NewzIntel.com

Category: Natural Disasters

  • MIL-OSI: Talkdesk revolutionizes the way utilities companies deliver intelligent, seamless, and proactive customer experiences

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, Calif. and PHOENIX, May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Talkdesk®, Inc., a global provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered customer experience (CX) technology that serves enterprises of all sizes, today introduced Talkdesk Utilities Experience Cloud™, an intelligent CX platform that empowers utility providers to deliver fast omnichannel service effortlessly. Using advanced industry-trained AI, the platform revolutionizes how utility companies interact with and support customers on the most common and complex issues and queries. Hearing “please hold” during an already-frustrating power outage or being forced to speak with a live agent about a simple billing question can now be replaced with fast, proactive, accurate, and personalized service across any channel, at any time.

    Utility customers expect immediate and precise assistance. Talkdesk Utilities Experience Cloud rises to the challenge by combining agentic AI and intelligent automations that enhance self-service and human agent assistance, real-time core utility system integrations (e.g., customer information systems [CIS], outage management systems [OM]), geographic information systems (GIS), and pre-engineered workflows for common utility customer service queries about outages, billing, and account management.

    Agentic AI-powered virtual agents or copilots can be designed and deployed with a single prompt, leveraging pre-trained utility workflows and AI to deliver natural, human-like customer conversations across voice, chat, and digital channels. They provide precise, real-time assistance to live agents, adapting to each situation and customer need. The platform also includes an intelligent outbound messaging feature that enables organizations to proactively keep their customers informed or reminded by automating high-volume yet personalized notifications during events like storms and power outages, or as part of routine communications such as billing cycles. These out-of-the-box, no-code capabilities reduce IT lift and enable rapid deployment and scalability so utility companies can achieve immediate CX modernization and return on investment (ROI).

    Other key features of the purpose-built AI agents in the Talkdesk Utilities Experience Cloud include:

    • Contextually aware and personalized: Understands customer history, location, account information, communication preferences, current outages, usage patterns, and billing status by analyzing multiple data sources to provide personalized and context-aware updates and responses.
    • Workflow-enabled: Capable of troubleshooting service issues, escalating complex issues to live agents, or taking actions in integrated utility systems, like creating outage tickets.
    • Empathetic and adaptive: Understands customer sentiment and nuance, such as urgency and frustration, especially in high-stress situations like outages, and responds with appropriate tone and emotion.
    • Omnichannel-ready: Supports voice, chat, short message service (SMS), mobile, and social channels and ensures continuity across any channel, whether customer support comes from a human agent or self-service.
    • Compliance-aligned: Built with data privacy, utility-grade security, and AI guardrails.

    “Utility companies today are experiencing significant pressures, driven by macroeconomic factors impacting customers, unpredictable outage events, and technological evolution raising customer expectations. Increasingly, utilities are looking to support their customers in more efficient and proactive ways, and Talkdesk Utilities Experience Cloud represents a significant advancement in how utilities can effortlessly deliver intelligent, seamless, AI-powered customer experiences,” said Tiago Paiva, chief executive officer and founder of Talkdesk. “Whether it’s helping a customer understand why their bill is high, confirming service restoration after an outage, or collecting overdue payments through a friendly reminder, Talkdesk makes it all effortless—with AI, automation, and live agents working in connected experiences.”

    A growing number of utility companies like Las Vegas Valley Water District trust Talkdesk with modernizing their customer service.

    “For the Las Vegas Valley Water District, the telephony system is the primary conduit through which the vast majority of our customers engage with us, and they rely upon a dependable, intuitive system,” said JC Davis, director of customer care and field services at Las Vegas Valley Water District. “The transition from our previous system to Talkdesk was even smoother than projected, with outstanding technical support before, during, and after go-live. Our agents adapted quickly to the user-friendly platform, resulting in an immediate reduction in call durations and customer wait times.”

    Today’s announcement is the latest Talkdesk rapid innovation to deepen advanced AI offerings for key industries. Over the past year, new generative (GenAI) and agentic AI-powered applications have been added to support industry-specific customer self-service (e.g., Talkdesk Autopilot™ and Talkdesk AI Agents for retail, banking, and healthcare).

    Talkdesk will showcase Talkdesk Utilities Experience Cloud at booth #135 at the IUCX Conference at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, May 5-7, 2025.

    About Talkdesk

    Talkdesk® is on a mission to rid the world of bad customer experience. With our cloud-native, generative AI-powered CX platform, purpose-built industry solutions, and extensible AI offerings, we empower enterprises in the cloud and on-premises to deliver exceptional customer experiences that make them more competitive, grow revenue, reduce costs, and provide operational efficiencies. With specialized workflows and integrations delivered out of the box for our Industry Experience Clouds, Talkdesk accelerates value for our customers faster and more simply than legacy or one-size-fits-all solutions.

    Partnering with enterprises globally, we deliver continuous innovation and breakthrough results. Our commitment to reliability and security, paired with our track record of delivering on promises, sets us apart in the industry. Elevate customer experiences, streamline operations, and increase revenue with Talkdesk. Companies that love their customers use Talkdesk.

    Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

    Media Contact:

    Talkdesk Public Relations

    pr@talkdesk.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Immunefi Partners with Dedaub to Integrate Advanced Onchain Firewall in Magnus for Real-Time Threat Detection

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Singapore , May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Immunefi, the leading onchain security platform protecting over $190 billion in user funds, today announces Dedaub as an official partner of its Magnus platform. Dedaub, a leading security technology & auditing company, brings cutting-edge onchain firewall technology to the platform. The firewall, powered by state program analysis algorithms and novel AI models designed by Dedaub’s research team, is purpose-built for web firewalling applications. The result is a solution that blocks most malicious activity before it impacts vulnerable protocols. 

    Onchain security today is fragmented, siloed, and dangerously reliant on manual workflows. Magnus fixes that with an all-in-one SecOps command center for web3. It unifies every layer of the onchain security stack in one place: from audits and bug bounties to monitoring, and real-time firewall protection.

    “We’re excited to partner with Dedaub to introduce a powerful new layer of real-time defense to Magnus,” said Mitchell Amador, Founder and CEO of Immunefi. “Dedaub is one of the most trusted security teams in the space, and their battle-tested firewall technology represents a significant leap forward in automating Web3 security. We’re committed to integrating the best tools at every layer of defense into Magnus, providing projects with the ultimate command center for onchain security.”

    “Together, we’re building a firewall purpose-built for web3 — designed to proactively block exploits before they can compromise vulnerable contracts. This Firewall is a practical step toward making protocol defenses more automatic and more reliable,” said Neville Grech, Co-founder of Dedaub.

    Bringing Battle-Tested Threat Prevention to Magnus
    Dedaub is a recognized leader in smart contract security, protecting over $30B in assets through audited code and trusted by renowned projects including the Ethereum Foundation, Eigenlayer, Chainlink, and Coinbase. Its capabilities brought to Magnus include:

    • 200+ successful security audits across the DeFi and EVM-compatible ecosystem
    • Static analysis, real-time monitoring, and decompilation tooling for deep visibility into smart contracts
    • Firewalling capabilities, with proven threat detection designed to block malicious smart contract interactions before they cause damage

    With the firewall now integrated into Magnus, protocols can activate real-time threat detection and prevention as part of their broader security operations. From audits to onchain defenses, Magnus transforms Dedaub’s data and insights into actionable alerts, automations, and protection—all from a single command center.

    Magnus builds on Immunefi’s unmatched experience and track record, having paid out over $115 million in rewards to security researchers and helped avert more than $25 billion in potential hack damage. Magnus bridges the gap between fragmented security solutions by creating a unified platform for security operations. It allows protocols to easily launch bug bounties, conduct audit competitions, and proactively stop threats through an automation engine powered by the industry’s best vulnerabilities dataset.

    Sign up for early access to Magnus now, here.

    About Immunefi
    Immunefi is the leading onchain security platform, working with ground-breaking protocols such as Chainlink, Ethereum Foundation, Optimism, Arbitrum, and many more. Our latest product, Magnus, bridges the gap between security solutions by creating a unified platform for security operations. Allowing protocols to easily launch bug bounties, audit competitions, and proactively stop threats using our automations engine built with the industry’s best vulnerabilities dataset. Our growing community of over 60,000 security researchers protects $190B in user funds and has prevented over $25B in hacks across 500+ protocols. Learn more at immunefi.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 5.7 magnitude earthquake hits off coast of Taiwan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Xinhua | 05. 05. 2025

    Keywords: Taiwan, earthquake magnitude, coast of Taiwan, occurred, center, degrees north latitude, degrees east longitude, Beijing time, earthquake source, point, reported, networks, Monday, coordinates, kilometers, lay

    BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 jolted offshore Hualien County, Taiwan Island at 18:53 Beijing time on Monday, the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) said.

    According to CENC, the epicenter of the tremors was located at 23.87 degrees north latitude and 121.94 degrees east longitude. The earthquake’s source was located at a depth of 15 kilometers. -0-

    Source: Xinhua

    A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Taiwan A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Taiwan

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: World Health Organization (WHO) Egypt and the United Kingdom (UK) strengthen collaboration to support Palestinian patients in Egypt

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

    Download logo

    WHO Egypt has signed a new £1 million funding agreement with the UK Government to help provide high-quality medical care for patients who have been evacuated from Gaza to receive treatment in Egypt. The project aims to support around 4000 individuals, including trauma patients and those with chronic conditions.

    The new funding complements an initial £1 million grant provided a few months ago, bringing the total UK contribution to £2 million.

    Earlier this year, a high-level delegation from WHO Egypt and the British Embassy in Cairo visited El Arish General Hospital, a key referral hospital receiving patients from Gaza. During the visit, the delegation spoke with Palestinian patients receiving treatment, met with hospital staff and representatives from Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population, and assessed the hospital’s medical needs.

    WHO Representative in Egypt Dr Nima Abid said: “Egypt has received the highest number of medical evacuees from Gaza and continues to provide them with specialized health care on par with Egyptian citizens across 170 hospitals in 24 governorates. We deeply value our longstanding partnership with the United Kingdom and welcome this additional £1 million in funding which will help us continue supporting the Ministry of Health and Population to ensure patients and the injured from Gaza receive the lifesaving care they need. Ultimately, peace is the best medicine. WHO reiterates its call for the protection of health in Gaza, the lifting of the aid blockade, and –above all – an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”

    British Ambassador to Egypt Gareth Bayley said: “Egypt has played a crucial role in helping those most in need from Gaza, and the UK is proud to stand alongside our Egyptian partners and WHO in this lifesaving work. Whether it’s funding medical care in Egypt or supporting treatment for patients who have now arrived in the UK, our shared commitment is clear: to ensure the wounded and vulnerable get the care they urgently need.”

    Since November 2023 Egypt has received and treated thousands of patients and wounded people from Gaza. Since the beginning of the crisis, WHO has worked closely with Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population and other partners to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response capacity. This support has included over US$ 8 million worth of medical supplies delivered to Egyptian hospitals and the training of nearly 3000 health workers across multiple governorates in emergency care and mental health and psychosocial support.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization – Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christine Cairns Fortuin, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

    Windy days can mean more pollen and more sneezing. mladenbalinovac/E+ via Getty Images

    Evolution has fostered many reproductive strategies across the spectrum of life. From dandelions to giraffes, nature finds a way.

    One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.

    In the Southeastern U.S., where I live, you know it’s spring when your car has turned yellow and pollen blankets your patio furniture and anything else left outside. Suddenly there are long lines at every car wash in town.

    On heavy pollen days, cars can end up covered in yellow grains.
    Scott Akerman/Flickr, CC BY

    Even people who aren’t allergic to pollen – clearly an advantage for a pollination ecologist like me – can experience sneezing and watery eyes during the release of tree pollen each spring. Enough particulate matter in the air will irritate just about anyone, even if your immune system does not launch an all-out attack.

    So, why is there so much pollen? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

    2 ways trees spread their pollen

    Trees don’t have an easy time in the reproductive game. As a tree, you have two options to disperse your pollen.

    Option 1: Employ an agent, such as a butterfly or bee, that can carry your pollen to another plant of the same species.

    The downside of this option is that you must invest in a showy flower display and a sweet scent to advertise yourself, and sugary nectar to pay your agent for its services.

    A bee enjoys pollen from a cherry blossom. Pollen is a primary source of protein for bees.
    Ivan Radic/Flickr, CC BY

    Option 2, the budget option, is much less precise: Get a free ride on the wind.

    Wind was the original pollinator, evolving long before animal-mediated pollination. Wind doesn’t require a showy flower nor a nectar reward. What it does require for pollination to succeed is ample amounts of lightweight, small-diameter pollen.

    Why wind-blown pollen makes allergies worse

    Wind is not an efficient pollinator, however. The probability of one pollen grain landing in the right location – the stigma or ovule of another plant of the same species – is infinitesimally small.

    Therefore, wind-pollinated trees must compensate for this inefficiency by producing copious amounts of pollen, and it must be light enough to be carried.

    For allergy sufferers, that can mean air filled with microscopic pollen grains that can get into your eyes, throat and lungs, sneak in through window screens and convince your immune system that you’ve inhaled a dangerous intruder.

    When wind blows the tiny pollen grains of live oaks, allergy sufferers feel it.
    Charles Willgren/Flickr, CC BY

    Plants relying on animal-mediated pollination, by contrast, can produce heavier and stickier pollen to adhere to the body of an insect. So don’t blame the bees for your allergies – it’s really the wind.

    Climate change has a role here, too

    Plants initiate pollen release based on a few factors, including temperature and light cues. Many of our temperate tree species respond to cues that signal the beginning of spring, including warmer temperatures.

    Studies have found that pollen seasons have intensified in the past three decades as the climate has warmed. One study that examined 60 location across North America found pollen seasons expanded by an average of 20 days from 1990 to 2018 and pollen concentrations increased by 21%.

    That’s not all. Increasing carbon dioxide levels may also be driving increases in the quantity of tree pollen produced.

    Why the Southeast gets socked

    What could make this pollen boost even worse?

    For the Southeastern U.S. in particular, strong windstorms are becoming more common and more intense − and not just hurricanes.

    Anyone who has lived in the Southeast for the past couple of decades has likely noticed this. The region has more tornado warnings, more severe thunderstorms, more power outages. This is especially true in the mid-South, from Mississippi to Alabama.

    Severity of wind and storm events mapped from NOAA data, 2012-2019, shows high activity over Mississippi and Alabama. Red areas have the most severe events.
    Christine Cairns Fortuin

    Since wind is the vector of airborne pollen, windier conditions can also make allergies worse. Pollen remains airborne for longer on windy days, and it travels farther.

    To make matters worse, increasing storm activity may be doing more than just transporting pollen. Storms can also break apart pollen grains, creating smaller particles that can penetrate deeper into the lungs.

    Many allergy sufferers may notice worsening allergies during storms.

    The peak of spring wind and storm season tends to correspond to the timing of the release of tree pollen that blankets our world in yellow. The effects of climate change, including longer pollen seasons and more pollen released, and corresponding shifts in windy days and storm severity are helping to create the perfect pollen storm.

    Christine Cairns Fortuin receives funding from U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

    – ref. Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm – https://theconversation.com/worsening-allergies-arent-your-imagination-windy-days-create-the-perfect-pollen-storm-254645

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mikhail Mishustin visited the memorial complex “City of Angels” in Beslan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Those killed in the terrorist attack on September 1-3, 2004, at School No. 1 in Beslan are buried at the memorial cemetery “City of Angels”, which appeared after the tragedy. There are 266 people buried here, 186 of whom are children. The necropolis also contains the “Tree of Sorrow” monument, a khachkar, and a monument to the fighters of the special forces “Alpha” and “Vympel” and the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations who died during the storming of the school.

    The memorial complex “City of Angels” was opened in 2005. It includes the building of school No. 1, a sports hall, memorial plaques with the names of the victims, a memorial cemetery, the “Tree of Sorrow” monument, a monument to special forces and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Church of the New Martyrs of Russia, a worship cross and a khachkar donated by the children of Armenia.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jordan Batchelor, Research Analyst at the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, Arizona State University

    One reason teachers have a low suicide rate may be that they find meaning in their jobs. Digital Vision/Getty Images

    Where you work affects your risk of dying by suicide. For example, loggers, musicians and workers in the oil and gas industries have much higher rates of suicide than the rest of the population.

    But on the flip side, some professions have very low rates of suicide. One of them is education. National and state data shows that educators in the U.S., including teachers, professors and librarians, are among the least likely to die by suicide.

    We’re a team of researchers at the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University. We manage Arizona’s Violent Death Reporting System, part of a surveillance system sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with counterparts in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. We collect data on violent deaths, including suicide, thanks to agreements with local medical examiners and law enforcement.

    When public health researchers like us look at suicide data, we often focus on high-risk populations to learn where intervention and prevention are most needed. But we can learn from low-risk populations such as educators too.

    Why some professions have higher suicide rates

    Over the past 25 years, the suicide rate in the U.S. has increased significantly.

    The age-adjusted rate in 2022 was 14.2 suicides per 100,000 people, up from 10.9 a little over two decades earlier, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Epidemiologists often adjust data for age to allow for a fairer comparison of incidence rates across populations with different age distributions.

    But not all populations are affected equally. For example, military veterans die by suicide at higher rates than civilians, as do men, older adults and American Indian and Alaska Natives, to name a few demographics. In 2022 the suicide rate for men, for instance, was 23 suicides per 100,000, versus 5.9 for women.

    The rate of suicide among the working-age population is also growing. Over the past two decades it has increased by 33%, reaching a rate of 32 suicides per 100,000 for men and eight for women in 2021. And workers in certain occupations are at higher risk of dying by suicide than others.

    The reasons why are complex and diverse. Workers in construction, an industry with some of the highest suicide rates, may face greater stigma getting help for mental health issues, while people in other fields such as law enforcement may be more exposed to traumatic experiences, which can harm their mental health.

    In short, some explanations are directly tied to one’s work, such as having low job security, little autonomy or agency, and an imbalance of work efforts and rewards. Other factors are more indirect, such as an occupation’s demographic makeup or the type of personality that chooses a profession. Together, factors like these help explain the rate of suicide across occupations.

    Teachers, professors and librarians

    Educators, on the other hand, have relatively little suicide risk.

    By educators, we mean workers classified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as “educational instruction and library,” which includes teachers, tutors, professors, librarians and similar occupations.

    Nationally, about 11 in 100,000 male educators died by suicide in 2021, with the figure for women being about half that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By contrast, the rate for male workers in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media was 44.5 suicides per 100,000, and the rate for male workers in construction and extraction was 65.6.

    Data from our state of Arizona follows the same pattern. From 2016 through 2023, a total of 117 educators died by suicide, mostly primary and secondary school teachers. This works out to be an incidence rate of 7.3 suicides per 100,000 educators − one-third the rate for all Arizona workers and the lowest among all occupations in the state.

    Why educators have a low suicide rate

    So why are educators at such a low risk of suicide? After all, educational professions certainly present their own challenges. For example, many teachers experience high amounts of burnout, which can cause physical and mental health problems such as headaches, fatigue, anxiety and depression.

    A good place to begin is the profession’s demographic composition. A disproportionately high share of educators are women or are married − traits associated with lower suicide rates. Educators also tend to have high educational attainment, which may indirectly protect against suicide by increasing socioeconomic status and employability.

    Another factor is workplace environment. Workplaces that offer increased access to lethal means such as firearms and medications are associated with higher suicide rates. This helps explain why workers in law enforcement, medical professions and the military tend to show high rates. The comparatively low availability of lethal means in schools may help keep educators’ rates low.

    In addition, educators’ workplaces, typically schools and campuses, offer rich opportunities to form strong social relationships, which improve one’s overall health and help workers cope with job stress. The unique, meaningful bonds many educators form with their students, administrators and fellow educators may offer support that enhances their mental health.

    Finally, based on more contextual information in our Arizona database, we found that a lower proportion of educators who died by suicide had an alcohol or drug abuse problem. Alcohol or substance abuse problems can increase suicidal ideation and other work-related risk factors such as job insecurity and work-related injury. In short, educators may live a healthier lifestyle compared with some other workers.

    Improving worker health

    So, what can workers and employers in other professions learn from this, and how can we improve worker health?

    One lesson is to develop skills to cope with job stress. All professions are capable of producing stress, which can negatively affect a person’s mental and physical health. Identifying the root cause of job stress and applying coping skills, such as positive thinking, meditation and goal-setting, can have beneficial effects.

    Developing a social network at the workplace is also key. High-quality social relationships can improve health to a degree on par with quitting smoking. Social relationships provide tangible and intangible support and help establish one’s sense of purpose and identity. This applies outside the workplace, too. So promoting work-life balance is one way organizations can help their employees.

    Organizations can also strive to foster a positive workplace culture. One aspect of such a culture is establishing a sense of meaning or purpose in the work. For educators, this feature may help offset some of the profession’s challenges. Other aspects include appreciating employees for their hard work, identifying and magnifying employee strengths, and not creating a toxic workplace.

    It is worth noting that continued research on occupational health is important. In the context of educators, more research is needed to understand how risk differs between and within specific groups. Despite their overall low risk, no person or demographic is immune to suicide, and every suicide is preventable.

    If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of crisis, the free and confidential 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available to call, text or chat.

    This research was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, who sponsor the Arizona Violent Death Reporting System data. The findings and conclusions of this research are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

    Charles Max Katz is affiliated with Arizona State University.This research was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, who sponsor the Arizona Violent Death Reporting System data. The findings and conclusions of this research are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

    – ref. Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions – https://theconversation.com/teachers-and-librarians-are-among-those-least-likely-to-die-by-suicide-public-health-researchers-offer-insights-on-what-this-means-for-other-professions-252795

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Radar shows a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flying through the eye of Tropical Storm Idalia during a mission in 2023. Nick Underwood/NOAA

    The National Hurricane Center’s forecasts in 2024 were its most accurate on record, from its one-day forecasts, as tropical cyclones neared the coast, to its forecasts five days into the future, when storms were only beginning to come together.

    Thanks to federally funded research, forecasts of tropical cyclone tracks today are up to 75% more accurate than they were in 1990. A National Hurricane Center forecast three days out today is about as accurate as a one-day forecast in 2002, giving people in the storm’s path more time to prepare and reducing the size of evacuations.

    Accuracy will be crucial again in 2025, as meteorologists predict another active Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

    Yet, cuts in staffing and threats to funding at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which includes the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service – are diminishing operations that forecasters rely on.

    I am a meteorologist who studies lightning in hurricanes and helps train other meteorologists to monitor and forecast tropical cyclones. Here are three of the essential components of weather forecasting that have been targeted for cuts to funding and staff at NOAA.

    Tracking the wind

    To understand how a hurricane is likely to behave, forecasters need to know what’s going on in the atmosphere far from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

    Hurricanes are steered by the winds around them. Wind patterns detected today over the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains – places like Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota – give forecasters clues to the winds that will be likely along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts in the days ahead.

    Satellites can’t take direct measurements, so to measure these winds, scientists rely on weather balloons. That data is essential both for forecasts and to calibrate the complicated formulas forecasters use to make estimates from satellite data.

    A meteorologist prepares to launch a weather balloon at Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo. Data collected by the balloon’s radiosonde will help predict local weather that can influence fire behavior.
    Neal Herbert/National Park Service

    However, in early 2025, the Trump administration terminated or suspended weather balloon launches at more than a dozen locations.

    That move and other cuts and threatened cuts at NOAA have raised red flags for forecasters across the country and around the world.

    Forecasters everywhere, from TV to private companies, rely on NOAA’s data to do their jobs. Much of that data would be extremely expensive if not impossible to replicate.

    Under normal circumstances, weather balloons are released from around 900 locations around the world at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time every day. While the loss of just 12 of these profiles may not seem significant, small amounts of missing data can lead to big forecast errors. This is an example of chaos theory, more popularly known as the butterfly effect.

    The balloons carry a small instrument called a radiosonde, which records data as it rises from the surface of the Earth to around 120,000 feet above ground. The radiosonde acts like an all-in-one weather station, beaming back details of the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and air pressure every 15 feet through its flight.

    Together, all these measurements help meteorologists interpret the atmosphere overhead and feed into computer models used to help forecast weather around the country, including hurricanes.

    Hurricane Hunters

    For more than 80 years, scientists have been flying planes into hurricanes to measure each storm’s strength and help forecast its path and potential for damage.

    Known as “Hurricane Hunters,” these crews from the U.S. Air Force Reserve and NOAA routinely conduct reconnaissance missions throughout hurricane season using a variety of instruments. Similar to weather balloons, these flights are making measurements that satellites can’t.

    Hurricane Hunters use Doppler radar to gauge how the wind is blowing and LiDAR to measure temperature and humidity changes. They drop probes to measure the ocean temperature down several hundred feet to tell how much warm water might be there to fuel the storm.

    They also release 20 to 30 dropsondes, measuring devices with parachutes. As the dropsondes fall through the storm, they transmit data about the temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and air pressure every 15 feet or so from the plane to the ocean.

    Dropsondes from Hurricane Hunter flights are the only way to directly measure what is occurring inside the storm. Although satellites and radars can see inside hurricanes, these are indirect measurements that do not have the fine-scale resolution of dropsonde data.

    That data tells National Hurricane Center forecasters how intense the storm is and whether the atmosphere around the storm is favorable for strengthening. Dropsonde data also helps computer models forecast the track and intensity of storms days into the future.

    Two NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight directors were laid off in February 2025, leaving only six when 10 are preferred. Directors are the flight meteorologists aboard each flight who oversee operations and ensure the planes stay away from the most dangerous conditions.

    Having fewer directors limits the number of flights that can be sent out during busy times when Hurricane Hunters are monitoring multiple storms. And that would limit the accurate data the National Hurricane Center would have for forecasting storms.

    Eyes in the sky

    Weather satellites that monitor tropical storms from space provide continuous views of each storm’s track and intensity changes. The equipment on these satellites and software used to analyze it make increasingly accurate hurricane forecasts possible. Much of that equipment is developed by federally funded researchers.

    For example, the Cooperative Institutes in Wisconsin and Colorado have developed software and methods that help meteorologists better understand the current state of tropical cyclones and forecast future intensity when aircraft reconnaissance isn’t immediately available.

    Forecasting rapid intensification is one of the great challenges for hurricane scientists. It’s the dangerous shift when a tropical cyclone’s wind speeds jump by at least 35 mph (56 kilometers per hour) in 24 hours.

    For example, in 2018, Hurricane Michael’s rapid intensification caught the Florida Panhandle by surprise. The Category 5 storm caused billions of dollars in damage across the region, including at Tyndall Air Force Base, where several F-22 Stealth Fighters were still in hangars.

    NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite shows Hurricanes Irma, left, and Jose in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 7, 2017.
    NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), CC BY

    Under the federal budget proposal details released so far, including a draft of agencies’ budget plans marked up by Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, known as the passback, there is no funding for Cooperative Institutes. There is also no funding for aircraft recapitalization. A 2022 NOAA plan sought to purchase up to six new aircraft that would be used by Hurricane Hunters.

    The passback budget also cut funding for some technology from future satellites, including lightning mappers that are used in hurricane intensity forecasting and to warn airplanes of risks.

    It only takes one

    Tropical storms and hurricanes can have devastating effects, as Hurricanes Helene and Milton reminded the country in 2024. These storms, while well forecast, resulted in billions of dollars of damage and hundreds of fatalities.

    The U.S. has been facing more intense storms, and the coastal population and value of property in harm’s way are growing. As five former directors of the National Weather Service wrote in an open letter, cutting funding and staff from NOAA’s work that is improving forecasting and warnings ultimately threatens to leave more lives at risk.

    Chris Vagasky is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.

    – ref. Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming – https://theconversation.com/hurricane-forecasts-are-more-accurate-than-ever-noaa-funding-cuts-could-change-that-with-a-busy-storm-season-coming-255369

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New study informs fire prevention strategies to save lives and property

    Source: US Government research organizations

    U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research shows that fires in populated areas are three times more likely to lead to premature deaths than wildfires overall, informing fire mitigation efforts.

    Scientists at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) led the study, published in Science Advances, which found that smoke from fires that blaze through the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has far greater health impacts than smoke from wildfires in remote areas.

    “This research will support the development of advanced fire prevention strategies, improve building codes and lead to effective emergency response plans,” said Bernard Grant, a program director in the NSF Directorate for Geosciences. “It will help protect lives and homes, safeguard natural ecosystems and reduce the economic burden of wildfire disasters,”

    The researchers used an advanced NSF NCAR-based computer model, the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols, to simulate pollutants from fires. Their modeling included carbon monoxide chemical tracers, which allowed them to estimate emission sources and differentiate between wildland and WUI fires.

    “The health impacts are proportionately large because they’re close to human populations,” said NSF NCAR scientist Wenfu Tang, the report’s lead author. “Pollutants emitted by WUI fires, such as particulate matter and the precursors to ozone, are more harmful because they’re not dispersing across hundreds or thousands of miles.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Seeing Is Believing: UConn’s Materials Library Helps Student Researchers Weigh Options

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    If there’s one thing Christopher Sancomb freely admits, it’s that he likes things like foamed aluminum, pieces of copper, chunks of iron, and sticks of ebony.

    “I’ve always been a materials person,” says Sancomb, an assistant professor of industrial design in the Department of Art and Art History. “It’s always been a big part of my work.”

    For 15 years before coming to UConn in 2019, Sancomb designed museum exhibitions for children, a job that required him to carefully consider each material he planned to use: Would it do what he wanted it to do? Is it environmentally friendly? How hard is it to obtain? Can it be ethically sourced?

    “That began my collection and fostered a deeper interest into all the things that go along with the stuff we use in the world,” he says.

    Industrial designers and engineers – really, anyone who builds something from scratch – must think about things like this when working on projects, he says, and until now UConn students studying for these professions had no place to learn about the infinite number of materials available in the world.

    Sancomb has changed that.

    Christopher Sancomb, assistant professor of industrial design at UConn, arranges some of the items in the Materials Library within the Fine Arts Complex on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    UConn’s Materials Library, of which he is founder, has been a project five years in the making, stalled by the pandemic but now finishing its first year as a resource for students and faculty.

    In the rear of the Art Design Center – that’s Room 108 in the Art Building – the library houses a collection of raw, manufactured, and reclaimed materials from all over the world that go into the built environment around us, he explains.

    “We want to use this as a hands-on learning space, so you can see the thing, touch the thing, measure it, mark it, uncover where it comes from, learn more about it as a way to understand what we use in the world, what we put into the world as designers,” he says.

    It’s a place where people can feel the weight of a brick of mycelium, the gentleness of a tuft of alpaca wool, the grooves of a crocodile pattern on a piece of bioleather, and the sturdiness of recycled plastic turned into a 1.5-inch-thick felt-like board.

    It’s a place to refine ideas, develop new ones, and spark creativity.

    “Let’s say you came in and were thinking of using an existing plastic that had certain qualities – maybe it needs a high breaking strength and high UV sensitivity. Maybe it needs to be washed and sanitized. Traditional plastics from the petrochemical world might work, but the library would show you there are alternative biomaterials that are just as well-suited and they’re less toxic,” he says.

    Assessing Alternatives Through Hands-on Research

    Samantha Wilkins ’25 (ENG) freely admits that she loves everything about airplanes, from the ailerons to the yaw string. There’s just something about them, she says.

    As one of five interns at the Materials Library this academic year – each with their own research project in addition to helping Sancomb establish the library – she’s been thinking about sustainable aviation.

    What alternative textiles can be used as seat covers and cushions? What plant-based products can form the cabin’s airframe?

    “We have a bunch of different materials in here that I didn’t even know existed,” she says of the library.

    Take hemp, for example.

    “I was doing a lot of research and found an aircraft designer who made a completely sustainable, flyable aircraft out of hemp because it comes in all different forms. He made the entire fuselage structure out of it. This is just the textile version,” Wilkins, a multidisciplinary engineering major who’s concentrating in industrial design, says as she holds a fabric hemp sample in her hand.

    “I’ve been researching a lot about hemp, jute, flax, things like that and the different forms they can take,” she says. “It really intrigues me that you can have so many different forms from one single material and it can serve so many different uses. I love that.”

    Pamela Mackingue ’26 (SFA) says that after working as an intern this year, hemp also has become one of her new favorite things.

    A pile of wool sits on a table as Christopher Sancomb, assistant professor of industrial design at UConn, arranges some of the items in the Materials Library within the Fine Arts Complex on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    The double major in digital media and design and art with a concentration in industrial design says she’s focused her research on the fashion industry and finding materials that are more sustainable than many other products used today.

    She’s growing her own leather – out of kombucha – fermenting black tea to create a biofilm that can be dried out to resemble the texture of animal leather, conditioned to restore some of its natural oils, and dyed any color in the rainbow. What she freely admits is that it’s not her own novel idea – it’s a process she came across while researching sustainable leather alternatives.

    “As a designer, you have to think about the product you’re using, why you’re using it, what’s the purpose of it, how does it help your design,” she says. “It’s important information to know and getting that hands-on experience in the Materials Library is equally important.”

    In addition to their research projects, Sancomb says the interns are helping him with the day-to-day work of the library – that is, cataloging each item and deciding what information is important for someone to know, then putting that information into a database, which eventually will go online.

    Nonetheless, Wilkins says, “You can look at a database or inventory, but you don’t really know what you’re looking for until you get in here. The hands-on element is super important. A database can help you grasp the basics, then you can come in here to narrow down the possibilities and interact with the material you settled on.”

    Personal Belongings, Donated Items, Purchased and Procured Objects

    Sancomb opens the lid of an old cardboard box labeled “Constantine’s Rare Collection of the World’s Fine Woods” and carefully lifts out rectangle samples of cabinet wood veneer. They’re about 50 years old, he says, and were a donation from a friend.

    Each of the 50 samples no doubt has a story, he says. Some of the wood might have been over forested and no longer is available. Some might have been the root of a humanitarian conflict. Some might be lost to forest fires and labor disputes.

    “I find it really interesting the stories that can be told just from this collection and what might be in here that’s just gone,” he says.

    With hundreds of items in the library, Sancomb says the collection includes some of his personal belongings like a chunk of marble with machined, cut, and polished faces brought back after a research trip to Italy, along with donated items like a bag of wool from UConn’s farm.

    Other items have been purchased or procured without a cost other than a written request. No hazardous materials are part of the collection, and nothing is of significant monetary value – important things, Sancomb says, to keep the library freely open for all.

    “My students are required at different times to think about the library and work with it, but we want students from other disciplines to know they can come here and access the materials,” he says.

    UConn Bound in April drew dozens of prospective students and their families, and a steady stream of people came through during an open house the month prior, everyone wanting to see the library, which surprisingly isn’t something all schools have.

    A variety of items sit in the Materials Library within the Fine Arts Complex on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    The Rhode Island School of Design has a materials library, and so does the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the University of Texas at Austin, but not every school with an industrial design program boasts such a research space, Sancomb says.

    Over the next decade, he says he hopes UConn’s library can outgrow its current home and move into a larger, more permanent location, maybe joining with another library on campus to bring its catalog to the UConn community.

    Its hundreds of items could become thousands, with Connecticut industries and Connecticut products figuring prominently, he envisions. A larger budget would allow for more acquisitions, although donations likely will always be accepted.

    “We recently got a large donation of wood and veneer,” Sancomb says, “so we’re working to catalog that collection and make it available to students through an application process. This way, if someone got an IDEA grant and needed to build some furniture, for instance, they might come to us with a proposal, and we would help supply them.”

    Sancomb reaches across a table and hands off a small block of what looks like compressed soda can flip-tops.

    Imagine that someone dipped a straw into a vat of molten aluminum and blew bubbles, he says. This is the solidified result, light airy panels of foamed aluminum that are sturdy enough for some structural applications, like for insulation or exterior cladding.

    “They’re sound-dampening. They have a high fire retardancy because they’re made of metal, and they’re recyclable,” Sancomb says. “It’s a visually stunning material because you look at it and ask, ‘Is this what I think it is?’ And it is.”

    Donations of raw, manufactured, and reclaimed items can be made to the Materials Library by emailing Sancomb at christopher.sancomb@uconn.edu. Check out @uconnindustrialdesign on Instagram for its Material Monday campaign, featuring materials that might not be in the library but have interesting backstories.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU became the arena for the National Project Management Championship

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    The National Project Management Championship was held at the State University of Management, organized jointly with the youth wing of the project management association SOVNET Young Crew Russia.

    The National Project Management Championship is a two-stage competition consisting of a qualification round and a final. The event aims to increase student involvement in project management, interest in professional project management, and the exchange of knowledge and experience between researchers and the professional community.

    The championship brought together representatives from 24 Russian cities. At the first stage, 93 teams from 47 universities passed the ICB 4.0 standard test prepared by SOVNET Vice President Alexander Kaltykov and consisting of 28 cases. The finalist teams met at the State University of Management to get acquainted, exchange experiences, try their hand at developing a project based on a real case from the Project PRACTICE Group of Companies and compete for the main prize – the opportunity to undergo free IPMA Level D certification.

    To evaluate the teams’ work, a pool of experts was formed, which included seven professionals in the field of project management:

    Dmitry Bryukhanov – Vice-Rector of the State University of Management; Dmitry Medvedev – Director of the SOVNET-SERT Certified Center; Yuri Kim – General Director of ANO TsORPU; Maxim Guzenko – Head of the Department for Work with Universities of the Moscow Bank of PJSC Sberbank; Natalia Starkova – Director of the Department of Academic Policy and Implementation of Educational Programs of the State University of Management; Evgeny Bespalov – Head of the Project Office of JSC GT Energo; Mikhail Zorin – Chairman of the Young Crew SOVNET youth community

    The partners of the event were: – SOVNET – National Project Management Association; – GC “Project PRACTICE”; – PJSC “Sberbank”; – ANO “TsORPU”; – Business Studio “LAB”; – Case Club Garnet.

    Teams from GUU, HSE, RTU MIREA, Financial University, PNIPU and RANEPA defended their projects. Four hours of non-stop brainstorming: participants, like seasoned architects of the future, designed a solution for one of the key national projects, tying it to the region of Russia they had chosen.

    The third place was taken by the team of the National Research University Higher School of Economics with a project to develop a digital product aimed at developing a culture of blood donation in the Samara region. The second place was taken by the team of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, which proposed the development of the SPO program “Innovation Engineer”, which solves the problem of shortage of qualified personnel in the Kaluga region. The well-deserved victory was won by the team of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation with a project to develop and implement stops in the city of Gorlovka that ensure safety for local residents.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 05.05.2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stay Air Aware: Maine DEP Observes Air Quality Awareness Week

    Source: US State of Maine

    May 3, 2025

    CONTACT:

    While Maine has some of the best air quality in the nation, there are still pollutants like ground-level ozone and small particles that can harm the heart and lungs. This is especially important to remember during National Air Quality Awareness Week, occurring from May 5 to May 9, 2025. Ozone is produced when sunlight and warmer temperatures create chemical reactions with pollutants emitted by various sources. Particle Pollution is produced from both natural and man-made processes and include things such as dust, soil, soot, smoke and sea salt. Maine’s peak ozone levels occur during the warmer summer months, while particle pollution levels are higher mostly during the summer and winter months. Additionally, May 6 marks World Asthma Day, a reminder of the ongoing battle that many face against respiratory conditions.

    In recent years, Maine has seen an increase in smoke from wildfires in the western United States and Canada. When wildfires create smoky conditions, there are things you can do, indoors and out, to reduce your exposure to smoke. Reducing exposure is important for everyone’s health – especially children, older adults, and people with heart or lung disease.

    • Have enough medication and food (enough for more than 5 days) on hand.

    • Follow your health care providers advice about what to do if you have heart or lung disease.

    • If you have asthma, follow your asthma management plan.

    • If you feel sick, reduce your exposure to smoke and contact your health care provider.

    • Pay attention to public service announcements, health advisories, and air quality advisories.

    Maine DEP forecasts Ozone and Particle Pollution year-round which is available on DEP’s website, via toll free hotline, EnviroFlash emails and text messages. Forecasts are issued using a color-based Air Quality Index created by EPA. Green – good; Yellow – moderate; Orange – unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people and Red – unhealthy pollution levels for all.

    While sensitive people may feel the impacts sooner or at lower levels when the air is in the unhealthy for sensitive groups (USG) or higher category, everyone should think about ways to reduce their exposure. Please take some time to think about how you contribute to air pollution and what you can do to make a positive difference. Here are a few ways to help reduce air pollution in your community especially, on days when the air quality is expected to be unhealthy:

    • Conserve electricity

    • Choose a cleaner commute by carpooling or using public transportation where available

    • Combine errands, reduce trips

    • Defer the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment until early evening hours

    • Limit idling

    • Refuel vehicles after dusk

    • Use environmentally friendly paints and cleaning products

    For more information about Air Quality visit Maine DEP’s website.

    For additional information, contact: David R. Madore, Deputy Commissioner david.madore@maine.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Violation of media freedom and pluralism in Tusk’s ‘militant democracy’ and EU values – E-001622/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001622/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Mariusz Kamiński (ECR)

    ‘Media freedom and pluralism are a vital part of democracy and of the fundamental rights of EU citizens. True democracy is not possible without a free media scrutinising those in power. The media is a key pillar in the checks and balances that underpin democratic rule. That’s why the descent into authoritarian rule often starts with independent media being targeted. Over the last few decades, a number of states across the globe have taken this path, using coercion and often violence to persecute media outlets and individual journalists’[1] – quoted from the European Council website. This quote perfectly reflects the situation in Poland under the government of Donald Tusk.

    In light of the above:

    • 1.Does the Commission’s silence regarding the unlawful, forceful takeover of public service media using secret service methods, such as switching off the television signal[2], and the systemic destruction of opposition media through attempts to withdraw concessions[3], pressure advertisers[4], refuse admission to press conferences (including during life-threatening emergencies, such as flooding[5]) and the use of aggression and violence against journalists[6] not constitute an authorisation to destroy democracy in a Member State?
    • 2.Does the Commission consider that the system described by Donald Tusk as ‘militant democracy’, which includes the drastic examples of the destruction of media freedom and pluralism described above, to be in line with the values of the Union which the Commission is so eager to invoke?
    • 3.Is the Commission aware that Civic Platform is violating the law, including electoral rules, by discriminating against candidates and using public television and its resources to organise electoral agitation, as happened on 11 April in Końskie[7]?

    Submitted: 23.4.2025

    • [1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/media-freedom-eu/
    • [2] https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/wylaczono-nadawanie-kanalu-tvp-info-oraz-portalu-tvp-info-muller-nielegalne
    • [3] https://sdp.pl/zamach-na-wolnosc-slowa-cmwp-sdp-w-obronie-koncesji-naziemnej-dla-telewizji-republika-i-w-polsce24/
    • [4] https://www.press.pl/tresc/80495,prawicowi-dziennikarze-protestuja-przeciw-zastraszaniu-reklamodawcow-telewizji-republika_-podpisal-sie-tez-tomasz-sakiewicz
    • [5] https://www.press.pl/tresc/83971,prokuratura-wszczela-dochodzenie-ws_-niewpuszczania-dziennikarzy-republiki-na-konferencje-premiera https://biznesalert.pl/krrit-zlozyla-zawiadomienie-do-prokuratury-chodzi-o-informowanie-mediow-podczas-powodzi/
    • [6] https://sdp.pl/sdp-zlozy-do-prokuratury-ws-poturbowania-dziennikarza-tv-republika-podczas-wiecu-wyborczego-rafala-trzaskowskiego/
    • [7] https://wpolityce.pl/media/726640-szef-krrit-pisze-do-pkw-ws-udzialu-tvp-w-debacie-w-konskich
    Last updated: 5 May 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF condemns bombing of our hospital in South Sudan

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Jonglei State, SOUTH SUDAN – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) strongly condemns the deliberate bombing of our hospital in Old Fangak, South Sudan, on 3 May. The attack began at around 4:30am when two helicopter gunships first dropped a bomb on the MSF pharmacy, burning it to the ground, then went on to fire on the town of Old Fangak for around 30 minutes. At around 7am, a drone bombed the Old Fangak market. There have been at least seven deaths and 20 injured.

    “At 8am, we received around 20 wounded people at our hospital in Old Fangak, including four in a critical condition,” says Mamman Mustapha, MSF head of mission in South Sudan. “There are reports of more fatalities and wounded in the community. One patient and two care givers, including one of our staff, who were already inside the hospital were injured in the bombing – patients who were not in a critical condition ran from the facility.”

    “The bombing of our hospital in Old Fangak has resulted in significant damage, including the complete destruction of the pharmacy, which was burned to the ground,” says Mustapha. “This is where all our medical supplies for the hospital and our outreach activities were stored, severely compromising our ability to provide care. We strongly condemn this attack, which took place despite the geolocations of all MSF structures, including Old Fangak hospital, being shared with all parties to the conflict.”

    “Old Fangak hospital is the only hospital in Fangak county, serving a population of over 110,000 people who already had extremely limited access to healthcare. We are still assessing the full extent of the damage and the impact on our ability to provide care, but this attack clearly means people will now be even further cut-off from receiving life-saving treatment,” says Mustapha. “We call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure – this includes health workers, patients and health facilities. Hospitals must never be targeted and the lives of civilians must be protected.”

    The MSF hospital in Old Fangak on fire after being attacked. South Sudan, May 2025.

    This is the second time an MSF hospital has been impacted in the past month, following the armed looting of our hospital and premises in Ulang, Upper Nile state on 14 April, which led to all of Ulang county being cut off from accessing secondary healthcare. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Participants of the memorial event

    A memorial event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held at SPbGASU.

    Our university greeted the participants of the celebration with the sounds of wartime music. The veterans shared their memories.

    Zoya Ivanovna Kruglova taught French at LISI (SPbGASU) for 41 years and headed the trade union. When the war began, Zoya Ivanovna lived in Vyshny Volochok and went to first grade. “My father was at war, my brother was at war, my sister also volunteered for the front. My mother and I were left alone. As the Germans approached, we had to evacuate – first 20 kilometers to the village of Golovkino, then to another village where my father’s sister lived. There I went to second grade. It was three kilometers to school… Then we returned to Volochok.

    I remember Victory Day very well. It was a clear sunny day. I got up, my neighbor was running and saying – the war is over, victory! At school, the teacher told everyone to go to the city center, there would be a celebration there. We were very happy that the war was over. We danced, we danced.”

    Alexander Matveevich Maslennikov first entered the walls of our university 75 years ago, in 1950, as a student. He had A’s in all subjects. During his studies, he received only one B, and that was because he was ill. Then – postgraduate studies, defending a candidate’s and doctoral dissertation. Andrei Matveevich was one of the first in our country to introduce the matrix form of calculation of building structures and the finite element method into the educational process, he headed the department of structural mechanics of our university for 25 years, and was vice-rector for science.

    At the beginning of the war, Aleksandr Matveyevich was 14 years old. At 15, he went to work and worked on a ship of the Belsk River Shipping Company in Bashkiria throughout the war. Aleksandr Matveyevich jokes that his job title suited his last name very well – he was an oiler in the engine room. Aleksandr Matveyevich celebrated Victory Day in the firebox of a steamboat boiler.

    “There were three people on watch in the engine rooms. The mechanic was the main one. I was the oiler. And the third was the stoker. It was dark to go back to the city, we had to spend the night somewhere. It was cold in the steamer itself. We cleared the boiler firebox of ash, threw in rags – one of our materials that we used to clean the mechanisms so that they would work smoothly. And we spent the night right in the firebox. Suddenly the whistle blew. They were shouting – victory, victory! They announced that we had won, the war was over.”

    Marina Malyutina’s performance

    Marina Malyutina, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, spoke about our university’s contribution to the Victory. More than 950 students, postgraduates, teachers, employees and graduates of LISI went to the active army, to hospitals, medical battalions, and air defense units. Teachers and professors designed and supervised the construction of pillboxes, bunkers, and other defensive structures outside the city, camouflaged military facilities and architectural monuments. It was largely due to their efforts that not a single monument was destroyed during the 900 days of the siege. From March 1942 to August 1944, the institute’s staff was evacuated, where scientific research continued and the educational process did not stop. In 1945, the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Many teachers, employees and students were awarded medals “For the Defense of Leningrad”.

    Marina Viktorovna is sure that the memory of the war is a powerful factor in uniting people and forming national unity. “The exploits of previous generations are a moral guideline that inspires us to new achievements and hard work. We at SPbGASU will continue to preserve and increase the memory of the generation of victors and their legacy, educate highly qualified civil engineers and architects who will strengthen the sovereignty of our country with their work.”

    The Chairman of the Regional Public Organization “Association of Veterans of the Special Military Operation “Defenders of the Motherland”” Georgy Zhuravlev spoke to the participants of the memorial event. He spoke about the exploits of his family members during the Great Patriotic War and noted: through the stories of his loved ones, he understood what fascism brings to this world, so he went to the SVO. He took part in military operations near Kharkov, was seriously wounded, and was awarded the Order of Courage. Georgy Zhuravlev emphasized: now, when our country is facing new challenges, we are obliged to win the war against the new Nazism.

    The participants of the solemn ceremony observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen defenders of the Motherland and laid flowers at the memorial plaques on the balustrade of the main building of the university. A concert prepared by the Student Leisure and Creativity Center “Kirpich” took place in the assembly hall.

    An exhibition entitled “Faces of Victory” opened on the lower balustrade, dedicated to the teachers, students, and graduates of our university who fought during the Great Patriotic War or worked in the rear, performing the most important tasks for the country.

    Aleksandr Vasilyevich Prygunov (1907–1943) – Hero of the Soviet Union, graduate of the Institute of Municipal Construction Engineers (as our university was then called) in 1936. From the end of 1941, he commanded a sapper platoon on the Karelian Front. From May 1943, he took command of a sapper company, which distinguished itself in equipping three bypasses and restoring two bridges across the Lisenok River in the Gaivoronsky District of the Kursk Region, ensuring the timely passage of all divisional cargo.

    In the autumn of 1943, the brigade was tasked with forcing the Dnieper with assault troops. On the night of September 27, 1943, the company’s grenadiers ferried the first assault troops across the Dnieper, quickly set up a ferry crossing and began delivering artillery, ammunition and soldiers. The enemy opened fierce artillery and mortar fire on the crossing. Most of the boats were damaged, but Senior Lieutenant Prygunov, organizing repairs to the watercraft, and his soldiers continued to selflessly work on the crossing and the two surviving boats. Fierce fighting continued for two days. Despite the losses suffered and the lack of ferry equipment, Prygunov’s sapper company, under enemy fire, transported 17 artillery pieces, 117 boxes of ammunition, 557 soldiers and officers, as well as a large amount of other military equipment across the Dnieper in two nights. On September 29, 1943, A. V. Prygunov was mortally wounded by a shell fragment in the chest.

    For exemplary performance of combat missions, Senior Lieutenant A. V. Prygunov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

    Ivan Ivanovich Solomakhin (1908–1989) is a graduate of the Leningrad Institute of Municipal Construction (another name for our university). In early 1943, Solomakhin’s battalion took part in Operation Iskra on the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts to break through the blockade, and in the summer in the battles for the Sinyavin Heights. During battles with his battalion of sappers, using cold weapons, he was able to capture the “Devil’s Height,” which had been fought for over a year. As a result of the surprise attack, several hundred fascists were killed and 120 were captured. The engineering battalion lost 16 people killed and 26 wounded. He was awarded seven orders and three medals. A passage in the Kirovsky District of St. Petersburg is named after Ivan Solomakhin.

    In addition, the exhibition “The University During the War Years”, prepared by the historical and information center of SPbGASU, is open in the university museum (room 213). Anyone can visit it.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Buffett, Cook stress dangers of new US tariff policy

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

    Billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Apple CEO Tim Cook have joined a chorus of business leaders warning against Washington’s tariff-driven trade policies, highlighting that they are inflating costs for companies in the United States and harming economic growth.

    Their remarks show that even large corporations with diversified supply chains, like Apple, are feeling the strain, while smaller US enterprises reliant on imports face bigger risks, industry experts said.

    “Trade should not be a weapon,” Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, told the company’s annual shareholders meeting on Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska.

    “It’s a big mistake, in my view, when you have seven and a half billion people that don’t like you very well, and you got 300 million that are crowing in some way about how well they’ve done — I don’t think it’s right, and I don’t think it’s wise,” said Buffett.

    He said tariffs had “led to bad things”.

    “Just the attitudes it’s brought out. In the US, I mean, we should be looking to trade with the rest of the world and we should do what we do best and they should do what they do best,” Buffett said.

    He emphasized that US prosperity hinges on global economic health.

    “I do think that the more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won’t be at our expense, the more prosperous we’ll become, and the safer we’ll feel and your children will feel someday,” he added.

    The remarks followed data showing that the US economy contracted for the first time in three years, swamped by a flood of imports as businesses raced to avoid higher costs from tariffs.

    The US GDP decreased at an annualized rate of 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the preceding quarter, marking the first decline in three years, said Reuters, quoting a report from the US Commerce Department.

    Cook from Apple revealed on Thursday that tariffs could add $900 million to the US tech company’s costs this quarter.

    “Assuming the current global tariff rates, policies, and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add $900 million to our costs,” he told a quarterly earnings call.

    About 90 percent of Apple’s iPhone, its most profitable product, is produced in China, according to estimates by the Los Angeles-based financial services firm Wedbush Securities.

    Bai Ming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said the “America First” approach has backfired, with tariffs raising input costs for manufacturers, squeezing consumer prices, and eroding business confidence.

    “The tariffs hit the US companies very hard. It is ultimately American consumers that pay the extra bill,” Bai added.

    Jeffrey Sachs, a world-renowned professor of economics and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, told China Daily that Washington’s tariff policy is “destructive for the United States and disruptive for the world”.

    “Protectionism will fail and increasingly isolate the US in the world economy and politics. There are few countries that will accept Trump’s approach, even in Europe,” Sachs added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Iran Revises Port Blast Death toll to 57

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    TEHRAN, May 5 (Xinhua) — Iran on Sunday revised down the death toll from a powerful blast at its main commercial port late last month, dropping the death toll to 57 from 70. Two suspects have been detained.

    The semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing Hormozgan provincial chief judge Mojtaba Karemani, reported that the updated toll from the April 26 blast at Shahid Rajaee port included 46 bodies found and identified and 11 people still missing.

    M. Kareman explained that the number of victims decreased after forensic examination established that some body parts collected separately belonged to the same people. A special task force was created to search for the missing, he added.

    State television reported on Sunday that two people, including a government official, had been detained.

    The explosion and subsequent fire left more than 1,200 people injured, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Search and rescue operations at the scene ended on Sunday.

    Authorities have pointed to safety violations that led to the incident. A statement from the provincial crisis management office cited a failure to comply with safety and passive defense measures, while Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni last Monday cited “a certain amount of negligence.”

    The Shahid Rajaee Port, located in the southern province of Hormozgan, is Iran’s largest maritime hub, handling the vast majority of container traffic and more than half of the country’s trade. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Sudan

    Source:

    We’ve reviewed our advice for Sudan and continue to advise do not travel due to the dangerous security situation and the threat of armed conflict and civil unrest. Australians should strongly consider leaving Sudan as soon as possible. There are commercial departure options from Port Sudan and Port Suakin. Carefully consider the risks for any departure route, including during ceasefires. The security situation remains volatile, and violence can escalate at short notice. Adopt appropriate personal security measures and remain vigilant. Monitor media for updates (see ‘Safety’).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Costa, Newhouse, Curtis Push to Unlock Federal Funding for Western Water Infrastructure

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

    WASHINGTON—Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), and Senator John Curtis (R-UT) introduced the Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening water quality and storage infrastructure across the Western United States. “Water is the lifeblood of the West, and as climate change intensifies drought and weather extremes, we must invest in reliable, modern water infrastructure,” said Congressman Costa. “Our legislation will provide California and San Joaquin Valley water managers with the tools they need to expand water storage and ensure clean drinking water in our communities.”  “After meeting with several water conservancy districts across Utah over the past few months, one thing is clear: Utah’s rapid population growth is placing significant pressure on our community water resources,” said Senator Curtis. “This bipartisan legislation would make it easier for local governments and utilities to invest in critical water infrastructure projects—helping ensure we can meet the growing needs of our communities.”“Federal irrigation, clean water, and wastewater projects are essential to rural areas like Central Washington, but a lack of resources for maintenance and repairs puts our water infrastructure at risk. This legislation gives our local water managers the tools they need to sustain long-term projects and guarantee clean, safe water that our communities, farmers, and ranchers rely on,” said Congressman Newhouse.”As we face the ongoing challenges of water scarcity in the West, the introduction of the Every Drop Counts Act and the Groundwater Technical Assistance Act represents a useful step toward ensuring a sustainable future for our communities, ecosystems, and farms. These bipartisan efforts will not only enhance our capabilities for groundwater recharge but also empower local agencies to innovate and implement solutions that restore our vital aquifers. Together, we are laying the groundwork for a resilient water supply that supports agriculture, the environment, and the needs of our growing population,” said Rick Borges, President of the Friant Water Authority.“The Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act provides much-needed reforms related to technical issues that substantially limit access to WIFIA loan funding for facilities under federal ownership, regardless of the method of loan repayment,” said Cannon Michael, Board Chair of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. “We thank Rep. Costa for his leadership on this issue. Given the significant infrastructure improvements needed to improve the reliability of water supplies for the Water Authority’s members, it’s critical that every funding tool be available to improve affordability for the farming families, disadvantaged communities, and wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts who are reliant on the Water Authority’s members for their water supplies.”BACKGROUNDCalifornia’s San Joaquin Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, depends heavily on complex water delivery systems to sustain its economy and rural communities. However, the region is grappling with drought, groundwater depletion, and strict water quality standards. The Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act would update the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), originally enacted in 2014. This legislation accelerates investment in the nation’s aging water systems by offering long-term, low-cost loans for major water projects. This bill would clarify that federally owned water infrastructure, when operated by non-federal entities such as California’s Friant Water Authority and the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority is eligible for WIFIA financing.Access to WIFIA financing will enable San Joaquin Valley water agencies to invest in infrastructure upgrades, including groundwater recharge, surface storage, and conveyance improvements.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 9 dead, 1 missing after 4 pleasure boats capsize in southwest China /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    GUIYANG, May 5 (Xinhua) — Nine people were killed and one was missing after four pleasure boats capsized on a river in Qianxi City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province on Sunday, local authorities said.

    Four boats capsized due to sudden strong winds, leaving 84 people stranded in the river. The local emergency response service reported that nine people have died, 70 people have been taken to hospital for treatment, their lives are not in danger, and four people were not injured.

    Rescue work is currently ongoing. Guizhou provincial authorities have deployed about 500 personnel from relevant departments, including police, firefighters and medical personnel, to coordinate the rescue work. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Israeli army calls up tens of thousands of reservists to expand Gaza offensive

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    JERUSALEM, May 4 (Xinhua) — Israel’s military has begun issuing “tens of thousands” of draft notices to reservists to expand its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Sunday during a visit to a naval base, vowing to step up pressure on the Palestinian Hamas movement to free hostages.

    “This week we are issuing tens of thousands of draft notices to our reservists to strengthen and expand operations in Gaza,” said E. Zamir. “We are increasing the pressure to bring our hostages home and defeat Hamas.”

    He added that as part of the expanded offensive, the army would operate in “additional territories” of the enclave and destroy “all military infrastructure.”

    E. Zamir said that reservists will also be sent to other areas, including the northern border with Lebanon and Syria, as well as the occupied West Bank.

    Earlier over the weekend, Israeli forces struck more than 100 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militant cells, underground infrastructure and military camps, the IDF said.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners have vowed to continue the war until Hamas is completely defeated, despite growing pressure from the Israeli public for a ceasefire to free the 59 hostages Israel says are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

    In March, Israel ended a two-month truce with Hamas and resumed air and ground fighting. More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli offensive began in October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Explosion and fire in residential building in Moscow, two dead

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Moscow, May 4 (Xinhua) — An explosion followed by a fire rocked a residential building in southwestern Moscow on Sunday evening, killing two people and injuring several others, the Russian Emergencies Ministry reported.

    Earlier, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the city of Moscow announced that a fire had started on the ninth floor of a residential building. Two apartments caught fire, and the floors between the eighth and ninth floors collapsed.

    Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported on Telegram that the causes of the explosion are being established. “Fire and rescue units, city services, and doctors are working quickly at the scene,” he wrote. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pakuranga Road now open following fire

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Pakuranga Road has reopened in both directions following an earlier building fire.

    Investigations into the cause of the fire at the McDonalds are underway.

    Police would like to thank the public for their patience while the fire was extinguished.

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: LINCOLN HWY/MITCHELLVILLE RD HIGHWAY, COWELL (Grass Fire)

    Source: South Australia County Fire Service

    COWELL

    Issued on
    05 May 2025 14:14

    Cowell Grass Fire

    Issued for COWELL near Lincoln Highway and Mitchellville Road intersection, 3km North of Cowell in the Eastern Eyre Peninsula of South Australia.

    CFS firefighters on 3 trucks have contained the fire, which was burning adjacent the roadside on Lincoln Highway. Firefighters will remain on scene into this afternoon to ensure the fireground remains safe.

    Roads are currently open around this incident however this may change at short notice. Continue to monitor road closures at: traffic.sa.gov.au

    Emergency services may be working on and around roads in the area, and motorists are advised to stay away. If you need to travel on roads in the area, please take care and drive to the local conditions.

    Smoke may impact roads in the area, and visibility may be reduced. To ensure your safety and that of firefighters and other emergency personnel who are working in the area, please do not enter the area unless necessary.

    Message ID 0008585

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: At 4,534 meters above sea level, they help monitor world climate change

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

    In the early morning, Shi Kaihao struggles to run against the wind. The sharp breeze cuts through his clothes, but he is focused on his task: dragging a two-meter-diameter hydrogen balloon to the sky.

    Twice a day, with the help of his colleagues, he fills the balloon with hydrogen, hangs sensors that measure temperature, humidity, wind speed and other meteorological data at the bottom of the balloon, and releases it into the air.

    Shi, 28, works at the Tuotuohe Meteorological Station at an altitude of 4,534 meters, located at the source of the Yangtze River in the city of Golmud, northwest China’s Qinghai Province.

    This photo taken with a mobile phone shows a staff member inflating a weather balloon at the Tuotuohe Meteorological Station in northwest China’s Qinghai Province, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Linhai)

    Since its establishment in 1956, meteorologists have been stationed there, obtaining precious meteorological data and contributing to the climate observation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as “the roof of the world.”

    Releasing balloons in this high-altitude area is no easy feat, considering the oxygen content in the air is less than 60 percent of that at sea level and the maximum wind speed reaches 17 meters per second. Even in spring, temperatures remain far below freezing, and the thin air makes every movement exhausting.

    “Sometimes, some of our slighter colleagues get dragged by the wind while running to release the balloon, ending up thrown hard to the ground,” said Shi.

    In addition to upper-air meteorological observations, he and his colleagues carry out fieldwork including permafrost monitoring, temperature measurements and ecological surveys.

    This photo taken with a mobile phone shows a staff member adjusting a meteorological observation device at the Tuotuohe Meteorological Station in northwest China’s Qinghai Province, June 30, 2024. (Golmud’s meteorological bureau/Handout via Xinhua)

    Miao Peilin, head of the station, said the upper-air detection measurements contribute to global meteorological data exchange, providing a vital reference for studying worldwide weather patterns and climate change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

    “Despite various hardships, we know that our meteorological observation data is of great significance,” said Miao, 36.

    The station now has nine workers. Miao not only works with the team on daily weather monitoring tasks but also takes care of his colleagues, aged between 25 and 30. He said many young people struggle to adapt here, spending years in solitude.

    “After working here for a while, even traffic in the city feels scary,” he said.

    A staff member operates a meteorological observation device at the Tuotuohe Meteorological Station in northwest China’s Qinghai Province, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue)

    The station keeps a cat and this lively little companion brings joy to their otherwise quiet and routine-filled days.

    Over the decades, the station has witnessed enormous changes. Wang Shengcang, the observation center director of Golmud’s meteorological bureau, used to work in the station for 12 years, starting in 1993. Back then, before the railway line had been built, he and his colleagues had to hitch a lift on trucks to get to the station from the city proper. The trip took up to two days if it was snowy. Supplies were scarce, often little more than potatoes and cabbage.

    “A monthly letter from home became my meager comfort,” said Wang, now 54.

    The working conditions there have greatly improved, with makeshift facilities transformed into brick-and-mortar houses and dormitories with an oxygen supply.

    Staff members pose for a group photo at the Tuotuohe Meteorological Station in northwest China’s Qinghai Province, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Qi Zhiyue)

    Equipment upgrades have also enhanced meteorological data automation and accuracy. In 2023, the new BeiDou satellite-based navigation sounding system became operational, enabling real-time acquisition of second-level atmospheric data during the ascent, float and descent stages of weather balloons. This significantly enhances vertical atmospheric sounding capabilities and greatly improves meteorological support for disaster prevention and mitigation.

    Data from the Tuotuohe Meteorological Station shows that over the past 30 years, the average annual temperature in the area has risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius, annual precipitation has increased by 13.8 percent, and the number of sandstorm days has decreased from an average of 11.1 days per year to 5 days compared with the 1971-2000 period.

    Zhang Chengxiang, head of Golmud’s meteorological bureau, said that rising temperatures and increased precipitation confirmed the warming and humidification trend of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. At the same time, the decrease in sandstorms and strong winds is attributed to ecological conservation efforts such as desert control and grassland restoration in nearby regions like the Sanjiangyuan, an area that contains the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers.

    “The data serves as strong evidence of climate change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and provides important references for permafrost research and ecological management on the plateau,” he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Torres on GOP “Skinny Budget”: A Full-On Assault on Working Families, Trump’s Plan to Make America Unsafe Again

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    May 02, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35) issued a statement on the administration’s plan for Fiscal Year 2026, calling it a dangerous, extremist blueprint ripped straight from Donald Trump’s playbook — a plan to Make America Unsafe Again.

    “Let’s be clear: this isn’t a budget — it’s a declaration of war on working families. Republicans want to gut the programs that keep our kids in school, our families healthy, and our communities safe — just to bankroll tax cuts for billionaires and Trump’s MAGA cronies. Even by their own math, the Trump-Musk budget slashes $163 billion from domestic investments — a brutal 23% cut,” said Torres. “These aren’t just numbers on a page — they’re programs that families in the Inland Empire rely on to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Republicans want to gut $880 billion from Medicaid, raid Social Security, and permanently freeze over $400 billion owed to the American people. All to protect yacht-buying tax breaks? Not on my watch.”

    The Trump-Musk budget would: 

    Raise the Cost of Living and Harm the Economy

    • Evict hundreds of thousands of seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities by slashing affordable housing programs — and force homeless shelters to halt operations, even as more than 771,000 people are experiencing homelessness.

    • Zero out the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, turning off the heat and air conditioning for 6 million households.

    • Eliminate the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, forcing more than 1,000 mayors and governors to abandon street, water, and sewer improvements and vital services for youth and seniors.

    Decimate Public Education

    • Make it harder for students to afford college by need-based financial aid for 1.7 million students by cutting Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) and ending the Federal Work Study Program for more than 500,000 students.

    • Eliminate English Language Acquisition programs, cutting services for over 5 million English learners.

    Make Americans Less Safe

    • Slash funding for public safety by cutting resources at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

    • Eliminate thousands of FBI positions, including intelligence analysts who help prevent domestic and international threats.

    • Defund grants to prevent hate crimes and protect civil rights.

    • Cut weather satellite funding, crippling storm forecasting and emergency response capabilities during natural disasters.

    Make Communities Less Healthy

    • Eviscerate the CDC by eliminating dozens of programs — from HIV/AIDS, tobacco, and asthma prevention to maternal health and emergency preparedness.

    • Slash substance use prevention and treatment programs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, undermining the fight against opioids.

    • Cut food assistance programs, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food assistance for seniors.

    • Slash NIH funding by 40%, halting progress toward cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and more.

    • Eliminate air pollution control programs, increasing Americans’ exposure to harmful pollutants.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Torres, Padilla, Schiff, Slam DHS Immigration Enforcement in Pomona Harming Economy, CA Communities

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    May 02, 2025

    Lawmakers urge DHS to “focus enforcement against those who pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants who are essential to our economic success

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representative Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35), U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), condemned the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) indiscriminate immigration enforcement raids in Pomona, California as part of President Trump’s cruel mass deportation agenda that are terrorizing California communities and harming the economy. The lawmakers demanded answers on recent egregious DHS enforcement actions — without notice or coordination — including the arrest of at least 10 day laborers outside of a Home Depot, the detainment of a small business owner at gunpoint outside of his barbershop, and an enforcement raid at a Pomona auto body shop conducted with the Riverside County Sherriff’s department.

    Padilla, Schiff, and Torres underscored the deep distrust and economic chaos these enforcement raids foster, hurting entire communities and national supply chains and keeping consumers at home out of fear.

    “We write with deep concern regarding recent immigration enforcement actions conducted in Pomona, California, that have caused widespread fear, disrupted local businesses, and harmed community trust in law enforcement,” wrote the lawmakers.

    “Enforcement actions that indiscriminately disrupt immigrant communities – particularly without transparency or local coordination – threaten not only individual rights but also the economic stability and public safety of entire cities like Pomona,” continued the lawmakers. “Pomona’s small businesses are already feeling the impact. Customers are afraid to shop. Workers are afraid to show up for work.”

    The lawmakers highlighted that California’s economy — now the fourth largest in the world — relies on the contributions of immigrant labor, as immigrants and their children make up the majority (55 percent) of California’s workforce, with immigrants alone comprising 34 percent of the state’s population. Last year, undocumented immigrants contributed $87 billion in household income, $66 billion in spending power, $50 billion to Social Security, and $14 billion to Medicare. They emphasized that immigrant workers make up a significant portion of California’s leading agriculture, health care, and construction sectors. Immigrant construction workers comprise over 40 percent of California’s construction workforce, and are already doing essential work to help Los Angeles County rebuild from the devastating wildfires earlier this year.

    The lawmakers stressed that rather than indiscriminately targeting long-term residents with no criminal records, DHS should work with Congress to help provide these immigrants with a pathway to citizenship. Senator Padilla previously introduced the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, which would create a pathway to citizenship for immigrant essential workers, including Dreamers, as his first bill in Congress.

    “While no one disagrees with targeting violent criminals for deportation, the enforcement actions in Pomona demonstrate that the Department is indiscriminately targeting all noncitizens for removal — including those who have no criminal records and who have been living in and contributing to our communities for decades,” added the lawmakers.“These actions do not make us safer and are contrary to the ideals that we all stand for. We urge you to instead focus enforcement against those who pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants who are essential to our economic success.”

    The lawmakers concluded their letter by demanding information on the raids, including why local officials were not notified and what steps DHS is taking to rebuild trust with immigrant communities.

    “We urge your Department to review these operations carefully and to recommit to an immigration enforcement strategy that prioritizes public safety, upholds civil rights, and reflects the economic realities and moral values of our nation,” concluded the lawmakers.

    Senator Padilla blasted the Pomona immigration raids last week, emphasizing that indiscriminate immigrant enforcement hurts our communities and economy.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Noem,

    We write with deep concern regarding recent immigration enforcement actions conducted in Pomona, California, that have caused widespread fear, disrupted local businesses, and harmed community trust in law enforcement.

    According to press reports, the City of Pomona in our home state of California has been at the epicenter of recent immigration enforcement activity, much of which has been conducted without giving notice to local officials:

    • On Tuesday, April 22, Martin Majin-Leon, a long-time resident and small business owner, was detained at gunpoint in front of his barbershop, terrorizing his family and community. He was released after 30 hours, but the trauma persists. Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval expressed frustration, commenting to federal officials that they were “terrorizing our community.” Reports suggest DMV records may have played a role in his targeting, raising concerns about data-sharing between state agencies and federal immigration authorities.
    • Meanwhile, that same day, federal immigration enforcement agents detained as many as 20 day laborers outside a Home Depot in Pomona, where witnesses saw agents arrive in marked and unmarked vehicles around 8 a.m. The Pomona Police Department had no prior knowledge of the operation, and conflicting reports have persisted regarding whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or other federal law enforcement entities were responsible for the detentions.
    • Later that week, on Friday, April 25, another major enforcement action occurred at Moon Auto Collision in Pomona, executed jointly by Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies and Homeland Security Special Response Teams under the auspices of a narcotics warrant. Pomona city officials, including Mayor Tim Sandoval, were given no prior notice. Mayor Sandoval, upon visiting the scene, underscored the devastating impact these operations have had on community trust and the economic health of local businesses.

    Enforcement actions that indiscriminately disrupt immigrant communities – particularly without transparency or local coordination – threaten not only individual rights but also the economic stability and public safety of entire cities like Pomona. Pomona’s small businesses are already feeling the impact. Customers are afraid to shop. Workers are afraid to show up for work. One local business owner told reporters, “Customers are scared. They are not coming to buy anything. They are not coming to get repairs done.”

    While no one disagrees with targeting violent criminals for deportation, the enforcement actions in Pomona demonstrate that the Department is indiscriminately targeting all noncitizens for removal — including those who have no criminal records and who have been living in and contributing to our communities for decades. These actions do not make us safer and are contrary to the ideals that we all stand for. We urge you to instead focus enforcement against those who pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to work with Congress on a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants who are essential to our economic success.

    California’s economy – now the fourth largest in the world – demonstrates the strength and contributions of immigrant labor. Immigrants and their children comprise 55 percent of California’s workforce. Immigrants alone account for 34 percent of the state’s population and paid $168 billion in taxes last year, while generating over $400 billion in spending power. Undocumented immigrants contributed $87 billion in household income and $66 billion in spending power, alongside $50 billion to Social Security and $14 billion to Medicare.

    Additionally, in the wake of the destructive wildfires that devastated Los Angeles County earlier this year, immigrant construction workers—who make up more than 40 percent of the workforce in California—are essential to the community’s ability to rebuild and recover. Put simply, in critical sectors such as agriculture, construction, and health care, immigrant workers are indispensable to our community.

    Accordingly, we respectfully request answers to the following:

    1. Why weren’t local officials in Pomona notified about recent enforcement actions?

    2. Which federal law enforcement entities were involved in or aware of these enforcement actions?

    3. Has DHS responded to local law enforcement’s request for answers?

    4. What protocols exist to coordinate with local law enforcement and elected officials before conducting large-scale enforcement actions?

    5. How does DHS plan to comply with the April 29, 2025 court order from the Eastern District of California barring Border Patrol agents from detaining or arresting individuals without reasonable suspicion of illegal presence, as required by the Fourth Amendment?

    6. Was California Department of Motor Vehicles data accessed in the case of Martin Majin-Leon?

    7. What safeguards exist to prevent improper use of state data for immigration enforcement purposes?

    8. What steps is DHS taking to rebuild trust with immigrant communities that have been traumatized by these events?

    We urge your Department to review these operations carefully and to recommit to an immigration enforcement strategy that prioritizes public safety, upholds civil rights, and reflects the economic realities and moral values of our nation.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Yemen’s Houthis claim missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport, Israel vows strong response

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

    Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a missile attack near Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel in the morning.

    “We targeted Ben Gurion Airport, using a hypersonic ballistic missile that successfully hit its target,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired live on Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

    “American and Israeli defense systems failed to intercept the missile,” he said.

    Sarea warned international airlines against sending flights to the Israeli airport, declaring it “no longer safe for air navigation.”

    In the statement, Sarea noted the group also launched a drone attack Saturday night aimed at a “vital target” in the city of Ashkelon, southern Israel.

    He stressed that the Houthi group would launch more attacks against Israel until “the war against the Gaza Strip stops, and the humanitarian aid is allowed back into the Palestinian enclave.”

    On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said on the social media platform X that sirens sounded across central Israel after a projectile was fired from Yemen. The attack prompted millions of residents to flee to shelters and safe rooms in the morning hours.

    Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service reported that a man sustained moderate-to-light injuries in his limbs during the incident, while two women and another man suffered light injuries.

    According to a video released by the Israeli police, the explosion caused by the Houthi missile left a crater measuring several meters in depth and width in the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport. Israel’s Airports Authority said takeoffs and landings were suspended for about an hour before operations resumed.

    Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to retaliate strongly shortly after the attack, warning in a statement, “Whoever strikes us will be struck sevenfold,” without elaborating.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a security assessment meeting to discuss the attack, his office said.

    Senior security officials told Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News that following the Houthi strike near Tel Aviv, Israel intends to respond with force, adding that Israel had refrained from attacking the Houthis at the request of its ally, the United States, which has been leading intense airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-March. “After the strike on Ben Gurion Airport, we no longer consider ourselves under any limitations,” an unnamed Israeli official said.

    Yemen has conducted a series of missile and drone launches toward Israel over the weekend, most of them intercepted. However, Israeli and American missile defense systems failed to intercept the missile fired at Ben Gurion, the busiest airport in the country.

    Several international airlines canceled or diverted flights following the incident. Air Europa, SWISS, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and Brussels Airlines have canceled all inbound and outbound flights to and from Israel.

    The Houthis have intensified missile and drone launches toward Israel in recent weeks, amid renewed U.S. airstrikes on their positions in Yemen.

    The Houthi forces, who control much of northern Yemen, have been targeting Israel since November 2023 in what they describe as an act of solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. The group has repeatedly said it would halt its attacks if the U.S. hostilities cease and Israel ends its military campaign and blockade against Gaza.  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pakuranga Road closed following fire

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Emergency services are in attendance at a building fire on Pakuranga Road.

    The fire, at the McDonald’s restaurant, was reported to Police at about 3pm.

    At this stage there are no reports of injury.

    Pakuranga Road has been closed in both directions and road users are advised to avoid the area.

    People are being evacuated from buildings in the immediate area as a precaution.

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Death toll rises to 9 after boats capsize in SW China, 1 still missing

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

    People carry out search and rescue operation at the site where four passenger boats capsized in Qianxi City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, May 4, 2025. (Xinhua)

    Nine people died and one is missing in boat capsize accident in a river of Qianxi City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, on Sunday afternoon, according to local authorities.

    Four boats capsized in sudden strong winds, plunging 84 individuals into the water. So far, nine people have died, 70 are being treated and are in non-life-threatening conditions, and four people are uninjured, according to local rescue headquarters.

    The search continues for the last missing person. Provincial authorities have deployed nearly 500 emergency responders, including police, firefighters and medical personnel, to coordinate rescue efforts.

    1   2   >  

    MIL OSI China News –