approach to migration has focused on barricading our borders rather than addressing the realities compelling people to leave their homes — including crises exacerbated by U.S. policies. We applaud Congressman Casar and his colleagues for taking this critical step to review and move toward better U.S. policies to address the conditions giving rise to increased migration and displacement,” said Dylan Williams, Center for International Policy Vice President for Government Affairs.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the years about ‘root causes’ of migration, but this is the first legislation of its kind to home in on the elephant in the room: U.S. policy and its role in fueling the involuntary migration and displacement of millions of people in the region and the world,” said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “This groundbreaking resolution helps us all better understand how vulnerable communities in the Global South have been devastated by U.S. broad-based sanctions, U.S.-backed trade agreements that put corporate greed over people, U.S. security assistance that props up repressive governments, and lax gun laws that provide criminals with easy access to U.S. weapons. Most importantly, this legislation proposes bold strategies to undo harmful policies and help truly mitigate ‘root causes’ including through far-reaching reforms to US sanctions policy and foreign assistance, the removal of harmful ISDS provisions from US-backed trade agreements, and the provision of robust support to developing countries fighting inequality and climate change, including through new issuances of debt-free IMF Special Drawing Rights. This resolution is long overdue, and we’re proud and delighted to be supporting it today.”

“Rather than ‘blaming the victims’—immigrants, it is important to acknowledge how failed U.S. foreign (or economic and military) policies have contributed to the spiraling poverty and violence from which people have been fleeing for their lives,” Jean Stokan, Justice Coordinator for Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. “Forced migration is often the result of U.S. foreign policies that prioritize the interests of foreign investors over those of impoverished populations. Thus, this resolution importantly names U.S. responsibility to address those root causes and the need for justice-based pathways to citizenship.”

“To design a just and humane policy response to immigration, we have to ask the question – why are people moving? As an international development organization, ActionAid USA strongly supports this resolution for acknowledging the root causes of migration, including and especially those for which the United States is directly responsible,” said Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns for ActionAid USA. “A human rights-based approach to immigration policy should start with fixing harmful foreign policies, ongoing climate inaction, and unjust international economic systems that all contribute to force people to leave their homes.”

Background:

The resolution text can be found here.

###

Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.

MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation and Northeastern University Bring Free AI Bootcamp to Miami Teens

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MIAMI, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp hosted by Northeastern University in Miami. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp are closing September 30.

The Mark Cuban Foundation, in partnership with Northeastern University is bringing the only artificial intelligence (AI) camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in Miami. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.

The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation for their future, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for underserved high school students with a transparent focus on recruiting girls, students of color, first generation college students, and those from low to moderate income households. The AI Bootcamp Program provides students with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during bootcamp.

“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with Northeastern University, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

This year’s bootcamp will take place at the Miami campus on November 2nd, 9th, and 16th. Northeastern University is one of 30+ host companies selected to host camps across the US.

“We are excited to partner with the Mark Cuban Foundation and host its AI Bootcamp on our campus later this Fall,” said Maria Alonso, Regional Dean and CEO of Northeastern University Miami Campus. “Ensuring our community’s youth can learn more about artificial intelligence and its applications will establish a strong foundation to ensure they are ready and competitive as they continue their education and, eventually, enter the global workforce of the future.”

The September 30 deadline is quickly approaching. Do not miss your chance—submit your application now, as spaces are limited. Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

Media Contact:
Bishop.wash@markcubanai.org

This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative
The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9^th -12^th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

About Northeastern University
Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a global research university with an R1 Carnegie classification, and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Northeastern’s global university system includes 13 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, and serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. Students study, conduct research, and work on co-op in 149 countries and on all continents. The university has 300,000-plus alumni and more than 3,500 industry partners worldwide.

The MIL Network –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Bennet Introduce Legislation to Support Communities Affected by Gold King Mine Disaster

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet introduced the Gold King Mine Spill Compensation Act to help communities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona that were affected by the Gold King Mine disaster of 2015 to fully recover.
“Local farmers, homeowners, and outdoor rec outfitters were left high and dry after the Gold King Mine spill in 2015,” said Hickenlooper. “Our bill will make sure they get the compensation they need to finally recover and move forward.”
“The effects of the Gold King Mine disaster were felt far beyond the banks of the Animas River. The blowout hurt families, farmers, and outdoor recreation companies in Durango and throughout southwest Colorado who depend on the river for their livelihoods,” said Bennet. “Almost a decade later, too many Coloradans still feel its effects. Our legislation is a necessary step to help Coloradans finally recover certain remaining costs and damages incurred from the spill and make Southwest Colorado communities whole again.”
On August 5, 2015, the Gold King Mine spill released 3 million gallons of polluted mining wastewater into the Animas and San Juan rivers, affecting waterways in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, the Southern Ute reservation, and the Navajo Nation.
Though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was able to partially compensate some claims, its ability to meet the needs of affected businesses, farmers, and homeowners is constrained by existing laws. This legislation would provide EPA with the necessary authority and funding to compensate certain outstanding claims from the spill.
“The Gold King Mine Compensation Act clears the procedural hurdles that kept businesses that suffered economic losses due to the spill nearly 10 years ago from being made whole,” said Matt Salka, Chair, La Plata County Board of County Commissioners. “We are grateful that the impact felt by those businesses has not been forgotten and that a remedy is possible through this much-appreciated legislation.”
“The work that Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and their teams have done on the Gold King Mine Bill is restoring my faith in government. After all these years to see the promise of our government concerning the Gold King Mine incident and its ensuing economic damage was not forgotten, is refreshing. The wheels of government turn slowly. We at Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours are thankful that Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and their teams are keeping them turning,” said Alex Mickel, President, Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours.
The La Plata County Board of County Commissioners also shared a letter in support of this legislation.
Immediately after the Gold King Mine disaster, then-Governor Hickenlooper declared the affected area a disaster zone. Then, in 2016 he sent a letter to the EPA urging the Gold King mine and other legacy mines in San Juan County on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List which established the initial funding for the clean-up.
The text of the bill is available HERE.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025

Category: Latin America

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ESPAILLAT HIGHLIGHTS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HISTORIC OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT IN STRENGTHENING BILATERAL RELATIONS, BOOSTING ECONOMIC AND TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

Applications open

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