Category: Middle East

MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – French wine and spirits sector under threat: can the EU afford to pursue a risky trade strategy? – E-001227/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001227/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Jordan Bardella (PfE)

The prospect of a hike in US tariffs on French wine, which could be as high as 200%, has understandably raised concerns among our winemakers. Such a measure would have disastrous consequences for the sector, given that nearly 25% of French wine and spirit exports go to the United States.

While the EU must hit back at the Trump administration, it is essential that we adopt a trade strategy that protects the interests of our Member States.

It would be a political and economic misstep to include bourbon and Californian wines on the list of products subject to European tariffs. By targeting strongholds of opposition to Trump, the Commission risks not only bolstering the President’s position, but also providing a perfect pretext for Washington to hit our wine-making industry harder. That approach risks sacrificing a sector of excellence in the name of an ill-conceived trade retaliation.

1.Will the Commission reconsider its tariff strategy to protect our winemakers, instead of exposing them to commercial blackmail?

2.Will the Commission use negotiation leverage, such as the digital services sector, to force the US Government to reconsider its position?

Submitted: 24.3.2025
Last updated: 2 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Unfair trade practices of Türkiye at the expense of Cyprus and the EU single market – E-000068/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The United Kingdom-Türkiye free trade agreement came into effect on 1 January 2021, coinciding with the day of Brexit.

The consecutive conclusions of the Council[1] and the European Council emphasised the EU’s readiness to engage with Türkiye in areas of common interest in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner and recalled the need to address difficulties in the implementation of the Customs Union, including ensuring its effective application to all Member States .

The Commission reiterates the imperative to apply the Customs Union to Cyprus in all the high-level meetings with Türkiye. Most recently the issue was discussed at the EU-Türkiye Customs Union Joint Committee on 4 December 2024.

[1] See for most recent conclusions: Council conclusions on Enlargement as approved by the Council on 17 December 2024, recitals 98 and 99.
Last updated: 2 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Inclusion Not Optional’, Deputy Secretary-General Says in Message to Disability Summit

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message at the opening of the Global Disability Summit in Berlin today:

I am truly sorry that I could not join you in person today, but it is a true honour to open this third Global Disability Summit. More than that, I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to shape a more just world.

Expanding hope and opportunities for people with disabilities is close to my heart — and that of the Secretary-General. It is a matter of dignity, of humanity, of human rights. It is a test of our common values. And it is also plain common sense.

When persons with disabilities can fully participate in society, societies are stronger. When we unlock potential and recognize talents, economies and communities thrive. When we advance human rights, all of humanity moves forward.

Disability rights are human rights — and everyone one wins when we make them real. And so I thank the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan for bringing us together.

You are meeting at a crucial time — with the five-year clock ticking on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I was involved in the shaping of that agenda — and saw firsthand how so many of you helped put the rights and hopes of persons with disabilities front and centre.

In doing so, you gave deeper meaning to the promise of leaving no one behind — and laid the foundation for the progress we strive to advance today.

The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, reinforces that call for a more peaceful, inclusive, accessible and equitable world — with persons with disabilities a full and equal part of our shared effort to advance sustainable development, climate action and digital transformation.

Yet today, we face a sobering truth.

Progress is not just slow — in some cases, we are moving backward. The UN Disability and Development Report found that about 98 per cent of the SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] indicators for persons with disabilities are off track.

This is far more than a statistic — it is a wake-up call. Persons with disabilities are being left behind. The world is failing them.

We are seeing growing and stark inequalities across the board — with higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to digital technologies.

Women, Indigenous Peoples, rural residents with disabilities, and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face even greater exclusion.

Not to mention those in humanitarian and emergency situations. In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, countless civilians have sustained permanent injuries and deep psychological trauma. Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable. Gaza alone has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services — an assault on their human rights and dignity. Many are deprived of the assistive devices critical to their survival. When I think of people with disabilities in conflict, I think of people like Mai. Mai was a young Palestinian, and a proud employee of the United Nations, living and working in Gaza. Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams.

She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for the United Nations. When given the opportunity, she excelled — bringing skill and determination to all she did. Unfortunately, she was killed along with her family in November 2023. Her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.

I share it not only to honour her memory, but because it reminds us both of what is possible when barriers are removed and of the terrible truth that persons with disabilities are often among the first casualties in conflict.

Despite the challenges, we have much to build upon. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has led to significant legislative progress worldwide. Yet, implementation is lagging.

The problem is not always a lack of will, but a lack of resources. Nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities — yet only about one third of those countries have accessible schools.

Meanwhile, almost half of all persons with disabilities in these countries face inaccessible transportation. Behind these figures are people. Children shut out of classrooms.

Adults who cannot get to work. Families denied essential services. This must change. And we must all be part of it. The United Nations is committed to leading by example.

Our UN Disability Inclusion Strategy is striving to drive action across the system. We are working to strengthen institutional capacities, mainstream disability inclusion across our work, and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

At the country level, we are working to ensure that our cooperation frameworks with Governments are fully inclusive of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.

And we are committed to supporting Member States turn global commitments into local progress — for and with persons with disabilities. This Summit presents opportunities to strengthen cooperation with all partners — and reaffirm the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.

Development assistance for disability inclusion has been growing — but it is still far from enough. And in today’s troubling context, it is under increasing threat. So too, perversely, is the very concept of accessibility.

Developed countries in particular have a responsibility to step up support. Now is the time to recommit to the 2030 Agenda by securing decent work and dignified livelihoods, fostering inclusive education and career opportunities, building accessible and affordable housing, promoting equitable health systems and harnessing technologies that enable autonomous living for all.

That means investing in inclusive public institutions, empowering representative organizations as full partners in policy and implementation, and integrating disability inclusion into national development plans backed by clear targets and real funding.

I know so many of you have spent years, even decades, breaking down barriers and opening doors — for all of us. Let this Summit help drive that action forward.

As we look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and beyond, let’s together send a clear message: Inclusion is not optional. Rights are not negotiable. Accessibility is essential. Promises made must be promises kept. Let’s keep fighting for the inclusive, just, sustainable future for all that our world needs.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: $61.5M Thruway Pavement Improvement Project Underway

Source: US State of New York

overnor Kathy Hochul today announced a $61.5 million pavement improvement project is underway on the New York State Thruway, Interstate 90, in Ontario and Monroe counties. The project includes pavement rehabilitation and safety enhancements on a 4.3-mile stretch of the Thruway just east of Exit 44 to west of Exit 45 — Canandaigua, Victor, NY Route 332 to Rochester, Victor, Interstate 490. More than 60,000 vehicles per day travel on this stretch of the interstate daily.

“We are making important investments in infrastructure to provide motorists with a safe and dependable roadway,” Governor Hochul said. “The improvements made on this section of the Thruway will benefit the thousands of New Yorkers who travel through Ontario and Monroe counties and strengthen our transportation infrastructure.”

Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said, “The I-90 corridor in the Finger Lakes region is a busy section for commuters, tourism and the commercial trucking industry. Investing in these critical infrastructure projects enhances the safety and reliability of the Thruway system, offers some of the lowest toll rates in the nation for customers and maintains the Thruway as one of the safest superhighways in the country.”

State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “This project will be vital for the safety of drivers who rely on our New York State Thruway each and every day. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to bolstering our infrastructure statewide and am proud to be her partner in providing the kind of transportation system New Yorkers deserve.”

Assemblymember William B. Magnarelli said, “Investing in pavement rehabilitation and safety improvements on our highways ensures that they remain safe and sustainable for all users. The New York State Thruway system helps encourage statewide commerce and travel. I am happy to see it and other roads and infrastructure being maintained and strengthened.”

Ontario County Board of Supervisors Chair Jared Simpson said, “This project will go a long way to enhance the safety of this well-traveled corridor. This section of the Thruway is one of the main gateways into Ontario County, whether for visitors shopping at Eastview Mall, tourists visiting Canandaigua Lake, or people travelling to and from work. The tens of thousands of people who traverse this section of highway each day will appreciate a new, modern and safe roadway. Thank you to our leaders in Albany and to the New York State Thruway Authority for implementing the project.”

Monroe County Executive Adam J. Bello said, “I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for continuing to invest in New York State’s infrastructure, and this latest road improvement project on the New York State Thruway covering the roadway between Exits 44 and 45 is particularly important for local motorists. This section of the Thruway is used by tens of thousands of Monroe County residents each year, whether for commuting to work or heading out on vacation. These improvements will make Thruway driving safer and more pleasant for people who live, work and visit in Monroe County.”

To improve the driving surface, crews will utilize a method called “crack and seat” in both directions on I-90 from milepost 347.1 to milepost 351.4. “Crack and seat” involves cracking the concrete pavement, rolling the concrete with a heavy proof roller and overlaying the surface with asphalt. After the crack and seat is completed, the area will be paved with asphalt on the mainline and shoulders.

Additional work includes milling and replacing the asphalt pavement on the Exit 44 and Exit 45 interchange ramps, replacing the concrete median barrier and replacing the Variable Message Sign (VMS) structure at milepost 349.51 with a new digital sign structure that can display important real-time safety information for drivers.

The project also includes work at four bridge culverts located at mileposts 350.77, 349.97, 348.67 and 347.81. Concrete repairs will be made to the deck of the bridges, which will then be covered with a waterproof membrane and asphalt wearing surface. Repairs will also be made to the existing bridge railing and drainage systems. These improvements will extend the life of the Thruway and the culverts and enhance safety for motorists. The four bridge culverts included in this project carry traffic on I-90 eastbound and westbound, and conduct traffic on Willowbrook Road, High Street, Victor Egypt Road, and Brownsville Road below the Thruway. During work on the bridge culverts, a section of Willowbrook Road and Victor Egypt Road will be closed with a posted detour for several weeks. The closures on a section of Brownsville Road and High Street at the bridge culvert locations will be conducted at a later date.

Other improvements in the project include installing a snow fence to prevent blowing snow at Exit 44, a new guiderail, new traffic signs — such as milepost markers, delineators and snow plow markers — and adding new reflective line striping along the mainline and Exit 44 and Exit 45 ramps.

Villager Construction, Inc. of Fairport, New York is the project contractor following a competitive bidding process. The project is expected to be complete in the fall of 2026.

Motorists may encounter lane closures on the highway along with traffic shifts and stoppages while construction is underway. All work is weather dependent and subject to change. Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone.

To further enhance safety for workers in a work zone, Governor Hochul signed legislation establishing the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program. The safety enforcement program began in April 2023 and is in effect in various active construction zones on the Thruway. Work zones with speed camera enforcement will have clear signage leading up to it and motorists violating the posted speed limit within the work zone will be fined.

For up-to-date travel information, motorists are encouraged to download the Thruway Authority’s mobile app which is available to download for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic and navigation assistance while on the go. Travelers can also visit the Thruway Authority’s interactive Traveler Map which features live traffic cameras. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert emails, which provide the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway.

About the Thruway Authority

The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. The maintenance and operation of the Thruway system is funded primarily by tolls. The Thruway Authority does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars and is paid for by those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of drivers from out of state.

In 2024, the Thruway Authority processed more than 400 million transactions and motorists drove 8.2 billion miles on the Thruway. The Authority’s approved 2025 Budget invests a total of $477.3 million in dedicated funding for capital projects across the Thruway system beginning in 2025, an increase of more than $33 million compared to the approved 2024 budget. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately 61 percent of the Thruway’s more than 2,800 pavement lane miles as well as the replacement or rehabilitation of 20 percent of the Thruway’s 817 bridges.

The Thruway is one of the safest roadways in the country with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index, and toll rates are among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads. The Thruway’s base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike ($0.06 per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike (up to $0.39 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.16 per mile).

The Thruway Authority’s top priority is the safety of our employees and customers. In 2024, two Thruway Authority employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the Thruway. The lives of Thruway Authority employees, roadway workers and emergency personnel depend on all of those who travel the highway. Motorists should stay alert and pay attention while driving, slow down in work zones and move over when they see a vehicle on the side of the road. New York State’s Move Over Law, which was expanded in March 2024, requires drivers to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped along the roadway. Safety is a shared responsibility.

For more information, follow the Thruway on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram, or visit the Thruway website.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How Islamic State used video to legitimise its caliphate

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Moign Khawaja, Lecturer, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University (DCU), Dublin City University

The rise of the self-styled Islamic State (IS) has been described as an “accident of history” which took place as a result of the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.

The extremist organisation had existed as a mere “paper state” since its founding as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in October 2006. But the video release of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declaring himself the caliph on July 4 2014 marked a turning point in contemporary history.

IS subsequently published hundreds of videos, some of which shocked the world with their graphic violence. Ideological enemies of the caliphate were executed by beheading or being burned alive.

But while the violence mobilised global opposition to what the then-US president, Barack Obama, called IS’s “bankrupt” ideology, the group used video as its go-to medium for IS propaganda and recruitment.

The group’s official videos, generally described as “slick” and “Hollywood-esque”, heavily emphasised two vital aspects of its identity: Islamic and state. The Islamic aspect of IS has been debated at length by scholars – especially the question of how much they had to do with Islam, if at all. But little research has been done to investigate the statehood claim made by IS.

The fact IS termed itself as Islamic State, or ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah
(الدولة الإسلامية) in Arabic, demonstrated its claim to be a state in the truest sense of the word – not just to citizens living in the territory it controlled, but to its supporters and enemies worldwide.

IS also presented evidence of state-building activities in the form of official propaganda releases. These aimed not only to back up its statehood claims but to seek recognition from its subjects and supporters for the caliphate project.

For our book, Islamic State, Media and Propaganda: Performances of the ‘Visual Caliphate’, we conducted an in-depth visual analysis of 374 official IS videos. These were published between the caliphate’s establishment in July 2014 and its dismantlement in July 2017, and collected from various online IS channels before their takedown in mid-2015, when Twitter started suspending thousands of pro-IS accounts en-masse.

We looked at the videos IS produced through four different analyses.

1. Population

The population analysis reveals IS’s portrayal of itself as a vibrant Islamic society. IS depicted its people as a cohesive community living under shariah law, emphasising gendered roles and the Bay’ah citizenship agreement, which privileged Sunni Muslims while marginalising minorities.

This analysis highlights the disproportionate portrayal of men as fighters and breadwinners. Women, meanwhile, were largely invisible on screen, confined to domestic roles as wives and mothers. Young boys were groomed as future fighters while girls were portrayed as “pearls of chastity” and trained to raise the next generation of the caliphate.

Surprisingly, women did make a one-off appearance when they were shown fighting alongside men on the battlefield as the caliphate was on its last legs.

2. Territory

This analysis unravels three stages of IS’s expansionist territorial strategy. First, identify enemy targets and territory. Second, attack and defeat the enemy. Finally, project the victory to followers and opponents alike.

The videos also show IS exercising sovereignty over its territory – aiming to legitimise its rule in the eyes of its subjects, and encourage global supporters to emigrate, join and defend IS.

The group projected itself as a de facto sovereign state capable of capturing, controlling and defending its territory with the help of modern technology such as drones, maps and weaponry. It depicted any severe military setbacks it suffered as a divine test – and heavily downplayed their importance.

3. Governance

This showcases IS’s efforts to project itself as a modern state by documenting its governance practices, including law enforcement, public services and administration. IS presented itself as a revolutionary state that brought peace and security to a war-torn region.

The governance mode of analysis highlights IS’s theatrical performances of its ability to run a state. Videos showed civil servants working in offices as well as civilians engaging with the state institutions they ran. They regularly featured state symbols such as the IS flag and its gold dinar currency.

These displays of performative governance were made at a time when the caliphate was constantly pummelled by military operations conducted by both US- and Russia-led coalitions.

Despite its strict Salafi identity (an orthodox Islamic movement that advocates a return to the practices and beliefs of the first three generations of Muslims), IS presented itself as a modern state by deploying tools such as its own branding, currency, infrastructure and taxation.

4. Foreign policy

IS interactions with other states and non-state actors were presented as foreign policy. It rejected the modern international system, which it deemed un-Islamic, and refused to seek recognition from the international community. Instead, IS engaged in “rebel diplomacy” with other jihadi groups. The aim was to co-opt them into its global network of affiliates.

Our analysis reveals how IS used civilian casualties caused by coalition airstrikes to justify terror attacks abroad. It also selectively quoted Islamic texts to legitimise its actions, and took matters into its own hands when religious teachings did not fit its narrative.

An example of this was the horrific burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh. According to a narrative attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, burning alive as a form of punishment is forbidden in Islam.

Our research underscores IS’s unique status as a jihadi organisation that came close to establishing a de facto state. This was an unprecedented feat in contemporary history, and shows how IS’s theatrical performances of statehood were carefully scripted and staged. Jihadi-led violence has subsided across the Middle East and North Africa since the territorial collapse of IS in 2017.

But it has risen in other regions of Asia and Africa, including Central Asia, East Africa and the Sahel region. So our findings can help in the understanding of how the blueprint of the caliphate might inspire and influence existing and future jihadi movements with statebuilding ambitions.

Moign Khawaja received funding from the Irish Research Council as part of the IRC-Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.

– ref. How Islamic State used video to legitimise its caliphate – https://theconversation.com/how-islamic-state-used-video-to-legitimise-its-caliphate-252214

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: France holds the presidency of the UN Security Council during the month of April 2025

Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

Today, April 1, 2025, France takes over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for a period of one month.

The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, as a permanent member, France is committed to working with its partners to enable it to respond to current challenges and conflicts.

France succeeds Denmark, which effectively assumed the presidency of the UNSC last month, and precedes Greece, which will take up this function in May, and the French presidency of the Council is therefore at the heart of a “European quarter” of the presidency of the Security Council, through which we mark, together, our commitment to effective multilateralism and respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

In the face of current challenges, the guiding principle of our presidency will be to make multilateral dialogue prevail over power relations.

The war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine since February 2022, in defiance of the most fundamental principles of international law, will be at the heart of our mobilization, and France will continue its efforts in favour of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

The situation in the Middle East will be the subject of a ministerial meeting at the end of the month, chaired by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, to which international and regional partners will be invited, which will illustrate France’s commitment to peace in that region, and will be part of the preparations for the international conference on the two-state solution co-organised in New York by France and Saudi Arabia.

Given the seriousness of the ongoing conflicts, France will pay particular attention to the situation in the Great Lakes, those in Sudan and South Sudan, as well as in Haiti.

The French presidency will also be at the initiative with meetings devoted to peacekeeping operations and the protection of humanitarian workers, two strong commitments to support those who, on the ground, provide assistance to vulnerable populations, and to ensure effective multilateralism, France will continue to demonstrate its commitment to the reform of the Security Council in order to improve its representativeness.

Throughout its presidency, France will have as its sole compass its commitment to multilateralism, the United Nations system and respect for international law for the maintenance of international peace and security.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Flies are masters of migration – it’s about time they got some credit

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Will Hawkes, Insect Migration Researcher, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter

As I sprinted across the flower-rich meadow on the eastern coast of Cyprus, I could barely see my car. The air was full of tiny black dots, pelting like bullets past me. I hauled open the car door and breathed a sigh of relief once inside. I was surrounded by millions of flies, amid the most incredible migration event I have ever seen.

The migration cameras my team and I use to monitor these insects counted nearly 6,000 flies per metre per minute. Being hit by a fly travelling over 25mph (helped by the wind) hurts enough to make you want shelter quickly.

All of these flies had just travelled at least 60 miles (100km) across open sea from the Middle East to Cyprus. This journey forms part of their springtime migration towards northern Europe.

Butterflies and dragonflies are well-known insect migrants, but not because they’re the most numerous. That title is given to the flies. I have studied all of the insects migrating through Cyprus and the Pyrenees on the France-Spain border. Flies make up nearly 90% of all migrants. Yet they have been consistently overlooked by scientists and their ecological contribution has been hugely underappreciated.

My colleagues and I set out to change this. We have spent months collecting written sources that mentioned fly migration from anywhere in the world. Our findings, now published in Biological Reviews, could change our perception of flies forever. Previously, nobody really knew the extent to which flies migrated, yet they are the most numerous and most ecologically important of all terrestrial migrants.

Fly migration has been part of written human history for millennia. In the book of Exodus, when the pharoah of Egypt didn’t let Moses’s people go, God sent a plague of flies to change his mind. Then God removed flies from the land until “not a fly remained”. This last biblical quote is key.

If these flies had been misidentified mayflies coming out of the river Nile, which are known to amass in huge numbers, their exhausted bodies would have remained for days. Because they all disappeared without a trace, this suggests a huge migration of flies. Egypt is on an important fly migration route. So perhaps fly migration was significant enough to be the subject of divine intervention.

Flies migrate to reproduce, moving to exploit seasonal food resources. All over the world, it’s mostly females that migrate. They have been recorded migrating through mountain passes high in the Himalayas, on ships hundreds of miles out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico and in their millions migrating through western Europe. Amazingly, while on fieldwork in the Maldives, I saw Forcipomyia midges use their soft foot hairs to stick to dragonfly wings to hitch a lift over the Indian Ocean.

Vital roles

Flies are so important to the planet and to us. No other group of terrestrial migrants (including vertebrates such as mammals) are as ecologically diverse as flies. More than half (62%) of all migrating flies, including hoverflies, are pollinators. Without them, food crop production would decline.

As they migrate, flies transport and disperse pollen between flowers. This could help plants adapt to climate change by maintaining genetic diversity.

Many migratory fly species (34%) are decomposers, ensuring the planet isn’t covered in rotting carcasses and animal dung. One study showed that the larvae of just 50 houseflies (Musca domestica), – the very ecologically similar and equally abundant autumn housefly Musca autumnalis migrate south through the Pyrenees in their millions – can decompose up to 444kg of pig manure.

The ecological roles of flies are not all positive, though. My latest study shows that monoculture crops provide lots of food for some migratory fly species (18%) that have subsequently become crop pests. Some (16%) carry diseases, such as mosquitoes that migrate huge distances and bring diseases such as malaria.

But migratory flies have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the planet. Hoverfly larvae eat trillions of aphids each year in southern England. Insect migration is already known to be the most important way that the nutrients plants need to grow are moved across the land and flies make up the majority of the insects that transport the nutrients.

The movement and subsequent death of trillions of migrating flies, whose bodies contain elements, such as phosphorous and nitrogen which plants need to grow, could be vital to soil health of the soils too. Migratory birds have been noted feeding on and moving at the same time as migratory flies, perhaps using them as fuel for their journeys.

We’re only just waking up to the significance of flies. Hopefully, it’s not too late to protect them. One German study found that the number of aphid-eating migratory hoverflies declined by 97% over the last 50 years. Fewer aphid-eating hoverflies means more crop-eating aphids and also fewer pollinators. So that’s a terrifying statistic that could have drastic consequences.

A sunrise of hope exists, however. These brilliant migratory flies have so many young that if we improve landscape connectivity, reduce pesticide usage and provide suitable habitat, they can bounce back really quickly. We need these flies as much as we need the air we breathe. So next time you see a fly up against your window, open it and let it out. It has a long way to go and such important work to do.

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

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Will Hawkes receives funding from The Royal Society.

– ref. Flies are masters of migration – it’s about time they got some credit – https://theconversation.com/flies-are-masters-of-migration-its-about-time-they-got-some-credit-253254

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Attacks on aid workers must end,’ Security Council told

Source: United Nations 4

2 April 2025 Peace and Security

Two senior UN officials appealed in the Security Council on Wednesday for an end to attacks against humanitarians and personnel working for the global organization.

Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General with UN aid coordination office OCHA, and Gilles Michaud, head of the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) were speaking during a meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Debate focused on Council Resolution 2730 (2024) which calls for upholding the safety of UN and humanitarian staff.

“Allow me to go straight to the point,” said Ms. Msuya. “Attacks on aid workers must end. Perpetrators must be held to account.”

Deadliest year ever

She told the Council that humanitarian workers are being killed in unprecedented numbers, and 2024 was the worst year on record with 377 fatalities across 20 countries.

This was nearly 100 more than in 2023, which already saw a 137 per cent increase over 2022. Meanwhile, many more aid workers were injured, kidnapped, attacked and arbitrarily detained.

The past two years have been particularly brutal, she continued. At least 85 humanitarians have been killed in Sudan since war broke out in April 2023. All were Sudanese nationals.

Killings in Gaza

Furthermore, just three days ago, teams from OCHA and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society recovered the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers from a mass grave in Gaza who had been killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.

She added that “this tragedy comes just 11 days after another deadly incident – on 19 March, when yet another United Nations colleague was killed, and six others were injured in Gaza.”

These deaths bring the number of aid workers killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023 to more than 408, making it the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever.

Appeal to Council members

Ms. Msuya issued a challenge to ambassadors.

“Since we are here today to discuss the protection of aid workers, I must ask this Council: what are you going to do to help us find those answers and achieve justice – and avoid more killings?”

While there is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to protect humanitarian and UN personnel, she said political will to comply is lacking.

Local staff mostly affected

Ms. Msuya noted that the vast majority of those killed, roughly 95 per cent, are local aid workers who are the cornerstone of relief efforts.

“These colleagues deserve our highest respect. Yet, conduct harming our local staff rarely elicits reaction or makes the news,” she remarked.

Criminalization and misinformation

Humanitarians also face other challenges, such as the criminalization of their work. They are increasingly being detained, interrogated and accused of supporting terrorism simply for delivering aid to people in need.

Aid organizations are also targets of disinformation and misinformation campaigns in places such as Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Yemen.

Moreover, funding shortfalls threaten to make matters worse, forcing the humanitarian community to make impossible choices, Ms. Msuya underscored.

Respect and accountability

She described the adoption of Resolution 2730 as an important step in the right direction, then made three requests to the Council and Member States at large.

“First, act to ensure respect for international law and to protect humanitarian and UN workers,” she said, listing tangible steps such as Security Council visits, fact-finding missions, or withholding of arms transfers.

She also called for speaking out and condemning harm to UN and humanitarian personnel, including local staff, because “silence, inconsistency, and selective outrage only embolden perpetrators.”

Her final request was for accountability, highlighting the need to strengthen domestic and international legal frameworks to prosecute international crimes.

“The Security Council should play a key role in pushing for accountability; for instance, by asking concerned governments to pursue justice and by following up with them,” she suggested.

“When national jurisdictions fail, the Council can use international mechanisms, including by referring situations to the International Criminal Court.”

Focus on survivors

Ms. Msuya insisted that accountability is not only about prosecution but must also centre on those who survive.

In this regard, she reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s recommendation to adopt a survivor-centered approach to ensure that affected aid workers have a say in global discussions.

In his briefing, Mr. Michaud noted that progress has been elusive in getting more countries to join the Convention on the safety of UN and associated personnel, while attacks on humanitarian workers have continued unabated.

Impunity now ‘a pervasive normal’

“Impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel has become the new normal,” he said. “A pervasive normal. An accepted normal. One perpetuated not only by non-State actors, but also by governments and their proxies.”

He said that against a backdrop of widespread disregard for international humanitarian law, UN agencies are now forced to significantly reduce assistance due to budget cuts imposed by several Member States.

Humanitarian agencies are among the most affected, and the situation could lead to further insecurity.

Funding shortfall risks

“And if, where and when the United Nations and its partners are forced to deliver less aid, the risks to UN and humanitarian personnel will grow,” he warned.

“We are already seeing signs of this in Gaza and elsewhere. Humanitarian personnel may become the first target of people’s despair.”

Mr. Michaud said that the UN must – and will – adapt, adding that budgetary pressures will also impact the level of security support available.

UN Security commitment

“We will need to adjust our footprint. And in some areas, we may even be compelled by resource constraints to completely withdraw,” he said.

“But the UN Security will do its part through these turbulent times. We will be present wherever our humanitarian partners need us.”

He said UN Security will also continue to engage with the Council and Member States, including to protect investments made in the humanitarian, peace and security, and development spheres.

He underlined that the Department will always be a steadfast and reliable partner to the humanitarian and development community, as well as Member States.

“But we need attacks on United Nations and humanitarian personnel to stop,” he declared.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pfluger Introduces Bills to Impose Maximum Pressure on Iran

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, announced the introduction of two pieces of legislation as part of the RSC’s “Enforcing Maximum Pressure” initiative to hold the Iranian regime accountable.

During the RSC press conference announcing this legislation, Rep. Pfluger said, “President Trump has not just earned our gratitude, he deserves unwavering support as he revives the maximum pressure campaign against Iran’s leaders—the world’s most dangerous state sponsors of terrorism. The Iranian regime is not just a threat, its leaders are a genocidal death cult. Make no mistake about their strategy—they view Israel’s destruction as the beginning of their evil plans.”

The No Iranian Energy Act sanctions the importation of Iranian natural gas to Iraq, cutting off their lifeline. This is necessary as recently, the sanctions waiver for electricity transmission from Iran expired in line with President Trump’s NSPM-2. With Iranian gas imports accounting for roughly 8.8 GW of power generation, additional action is needed to cut off this revenue stream for the regime in Tehran.

The

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Accountability for missing persons is ‘crucial’: UN human rights chief

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

2 April 2025 Human Rights

2024 saw the highest increase in missing persons in at least two decades, with 56,559 new cases recorded, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

That’s one of the alarming updates shared by Volker Türk during a General Assembly briefing on Wednesday, the first informal meeting dedicated to the issue of the thousands who go missing after being targeted each year.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Member States to do more to address the “unprecedented” rise in disappearances, largely driven by armed conflict and growing disregard for international humanitarian law.

“Persistent impunity for violations of international humanitarian law fuels more abuses,” he told delegates, calling the scale of the crisis “enormous”.

While the meeting focused on missing persons in armed conflict, disappearances today are also linked to State repression, counter-terrorism measures, migration and the targeting of dissidents and human rights defenders.

“It is precisely in circumstances of conflict, instability, and repression that people are

likely to go missing,” Mr. Türk stressed. “Accountability for those violations is crucial.”

Echoing this sentiment, the President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang, insisted: “We have a moral responsibility to determine and find every missing person.”

‘Tip of a very large iceberg’

The Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances has handled more than 62,000 cases across 115 countries in the past 45 years. “Sadly, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg,” said Mr. Türk.

Mr. Yang expressed that these figures demand “that we take decisive steps to lessen the hardship and distress.”

The High Commissioner pointed to recent momentum in addressing the issue, including this year’s UN-organized First World Congress on Enforced Disappearances, where governments, civil society and victims’ groups gathered in a show of global solidarity.

A call for stronger frameworks

Mr. Türk outlined three key areas for action, beginning with the need to strengthen and implement international human rights frameworks.

He urged States to ratify and implement the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted in 2006 and described as the “key global agreement” on the issue. Only 77 countries have ratified it so far.

The Convention guarantees the right to know the truth about the fate and whereabouts of disappeared persons and the progress of investigations – “exactly what family members need and demand,” said Mr. Türk.

“We must pursue justice and other forms of accountability,” continued Mr. Türk, pointing to widespread impunity as a major obstacle to reparations for victims.

“For families, accountability begins with knowing the truth about the fate of their loved ones, regardless of how they went missing,” he said.

He called on States to thoroughly investigate cases, bring perpetrators to justice and build up forensic, judicial and law enforcement institutions to ensure proper identification.

Centre the victims

Mr. Türk said placing victims at the heart of the response is crucial. He emphasised the critical role of families, especially women, who often lead the search for loved ones in precarious and dangerous circumstances.

“In some cases, the law prevents them from obtaining the documents needed to exercise their rights to health, to education, or to property,” Mr. Türk noted, which leaves them stigmatised and at risk of falling into poverty.

Family members are often ignored, disbelieved, or intimidated into silence. “They must feel able – and safe – to speak out for their missing relatives, at home and abroad,” Mr. Türk insisted.

Momentum for change

International efforts can make a real difference, the High Commissioner said, referencing the recent creation of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, established to clarify the fate of missing persons in the country and support survivors and their families.

In February, the institution’s head visited Damascus and met dozens of families – some of whom were being asked about their missing loved ones for the first time ever.

‘Our common humanity demands it’

Concluding his remarks, Mr. Türk reaffirmed the commitment of his Office to support victims and help States meet their obligations.

OHCHR continues to promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention, follow up on individual cases and connect victims with UN human rights mechanisms.

“We all have a role to play,” he said. “We must commit, together, to doing more for truth and justice, in solidarity with victims everywhere. Our common humanity demands it.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: We must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

We must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

We welcome this session on implementing UNSCR2730.

I think it is critical that the Council maintains momentum on the safety, security and well-being of aid workers.

And I pay tribute to those on the frontline and extend, again, my condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.

In the first 3 months of 2025, the Aid Worker Security Database has already recorded 64 deaths, 36 injuries and 8 kidnappings.

The majority were local or national aid workers.

The most dangerous place to deliver humanitarian assistance is Gaza, with over 400 aid workers reportedly killed since the beginning of the conflict.

That is followed by Sudan and South Sudan.

We are also concerned about the aid workers detained by the Houthis in Yemen and call for their release.

And we stress the need for the safety of aid workers in Myanmar, who are bringing essential responses for the victims of the devastating earthquake.

At the one-year anniversary of the attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, which killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens, we continue to call for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s consideration of the incident, including determining whether criminal proceedings should be initiated.

Tragically, just last week, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that eight of its medics were killed in Gaza, alongside first responders and a UN aid worker.

We call for a thorough and swift investigation with meaningful accountability for those responsible.

PRCS medic Asaad Al-Nasasra is still missing and we call on Israel to support the search for him.

Three actions are essential.

First, all parties to a conflict must comply with International Humanitarian Law.

This includes compliance with obligations relating to the passage of humanitarian supplies, equipment and personnel, and respecting and protecting aid workers.

States must investigate attacks on aid workers and hold perpetrators to account.

Effective, trusted deconfliction mechanisms must be set up and used.

Second, we must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers.

The UK is proud to be part of the Australian–led Ministers Group to develop a political declaration to galvanise collective action to protect aid workers.

And we encourage others to join and demonstrate unity to drive action beyond the Council that enhances protection for aid workers.

Third, we must do all we can to support humanitarian organisations, including local organisations, to work safely.

Actors who play a fundamental role in aid worker safety face operational risks due to inadequate funding.

The UK supports organisations, such as the Aid Worker Security Database and INSO, who play a central role in aid worker security.

We urge others to consider supporting fundamental ‘enabler’ organisations.

In conclusion, President, the UK remains steadfast in our commitment to allowing aid workers to do their job in safety and preventing violence against aid workers from becoming the new normal.

Updates to this page

Published 2 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congressmen Morgan McGarvey, Luttrell Introduce Legislation to Increase Access to Service Dogs for Veterans

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan McGarvey (Kentucky-03)

April 02, 2025

Today, Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Congressman Morgan Luttrell (TX-03) to introduce the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act. This legislation would increase access to service dogs for eligible veterans – including veterans who are blind, deaf, or are healing from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), military sexual trauma, paralysis, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – by establishing a VA grant program to fund nonprofit organizations providing trained service dogs to eligible veterans at no cost. Over 40,000 veterans currently reside in Louisville.

“As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and proud grandson of veterans, I know we need to do more to help our veterans address both the visible and invisible wounds of war. These brave men and women put on the uniform to defend our freedom and we have a moral obligation to support them,” said Congressman Morgan McGarvey. “I am proud to join Congressman Morgan Luttrell to introduce this critical, bipartisan legislation to ensure veterans have access to service dogs when they return home.”

“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and we owe it to them to provide every possible resource to support their recovery and well-being. For many veterans, service dogs are not just companions, they are life-changing partners that provide independence, stability, and purpose,” said Congressman Morgan Luttrell. “The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act will ensure more veterans have access to highly trained service dogs, expanding support beyond PTSD to include those suffering from traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, military sexual trauma, and other service-related conditions. This is about giving our heroes the tools they need to thrive — not just survive —when they come home.”

“Service dogs have a proven track record of providing lifesaving assistance to Veterans in critical need,” said Bill McCabe, Vice President of Government & External Affairs at K9s For Warriors. “The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act will ultimately put more service dogs in the hands of Veterans with visible and invisible disabilities, allowing them to regain their independence and reintegrate into civilian life. We applaud this bipartisan effort and urge Congress to pass this important legislation without delay.”

“America’s VetDogs proudly supports the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act—a crucial step toward expanding access to accredited service dogs for veterans with physical disabilities, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, hearing loss, blindness, and more. Serving America’s heroes in all 50 states and beyond, we are honored to provide custom-trained service dogs, free of charge, to U.S. veterans, helping them regain independence, restore confidence, and Live Without Boundaries. Through our work with veteran suicide prevention coalitions like Face the Fight and by training exceptional service dogs like Sully H.W. Bush—who served President George H.W. Bush and continues his mission at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center—we witness the life-changing impact of these dogs every day. We urge Congress to pass this vital legislation and ensure that more veterans receive the support they deserve,” said John Miller, president and CEO, America’s VetDogs and Guide Dog Foundation.

It is estimated that upwards of 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and more than 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with at least one traumatic brain injury over the past two decades. As a result, these veterans suffer from alarmingly high rates of depression, anxiety, joblessness, homelessness, and substance use disorders. Far too often, they resort to taking their own lives, with nearly 17 veterans dying by suicide each day.

Several veterans organizations have endorsed this legislation, including: American Veterans (AMVETS), Americas Warrior Partnership (AWP), American Kennel Club (AKC), American Humane, Americas VetDogs, Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Chief Warrant Officers Association (CWOA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Dog Tag Buddies, Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF), Guardian Angels, HunterSeven Foundation, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Jewish War Veterans of America (JWV), K9s For Warriors, Lions Club International, National Military Families Association (NMFA), Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Pet Advocacy Network, Retrieving Freedom, Semper K9 Assistance Dogs, The American Legion (TAL), The Independence Fund (TIF), Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), TREA: The Enlisted Association (TREA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Warrior Canine Connection, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Ciscomani Leads Effort to Increase Flexibility for Purple Heart Recipients 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Juan Ciscomani (Arizona)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Juan Ciscomani is leading a bipartisan effort to get the U.S. Army to review regulations that prevent eligible veterans and service members from receiving one of our nation’s most distinguished military honors, the Purple Heart.

A Purple Heart is given to current and former members of the Armed Forces who’ve been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving. But a gap in the regulations has barred thousands from receiving the honor, including at least one in Ciscomani’s 6th Congressional District.

Ciscomani meets with the Military Order of the Purple Heart

“It simply isn’t fair,” said Ciscomani, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “I’ve personally met an Iraq War veteran who nearly gave his life serving our country and is prevented from even being considered for a Purple Heart because of regulations that may not reflect the realities of combat. This is wrong and it needs to change.”

Ciscomani and nine other members of Congress are urging Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll to review the regulations to provide greater flexibility when considering Purple Heart applications.

In a March 28 letter to Driscoll, the lawmakers wrote that veterans and service members who’ve been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries have been denied a Purple Heart because they lack proper documentation.

The lawmakers wrote, “While we recognize the difficulty in establishing clear guidelines for every combat scenario, greater flexibility is urgently needed. The Army’s appeals process, which we fully support, can take over a year to resolve—an unacceptably long wait for veterans seeking proper recognition of their injuries.”

The Purple Heart is the oldest military award presented to American service members. It bears the likeness of President George Washington, who first presented an early version of the award in 1782. It was redesigned in 1932 at the direction of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

According to Army Regulation 600-8-22, a Purple Heart can be presented to an individual who suffered a wound, injury, or death as a result of enemy or hostile act, international terrorist attack, or friendly fire. The individual must have also received treatment by medical officials and have official records of medical treatment. Unfortunately, that last requirement does not account for situations where a medical officer may not be present to provide treatment. 

Joining Ciscomani in signing the letter are Jeff Hurd (R-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Pat Fallon (R-TX), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Don Davis (D-NC), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Scott Peters (D-CA), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Mike Haridopolos (R-FL).

The full text of the letter can be viewed here and below:

Dear Sec. Driscoll:

We are writing to express our concern regarding current Army regulations that are inhibiting veterans and service members nationwide from receiving proper consideration for a Purple Heart decoration from the United States Army. As you know, this honor is awarded to those who have sacrificed greatly in defense of our country and our freedoms, and therefore we take great care to ensure its proper consideration.

Specifically, we have concerns with Army Regulation 600-8-22, which governs the eligibility criteria to award the Purple Heart to individuals injured in the line of duty and its related impact on service members who were unable to be treated by a medical officer at the time of their injury. We have met with those whose vehicles were struck by IEDs or exposed to concussive blasts, resulting in diagnosed traumatic brain injury (TBI), and despite following the proper channels, their applications for a Purple Heart have been denied due to a lack of contemporaneous documentation, often through no fault of their own.

The regulation requires that each approved award of the Purple Heart must meet the following requirements: a) a wound, injury, or death as a result of enemy or hostile act, international terrorist attack, or friendly fire and b) treatment by medical officials and official records of said medical treatment. Unfortunately, the latter requirement does not account for the realities of combat, particularly in incidents where a medical officer may not have been present to provide treatment. Oftentimes, soldiers stationed at forward operating bases with limited medical capabilities may not receive treatment until they return to base or redeploy.

Further, in some cases service members are unaware that they need referrals for TBI treatment documented in their health records, creating significant barriers when applying for a Purple Heart. The nature of blast injuries means that symptoms do not always manifest immediately, making it even more difficult to obtain proper documentation at the time of the incident. Yet, these injuries have long-term consequences, affecting not only the individual’s health but also their ability to access care and benefits after service.

Additionally, other Army processes—such as referral to the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB)—or external entities like the VA have documented TBI diagnoses as a result of combat, medical retirements, and evidence of referrals for treatment for a veteran or service member, but the Department of the Army does not allow for the consideration of these forms of record. We believe that this evidence should be considered when determining initial Purple Heart eligibility, and yet they are often overlooked.

While we recognize the difficulty in establishing clear guidelines for every combat scenario, greater flexibility is urgently needed. The Army’s appeals process, which we fully support, can take over a year to resolve—an unacceptably long wait for veterans seeking proper recognition of their injuries. During this time, many of these veterans are left in limbo, waiting for decisions that impact not only their recognition of service but also their long-term well-being. Our offices stand ready to assist in expediting these appeals and advocating for regulatory adjustments to reduce unnecessary delays.

We urge you to review these regulations with partners in the Department of Veterans Affairs and look forward to your timely reply on how we can partner to move this process forward.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio meets with Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani

Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio meets with Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani at the Department of State, on April 2, 2025.

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The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c-nrXI0whw

MIL OSI Video –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy Secretary-General’s video message at the Opening of the Global Disability Summit

Source: United Nations secretary general

His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,

H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

Mr. Nawaf Kabbara, Chair and President, International Disability Alliance,

Excellencies, Dear friends,

I am truly sorry that I could not join you in person today but it is a true honor to open this third Global Disability Summit.

More than that, I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to shape a more just world.

Expanding hope and opportunities for people with disabilities is close to my heart – and that of the Secretary-General.

It is a matter of dignity… of humanity… of human rights.

It is a test of our common values.

And it is also plain common sense.

When persons with disabilities can fully participate in society, societies are stronger.

When we unlock potential and recognize talents, economies and communities thrive.

When we advance human rights, all of humanity moves forward.

Disability rights are human rights – and everyone one wins when we make them real.

And so I thank the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan for bringing us together.

You are meeting at a crucial time – with the 5-year clock ticking on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I was involved in the shaping of that agenda – and saw firsthand how so many of you helped put the rights and hopes of persons with disabilities front and center.

In doing so, you gave deeper meaning to the promise of leaving no one behind – and laid the foundation for the progress we strive to advance today.

The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, reinforces that call for a more peaceful, inclusive, accessible and equitable world – with persons with disabilities a full and equal part of our shared effort to advance sustainable development, climate action and digital transformation.

Yet today, we face a sobering truth.

Progress is not just slow – in some cases, we are moving backward.

The UN Disability and Development Report found that about 98 per cent of the SDG indicators for persons with disabilities are off track.

This is far more than a statistic – it is a wake-up call.

Persons with disabilities are being left behind.

The world is failing them.

We are seeing growing and stark inequalities across the board – with higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to digital technologies.

Women, Indigenous Peoples, rural residents with disabilities, and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face even greater exclusion.

Not to mention those in humanitarian and emergency situations.

In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, countless civilians have sustained permanent injuries and deep psychological trauma.

Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable.

Gaza alone has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services – an assault on their human rights and dignity.

Many are deprived of the assistive devices critical to their survival.

When I think of people with disabilities in conflict, I think of people like Mai.

Mai was a young Palestinian, and a proud employee of the United Nations, living and working in Gaza.

Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams.

She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for the United Nations.

When given the opportunity, she excelled – bringing skill and determination to all she did.

Unfortunately, she was killed along with her family in November 2023.

Her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.

I share it not only to honour her memory, but because it reminds us both of what is possible when barriers are removed – and of the terrible truth that persons with disabilities are often among the first casualties in conflict.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Despite the challenges, we have much to build upon.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has led to significant legislative progress worldwide.

Yet, implementation is lagging.

The problem is not always a lack of will, but a lack of resources.

Nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities – yet only about one-third of those countries have accessible schools.

Meanwhile, almost half of all persons with disabilities in these countries face inaccessible transportation.

Behind these figures are people.

Children shut out of classrooms.

Adults who cannot get to work.

Families denied essential services.

This must change.

And we must all be part of it.

The United Nations is committed to leading by example.

Our UN Disability Inclusion Strategy is striving to drive action across the system.

We are working to strengthen institutional capacities, mainstream disability inclusion across our work, and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

At the country level, we are working to ensure that our cooperation frameworks with governments are fully inclusive of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.

And we are committed to supporting Member States turn global commitments into local progress – for and with persons with disabilities.

This Summit presents opportunities to strengthen cooperation with all partners – and reaffirm the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.

Development assistance for disability inclusion has been growing – but it is still far from enough.

And in today’s troubling context, it is under increasing threat.

So too, perversely, is the very concept of accessibility.

Developed countries, in particular, have a responsibility to step up support.

Now is the time to recommit to the 2030 Agenda by:

Securing decent work and dignified livelihoods;

Fostering inclusive education and career opportunities;

Building accessible and affordable housing;

Promoting equitable health systems;

And harnessing technologies that enable autonomous living for all.

That means investing in inclusive public institutions;

Empowering representative organizations as full partners in policy and implementation;

And integrating disability inclusion into national development plans – backed by clear targets and real funding.

Dear friends,

I know so many of you have spent years, even decades, breaking down barriers, and opening doors – for all of us.

Let this Summit help drive that action forward.

As we look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and beyond, let’s together send a clear message:

Inclusion is not optional.

Rights are not negotiable.

Accessibility is essential.

Promises made must be promises kept.

Let’s keep fighting for the inclusive, just, sustainable future for all that our world needs.

Thank you.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Iranian Company and Two Iranian Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and for Scheme to Procure U.S. Technology for Iranian Drones

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

CEO and Commercial Manager of Iranian Company Charged in Connection with Conspiracies to Provide Material Support, Violate Export Control Laws and Commit Money Laundering

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Iranian nationals Hossein Akbari and Reza Amidi, and an Iran-based Rah Roshd Company (“Rah Roshd”), with conspiring to procure U.S. parts for Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (“UAVs”), also known as drones, conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and conspiring to commit money laundering. Akbari is the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Rah Roshd. Amidi is the company’s commercial manager and was previously the commercial manager of Qods Aviation Industries (“QAI”), an Iranian state-owned aerospace company. They are both citizens of Iran and remain at large.

John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.

“As alleged in the complaint, the defendants conspired to obtain U.S.-origin parts needed to manufacture drones for military use in Iran and send those parts to Iran in violation of export control laws,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “The charges filed today demonstrate the commitment by my Office and our law enforcement partners to dismantle illicit supply chains and prosecute those who unlawfully procure U.S. technology in support of a foreign terrorist organization. The IRGC and Qods Aviation Industries have been core players in the Iranian military regime’s production of drones, which threaten the lives of civilians, U.S. personnel, and our country’s allies. These charges should serve as a warning to those who violate U.S. export control laws and who unlawfully seek to aid Iran’s drone program.”

Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the FBI and the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) for their work on the case. Today, OFAC sanctioned Akbari, Rah Roshd, and other companies and individuals for their roles in the sanctions-evasion scheme described in the complaint. OFAC previously sanctioned Amidi.

“Today’s charges lay bare how U.S.-made technology ended up in the hands of the Iranian military to build attack drones,” stated Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will continue to put maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. We will relentlessly dismantle illicit supply chains funneling American technology into the hands of Iran’s military and terrorist organizations and pursue those complicit in operations that threaten our country.”

“Hossein Akbari and Reza Amidi allegedly engaged in a multi-year conspiracy to obtain U.S. technology for use in Iranian made drones in violation of export laws and to provide material support to the IRGC—a designated terrorist organization,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “The Iranian government has repeatedly demonstrated they are willing to violate the laws of our nation—this time utilizing dishonest businessmen who deliberately misrepresented themselves—in order to further their treacherous goals. The FBI will continue to protect the national security and interests of the United States through vigorous enforcement of export control laws put in place to prevent sensitive U.S. technology from being obtained by hostile foreign governments.”

As set forth in the complaint, Akbari and Amidi operate Rah Roshd, which procures and supplies advanced electronic, electro-optical, and security systems to the Government of Iran and designs, builds, and manufactures ground support systems for UAVs. Akbari serves as the CEO and Managing Director of Rah Roshd, and Amidi serves as the Commercial Manager. Rah Roshd’s clients include the IRGC and several Iranian state-owned aerospace companies and drone manufacturers, including QAI, Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (“MODAFL”), Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (“SAIRC”), and Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG).

Between January 2020 and the present, Amidi and Akbari used Rah Roshd in furtherance of a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions and procure U.S.-origin parts for use in Iranian-manufactured UAVs, including the Mohajer-6 UAV. At least one of those parts was manufactured by a Brooklyn, New York-based company (“Company-1”). In September 2022, the Ukrainian Air Force shot down an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone used by the Russian military in Ukraine. The drone recovered by the Ukrainian Air Force contained parts made by several U.S. companies, including Company-1.

To facilitate their scheme, Amidi and Akbari falsely purported to represent companies other than Rah Roshd, including a company based in the United Arab Emirates (“Company-2”) and a company based in Belgium (“Company-3”). The defendants used a “spoofed” email address with a misspelled version of Company-2’s name to communicate regarding the procurement of parts, including parts manufactured by U.S. companies. The defendants also used various “front” or “shell” companies to pay for UAV parts and to obfuscate the true end destination and the true identities of the sanctioned end users, including QAI and the IRGC, which were acquiring U.S.-made parts through Rah Roshd. Amidi and Akbari also used aliases to obfuscate their true identities in furtherance of the scheme.

Additionally, the defendants conspired to provide material support to the IRGC by providing goods and services for the benefit of the IRGC’s military campaign. This included constructing military shelters, providing cameras and drone field hangers, and conspiring to procure drone parts as well as parts to operate drones, including “servo motors,” “pneumatic masts,” which are a component of the operation of the Mohajer-6 drone, and engines. The investigation uncovered correspondence from the IRGC, signed by the head of the UAV Command for the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, thanking Rah Roshd for its work on behalf of the IRGC and praising Rah Roshd’s achievements in designing and manufacturing servo motors for defense equipment. The letter included a quote from the Supreme Leader of Iran regarding the importance of self-sufficiency and domestic production to strengthen Iran’s economy and “disappoint the enemies of the Islamic Republic.” The letter also noted continued efforts of Rah Roshd “in strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Both Amidi and Akbari possessed documents indicating that they had purchased servo motors for delivery to Iran, including a servo motor contained in the Mohajer-6 drone. Akbari also emailed supply companies located in China and noted that he was purchasing parts for drones to be shipped to Iran.

Finally, Amidi and Akbari conspired to commit money laundering. They used at least three shell companies, all based in the United Arab Emirates, to pay a China-based company that sent invoices to Rah Roshd for the sale of motors. Those payments were processed through U.S.-based correspondent bank accounts. The defendants also used two of these shell companies to pay a separate China-based company for the sale of pneumatic masts.

Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states.

The charges in the complaint are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nina C. Gupta and Lindsey R. Oken are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth, along with Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Trial Attorney Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

The Defendants:

HOSSEIN AKBARI (also known as “Danial Yousef” and “Danial White”)
Age: 63
Iran

REZA AMIDI (also known as “Ali Rahmani”)
Age: 62
Iran

RAH ROSHD COMPANY
Tehran, Iran

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-114

MIL Security OSI –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Aguilar: Trump’s incompetence is jeopardizing our national security, crashing the economy and dismantling Social Security

Source: US House of Representatives – Democratic Caucus

The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI – April 01, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar was joined by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan for a press conference on the Trump Administration national security team sharing classified information in a group chat, and how that same incompetence is leading America towards a recession.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. It has become increasingly clear that the Trump Administration’s incompetence is jeopardizing our national security, crashing the American economy and dismantling Social Security.

Secretary of Defense Hegseth must resign for his role in sharing classified war plans. This is a scandal that feels a little more like The Onion than the Atlantic, but he should be fired. But the White House’s carelessness is not isolated to our national security—it’s also having a negative impact on our economy. This carelessness and recklessness of Donald Trump is moving next to imposing tariffs, which have been suggested now that there are 40% chance that the economy crashes into a recession next year, according to Moody’s. They have not taken a single step toward bringing down the high cost of living. In fact, the President of the United States said he couldn’t care less if prices go up. Now, the stock market is crashing and inflation is rising. Hard-working Americans just want a little breathing room and some stability in their busy lives, but what they’ve received from Donald Trump is chaos, confusion and corruption.

Later today, House Democrats will hold a hearing on how Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling Social Security. Services are being cut and for the first time in our nation’s history, there is a very real concern that Americans won’t receive the benefits on time that they have paid into. And despite what the Commerce Secretary says, seniors aren’t fraudsters if they get mad—they’ve earned those benefits.

They’re doing all of this to help pay for tax giveaways for billionaires and Elon Musk,
This isn’t about rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. This is about upending the status quo—these are unserious people looking out for themselves, their allies and their political
donors. If the President doesn’t fix this incompetence, the consequences for our national
security, our economic security, will be devastating.

Now, I’ll yield to the Ranking Member on Intelligence, Jim Himes.

RANKING MEMBER HIMES: Thanks, Pete, and good morning. The White House Press Secretary’s efforts notwithstanding to sweep this scandal under the carpet, there is a lot of work yet to be done.

Since we learned about the disclosures from Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, the story has, of course, gotten larger. We hear press reports that an allied country provided targeting information and that they were pretty upset about the disclosure of that information. That is something that we need to follow up on, and we still, at this point, as the entity charged with oversight of these things, have no accounting of the breach other than what we’ve gotten from Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic. Now, I know that Mr. Goldberg was being very, very careful in what information he put out there. So, at this moment, we don’t even know what information was in the Signal chat. So again, the White House Press Secretary’s efforts notwithstanding. The law requires the Director of National Intelligence to undertake an investigation and to report that investigation, the results of that investigation to the Senate and the House Intelligence Committee. Needless to say, we have seen nothing.

We the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee issued a letter yesterday asking those questions and asking for an investigation, a real investigation—not something that the White House Press Secretary cooks up out of thin air—with those results reported to the Intelligence Committees, as the law would dictate. And I’ll just point out before handing this over to the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, it’s not just the law. It’s what anyone else associated with the Department of Defense or with the intelligence community would see done if they, in fact, were putting extremely sensitive information that should have been classified if it was not on an unclassified Signal chat here. There would have been a stand down. There would have been a full investigation. The results and the damage of that, of that act would have been reported, and there would have been accountability. This Administration has dodged every single one of those steps, starting with an attack on Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, who didn’t even ask to be put on the Signal chat. So, the message being sent by this, both inside the Pentagon, from four star officers down to privates, or inside the intelligence community, from the senior intelligence service right on down to the recruit, is that you have to play by one set of rules, but our senior most people play by an entirely different set of rules, and that is not something that we can tolerate in either the DOD or the intelligence community.

So, we will be following up here to make sure that this story is reported to the Congress, that the full damage or potential damage associated with this Signal chat is out there and that accountability is ultimately visited. With that, let me hand over to Ranking Member Smith at the House Armed Services Committee.

RANKING MEMBER SMITH: Thank you very much. I completely agree with everything Jim just said. I’ll just add three quick points.

One big concern we have on the Armed Services Committee, what is the policy going forward? Because obviously the action on the Signal chat is bad in a thousand different ways that Jim outlined fairly well. But worse is the fact that the Secretary of Defense and everybody else associated is saying, “There’s nothing to see here, there’s nothing wrong,” which clearly implies that they’re just going to keep doing it this way. So, what we really want to know is, what happened? How did you screw up? And how are you going to fix it? Because make no mistake about it, this is a very, very dangerous thing to do, to be giving out attack plans, the time, the weapons you’re going to use and the targets you’re going to hit in advance of that attack. I don’t know why we’re having a conversation about why that is bad. What are they going to do to fix it? Right now, the answer is nothing. So, I still think that the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee should have a hearing. Ideally, Secretary Hegseth should come over and talk to us. But somebody from DOD should come over and explain what they’re going to do to make sure that OPSEC actually is something that they care about, that they’re going to fix going forward.

Second, this speaks to a larger problem of the overall competence and experience of the national security team. Just about anyone who’s ever been involved in an operation like this would have said, “Why are we having this conversation on a Signal chat?” But the people on that Signal chat, none of them have really had that experience, with the possible exception of Mike Waltz. Also worth noting, no senior uniform was on that call. That’s what happens when you fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and you don’t have one. So, we’re really concerned about the overall competence of the national security team.

The third point that has been lost in all of this, one of the justifications offered by Secretary Hegseth and by Mr. Waltz, was, “Hey, but the mission was a spectacular success. So, what are we looking at?” Was the mission a spectacular success? We don’t even really know at this point. And this is an ongoing campaign. We are now 17,18 days into the bombing campaign. And please understand, the mission wasn’t to blow some things up and kill a bunch of Houthis. The mission is to reopen the Red Sea to shipping, and the Red Sea is no more open today than it was 18 days ago when this campaign started. So again, getting to the competence of the national security team. If they think the mission has been accomplished, it appears they don’t even know what the mission is.

So, we should start asking some questions about what they’re trying to accomplish in Yemen going forward. With that, I’m pleased to yield to a Member of the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, Ms. Houlahan.

REP. HOULAHAN: Thank you, Chairman. Thank you very much for the opportunity to talk to you about this very important issue.

I want to pause for a moment and imagine a world where the Director of the FBI yells at a Member of Congress that his organization is the one that calls balls and strikes, defying Congress’s constitutional obligation for oversight, and in the process, also refusing to investigate. Imagine a world where the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency berates Members of Congress, specifically Democrats, that they don’t care about national security because they dared to ask him questions about a significant leak of information, a significant breach of classified data. Imagine a world where the Secretary of Defense shares information on an unclassified channel, that was arguably top-secret information and had to do as the Chairman said with targeting information, with timing and with weaponry. This is a channel that his own agency said should not be used because it was compromised or possibly compromised.

So, the problem is with this, we don’t have to imagine because this is reality. This is an unimaginable world that we are in, but it is the reality that we have found ourselves in today. And the only hope that I have, which I echo the Chairmen who have spoken before me, is that in this world, that the Director of National Intelligence has committed to following the law, which would allow opening an investigation into this, so that we can imagine a world where people are contrite, where people are non-partisan, where people work for the people, where people are true leaders and have the same rules that the people that they lead have, and where they hold themselves accountable. So, this is the world that I hope that we can live in. And this is the world that we demand because it’s the only world in which we will be safe.

So, today, as many of my colleagues have already done, I call once again on the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, to fulfill that commitment that she made to me last Wednesday, a commitment to follow the law and to conduct an independent investigation into what is a significant unauthorized disclosure of compromised information. I want them to stop gaslighting us and the American public. I want them to stop distracting us and the American public, and to stop playing us for fools and hoping that Americans don’t catch on.

Follow the law. Do your job. Uphold the oath that we uphold, as well, that we took to this nation. The world and we are watching. And I thank the opportunity to speak, and I turn back over to the Chairman for any questions that you might have.

Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Luttrell Champions Service Dogs for Veterans with New Bill
Source:

WASHINGTON — Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Chairman of Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) Subcommittee on House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC), introduced the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award grants to nonprofit organizations to assist with programs to provide service dogs to eligible veterans. This bill includes training for the service dog and extends the availability of this program to other veteran disabilities, such as blind, deaf, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), military sexual trauma, paralysis, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

It is estimated that upwards of 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and more than 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with at least one traumatic brain injury over the past two decades. As a result, these veterans suffer from alarmingly high rates of depression, anxiety, joblessness, homelessness, and substance use disorders. Far too often, they resort to taking their own lives, with nearly 17 veterans dying by suicide each day.

“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and we owe it to them to provide every possible resource to support their recovery and well-being. For many veterans, service dogs are not just companions, they are life-changing partners that provide independence, stability, and purpose.

“The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act will ensure more veterans have access to highly trained service dogs, expanding support beyond PTSD to include those suffering from traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, military sexual trauma, and other service-related conditions. This is about giving our heroes the tools they need to thrive — not just survive —when they come home,” said Congressman Luttrell.

“Service dogs have a proven track record of providing lifesaving assistance to Veterans in critical need,” said Bill McCabe, Vice President of Government & External Affairs at K9s For Warriors. “The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act will ultimately put more service dogs in the hands of Veterans with visible and invisible disabilities, allowing them to regain their independence and reintegrate into civilian life. We applaud this bipartisan effort and urge Congress to pass this important legislation without delay.”

“America’s VetDogs proudly supports the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act—a crucial step toward expanding access to accredited service dogs for veterans with physical disabilities, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, hearing loss, blindness, and more. Serving America’s heroes in all 50 states and beyond, we are honored to provide custom-trained service dogs, free of charge, to U.S. veterans, helping them regain independence, restore confidence, and Live Without Boundaries. Through our work with veteran suicide prevention coalitions like Face the Fight and by training exceptional service dogs like Sully H.W. Bush—who served President George H.W. Bush and continues his mission at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center—we witness the life-changing impact of these dogs every day. We urge Congress to pass this vital legislation and ensure that more veterans receive the support they deserve,” said John Miller, president and CEO, America’s VetDogs and Guide Dog Foundation.

Background:
- Tens of thousands of service dogs help veterans with disabilities across the U.S.
- Service dogs assist with conditions like blindness, mobility impairments, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
- The bipartisan the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act establishes a VA grant program to fund nonprofit organizations providing trained service dogs to eligible veterans at no cost.
- Nonprofits must meet requirements, including training standards and aftercare services, and be accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or a similar organization.
- The program aims to support veterans with disabilities like PTSD, TBI, military sexual trauma, and more.
This legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Morgan McGarvey (D-KY)(Co-Lead), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Eleanor Norton Holmes (D-DC), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Don Davis (D-NC), David Valadao (R-CA), Greg Murphy (R-NC), Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), John Rutherford (R-NE), Jason Crow (D-CO), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Michael Rulli (R-OH), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Craig Goldman (R-TX), August Pfluger (R-TX), Nick LaLota (R-NY).

Several veterans organizations have endorsed this legislation, including: American Veterans (AMVETS), Americas Warrior Partnership (AWP), American Kennel Club (AKC), American Humane, Americas VetDogs, Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Chief Warrant Officers Association (CWOA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Dog Tag Buddies, Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF), Guardian Angels, HunterSeven Foundation, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Jewish War Veterans of America (JWV), K9s For Warriors, Lions Club International, National Military Families Association (NMFA), Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Pet Advocacy Network, Retrieving Freedom, Semper K9 Assistance Dogs, The American Legion (TAL), The Independence Fund (TIF), Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), TREA: The Enlisted Association (TREA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Warrior Canine Connection, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).

MIL OSI USA News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: In Israel, calls for genocide have migrated from the margins to the mainstream

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tamir Sorek, Liberal Arts Professor of Middle East History, Penn State

A Palestinian woman cries while sitting on the rubble of her home, which was destroyed in an Israeli strike on March 18, 2025. Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

Thirty years ago in Israel, advocating for genocide could land you in prison.

In April 1994, an Israeli rabbi named Ido Alba published an article that read, in part, “In war, as long as the war has not been decided, it is a commandment to kill every non-Jew from the nation one is fighting against, even women and children. Even when they do not directly endanger the one killing them, there is concern that they may assist the enemy in the continuation of the war.”

An Israeli court convicted Alba for incitement to racism and encouraging violence and sentenced him to four years in prison.

Now the legal system is ignoring similar rhetoric.

In December 2023, following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians, soldiers and migrant workers, Rabbi Moshe Ratt, who’s seen as a public intellectual among Israeli West Bank settlers, composed a long post on Facebook.

In it, he noted that in the past, some people may have struggled with the morality of destroying an entire people, including women and children. Now they don’t. Obliquely referring to the Palestinians, he added, “Some nations have descended into such depths of evil and corruption that the only solution is to eradicate them completely, leaving no trace.”

More recently, on Feb. 24, 2025, Nissim Vaturi, one of the deputy speakers in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, called for killing all Palestinian adults in Gaza.

Ratt’s and Vaturi’s words went unpunished. In fact, genocidal rhetoric like theirs – in which the entire destruction of a people is proposed – has become more common in Israel.

As a scholar of Israeli society, I’ve written about how calls for the eradication of Palestinians didn’t simply emerge out of the violence on Oct. 7, 2023.

They date back to the 1930s, and have gained steam – and more public acceptance – as prospects for peace fell apart in the 1990s, existential anxiety among Israelis has grown, and religious Zionists have gained more political power in the 21st century.

Colonial anxieties

Calls to eliminate the Palestinian presence date to before Israel’s official founding in 1948. When Zionist immigration to the region began at the end of the 19th century, less than 10% of the population was Jewish. The native, largely Muslim population represented a fundamental obstacle to establishing a Jewish state.

The founding fathers of Zionism openly discussed ideas for relocating Palestinians, which were usually envisioned as voluntary. These notions are not entirely unlike U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer Palestinians from Gaza to other countries.

Attempts to dispossess majority indigenous populations are usually violent themselves, however, and almost always run up against resistance. For example, clashes took place between British colonists and Native Americans in the 17th century, between Dutch colonists and South African tribes in the 17th century, and between Han Chinese and Tibetans in the 20th century. In that same vein, conflict between Zionist settlers and Palestinians has existed from the outset.

Repeated violence and attacks can fuel existential anxiety among settlers, along with fantasies of achieving “permanent security” or absolute safety against future threats. Among Jewish Israelis, the collective memory of persecution – culminating in the genocide of European Jews during the Holocaust – has added another important layer to the longing for permanent security.

Biblical genocidal stories

In Israel, there’s also a history of biblical justifications for violence and genocide. This sort of rhetoric has waxed and waned over time; it’ll often exist on the margins in times of relative peace, but move into the mainstream during periods of violence and existential anxiety.

Most of the forerunners of modern Zionism saw themselves as secular. Nonetheless, they adopted major Jewish symbols and treated Jewish tradition and religious texts as a source of inspiration, even as they didn’t ascribe them legal authority.

This created an opening for political leaders to use biblical texts to promote political goals.

The Bible contains some explicit narratives of annihilation. The most well known is the story of Amalek, a nomadic people identified in the Book of Deuteronomy as the archenemy of the Israelites. In Chapter 25, Moses commanded the Israelites to “blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” A related commandment involves the annihilation of the Seven Nations of Canaan, which inhabited the “promised land” when the Israelites conquered it. In Chapter 20, the Israelites are commanded: “You shall not leave a single soul alive. Completely destroy.”

A 1754 painting depicts the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites.
Heritage Images/Hulton Fine Art Collection via Getty Images

Throughout Jewish history, these edicts and stories have generally been interpreted as historical accounts or as metaphors, not commands to commit genocide.

However, settlers of lands occupied by indigenous peoples – not just in Israel, but in other countries, too – have deployed these texts to condone mass violence. For example, in colonial America, Puritan settlers justified massacres of Native Americans by comparing them with Amalek.

During the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, Israeli army education officers distributed texts to soldiers that read, “In biblical times, Saul exterminated all of Amalek, men and women, youth and elderly, and even sheep and cattle.” The materials also noted that “biblical Joshua was commanded to annihilate the nations of the land and was forbidden to make any treaties with them.”

During that war, Israel uprooted an estimated 750,000 Palestinians. Israeli forces and civilians killed thousands who attempted to return over the ensuing years.

Roughly 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes in 1948.
History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Messianistic forces unleashed

After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, this sort of religious justification for wiping out the Palestinians returned to the margins.

But another development would fuel genocidal rhetoric.

Decisive military victories during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, also known as the Six-Day War, involved the Israeli conquest of holy sites in the West Bank. Many religious Zionists perceived the military victories as miraculous.

For religious Zionists, the state of Israel is a sacred endeavor. They’ve generally been less interested than secular Zionists in adhering to international norms and taking geopolitical considerations into account when pushing for the settlement of contested territories.

After 1967, religious settler movements were emboldened. Groups such as Gush Emunim pushed the government to settle the newly occupied territories, which included the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. For these religious Zionists, the settlement project is not simply a land grab: Settlers are taking land that the Bible has promised to them.

In 1980, Israel Hess, who then held the official position as rabbi of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, wrote in the student bulletin, “In a war between Israel and Amalek, it is a commandment to kill and annihilate infants and babies. And who is Amalek? Anyone who launches a war against the Jews.” These words triggered public backlash and prompted protests from several secular Zionist politicians.

Existential fears grow

In the 1990s, calls for widespread violence were largely marginalized, since there was hope for a political compromise with the Palestinians.

After these talks failed, however, the rhetoric and ideas of religious Zionists continued to migrate to the political center, particularly during and after the Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada. Taking place from 2000 to 2005, the uprising involving a series of suicide attacks in Israeli cities profoundly shocked the Jewish Israeli public, spurring the reemergence of deep existential anxiety.

Rescue workers rush an injured Israeli woman from the scene of a Palestinian suicide bombing on Jan. 27, 2002, in Jerusalem.
Getty Images

With no peaceful solution for the conflict on the horizon, Israeli and Palestinian figures who viewed politics through a theological framework kept accumulating power.

In 2014, Ayelet Shaked, then a member of the Knesset and later the minister of justice, shared an article on social media that read, “The Palestinian people declared war on us, and we have to fight back … and in wars the enemy is usually an entire people, with its old men and women, its cities and villages, its property and infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, the dean of Quranic studies at the Islamic University of Gaza said in a 2015 television interview, “All Jews in Palestine today are fair game – even the women.”

As each side retaliated against the other, annihilation started to sound like a reasonable solution – a process that historian Yoav Di-Capua has termed “genocidal mirroring.”

The perfect storm

This mirroring does not imply a symmetry. Israel, with its superior military capabilities, has a significantly greater capacity to inflict harm on Palestinians.

The government formed in Israel following the 2022 election was unprecedented. For the first time in the nation’s history, the government depended upon ultranationalist religious factions, such as one called Jewish Power. The party has three official rabbis who advise its politicians. One of them, Dov Lior, is a prominent advocate of the idea that Palestinians are Amalek. Another, Yisrael Ariel, has written that the Torah’s commandment “Thou shalt not kill” does not apply to non-Jews.

When the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks reignited Israelis’ deep-seated fears of annihilation, calls for indiscriminate revenge grew louder.

As Rabbi Eliyahu Mali, the head of a military program for religious students in Jaffa, said in March 2024:

“If you don’t kill them first, they will kill you. The terrorists of today are the children of the previous operation whom you kept alive, and the women are those who produce the terrorists … Do not try to outsmart the Torah. The Torah tells you: ‘Do not keep alive any soul,’ so you should not keep alive any soul.”

Some secular Israelis joined in. Danny Neuman, a former football star and television commentator, said on TV in December 2023, “I am telling you, in Gaza, without exception, they are all terrorists, sons of dogs. They must be exterminated, all of them killed.”

Kinneret Barashi, a lawyer and a television host, tweeted in February 2025, “Every trace of the murderous mutations in Gaza must be erased, from the delivery rooms to the last elderly person in Gaza.”

These statements coincide with a grim reality on the ground. Since the Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli retaliation in Gaza has cost the lives of more than 64,000 Palestinians. Public health experts estimate that the obliteration of infrastructure and corresponding starvation, lack of access to medical care and spread of infectious diseases, could bring the death toll to the hundreds of thousands.

Meanwhile, large swaths of the Israeli public appear to support the mass expulsion of Palestinians and condone the concept of genocide in the abstract, according to a recent poll I commissioned through the Israeli polling firm Geocartography.

In the representative sample of Jewish Israelis who were polled from March 10-11, 2025, 82% supported the forced expulsion of Gaza’s population to other countries, while 56% endorsed the expulsion of Israel’s Arab citizens. By comparison, according to a 2003 poll, only 46% supported the “transfer of Palestinian residents of the occupied territories,” and just 31% supported the “transfer of Israel’s Arab citizens.”

Moreover, in my poll I relayed a story from the Book of Joshua, in which the ancient Israelites conquered the city of Jericho and killed all of its inhabitants. When I asked respondents whether the Israeli army, when conquering an enemy city, should act similarly to the Israelites when they conquered Jericho, 47% of respondents said they should.

Tamir Sorek previously received funding from the Fullbright Program and the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation.

– ref. In Israel, calls for genocide have migrated from the margins to the mainstream – https://theconversation.com/in-israel-calls-for-genocide-have-migrated-from-the-margins-to-the-mainstream-250010

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shalom Goldman, Professor of Religion, Middlebury

Participants in a ‘United for Israel’ march, led by The Pursuit NW Christian Church, stand on the University of Washington’s campus in May 2024. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

During confirmation hearings, Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee as ambassador to Israel, told senators that he would “respect and represent the President,” not his own views. But the Baptist minister’s views on the Middle East – and their religious roots – came through.

“The spiritual connections between your church, mine, many churches in America, Jewish congregations, to the state of Israel is because we ultimately are people of the book,” he said on March 25, 2025, in response to a question from a senator. “We believe the Bible, and therefore that connection is not geopolitical. It is also spiritual.”

Huckabee is one of the GOP’s most prominent “Christian Zionists” – a phrase often associated with conservative evangelicals’ support for Israel.

But Christian Zionism is much older than the 1980s alliance between the Republican Party and the religious right. American Christian attitudes toward the idea of a Jewish state have been evolving and changing dramatically since long before Israel’s creation.

Theologians for Israel

Zionism’s modern form emerged in the late 19th century. Its declared aim was to create a Jewish homeland in the region of Palestine, then under control of the Ottoman Empire. This was the land from which Jews were exiled in antiquity.

The “founding father” of the modern movement was Theodore Herzl, an Austro-Hungarian Jewish intellectual and activist who convened the first Zionist Congress in Switzerland in 1897. While most of the 200 attendees were Jews from various parts of the world, there were also prominent Protestant Christian leaders in attendance: church leaders and philanthropists who supported “the restoration of the Jews to their land.” Herzl dubbed these allies “Christian Zionists.”

Most delegates at the first Zionist Congress were Jewish, but the gathering also included Christians.
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Catholic leaders, however, were not among the supporters of a Jewish state. The prospect of a Jewish state in the Christian Holy Land challenged the church’s view of Judaism as a religion whose people were condemned to permanent exile as punishment for rejecting Christ.

Eventually, in the wake of the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel, attitudes shifted. In 1965, reforms at the Vatican II council signaled a radical change for the better in Catholic-Jewish relations.

But it would be three decades until that change was reflected in the Vatican’s diplomatic recognition of the Jewish state.

In contrast, Protestants were more open to Jews’ aspiration to return. In 1917, the British foreign secretary published the Balfour Declaration, announcing government support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” With the British victory over the Ottoman Empire, the area soon fell under British control in the form of the League of Nations’ Mandate for Palestine.

In the U.S., the idea elicited enthusiasm among conservative Christians who hoped that the Jews’ return to Israel would help hasten the end times, when they believed Christ would return. Within a few years, Congress endorsed the Balfour Declaration.

Pastor W. Fuller Gooch summed up the evangelical reaction to the Balfour Declaration: “Palestine is for the Jews. The most striking ‘Sign of the Times’ is the proposal to give Palestine to the Jews once more. They have long desired the land, though as yet unrepentant of the terrible crime which led to their expulsion.” This “terrible crime” refers to Jews’ rejection of Jesus – one of multiple anti-Jewish tropes in the sermon.

Pivotal moment

Two decades later, prominent American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr declared himself a supporter of political Zionism. Unlike evangelicals, Niebuhr’s support for a Jewish state was based on pragmatic grounds: Considering the dangerous situation in 1930s Europe, he argued, Jews needed a state in order to be safe.

A 1963 photo of Reinhold Niebuhr, one of the most influential theologians from the U.S.
AP Photo

In the early 1940s, Niebuhr wrote a series of articles titled “Jews After the War” for The Nation magazine. His biographer Richard W. Fox called these articles “an eloquent statement of the Zionist case: The Jews had rights not just as individuals, but as a people, and they deserved not just a homeland, but a homeland in Palestine.”

Thus, in the 1930s and ‘40s, two different types of American Christian Zionism emerged. Some liberal Protestants, while giving qualified support to Zionism, expressed concern for the fate of the Palestinian Arabs. Conservative evangelicals, on the other hand, tended to be more hostile to Arab political aspirations.

In 1947, on the eve of the United Nations’ vote on the partition of Palestine, Niebuhr and six other prominent American intellectuals wrote a long letter to The New York Times, arguing that a Jewish state in the Middle East would serve American interests. “Politically, we would like to see the lands of the Middle East practice democracy as we do here,” they wrote. “Thus far there is only one vanguard of progress and modernization in the Middle East, and that is Jewish Palestine.”

In 1948, the U.S. government, at President Harry Truman’s direction, granted the newly declared state of Israel diplomatic recognition, over the objections of State Department officials.

There were, of course, prominent Americans who objected to recognizing Israel, or to embracing it so strongly. Among them was journalist Dorothy Thompson, who had turned against the Zionist cause after a Jewish militant group bombed Jerusalem’s King David Hotel in 1946. These opponents made the case for supporting emerging Arab nationalism and Palestinian autonomy and asserted that recognizing Israel would deepen America’s entanglement in the unfolding Middle Eastern conflicts.

But by the late 1950s and ‘60s, American criticism of Israel was increasingly muted. Liberal Christians, in particular, viewed it as a beleaguered democratic state and ally.

Rightward shift

Conservative Christian Zionists, meanwhile, continued to often view “love of Israel” through a biblical lens.

In the late ’60s, the American journal Christianity Today published an article by editor Nelson Bell, father-in-law of famous evangelist Billy Graham. Jewish control of Jerusalem inspires “renewed faith in the accuracy and validity of the Bible,” Bell wrote.

Rev. Jerry Falwell, on the right, listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech to a conservative Christian group in Washington in 1998.
William Philpott/AFP via Getty Images

Fifteen years later, televangelist Jerry Falwell told an interviewer that Jewish people have both a theological and historical “right to the land.” He added, “I am personally a Zionist, having gained that perspective from my belief in Old Testament scriptures.”

These Christians, like some Jewish religious Zionists, saw “the hand of God” in Israel’s conquest of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War of 1967. They considered any territorial compromise with Arab states and the Palestinians to be an act against God.

During the 1980s, as the Republican Party forged alliances with the emerging religious right, Israel would become a core cause for the GOP. Some liberal Jews who supported Israel grew alarmed by these ties and by the rightward shift in Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

Yet this brand of Christian Zionism is clearly the forerunner to today’s – and holds sway in Washington. Today, 83% of Republicans view Israel favorably, compared with 33% of Democrats. Republicans in Congress are pushing to use the biblical terms “Judea and Samaria” instead of “the West Bank.” Evangelical Christian Zionists continue to call for support of the Israeli right and of settlers in the occupied territories.

And in Huckabee, they see a potential ambassador who shares their views.

In 2009, when Huckabee was considering a presidential campaign, he visited Israel and met with settler leaders. On hearing of Huckabee’s presidential aspirations, a rabbi said, “We hope that under Mike Huckabee’s presidency, he will be like Cyrus and push us to rebuild the Temple and bring the final redemption.” The rabbi was referring to the biblical story of Cyrus, King of Persia, and his proclamation that the exiled Jews be allowed to return to Zion.

Seven decades after the state of Israel’s founding, evangelical Christian Zionism’s influence is greater than ever. This turn to the political right is very far from the mid-20th century Zionism of Truman, Niebuhr and the Democratic Party.

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

– ref. Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades – https://theconversation.com/christian-zionism-hasnt-always-been-a-conservative-evangelical-creed-churches-views-of-israel-have-evolved-over-decades-249314

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens condemn latest brutal displacement of Palestinians

Source: Green Party of England and Wales

Responding to Israel defence minister Israel Katz’s statement that the country aimed to seize large areas of the Palestinian territory and incorporate them into “security zones”, (1) Ellie Chowns, MP for North Herefordshire and Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said:

“The Green Party condemns in the strongest possible terms the Israeli government’s brutal decision to expand its military operations in Gaza. Seizing large areas of territory and forcibly displacing countless Gazans to create so-called “security zones” would be a further violation of international law against a population already devastated by 18 months of conflict.

“This is not security; it is domination and erasure. It would constitute ethnic cleansing and further collective punishment on a mass scale, and it would only deepen the unimaginable suffering already endured by the people of Gaza.

“More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, and the humanitarian crisis could not be more dire. Israeli forces have maintained a total blockade of aid since early March, cutting off food, water, and medical supplies while bombs continue to fall. Last month, Israeli forces killed yet more medics, first responders, and a UN staff member, forcing the UN to reduce its operations.

“The UK government cannot remain silent while genocide is carried out in plain sight. We cannot be complicit in this horror by continuing to arm and support the Israeli government. There is no justification—legal, moral, or political—for aiding a state that systematically targets civilians, destroys homes and hospitals, and plans to occupy yet more Palestinian land.

“The Green Party has consistently called for the release of the hostages, an immediate ceasefire, a complete halt to arms sales to Israel, and recognition of the State of Palestine. We also urgently push for humanitarian corridors to be opened so that aid can reach those who are starving and injured. We owe it to the Palestinian people, to international justice, and to our own humanity to demand an end to this bloodshed and to take a stand against genocide.

“Our thoughts are with the civilians of Gaza, whose courage and resilience in the face of such horror move us to keep fighting for justice, peace, and accountability. We will not look away.”

(1) Deadly strikes in Gaza as Israel says it will seize ‘large areas’ – BBC News

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnicians at the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Egypt

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

The international student construction team “Dune” has completed its work in Egypt. 49 people from different parts of our country worked at the construction site of the first Egyptian nuclear power plant “El-Dabaa”. Polytechnic University was represented in the team by fifth-year student of IPMET Darina Zaitseva and sixth-year student of ISI Maria Khorosheva.

The International Student Construction Team “Dune” was founded in 2021 and is a labor project of the All-Russian Youth Public Organization “Russian Student Teams”. The host organization of the labor project is the holding company “TITAN-2” (a strategic partner of the State Corporation “Rosatom”). This is one of the largest holdings that carries out construction, installation and other types of work at construction sites in Russia and abroad.

Darina Zaitseva worked at the construction site of the nuclear power plant in the economics and finance directorate (control and other expenses department). She kept a register of memos on employee transfers, processed documents and entered information into a special program. Based on the results of her work, Darina was recognized as the best fighter in the detachment.

Of course, this is an unforgettable experience. Both in terms of working in another country and in terms of working on a project of such a scale! I never thought that I would ever be able to take part in the construction of a nuclear power plant. Immersion in another culture, completely different from ours, gave me vivid impressions. It is one thing to come as a tourist, and another to live for two months in constant interaction with local residents. And I want to say a big thank you for the fascinating excursions to the management of the TITAN-2 holding. In general, no matter how you look at it, this entire trip was filled with new experiences and unforgettable emotions! – said Darina.

Maria Khorosheva worked in the quality control directorate, visiting the construction site daily as part of the inspection commission. In addition to work, excursions were organized for the children to the Alexandria Library, the World War II Museum in El Alamein, and, of course, to Cairo to visit the famous pyramids of Giza.

Working on such a large-scale project once again proved to me how much I love construction. It was very interesting not only to watch, but also to participate in the construction of a unique industrial building, such as a nuclear power plant. For me, this experience showed what kind of construction industry I would like to work in. And, of course, I went abroad for the first time and fulfilled my childhood dream – to visit Africa! – shared Maria.

El Dabaa NPP is the first nuclear power plant in Egypt. It is being built in the city of the same name in the Matrouh Governorate on the Mediterranean coast, approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Cairo. El Dabaa consists of four power units with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts each, equipped with Russian-class VVER-1200 water-moderated reactors of the latest third generation.

In 2022, workers at the El Dabaa NPP successfully completed the course of Russian as a foreign language and received certificates. The training was organized by the Rosatom Technical Academy as part of the comprehensive training of specialists. The training complex, designed for accelerated language acquisition, was developed by teachers of the Center for Russian as a Foreign Language (Center for RCL) of the Higher School of International Educational Programs of SPbPU.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Law Library Publishes New Report, “Israel: Tax Exemptions for Churches”

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

The Law Library of Congress recently published a legal report, Israel: Tax Exemptions for Churches, which provides information on tax exemptions enjoyed by churches under Israeli law. The report addresses conditions for the grant of exemptions under legislation on municipal tax, income tax, value added tax, real estate tax, and property improvement levies. These include characteristics of religious organizations for qualification under the various laws, and types of qualifying properties and activities that are exempted from taxation.

Church interior (Church of Annunciation, Nazareth) [Between 1898 and 1946]. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/matpc.09024

We invite you to review the information provided in our report, here.

The report is an addition to the Law Library’s Legal Reports (Publications of the Law Library of Congress) collection, which includes over 4,000 historical and contemporary legal reports covering a variety of jurisdictions, researched and written by foreign law specialists with expertise in each area. To receive alerts when new reports are published, you can subscribe to email updates and the RSS feed for Law Library Reports (click the “subscribe” button on the Law Library’s website). The Law Library also regularly publishes articles related to taxation in the Global Legal Monitor.

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Odysight.ai to participate at MRO Americas 2025 – International trade fair in the Aerospace Industry

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Omer, Israel, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Odysight.ai Inc. (Nasdaq: ODYS), a pioneering developer of AI systems for Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM), today announced its participation in MRO Americas 2025, which will take place from April 8-10 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Company will present its cutting-edge aviation maintenance technology at Booth #5333 in the Main Hall (adjacent to Lounge B).

MRO Americas is one of the premier global events for the commercial air transport maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry, bringing together industry leaders, decision-makers and innovators. At the event, Odysight.ai will demonstrate how its AI/ML-driven solutions seek to revolutionize aviation safety and mission readiness through advanced visual sensing and analytics.

“We are excited to participate in MRO Americas 2025 and present our AI-powered predictive maintenance technology,” said Yehu Ofer, Odysight.ai’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our solutions empower airlines, MROs and defense operators to enhance operational efficiency, reduce downtime and improve safety with real-time, data-driven insights.”

Attendees are invited to visit Odysight.ai at Booth #5333 to meet the team and experience firsthand how its state-of-the-art AI/ML solutions aim to transform aviation maintenance.

For more information, please visit: https://www.odysight.ai. Investors interested in scheduling a meeting at the event, please contact Miri Segal at msegal@ms-ir.com.

About Odysight.ai

Odysight.ai is pioneering the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) markets with its visualization and AI platform. Providing video sensor-based solutions for critical systems in the aviation, transportation and energy industries, Odysight.ai leverages proven visual technologies and products from the medical industry. Odysight.ai’s unique video-based sensors, embedded software and AI algorithms are being deployed in hard-to-reach locations and harsh environments across a variety of PdM and CBM use cases. Odysight.ai’s platform allows maintenance and operations teams visibility into areas which are inaccessible under normal operation, or where the operating ambience is not suitable for continuous real-time monitoring.

We routinely post information that may be important to investors in the Investors section of our website. For more information, please visit: https://www.odysight.ai or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to future events or our future performance. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s intention to participate in the MRO Americas 2025 and revolutionize/transform aviation maintenance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Those statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or our management’s current expectation and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward- looking statements. Factors that may affect our results, performance, circumstances or achievements include, but are not limited to the following: (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, including those that utilize our micro Odysight.ai technology or offer Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring applications, (ii) lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device and related industries from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, product malfunctions and the functionality of Odysight.ai’s solutions under all environmental conditions, (vi) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on third-parties for assistance, (vii) an inability to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to commercialize our products, (viii) an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, (ix) our efforts to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) our reliance on a single customer that accounts for a substantial portion of our revenues, (xi) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, including for miniature video sensors which are suitable for our Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology products, (xii) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain, (xiii) the impact of computer system failures, cyberattacks or deficiencies in our cybersecurity, (xiv) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical, global supply chain and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction and (xv) political, economic and military instability in Israel, including the impact of Israel’s war against Hamas. These and other important factors discussed in Odysight.ai’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 26, 2025 and our other reports filed with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Odysight.ai undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Investor Relations Contact:
Miri Segal
MS-IR LLC
msegal@ms-ir.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Uni-Fuels Establishes UAE Subsidiary and New Office in Dubai

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SINGAPORE, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Uni-Fuels Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: UFG), (“Uni-Fuels” or the “Company”), a global provider of marine fuel solutions headquartered in Singapore, today announced the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates and the opening of a new office in Dubai.

The subsidiary, Uni-Fuels Middle East FZCO, also known as Uni-Fuels Dubai, is intended to expand the Company’s ability to provide tailored marine fuel solutions, customer support and serve the growing needs of the maritime industry in the Middle East and beyond.

“Dubai’s dynamic business environment and strategic location as one of the world’s busiest shipping hubs make it an ideal base for Uni-Fuels to deepen its regional partnerships and optimize fuel supply chains for clients,” said Uni-Fuels Senior Vice President, Commercial, Alan Tan. The new office in Dubai will serve as Uni-Fuels’ regional hub for real-time market insights and efficient fuel procurement, ensuring seamless operations for shipowners and operators worldwide.

“The launch of our Dubai office is a significant step in our global growth strategy,” added Mr. Tan. “As a growing player in the bunker industry, we are dedicated to expanding our footprint in high-impact regions, and Dubai provides the perfect platform to enhance our service offerings and increase our engagement with business partners.”

The new location will provide direct access to fuel procurement expertise, competitive pricing, and innovative solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the maritime sector. “Clients at our Dubai office can expect enhanced support, optimized operations, and an expanded and more resilient supply network across critical shipping routes,” said the SVP.

“With this expansion, Uni-Fuels continues to solidify its reputation as a trusted partner in the provision of marine fuel solutions, ensuring reliability, efficiency, and excellence in marine fuel supply across the globe.”

About Uni-Fuels Holdings Limited

Uni-Fuels is a fast-growing global provider of marine fuel solutions, helping shipping companies optimize fuel procurement across all markets and time zones. Founded in 2021, Uni-Fuels has evolved from modest beginnings into a dynamic, forward-thinking company. Backed by a passionate team and a growing presence across multiple locations, it has forged trusted partnerships with customers, supporting them in achieving their operational objectives with confidence, from shore to shore.

For more information, visit www.uni-fuels.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements represent Uni-Fuels’ current expectations regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the final prospectus dated January 13, 2025 in relation to the initial public offering of the Company filed with the SEC. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

Contact Information

For Investor Relations:

Uni-Fuels Holdings Ltd
Email: investors@uni-fuels.com

Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC
Email: info@skylineccg.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Worsening conflict leaves tens of thousands without essential care in Colombia

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

Bogotá – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has in recent weeks increased our medical humanitarian assistance in areas hit by the most intense upsurge of conflict in years in Colombia. Tens of thousands of people are currently caught in at least 11 active pockets of violence, according to authorities. Amid exacerbated humanitarian needs, we urge state entities and other humanitarian organisations to reach isolated communities where many people are lacking access to basic services, including healthcare. We also urge armed groups to protect medical facilities and humanitarian workers from violence.

“We are deeply concerned about the impact that the escalating conflict in Colombia is having on tens of thousands of people in several regions of the country,” says Francisco Otero, MSF general coordinator in Colombia. “Our teams are providing essential medical and humanitarian assistance to isolated and vulnerable communities, in areas that are very difficult to access for humanitarian organisations and with little state presence.”

In February, MSF teams launched an emergency response in rural areas of the northeastern region of Catatumbo, where in January more than 50,000 people were forced from their homes by hostilities in the largest sudden displacement of people in decades. Many of those who remained now have movement restrictions imposed on them. In March, we started a project in the department of Arauca, which borders Venezuela.

A map of MSF’s response in Colombia. March 2025.

Emergency in Catatumbo

In mid-January, the breakdown of a non-aggression pact between two non-state armed groups triggered an escalation of violence that has left at least 98 people dead, and some 77,000 people affected, including displaced and confined persons, according to state authorities. The Colombian armed forces have also launched several offensives against these groups.

MSF teams are carrying out mobile clinics in rural areas where there are restrictions on movement, both for people to leave in search of resources and services, and for official entities and other humanitarian organisations to enter. MSF is one of the few organisations granted access by the parties to the conflict to areas widely affected by these restrictions.

Between 10 February and 15 March, we provided nearly 1,200 medical consultations in rural areas of Ábrego, Teorama, and Tibú, including 933 for basic healthcare and 112 for mental health. Additionally, 472 people benefited from group mental health activities.

“We see a deterioration in the health of the community, from children with symptoms of malnutrition to patients with chronic conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, whose treatment has been interrupted.” explains Dr Altair Saavedra, MSF’s medical coordinator in Colombia.

“Most of the pregnant women we saw in consultations had not started prenatal checkups, regardless of their gestational age, and some patients have shown severe psychological symptoms caused by uncertainty about the development of the conflict.” says Dr Saavedra.

In addition, in the areas visited by MSF, at least four basic healthcare centres have closed or have suspended activities due to the violence.

An MSF mobile team arrives at the health centre in the village of La Arenosa, in Catatumbo, northeast Colombia, to provide medical and psychological care to communities affected by the ongoing conflict whose movement has been restricted by armed actors. Colombia, February 2025.
MSF

New project in Arauca

In the region of Arauca, several non-state armed groups are fighting for the control of the territory. MSF began a long-term project in the first week of March that focuses on people who face severe constraints to access healthcare. They include Venezuelan migrants, Colombian returnees, and displaced people, as well as vulnerable Indigenous groups in the urban area, and communities affected by the armed conflict in rural areas.

“We will offer services for sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive care for survivors of sexual violence, mental health consultations, priority attention to children under five years of age, support for first level facilities and strengthening the technical capacity of health personnel,” says Alejandro Matos, MSF coordinator in Arauca. “We will also carry out water and sanitation activities.”

An MSF team provides medical care, family planning methods and psychological care to people in a settlement in Arauca. Colombia, March 2025.
Alejandro Matos/MSF

Between 3 and 14 March, we provided 281 medical consultations, 30 individual mental health consultations, and 116 people participated in group mental health sessions, in the settlements of Jerusalem, Brisas del Puente, and Clarinetero, in the town of Arauca, the region’s capital.

The worsening conflict in Colombia

Seven decades of conflict have made Colombia one of the countries with the highest number of internally displaced people in the world, with nearly nine million according to authorities. During the last decade, the figure of 70,000 people newly displaced by violence was never surpassed in a year, but in 2024 the country registered 160,000, according to the authorities. This is the highest annual figure since the 2016 signing of the peace agreement between the state and the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Despite an ongoing negotiation process between the government and several non-state armed groups, the Colombian ombudsman’s office has indicated there are 11 humanitarian emergency hotspots, especially in regions along the Pacific and the Venezuelan border.

“As an organisation that guides our action under the principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, we call on the parties to the conflict to provide safe access to areas hit by violence where there are unmet humanitarian needs.” says Otero.

Colombia has also been the largest recipient of USAID funds in Latin America. In 2024, the United States provided nearly 68 per cent of the resources for the humanitarian response managed by aid workers in the country. But in 2025, dozens of NGOs and United Nations agencies have already been impacted by cuts. In the health sector alone, more than 183,000 people lost access to assistance, and 683,000 others are at risk of being affected, according to the humanitarian health organisations team.

“Amid the exacerbation of needs due to the worsening conflict, we urge State entities and other humanitarian organisations to reach out to communities where access to basic services such as healthcare has been impacted,” says Otero. “We urge the parties to the conflict to protect medical facilities and humanitarian workers from violence.”

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MIL OSI NGO –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Zambia Bolsters Copper Exploration Ahead of 2031 Target

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 2, 2025/APO Group/ —

Zambia has launched a series of strategic initiatives in 2025 to accelerate copper drilling and meet its target of producing 3.1 million tons per annum by 2031. In February 2025, the country introduced the Zambia Integrated Mining Information System (www.MMMD.Gov.zm), a digital platform designed to enhance efficiency and transparency in mining license management. The system is expected to streamline the approval process and help Zambia attract more investors and fast-track exploration.

In line with efforts by Zambia to enhance copper exploration, the upcoming African Mining Wee conference and exhibition, taking place from October 1-3 in Cape Town, will provide a platform to showcase lucrative investment opportunities within the country’s upstream industry.

Government Programs

To create a more conducive environment for copper drilling, Zambia is implementing several government-led initiatives. In February 2025, the country announced a non-compliance monitoring project, which led to the repossession of over 1,000 mining licenses (apo-opa.co/4j7kjrc) in 2024 alone. These licenses are now being reallocated to new investors to accelerate exploration efforts and help achieve its 2031 production goal. Zambia has also recorded a 79% increase in mining licenses granted in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development. The government – in partnership with the Geological Survey of Finland – is implementing a nationwide high-resolution aerial geophysical survey to map mineral resources and open new exploration basins. Additionally, the government established the Zambia Minerals Investment Corporation Limited, a special-purpose vehicle to facilitate joint venture investments in exploration, production and mineral processing. On January 16, 2025, the country signed a cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to facilitate human capital development, technology transfer and investments in copper exploration and production. The government has also played a key role in reopening previously inactive mining operations, including Mopani and Konkola Copper Mines, unlocking new opportunities for exploration.

Private Sector Contributions

Private sector players are also contributing to Zambia’s copper drilling expansion agenda. In January 2025, Barrick Gold (apo-opa.co/3FSagrR) announced its plans to utilize a new exploration license in northern Zambia and continue drilling at Lumwana as part of its commitment to Zambia’s 2031 production goal. The UK-based Jubilee Metals Group (apo-opa.co/4lcH5zH) is undertaking several drilling projects to support growth at its Roan and Sable Refinery sites, while Handa Resources (apo-opa.co/3YfapvA), a joint venture between Arc Minerals and Anglo American, began drilling across three newly approved licenses in Zambia in January 2025.

As Africa’s premier mining investment platform, African Mining Week will bring together key stakeholders, government officials and global investors to discuss and optimize opportunities within Zambia’s copper exploration and production industry.

MIL OSI Africa –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/HOLY LAND – Ecumenical Group: “To expel the Palestinians from their homeland is sacrilege”

Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

Wednesday, 2 April 2025

photo by OCHA

Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Land “”will not be overtaken by darkness,” with this quote from the Gospel of John, concludes the short document of the ecumenical group “A Jerusalem Voice for Justice,” addressing the suffering that innocent people in the Holy Land continue to suffer.The ecumenical group was recently founded in light of the new outbreak of violence and terror in the Holy Land to share the facts and events that affect the lives of people in the Land of Jesus. The network includes, among others, Archbishop Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem; Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan; Sawsan Bitar, coordinator of the Sabeel Ecumenical Center; Palestinian theologian John Munayer; Jesuit Father David Neuhaus; and Father Frans Bouwen of theMissionaries of Africa.“The Israeli army,” reads the text released by Jerusalem Voice of Justice, “is carrying out the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank from their homes since 1967. According to OCHA, already over 40, 000 Palestinians have been displaced, and are currently living without shelter, essential services, and healthcare.”In this context, the signatories of the document recall the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, who helps the stranger lying exhausted and abandoned by the roadside after others have passed by and ignored him.“Reverend Martin Luther King,” they recall, “proposed that they passed him by, fearing: what will happen to me if I stop? Rev. King wrote that the Good Samaritan instead asked the question: what will happen to him if I pass him by? Only the Good Samaritan acted in order to save the wounded man’s life.”The authors of the document express fear “that the annexation of Palestinian territories by Israel may be imminent. Increasing use of the names “Judea and Samaria” (instead of the occupied West Bank), exploiting Biblical terminology to confuse present political realities, manifests a desire to wipe Palestine and the Palestinians off the map, claiming we do not exist”.The document finally addresses “those Jews and Christians who have been led to believe that God wants Israel to annex our homeland:We want to state clearly that you have been misguided. All, Palestinians and Israelis, are created in the image and likeness of God. They are all equal in dignity and rights. Furthermore,” add the signatories of the text, “our God is a God of love who abhors violence and loves all God’s children. The Palestinians are your “neighbor”. The inviolable commandment in the word of God we share is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Roman 13:9). To expel the Palestinians from their homeland is not only an act of violence; it is sacrilege”. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 2/4/2025)
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MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 2500 KG NARCOTICS SEIZED BY INDIAN NAVY’S MISSION DEPLOYED WARSHIP INS TARKASH

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 11:49AM by PIB Delhi

INS Tarkash, a frontline frigate of the Indian Navy operating under the Western Naval Command, has successfully intercepted and seized over 2500 kg of narcotics in the Western Indian Ocean. This operation underscores the Indian Navy’s unwavering commitment to combating maritime crime and bolstering regional security.

Deployed in the Western Indian Ocean since Jan 2025 for Maritime Security Operations, INS Tarkash is actively supporting Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, which is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and is based in Bahrain. The ship is participating in the multi-national forces joint focus operation, Anzac Tiger.

On 31 Apr 25, while on patrol, INS Tarkash received multiple inputs from Indian Navy P8I aircraft, regarding suspicious vessels operating in the area. These vessels were believed to be involved in illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking. In response, the ship altered its course to intercept the suspicious vessels. After systematically interrogating all suspicious vessels in the vicinity, INS Tarkash intercepted and boarded a suspect Dhow, owing to the coordinated efforts with the P8I and the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai. Additionally, the ship launched its integral helicopter to monitor the activities of the suspicious vessel and identify other vessels likely operating in the area.

A specialist boarding team, along with Marine Commandos, boarded the suspect vessel and conducted a thorough search, leading to the discovery of various sealed packets. Further search and interrogation revealed over 2,500 kg of narcotic substances (including 2386 kg of hashish and 121 kg of heroin) stored in different cargo holds and compartments onboard the vessel. The suspicious Dhow was subsequently brought under the control of INS Tarkash, and the crew underwent comprehensive questioning regarding their modus operandi and the presence of other similar vessels in the area.

This seizure underscores the effectiveness and professionalism of the Indian Navy in deterring and disrupting illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking at sea. The Indian Navy’s participation in multinational exercises aims to promote security, stability, and prosperity across international waters in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

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VM/SPS 72/25

(Release ID: 2117629) Visitor Counter : 122

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Fast Track to AV1 with Beamr: High-Quality at a Fraction of the Cost

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Beamr will showcase its high-performance AV1 solutions, accelerated by NVIDIA GPUs, and with simple, competitive pricing, at the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas

HERZLIYA, Israel, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Beamr Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: BMR), a leader in video optimization technology and solutions, will showcase its high-quality, cost-effective solution for AV1 (AOMedia Video 1) codec upgrades at the 2025 NAB Show (Meeting room SL1730MR), held in Las Vegas from April 5-9, along with a simple, competitive pricing plan.

Accelerated by NVIDIA GPUs and integrated with NVENC, an on-chip hardware-accelerated video encoder within NVIDIA GPUs, Beamr’s technology enables scalable, efficient AV1 upgrades with superior performance and high-quality results. While AV1 is an advanced video codec with improved image quality and superior compression, Beamr offers up to 30% additional compression.

Beamr provides AV1 encoding at a quarter of the cost or less compared to CPU-based solutions and other alternatives, bringing it in line with AVC (H.264) encoding costs. Readily accessible on cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), as well as private cloud or on-premises environments, Beamr simplifies AV1 adoption for companies working with videos at large scale – across media and entertainment, user-generated content, AI, and more.

“Available through straightforward, affordable pricing, Beamr removes barriers to AV1 adoption and allows users improved performance while significantly reducing video file sizes without sacrificing quality,” said Beamr CEO Sharon Carmel. “Our tests also show that optimized AV1 files by Beamr maintain full accuracy in AI applications such as facial recognition, action detection and enhancing machine learning models.”

AV1 is backed by tech giants within the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), and it is widely supported across most operating systems and web browsers, as well as recent smartphone models, smart TVs and more. Despite these advantages, complexity and high adoption costs have limited AV1’s usage.

Beamr’s video optimization technology is integrated with NVENC, and is available across multiple GPU platforms:

The NVENC SDK 12.1 release added an API that supports external control and enables users to tightly integrate hardware encoders with support for AV1.

Beamr video experts will be available throughout the NAB Show, April 5-9 in Las Vegas, to discuss cost-effective, high-quality, high-performance AV1 upgrades. For one-on-one meetings (Meeting room SL1730MR) please use this l ink.

For more details about Beamr’s AV1 offering, visit this link.

About Beamr

Beamr (Nasdaq: BMR) is a world leader in content-adaptive video optimization and modernization. The company serves top media companies like Netflix and Paramount. Beamr’s inventive perceptual optimization technology (CABR) is backed by 53 patents and won the Emmy® award for Technology and Engineering. The innovative technology reduces video file size by up to 50% while guaranteeing quality.

Beamr Cloud is a high-performance, GPU-based video optimization and modernization service designed for businesses and video professionals across diverse industries. It is conveniently available to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) customers. Beamr Cloud enables video modernization to advanced formats such as AV1 and HEVC, and is ready for video AI workflows. For more details, please visit www.beamr.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this communication may include, among other things, statements about Beamr’s strategic and business plans, technology, relationships, objectives and expectations for its business, the impact of trends on and interest in its business, intellectual property or product and its future results, operations and financial performance and condition. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company, reference is made to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, but not limited to, the risks detailed in the Company’s annual report filed with the SEC on March 4, 2025 and in subsequent filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Investor Contact:

investorrelations@beamr.com

Agency Contact
Moe Lokat
Wall Street Communications
+44 7973 306039
moe@wallstcom.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025