Category: Natural Disasters

MIL-OSI USA: Oregon Emergency Coordination Center Activates to Level 3 in Response to Flooding
Source: US State of Oregon

he Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) has activated the State Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) to Level 3 (Regional Response) in response to widespread flooding impacting parts of western Oregon.

Heavy rain has caused flooding of small streams, creeks, and some rivers across southwest Oregon. Urban flooding is ongoing, and there is an increased risk of landslides and rockfalls in areas with steep terrain.

The National Weather Service has issued multiple Flood Warnings, and a broader Flood Advisory remains in effect for several regions across the state as part of the 2025 Statewide March Flood Monitoring effort.

Flood Warnings, Advisories, and Watches are in effect in various areas — as shown in green on the included map:
- Flood Warning: Significant flooding is occurring or imminent — threat to structures and life.
- Flood Advisory: Ponding on roads and minor flooding possible.
- Flood Watch: Conditions are favorable for flooding — stay alert and prepared in case warnings are issued.
Multiple local and Tribal emergency operations centers are also activated, and OEM is working closely with local, Tribal, and state partners to monitor impacts and support response and recovery operations as needed. The Level 3 activation allows OEM to maintain situational awareness, facilitate information-sharing, and help fulfill resource requests from impacted jurisdictions.

Oregonians are urged to take precautions during and after this flooding event:
- Stay informed: Monitor local weather forecasts and sign up for emergency alerts at ORalert.gov. View the Flood Dashboard for real-time updates on impacts and response actions.
- Avoid travel if possible: Roads may be hazardous due to flooding. If you must travel, be prepared with an emergency kit, chains, and extra supplies.
- If you must leave home: Check TripCheck.com for the latest road conditions. Carry a fully stocked emergency car kit. Read more about driving safety tips on the OEM blog.
- Prepare for power outages: Keep flashlights, batteries, and a backup heat source on hand.
- Never use generators or grills indoors, as they pose serious carbon monoxide risks.
- Check on neighbors: Ensure elderly or vulnerable individuals have the supplies and support they need to stay safe and warm.
- Know where to go to get warm: Warming shelters are available and listed at Oregon 211.
- Review tips on ‘How to Stay Safe Once the Waters Retreat,’ including do not turn the electricity back on if any power outlets were below the flood line as they can spark and start a fire.
Stay Connected and Stay Safe

Be sure to follow your local emergency management agency for the latest updates and local information.

Helpful Resources:
Road Conditions: TripCheck.com

Weather Forecasts: weather.gov
Flood Dashboard: tinyurl.com/aa6z9rrt

Sign up to receive the latest news directly from OEM. To find out more about preparedness, like how to Be2Weeks Ready for disasters, visit Oregon.gov/OEM.

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It is the mission of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) to proactively develop emergency response, risk reduction and disaster recovery programs to better serve Oregonians during times of disaster. OEM prioritizes an equitable and inclusive culture of preparedness that empowers all Oregonians to thrive in times in crisis. The agency leads collaborative statewide efforts, inclusive of all partners and the communities we serve, to ensure the capability to get help in an emergency and to protect, mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies or disasters. For more information about the OEM, visit oregon.gov/oem. You can get this document in other languages, large print, braille, or a format you prefer. For assistance, email Photo caption: Photo 1 Fat Elk Road in Coos County, image from Julia Delyria
Photo caption: Photo 2 Fat Elk Road in Coos County, image from Julia Delyria

MIL OSI USA News –
March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Reuters: Democratic lawmakers slam Pentagon for scrapping climate studies

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
March 12, 2025
Democratic lawmakers slammed President Donald Trump’s administration for canceling U.S. military studies on the impact of climate change, saying the move jeopardizes national security by ignoring climate-related risks at home and abroad.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and wildfires. The lawmakers, in a previously unreported letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, say that translates into damage to military bases, drawing U.S. troops to more relief missions and ushering in greater maritime access to the Arctic.
The issue has emerged in the United States as one of many that is dividing Republican and Democratic politicians. Trump, a Republican, has targeted climate programs as part of a broader effort to slash government spending.
Hegseth posted on X on Sunday: “The (Department of Defense) does not do climate change crap.”
…
Read the full article here.
By: Phil StewartSource: Reuters

MIL OSI USA News –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aid should never be used as a political tool: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

Aid should never be used as a political tool: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

Thank you President and thank you to USG Fletcher for his sobering briefing.

I also want to thank Algeria and Somalia for calling this meeting – an initiative which the UK fully supports considering the alarming humanitarian situation.

President, this meeting comes at a critical moment.

As my Foreign Secretary has said, the civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight are appalling.

I want to be clear, a return to fighting will only result in the deaths of further Palestinian civilians, Israeli hostages and IDF soldiers.

This conflict cannot be resolved through military means.

We want to see the ceasefire re-established as soon as possible.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza was already catastrophic.

After 17 days, Israel continues to block all aid entering Gaza. Crossing points have been shut off. Bakeries are closing. Hospitals and desalination plants are running on generators that could stop at any moment.

This is horrifying and unacceptable.

Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool.

We are calling for the following urgent steps to bring this terrifying situation back from the brink.

First, we call for the protection of civilians, and for safe, rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access.

We call on Israel to fulfil its international obligations and allow for a rapid and unhindered resurgence in the flow of aid.

This includes the supply of items such as medical equipment, shelter items, and water and sanitation equipment, essential to meet humanitarian and early recovery needs in Gaza, but which remain restricted.

Failure to deliver this not only risks undoing the vital humanitarian progress made during phase one of the ceasefire agreement; it also risks violating international humanitarian law.

Second, we urge all parties to return urgently to dialogue and to implement the ceasefire agreement in full, including scaling up aid and releasing the 59 hostages who have been cruelly held by Hamas for over 500 days and have endured unimaginable suffering.

For Israel to be secure, these terrorists can have no role in Gaza’s future. But cutting off aid and resuming the fighting is not a means to this end.

Finally, we reiterate that civilians of Gaza who have suffered so much must be allowed to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.

Colleagues, we urge all parties to return to the ceasefire deal and get back to the path of peace.

A negotiated two-state solution is the best way to ensure long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Updates to this page

Published 18 March 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: Overland AI Launches SPARK to Deliver Instant Vehicle Autonomy to Military Fleets

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SEATTLE, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Overland AI today unveiled SPARK, a comprehensive autonomy upfit that transforms any ground vehicle into a fully autonomous platform by integrating the company’s advanced OverDrive software stack with existing vehicle hardware. Designed for rapid deployment across existing military fleets, SPARK provides an immediate path to autonomy without the extended procurement timelines typically associated with new autonomous systems.

“By integrating SPARK, the DOD and other government departments can transform their existing fleets into autonomous ground vehicles, rapidly and at scale,” said Byron Boots, co-founder and chief executive officer of Overland AI. “This immediate capability provides tactical advantages in a military theater that is changing minute over minute.”

SPARK runs Overland’s OverDrive technology on an ultra-compact compute module that fits in most vehicles. Its perception system uses LiDAR and stereo cameras to see through darkness, dust, and storms, while tracking movement via integrated GPS, IMU, and speed encoders. The system’s modular, drive-by-wire design allows for rapid installation with minimal modifications to the host vehicle, preserving manual control capabilities when needed.

Overland AI’s SPARK integrates complex infrastructure, including perception sensors, compute, comms, and drive-by-wire, to rapidly upfit ground vehicles with advanced autonomy powered by OverDrive, the company’s autonomy stack.

Additionally, the modern battlefield demands vehicles that can operate in degraded environments where GPS may be denied and communication compromised. SPARK’s communications system maintains connectivity via Starlink, tactical mesh, LTE, and WiFi when possible, ensuring mission continuity even in the harshest conditions.

“Autonomous vehicles are force multipliers that allow a single operator to control multiple vehicles, all while out of harm’s way. Our troops deserve access to this technology in a matter of days, not years,” said Greg Okopal, chief operating officer of Overland AI.

To learn more about SPARK and see open roles, visit Overland AI’s website.

About Overland AI

Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is powering ground operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver advanced autonomy for unit commanders. Hazardous missions in austere and electronically denied environments demand that this technology is reliable and resilient. Overland AI’s SPARK autonomy upfit and OverDrive stack enable ground vehicles to navigate off-road without GPS or direct operator control, while its OverWatch C2 provides commanders with precisely coordinated capabilities that are vital for complex missions to succeed. Overland AI is developing these capabilities and putting them into the hands of tactical operators today.

Media Contact

Cameron Langford

cameron@1stprinciples.io

First Principles Communications

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ae03361-7811-41dc-ba7d-dcb4f9cfd739

The MIL Network –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why has the Gaza ceasefire collapsed? Why has the US launched aistrikes in Yemen? Middle East expert Q&A

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics, Clinton Institute, University College Dublin

For the past few weeks, the world’s attention has been focused on the prospect of a ceasefire in Ukraine and the diplomatic manoeuvrings that has entailed. But while Donald Trump has been focusing on negotiations with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, the ceasefire deal in Gaza he had a hand in getting over the line appears to have fallen apart.

After negotiations with Hamas broke down, Israel cut off all humanitarian aid to Gaza at the beginning of March, then cut off power, and overnight on March 17 launched massive airstrikes across the Strip, killing more than 400 people.

Meanwhile, the US has responded to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea with massive airstrikes against the Iran-back Houthi rebels. This has been widely interpreted as a message to Iran’s leaders from Trump, who is putting pressure on the Iranian government to negotiate a new nuclear deal to replace the one struck in 2013 which was rejected by the US president in 2018.

Scott Lucas, a Middle East expert at University College Dublin, addresses some of the key issues involved.

Do the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza mean the ceasefire deal is officially dead?

Yes. This is the end of the two-month ceasefire that paused Israel’s open-ended war on Gaza. The six-week phase one of the ceasefire officially ended on March 1, after some hostages held by Hamas were exchanged for some Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

There never was a possibility of a phase two. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing pressure from hard-right groups inside and close to his government and still vowing to destroy Hamas, was never going to accept a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas remaining in the Strip. Hamas was never going to accept eviction – and there was no prospect of agreement on a successor Palestinian government for Gaza.

So Netanyahu, also being pressed by families of the remaining 59 hostages, sought an extension of phase one with the return of all those dead or alive. Hamas, whose last leverage is retaining those hostages, demanded a phase two.

Israel cut off humanitarian assistance earlier this month. Returning to the aerial assault was the next step. The renewal of ground attacks will be next.

Read more:
Gaza ceasefire deal looks doomed as Israel blockades Strip and bars entry of humanitarian aid

What is Israel’s long-term plan for Gaza?

There is no long-term plan at the moment. Netanyahu needs a short-term return of the hostages to escape his political bind, not to mention his ongoing bribery trial.

Israel’s hard right – and Donald Trump – may envisage a depopulated Gaza under Israeli military rule. But all such ambitions will be suspended as the death and destruction continues.

What has been overshadowed is the possibility of a long-term plan in the West Bank, where Israel has been stepping up military operations and violence is escalating. As the world watches Gaza, the Israelis may seek to expand and consolidate their de facto rule through settlements in a programme which will be tantamount to annexation.

Donald Trump saw the Gaza ceasefire as his deal. How will he react to Netanyahu breaking it?

Trump was happy to grab the immediate, self-proclaimed glory of “peacemaker” for phase one.

Since there was no possibility of being a peacemaker for a phase two, Trump set this aside for the fantasy of Trump Gaza and his golden statue on the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Now he will be content to blame and bash Hamas.

Meanwhile the US has been attacking the Houthis in Yemen. What is Trump’s strategy here?

The airstrikes are, in part at least, Trump speaking to the American public. He poses as a “peacemaker” at times, but he enjoys playing the tough guy. And, at a time when economic issues and Musk-inflicted chaos may dent his approval rating, he could rally support with the bombing.

At the same time, Trump has carried out his standard ploy with Iran’s leaders: give me a photo opportunity for the “art of the deal” or I’ll “rain hell on you”.

A direct strike on Tehran would unleash repercussions throughout the Middle East. Even though Iran has been weakened in the past year, it still has the capability to strike Americans in the region.

Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

So the low-cost option is to fire on Iran’s ally in Yemen. Some officials in the Trump administration will favour this as a way of putting pressure on the Iranians ahead of any potential talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Others will see this as part of backing for Israel amid the open-ended war in Gaza, and still others could endorse the step as a bolstering of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. And there is always the argument that the strikes could deter Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Iranian response has been fairly muted. Why is that?

Iran’s leadership is embroiled in a combination of economic, social and regional problems, perhaps the most serious situation since the mass protests after the disputed 2009 presidential election.

Tehran’s projection of power has been shaken by the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the decimation of Hezbollah in Lebanon last year, and an eroding position in Iraq, where Iran’s influence over the government of prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is looking increasingly tenuous.

The economy is in a parlous state. In early 2018, the exchange rate was 45,000 Iranian rial to the dollar. Now it is approaching 1 million to the dollar.

Inflation is officially at 36%, but is far higher in reality, particularly for food and other essentials. Unemployment is rising and infrastructure is crumbling. There are shortages of electricity in a country that is the world’s seventh-largest oil producer.

Having faced the “Woman, life, freedom” protests since September 2022, the regime is caught between making accommodations to public discontent and cracking down on rights. Some political prisoners have been released, but authorities are pursuing a draconian campaign against women who dare not to wear the hijab.

Hardliners are trying to curb the centrist government, forcing out the economy minister, Abdolnaser Hemmati, and the foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was central in the 2015 agreement that restricted Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Pursuing both that domestic campaign and confrontation abroad is a tall order.

What does this mean for a new nuclear deal with Iran?

Some Trump advisers may believe they can use the sledgehammer in Yemen to bludgeon Iran to the negotiating table and Trump’s photo opportunity with the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, or Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Good luck with that. Iran may be weakened, but Khamenei is not going to negotiate at the point of an American weapon. Responding to news of a Trump letter to Tehran that threatened, “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” last week Khamenei dismissed the idea of talking with the Trump administration.

He said: “When we know they won’t honour it, what’s the point of negotiating? Therefore, the invitation to negotiate … is a deception of public opinion.”

Recent history is instructive. In 2013, Khamenei finally relented to nuclear deal talks when told by the then president, Hassan Rouhani, of an imminent economic collapse if Iran held out. More than five years later, however, the Iranian leadership was prepared to withstand Trump’s “maximum pressure” and withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.

Iran’s idea for talks was based on a cautious process beginning with confidence-building measures on both sides. But a US approach predicated on bombing and bluster has effectively sidelined that.

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

– ref. Why has the Gaza ceasefire collapsed? Why has the US launched aistrikes in Yemen? Middle East expert Q&A – https://theconversation.com/why-has-the-gaza-ceasefire-collapsed-why-has-the-us-launched-aistrikes-in-yemen-middle-east-expert-qanda-252532

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The UK has closed its flagship sustainable farming scheme, choosing short-term cuts over long-term security

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emma Burnett, Honorary Research Associate, TABLE, University of Oxford

EMJAY SMITH / shutterstock

The UK government’s decision to abruptly close all applications for its flagship nature-friendly farming scheme has shocked many of the country’s farmers and environmentalists.

The sustainable farming incentive (SFI) is one of a series of schemes which pays farmers in England to nurture the soil and wildlife and improve water quality. It is far from perfect.

People have criticised its complexity and lack of clarity, its financial viability or its impact on how farms operate and how this would change the balance between producing food and reaching environmental goals.

It’s too early to tell if these critics were correct, but the SFI certainly provided some stability for British farmers after EU farm subsidies ended post-Brexit. It seemed poised to make some positive impact.

The government says a revised version will be announced in the coming months, but it will be hard to regain the trust of farmers. The decision to close the scheme for now throws a stark light on a broader issue: the tendency to prioritise immediate financial needs over the long-term health of both the farming sector and the environment.

This is a classic example of what economists call “future discounting”, and it’s a dangerous game to play when it comes to vital services.

Essentially, future discounting means we value things more in the present than we do in the future. If you are promised £100 today, or £110 in two months, which would you take? Sometimes there’s no right or wrong answer – do what you think is right for you with that £100. But sometimes… well, sometimes there is a right answer.

The value of now, the value of the future

The SFI scheme offers vital support for sustainable practices that, while crucial, often require upfront investment. This includes cover cropping, for example, where a crop is grown simply to cover a field rather than to be harvested.

Cover cropping can help rejuvenate soils and is good for insects, but there are costs attached to purchasing the seeds, sowing them, and missing out on income by not growing a commodity crop.

Other investment examples might involve creating grassland or ponds and ditches to hold back rainwater and prevent floods. These things have an immediate impact on farm output and activities, but with an eye to longer-term benefit.

Investment in soil health might lower yields in the short run, but should pay off in the long run.
William Edge / shutterstock

The sudden closure of the scheme creates an immediate financial vacuum for those who missed the (unannounced) window. Thankfully, farmers with existing agreements will continue within the scheme, and applications that had been submitted prior to the sudden closure will still be assessed.

However, even for those who are currently enrolled, this about-face instils fear that support will be withdrawn in the years to come – long before something like an expanded woodland has come to fruition.

The government says that it has run out of money for the current budget cycle. Rather than celebrating the fact that so many farmers want to be involved, want to do adopt better farming practices and act as custodians of nature, it instead panicked and shut people out.

Too much demand for a nature-friendly future, not enough cold hard cash. And now we can see how the discounting works – the perceived urgency of cashflow today overshadows the long-term benefits of healthy soil, thriving biodiversity, and a resilient ecosystem.

There are specific actions that SFIs are meant to support, including soil health, water quality, biodiversity and pest management. Each of these requires investment to manage, and to rectify when things go wrong (see the huge fines for water companies).

For example, it is easier to address issues of water quality by supporting better land use – reduced agri-chemicals, more grassland, tree cover, and so on – than to treat poor water quality downstream.

But farmers operate both within tight financial margins and on long time-scales. They need security of income to plan land use, including whether they can afford to implement alternative strategies. But they do want to. That’s why there’s been so much demand for SFIs.

A false economy

Sympathy could be rustled up for the government, trying to manage complex budgets in a complicated time. But it has made one misstep after another in relation to both food and farming (farmer protests over inheritance tax, for instance) and the environment (such as the planned Heathrow airport expansion)).

So while immediate fiscal prudence is important, ignoring the long-term consequences of environmental degradation is a false economy. We have a responsibility to value the future as much as the present. Failing to do so will have serious consequences for our environment, our food security, and the well-being of future generations.

Rather than discounting futures, we should be doing the opposite – negative futures discounting. It sounds upside-down, but it boils down to this: we should value the future more, not less.

In particular, we should be focused on nurturing good farming and environmental protection. These should take centre stage as mission critical things that we need, and not just for now, but always.

The sustainable farming incentive shutdown is another chance to reflect on the fact that farming and environmental sustainability are not luxuries, but necessities. We cannot afford to continually discount the future, sacrificing the future of farming and the environment for the sake of short-term finance. It’s time to re-evaluate our priorities.

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

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

Emma Burnett has previously received funding from sankalpa. She also works as a sustainability researcher for a whisky company.

– ref. The UK has closed its flagship sustainable farming scheme, choosing short-term cuts over long-term security – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-has-closed-its-flagship-sustainable-farming-scheme-choosing-short-term-cuts-over-long-term-security-252326

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The Winter’s Tale at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol – a marvellous production with much to say about the modern world

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jo Lindsay Walton, Principal Research Fellow in Arts, Climate and Technology, University of Sussex

The first half rips your heart out. The second attempts, tenderly, to put it back again. This is The Winter’s Tale, currently being performed at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol.

In Shakespeare’s tragicomedy, King Leontes of Sicilia, in a fit of jealous paranoia, falsely accuses his wife Queen Hermione of adultery with their friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia. Quickfire catastrophe unfolds.

Before you know it, the couple’s newborn daughter, Perdita, has been abandoned on a Bohemian hillside, left to the mercy of wolves and ravens. Sixteen years later, raised by the mercy of Bohemian shepherds instead, Perdita falls in love with Polixenes’ son. There are disguises. There are japes. And, astonishingly, there is reconciliation.

It’s a marvellous production, directed by Heidi Vaughan, and it marks a welcome return of Shakespeare to The Tobacco Factory after a hiatus. With a cast drawn from Bristol’s deep talent pool, the connections on stage feel secure, energetic, and richly nuanced.

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Hermione and Paulina are two of Shakespeare’s most intriguing roles for women, and Alice Barclay and Rose Wardlow do them justice. Barclay is stunning as the stunned Hermione, while Wardlow brings layers of vulnerability and sarkiness to Paulina’s righteous fury. Many of the smaller and medium roles shine. Amy Loughton (Perdita’s shepherdess mum) and Bill Ward (Polixenes) find organic situational comedy in moments that could easily have been merely functional.

King Leontes’ tyranny, which dominates the first half, is played by Felix Hayes as a kind of psychotic episode. I’m torn. Hayes has a strong stage presence, with a whiplash switch from gentle loveliness to shuffling, brooding, whimpering monstrosity.

It’s a spellbinding breakdown. But I was left wondering – might a less unhinged portrayal have better exposed the complicity of the court?

The costume and set design also feel a little elusive. This ambiguity means the nature of Leontes’ authority is hard to pin down, as is the misogyny that shapes his tyranny. With androgynous-suited courtiers and soft furnishings, it’s hard to pin down the time or place, unless it’s the soft play area at Wacky Warehouse.

The choice seems deliberate, leaning into that timeless fairytale quality. But The Winter’s Tale is specifically about time, including a particular time – now.

What The Winter’s Tale can tell us in 2025

The play celebrates the healing power of time, nature and the turn of the seasons. But the seasons themselves are not immune to tyranny. In other words, The Winter’s Tale is about responses to tyranny, as well as tyranny itself.

Paulina (Wardlow) attempts to bloody well sort it out. She directly confronts both Leontes (“this most cruel usage of your queen, / not able to produce more accusation / than your own weak-hing’d fancy, something savours / of tyranny”) and the cowardly court (“such as you, /
that creep like shadows by him, and do sigh / at each his needless heavings”).

But how about the others? Camillo (Dorian Simpson) pragmatically scurries for the hills to bide his time. Cleomenes (Amy Loughton) musters some flustered bravery. Antigonus (Stu McLoughlin), let’s be frank, deserves to be eaten by a bear. It’s lucky there’s one handy.

The Winter’s Tale can be tricky to stage in the round. It’s a story filled with centripetal forces – characters beg, vow, comfort, cling, smother – yet the space encourages just the opposite: centrifugal forces, outward motion, striding away, lobbing repartee over a shoulder, performers unfolding like a clockwork mechanism. The round staging comes into its own, however, in beautiful scenes of revelry, song, and dance, which are also scenes of healing.

Someone once told me that boredom is an important part of healing. The lengthy pastoral scenes of the First Folio Winter’s Tale seem to bear that out. But for this production, Robin Belfield has given the script a tight edit, shortening many of these scenes.

Ultimately, I’m grateful for the judicious cuts – people do, after all, need to leave the theatre eventually, and the two halves feel equally balanced.

The Winter’s Tale proposes that real healing comes from remorse, time, and distance. It also comes from the company of those less wrapped up in the trauma. Your wounds will define you until you learn to relinquish the lead role in your own tragedy, and accept a supporting role in somebody else’s comedy.

By the end of the play, Leontes feels remorse – but is it enough to provide healing for those he has hurt? Or is something more missing – some more explicit reckoning or reparative justice? I don’t know. The Winter’s Tale won’t resolve the question of whether healing is ever truly complete. It only asks whether we are willing to live with the weight of what cannot be undone.

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

– ref. The Winter’s Tale at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol – a marvellous production with much to say about the modern world – https://theconversation.com/the-winters-tale-at-the-tobacco-factory-bristol-a-marvellous-production-with-much-to-say-about-the-modern-world-251944

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Twillingate — Twillingate RCMP investigates break, enter and attempted theft at Dearing’s Automotive in Fairbank

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Twillingate RCMP is investigating a commercial break, enter and attempted theft of an ATM machine that occurred on March 14, 2025, at Dearing’s Automotive in Fairbank.

Shortly after 5:00 a.m. on Friday, Twillingate RCMP received a report of a break and enter in progress at the business. Video surveillance captured a masked suspect on the property who arrived in a pickup truck. The suspect used the truck to smash the front entrance of the building and attempted to steal an ATM from inside the business by towing it with the vehicle. The attempt was unsuccessful. The suspect then fled the scene in the vehicle.

A short time later, police received a report of a truck on fire in Summerford, matching the description of the vehicle used in the break and enter.

The abandoned truck, a 2010 black GMC Sierra, was extinguished by firefighters and confirmed as being involved in the break and enter.

The investigation is continuing.

Twillingate RCMP is seeking assistance from the public in identifying the suspect. Anyone having information about this crime is asked to call Twillingate RCMP at (709) 884-2811. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Work starts on sea defences upgrade for Herne Bay

Source: City of Canterbury

Home » Latest News » Work starts on sea defences upgrade for Herne Bay

Work to improve our sea defences and raise the standard of protection for Herne Bay has begun.

A new 80m long rear wall, east of the Neptune car park, will be built in yellow bricks with a stone coping to match the existing sea defence walls along the front.

Work is expected to last 12 weeks. Eight on-street parking bays in Central Parade will be out of action to allow it to happen.

We will keep the promenade open to the public as much as we can and it should all be completed before the summer season kicks in, weather permitting.

The project also includes two new floodgates, promenade resurfacing and refurbishment of the seafront hand railings.

Our Engineering team secured £297,000 of Environment Agency for this project.

Published: 18 March 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev: All fires must be detected and extinguished as quickly as possible within the first 24 hours

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

March 18, 2025

Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting on preparations for the flood and fire hazard period.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting on preparations for the flood and fire-hazardous period. The event was attended by all responsible federal agencies – the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Roshydromet, Rosvodresursy and Rosleskhoz, as well as heads of the subjects of the Russian Federation.

“Of course, the regions should have conducted the relevant analysis and prepared for the new season taking into account the accumulated experience. I would like to note that the strategic planning documents stipulate the need for regions to eliminate at least 80% of fires within the first 24 hours after detection. I believe it is important to emphasize that if you do not spare the effort and resources to extinguish fires in the required volume right away, this is the key to success. The so-called traffic light scheme for extinguishing fires has been in effect for the second year, implying different levels of response depending on the complexity and duration of the fires. Special attention should be paid to improving fire extinguishing in hard-to-reach areas of the Far East and preventing the occurrence of landscape fires,” Dmitry Patrushev emphasized.

The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that almost 20 billion rubles have been allocated to the regions to strengthen preparations for the 2025 season. Including more than 5 billion additionally allocated to the most fire-prone regions – Yakutia, Transbaikalia and Krasnoyarsk Krai. In addition, this year almost half a billion rubles have been additionally allocated to Rosleskhoz to create a forest fire center in the Far East. The emergence of such a center should provide prompt assistance in extinguishing complex fires.

In the near future, Roshydromet will send a revised fire hazard forecast to the regions, with an emphasis on areas where the most likely deterioration in the situation is expected.

The Deputy Prime Minister drew the attention of the regions to the need to strengthen control, with the exception of agricultural fires, as well as their timely extinguishing in the event of fires. They also need to ensure the protection of populated areas at risk of the spread of landscape fires.

“Considering the unfavorable forecast for the spring period, the subjects of the Central, Southern, North Caucasian Federal Districts, southern Siberia, the Far East, the Volga region and the Urals need to concentrate their forces and resources in the most fire-hazardous areas. It is necessary to detect fires as quickly as possible and eliminate them within the first 24 hours,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Dmitry Patrushev instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, together with the regions, to create an interdepartmental headquarters to monitor the situation in the Central Federal District, as well as to monitor the situation throughout Russia on a weekly basis. Meetings of the headquarters with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister will also be held regularly.

Dmitry Patrushev also stressed the importance of coordinated interdepartmental work between the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Federal Forestry Agency and prompt response to the deterioration of the situation related to forest fires. In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister called on the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the regions to ensure the uninterrupted operation of prompt public warning systems.

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 –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Montana Private Nonprofits Affected by May Storms

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Montana of the April 18, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the May 6-9, 2024, severe winter storm and flooding.

The disaster declaration covers the counties of Blaine, Chouteau, Fergus, Hill, Judith Basin, Petroleum, Pondera, Teton, Toole, Wheatland, as well as the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and the Fort Belknap Indian Community.

Under the declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature and suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster. Examples of eligible non-critical PNPs include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs cause by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Interest rates can be as low as 3.25% with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amount terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Submit completed loan applications no later than April 18.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Lackawanna County Man Sentenced to 96 Months’ Imprisonment for Theft of Major Artwork

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

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Thomas Trotta, age 49, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 13, 2025, to 96 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a term of supervised release, and to pay restitution in the amount of $2,759,073, by U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for one count of theft of major artwork.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Trotta had previously pleaded guilty to one count of theft of major artwork, and admitted to stealing the following:

“Le Grande Passion” by Andy Warhol and “Springs Winter” by Jackson Pollock stolen in 2005 from the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania;

Nine (9) World Series rings, seven (7) other championship rings, and two (2) MVP plaques all belonging to Yogi Berra, worth over $500,000 stolen in 2014 from the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Little Falls, New Jersey;

Six (6) championship belts, including four belonging to Carmen Basilio and two belonging to Tony Zale stolen in 2015 from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York;

The Hickok Belt and MVP Trophy belonging to Roger Maris, stolen in 2016 from the Roger Maris Museum in Fargo, North Dakota;

The U.S. Amateur Trophy and a Hickok Belt awarded to Ben Hogan, stolen in 2012 from the USGA Golf Museum & Library;

Fourteen (14) trophies and other awards worth approximately $300,000 stolen in 2012 from the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York;

Five (5) trophies worth over $30,000, including the 1903 Belmont Stakes Trophy, stolen in 2013 from the National Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York;

Three antique firearms stolen in 2006 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum in Wantage, New Jersey;

A 1903/1904 Tiffany Lamp stolen in 2010 from the Lackawanna Historical Society in Scranton, Pennsylvania,

“Upper Hudson” by Jasper Crospey, worth approximately $120,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey;

Antique firearms worth over $150,000, stolen in 2011 from Ringwood Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey;

Hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold nuggets stolen in 2011 from the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey;

An antique shotgun worth over $30,000 stolen in 2018 from Space Farms: Zoo & Museum in Wantage, New Jersey;

Trotta committed the above thefts as part of a larger, eight-person conspiracy. After a month-long trial held earlier this year, co-conspirators Nicholas Dombek, age 54, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, Damien Boland, age 48, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Atsus, age 48, of Roaring Brook, Pennsylvania, were convicted of conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property, as well as multiple related substantive offenses. They are presently pending sentencing.

Three additional co-conspirators pleaded guilty pursuant to felony informations and were sentenced by Judge Mannion earlier this year. They include:

Dawn Trotta, age 53, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property;

Frank Tassiello, age 52, of Taylor, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property; and

Ralph Parry, age 47, of Springbrook Township, Pennsylvania, who was sentenced to three years of probation as well as a period of home-confinement for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property.

After stealing the above-described items, the conspirators would transport the stolen goods back to northeastern Pennsylvania, often to the residence of Dombek, and melt the memorabilia down into easily transportable metal discs or bars. The conspirators would then sell the raw metal to fences in the New York City area for hundreds or a few thousands of dollars, significantly less than the sports memorabilia would be worth at fair market value.

Dombek burnt the painting “Upper Hudson” by Jasper Crospey, valued at approximately $100,000, to avoid the painting being recovered by investigators and used as evidence against the members of the conspiracy. The whereabouts of many of the other paintings and stolen objects are currently unknown, however, several antique firearms stolen from the Space Farms: Zoo and Museum and the Ringwood Manor Museum, both in New Jersey, were recovered by investigators.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the New York State Police, the New Jersey State Park Police, the Newport Police Department (Rhode Island), the Fargo Police Department (North Dakota), the Chester Police Department (New York), the Exeter Borough Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Scranton Police Department, the Franklin Police Department (New Jersey), the Village of Goshen Police Department (New York), the Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.), the West Milord Township Police Department (New Jersey), the Montclair Police Department (New Jersey), the Saratoga Springs Police Department (New York), the Canastota Police Department (New York), the South Abington Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Bernards Township Police Department (New Jersey), the Salisbury Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), the Montclair State University Police Department (New Jersey) the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office (Pennsylvania), the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey), the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (New Jersey), the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (New York), and multiple other local law enforcement agencies from across the country.

Assistant United States Attorneys James M. Buchanan, Jenny Roberts, and Sean Camoni prosecuted the case.

# # #

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Southern District of Texas Charges Nearly 250 People in Second Week of March in Relation to Border Enforcement Efforts

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

HOUSTON – A total of 245 new cases have been filed in the last week related to immigration and border security, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Of those, 115 are charged with illegally re-entering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent and/or sexual crimes and prior immigration offenses. A total 118 face charges of illegally entering the country, 10 cases involve various instances of human smuggling, and the remainder relate to firearms and assault of federal officers.

Of those facing allegations of illegally re-entering the country is Santos Demetrio Marquez-Hernandez from El Salvador. The criminal complaint indicates he has a felony conviction of contact with a minor with sexual intent and was removed just over two months ago on Jan. 8. He could receive up to 20 years in U.S. prison.

Juan Daniel Pena and Jose Cristian Cantu Jr. were also arrested this week for attempting to smuggle 15 aliens through the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita. The charges allege the aliens, who were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Vietnam, were hidden inside two trucks being hauled on a flatbed trailer. Five of the illegal aliens were allegedly previously ordered removed from the United States and are now facing their own charges of illegal reentry into the United States.

Relevant cases also featured this week include an Arkansas man who was found guilty of transporting illegal aliens in a truck’s wheel well and fuel tank. The jury deliberated for under 30 minutes following a less than two-day trial before finding Noel Mercado guilty on two counts of alien smuggling. An x-ray scan revealed at least two individuals in the truck’s wheel wells – found bolted inside modified wheel well compartments. Law enforcement also discovered two more individuals in the auxiliary fuel tank below the truck bed. All four were illegal aliens from the countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala with no authority to be in the United States.

Among those charged this week also includes Gerardo Hervey Rodriguez-Toscano, a Mexican citizen who allegedly ran up the Mexican side of the Hidalgo port of entry and attempted to evade U.S. law enforcement at the midpoint. Authorities were able to detain him, but after a struggle, according to the allegations. One officer allegedly suffered injuries to his wrist, knee and elbow. If convicted, Rodriguez-Toscano faces up to eight years in prison.

In addition, a Honduran man attempted to enter the country illegally by pretending to be a minor. Elger Fabricio Cotto-Navarro claimed he was born in May 2007, when he was actually born the previous year. He initially denied the allegations and made a written statement as such, but ultimately acknowledged he was an adult and that he provided an incorrect date of birth and made false statements.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.

The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev: In 2025, 6.5 billion rubles are allocated for the construction, repair of hydraulic structures and cleaning of water bodies

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting on preparations for the flood and fire hazard period.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting on preparations for the flood and fire-hazardous period. The event was attended by all responsible federal agencies – the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Roshydromet, Rosvodresursy and Rosleskhoz, as well as heads of the subjects of the Russian Federation.

“Due to the warm weather in the winter period, the flooding began earlier than usual this year. In general, the situation is stable now, but already at the end of March, the water level is expected to exceed critical marks in the east of the European part of the country and in the Southern Urals. In April, severe flooding is predicted in Siberia and the Far East. Let me remind you that this year 6.5 billion rubles have been allocated for the construction and repair of hydraulic structures, as well as the clearing of water bodies,” said Dmitry Patrushev.

Taking into account the low-snow winter in the European part of the country, according to the forecast of Roshydromet, the water level may be lower than the values required for economic activity. Dmitry Patrushev instructed the owners to check the water intakes for readiness to operate at low water levels and, if necessary, to carry out measures to adapt the structures.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Rosvodresursy needs to optimize the operating modes of the Volga-Kama Cascade, as well as the Tsimlyansk Reservoir, where there are risks to normal water supply in the summer. It is important for Rosmorrechflot to plan navigation taking into account the forecast for water resource volumes and ensure the clearing of shipping lanes in the Volga and Don basins.

In turn, the Ministry of Agriculture needs to check the functionality of drainage networks, and the Federal Agency for Fisheries needs to check the canals that supply water to fisheries enterprises.

Regions will have to pay special attention to the condition of hydraulic structures, as well as abandoned objects, check the readiness of storm systems and under-bridge spaces, continue work on establishing flood zones and developing plans to protect these areas.

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 –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: ICE, law enforcement partners arrest 24 illegal criminal alien offenders during Charlotte enforcement operation

Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with law enforcement partners from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, apprehended 24 illegal aliens in Charlotte during an enhanced targeted enforcement operation which ran March 1 to 8.

Charges from those arrested included:

13 aggravated felonies or other violent offenses.

Three illegal firearms or weapons offenses.

Two MS-13 gang member affiliation cases.

One assault on a federal officer.

Five property crimes.

11 DWI charges.

Of these criminal aliens, six had active immigration detainers which the Charlotte Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office had not honored. There are 18 additional targeted aliens still at large who also had detainers that were not honored. ICE has been unable to locate those individuals, and they remain at large and pose a potential danger to the community. These aliens could have been safely and efficiently transferred into ICE custody if their detainers had been honored.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that protects the U.S. homeland through the arrest and removal of those individuals who compromise the safety of our communities and the integrity of our immigration laws.

Entering the United States without authorization is a violation of federal law, and those who do so may be subject to administrative arrest and, in some cases, criminal prosecution.

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

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X: @EROAtlanta.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Tanner Settlement — Lunenburg District RCMP investigating suspected arson in Tanner Settlement

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Lunenburg District RCMP is investigating a suspected arson after a structure fire in Tanner Settlement.

On March 17, at approximately 2:10 am, Lunenburg District RCMP and fire services responded to a report of a fire at a home on Tanner Settlement Rd. Upon arrival, the residence was fully engulfed in flames.

The fire was extinguished, but the home sustained extensive damage. No one was at the residence at the time of the fire.

Initial investigation indicates the fire was intentionally set.

The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Lunenburg District RCMP with assistance from RCMP Forensic Identification Services and the Nova Scotia Fire Marshal’s Office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lunenburg District RCMP at 902-634-8674. To remain anonymous, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). A secure web tip can be submitted at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or use the P3 Tips App.

File #: 2025-345521

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kevin A. Young, Associate Professor of History, UMass Amherst

Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder.

Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to fear of retribution. But there’s also a sense that the protests of Trump’s first term were ultimately futile. This has contributed to a widespread mood of despair.

As The New York Times noted not long ago, Trump “had not appeared to be swayed by protests, petitions, hashtag campaigns or other tools of mass dissent.” That’s a common perspective these days.

But what if it’s wrong?

As a historian, I study how our narratives about the past shape our actions in the present. In this case, it’s particularly important to get the history right.

In fact, popular resistance in Trump’s first term accomplished more than many observers realize; it’s just that most wins happened outside the spotlight. In my view, the most visible tactics – petitions, hashtags, occasional marches in Washington – had less impact than the quieter work of organizing in communities and workplaces.

Understanding when movements succeeded during Trump’s first term is important for identifying how activists can effectively oppose Trump policy in his second administration.

Quiet victories of the sanctuary movement

Mass deportation has been a cornerstone of Trump’s agenda for more than a decade. Yet despite his early pledge to create a “deportation force” that would expel millions, Trump deported only half as many people in his first term as Barack Obama did in his first term.

Progressive activists were a key reason. By combining decentralized organizing and nationwide resource-sharing, they successfully pushed scores of state and local governments to adopt sanctuary laws that limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

When the sociologist Adam Safer examined thousands of cities and dozens of states, he found that a specific type of sanctuary law that activists supported – barring local jails and prisons from active cooperation with ICE – successfully reduced ICE arrests. A study by legal scholar David K. Hausman confirmed this finding. Notably, Hausman also found that sanctuary policies had “no detectable effect on crime rates,” contrary to what many politicians allege.

Another important influence on state and local officials was employers’ resistance to mass deportation. The E-Verify system requiring employers to verify workers’ legal status went virtually unenforced, since businesses quietly objected to it. As this example suggests, popular resistance to Trump’s agenda was most effective when it exploited tensions between the administration and capitalists.

The ‘rising tide’ against fossil fuels

In his effort to prop up the fossil fuel industry, Trump in his first term withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, weakened or eliminated over 100 environmental protections and pushed other measures to obstruct the transition to green energy.

Researchers projected that these policies would kill tens of thousands of people in just the United States by 2028, primarily from exposure to air pollutants. Other studies estimated that the increased carbon pollution would contribute to tens of millions of deaths, and untold other suffering, by century’s end.

That’s not the whole story, though. Trump’s first-term energy agenda was partly thwarted by a combination of environmental activism and market forces.

His failure to resuscitate the U.S. coal industry was especially stark. Coal-fired plant capacity declined faster during Trump’s first term than during any four-year period in any country, ever. Some of the same coal barons who celebrated Trump’s victory in 2016 soon went bankrupt.

CBS News covered the bankruptcy of coal firm Murray Energy, founded by Trump supporter Robert E. Murray.

The most obvious reasons for coal’s decline were the U.S. natural gas boom and the falling cost of renewable energy. But its decline was hastened by the hundreds of local organizations that protested coal projects, filed lawsuits against regulators and pushed financial institutions to disinvest from the sector. The presence of strong local movements may help explain the regional variation in coal’s fortunes.

Environmentalists also won some important battles against oil and gas pipelines, power plants and drilling projects. In a surprising number of cases, organizers defeated polluters through a combination of litigation, civil disobedience and other protests, and by pressuring banks, insurers and big investors.

In 2018, one pipeline CEO lamented the “rising tide of protests, litigation and vandalism” facing his industry, saying “the level of intensity has ramped up,” with “more opponents” who are “better organized.”

Green energy also expanded much faster than Trump and his allies would have liked, albeit not fast enough to avert ecological collapse. The U.S. wind energy sector grew more in Trump’s first term than under any other president, while solar capacity more than doubled. Research shows that this progress was due in part to the environmental movement’s organizing, particularly at the state and local levels.

As with immigration, Trump’s energy agenda divided both political and business elites. Some investors became reluctant to keep their money in the sector, and some even subsidized environmental activism. Judges and regulators didn’t always share Trump’s commitment to propping up fossil fuels. These tensions between the White House and business leaders created openings that climate activists could exploit.

Worker victories in unlikely places

Despite Trump self-promoting as a man of the people, his policies hurt workers in numerous ways – from his attack on workers’ rights to his regressive tax policies, which accelerated the upward redistribution of wealth.

Nonetheless, workers’ direct action on the job won meaningful victories. For example, educators across the country organized dozens of major strikes for better pay, more school funding and even against ICE. Workers in hotels, supermarkets and other private-sector industries also walked out. Ultimately, more U.S. workers went on strike in 2018 than in any year since 1986.

This happened not just in progressive strongholds but also in conservative states like West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky. At least 35 of the educators’ strikes defied state laws denying workers the right to strike.

In addition to winning gains for workers, the strike wave apparently also worked against Republicans at election time by increasing political awareness and voter mobilization. The indirect impact on elections is a common side effect of labor militancy and mass protest.

Quiet acts of worker defiance also constrained Trump. The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic featured widespread resistance to policies that raised the risk of infection, particularly the lack of mask mandates.

Safety-conscious workers frequently disobeyed their employers, in ways seldom reflected in official strike data. Many customers steered clear of businesses where people were unmasked. These disruptions, and fears they might escalate, led businesses to lobby government for mask mandates.

This resistance surely saved many lives. With more coordination, it might have forced a decisive reorientation in how government and business responded to the virus.

Labor momentum could continue into Trump’s second term. Low unemployment, strong union finances and widespread support for unions offer opportunities for the labor movement.

Beyond marches

Progressive movements have no direct influence over Republicans in Washington. However, they have more potential influence over businesses, lower courts, regulators and state and local politicians.

Of these targets, business ultimately has the most power. Business will usually be able to constrain the administration if its profits are threatened. Trump and Elon Musk may be able to dismantle much of the federal government and ignore court orders, but it’s much harder for them to ignore major economic disruption.

While big marches can raise public consciousness and help activists connect, by themselves they will not block Trump and Musk. For that, the movement will need more disruptive forms of pressure. Building the capacity for that disruption will require sustained organizing in workplaces and communities.

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

– ref. Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize – https://theconversation.com/social-movements-constrained-trump-in-his-first-term-more-than-people-realize-248843

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Susanne Schmeier, Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy, IHE Delft

Lake Chad once provided adequate livelihoods for 20 million people in Africa, but it lost 90% of its surface area in 30 years. AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Just over half the world’s population shares a river or lake basin with at least one other country. To sustainably manage those water resources for the health of people, ecosystems and economies, neighboring countries must work together.

However, many countries have been less willing to cooperate in recent years, even to protect a resource as vital as freshwater.

This trend away from multilateralism isn’t unique to water. The world is seeing a decline in the general willingness of countries to jointly solve many interstate, regional and global challenges. It shows as countries, like the U.S., pull out of the global institutions, such as the World Health Organization, and drop their support for global climate goals.

The breakdown in cooperation can have severe consequences. If one country takes more water than agreed upon, and builds dams or pollutes the water, its neighbors and their people, cities, agriculture, energy production and wildlife can suffer. That can ultimately destabilize local communities, deteriorate relations between countries and endanger regional peace and stability.

Water flowing into Africa’s Nile River affects several countries. A large dam being built by Ethiopia has led to concerns and disputes in the region.
AP Photo/Amr Nabil

We conduct research and work with governments and international organizations on environment and water law, policy and governance. The shift we’re seeing away from multilateral cooperation and rules-based order to more nationalistic tendencies, in which a country prioritizes itself to the detriment of all others, is raising concerns about the future.

Thousands of years of water cooperation paid off

More than 4,000 years ago, two Sumerian city-states – Lagash and Umma – were engaged in a fierce war over a strip of fertile land and a canal fed by the Tigris River in what today would be southern Iraq.

The conflict ended in 2550 B.C. with the first known precursor to an international water treaty. The Mesilim Treaty included payments and agreements on collaborative water use. It didn’t hold the peace permanently, but it created a model that lasted.

Conflict still occurs over shared waters; however, since the late 1800s, and particularly since the end of World War II, cooperation has been the dominant interaction between countries in the world’s 313 surface water basins, 468 transboundary aquifers and more than 300 transboundary wetlands.

In Europe, for example, countries have worked together through treaties, data sharing and joint projects to improve water quality, including in the Rhine and Danube rivers.

Nine countries work closely to protect the health of the Rhine River, which each depends on. In 2018, that cooperation became essential as water levels dropped to levels that interrupted ship travel.
AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Having cooperative processes in place also helps when disagreements arise. In Southeast Asia, negotiations and technical exchanges between countries that share the Mekong River have helped to ease tensions over the construction of dams in Laos.

Unilateralism is rising

Despite the proven benefits from cooperating over water resources, we’re seeing a troubling trend: Countries are increasingly taking actions that undermine water cooperation.

Even in the Columbia River Basin, often considered a model of cross-border cooperation, the status of an updated treaty between the U.S. and Canada is in question after the Trump administration paused talks in March 2025.

Since 1964, the U.S. has paid Canada to control the river’s flow to prevent flooding and to serve U.S. hydropower plants. The updated deal has been agreed to in principle, but is not signed. That’s raising questions about what will happen if the interim agreements expire in 2027 before the new treaty comes into force.

Another example is in the Zambezi River Basin in southern Africa, where countries increasingly disregard agreements to notify one another before building projects that will affect the water flow. Similar behavior happens in the Nile and Aral Sea regions, among others.

Ethiopia’s construction of a large hydroelectric damage on the Blue Nile has upset its downstream neighbors.

As unilateral actions over shared water resources become more frequent, the willingness of governments to enter into agreements and establish joint institutions to guide that cooperation is declining. The rate of establishing multilateral agreements has significantly slowed since the 2010s. Only around 10 agreements have been signed since 2020, and only two joint institutions have been established. A large proportion of basins have no agreements or institutions at all.

The few recent attempts to establish cooperative mechanisms have stalled or failed. The formal establishment of an organization to manage Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River basin, shared by Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, was never formally ratified by its member countries. That left the once-promising organization a zombie.

Even when institutions already exist, some governments are withdrawing from them. But moves made for short-term gain can have long-term repercussions.

An example involves the Aral Sea, which has shrunk dramatically since the 1960s due to a combination of water demand for cotton crops and climate change drying the region.

The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, IFAS, was created in 1993 by five countries to support projects designed to ensure water use remains possible along its rivers. However, in 2016, Kyrgyzstan froze its membership, arguing that the organization wasn’t taking Kyrgyzstan’s national interests into account. Kyrgyzstan contributes about 25% of water flowing into the region. Its frozen participation limits IFAS’ effectiveness.

The Aral Sea in Central Asia has been shrinking since the 1960s, but dramatically lost water each year over the past two decades. The top left image is from 2000.
NASA

Similarly, Egypt and Sudan froze their participation in the Nile Basin Initiative in 2010 over a cooperative agreement that they saw as violating their historical water rights – established in colonial 1929 and 1959 agreements – in favor of governance centered on “equitable water allocations.” While Sudan resumed participation in the Nile Basin Initiative in 2012, Egypt’s participation remains frozen.

Erosion of multilateralism

The changes we’re seeing with water agreements and institutions reflect a broader decline in countries’ willingness to address shared problems through multilateral cooperation — a trend that seems to be rapidly increasing.

In the United States, the Trump administration is pursuing expansionist foreign policies and protectionist trade policies. The administration has also publicly wavered on the U.S. commitment to NATO and announced it was leaving the World Health Organization.

Argentina also announced it would withdraw from the WHO. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States, which promotes economic and political cooperation in the region.

The environment has been particularly affected by this trend. The U.S. move to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and the difficulty of reaching a global plastics treaty also reflect the growing difficulty in reaching cooperative solutions to benefit future generations.

Harm to ecosystems, people and countries

As climate change shrinks freshwater resources, and growing populations lead to overexploitation of water supplies, countries will increasingly need multilateral cooperation to avoid conflict.

These agreements and institutions provide forums for communication and cooperation. Losing them can lead to less well-governed water resources, declining environmental, economic and health benefits, and increasing conflict.

Lake Chad is a cautionary example. The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in 1964 by Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria to oversee its water and other natural resources and coordinate projects related to the lake. But the countries never fully committed to cooperating.

Since then, the lake has shrunk by around 90%, which has increased poverty by reducing people’s access to vital water resources to support their livelihoods. And that has created optimal conditions for terrorist group Boko Haram’s violent insurgency to succeed in recruiting young men who had limited livelihood options left.

People collect water from a branch of Lake Chad in Ngouboua, Chad, which has been attacked by the terrorist group Boko Haram. People depend on the lake for water, but it has been shrinking.
Philippe Desmazes/AFP via Getty Images

We believe this decline in countries’ commitment to multilateral cooperation should be a wake-up call for everyone. If the world’s most precious resource is not managed cooperatively and sustainably across international boundaries, more than just water is at risk.

Melissa McCracken has not received funding related to this article.

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

– ref. Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences – https://theconversation.com/water-cooperation-is-essential-when-countries-share-lakes-and-rivers-yet-its-been-deteriorating-in-many-places-with-serious-consequences-251864

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kevin A. Schug, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Texas at Arlington

Large proportions of plastic waste don’t get recycled. Westend61 via Getty Images Plus

In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It’s now about 400 million tons – an increase of nearly 20,000%.

As a material, it has seemingly limitless potential. Plastic is inexpensive to produce while being lightweight and sturdy. Its applications range from food and beverage packing to clothing and health care.

When a plastic item ends its useful life, it can take a very long time to decompose, up to 500 years in some cases. Even then, the plastic pieces don’t disappear entirely – instead, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics that end up in the soil where we grow food, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

Research has linked these microplastics to health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and low male fertility.

For years, local governments and manufacturers have relied on recycling as the answer to keep plastic waste from accumulating. However, despite their efforts to sort and separate recyclables, most plastics still end up in landfills – or worse, in green spaces and waterways.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the overall recycling rate for plastics is 8.7%. About a third of milk jugs and plastic bottles are recycled – a higher rate than other types of plastic.

Because plastic is so commonly used, finding new ways to manage and recycle plastic waste is becoming ever more important. Plastic waste pyrolysis is one technology that could help address this issue.

This is a relatively new technique, so researchers still have only a limited knowledge of the pyrolysis process. As analytical chemists, we strive to understand the composition of complex mixtures, especially new creations from sources such as plastic waste pyrolysis.

What is plastic pyrolysis?

Plastic pyrolysis is a chemical process that involves chemically breaking down plastics into other molecules by heating the plastics to extremely high temperatures in the absence of oxygen.

Plastics are fed into the pyrolysis reactor, where they get hot and turn to oil. The oil moves to another vat where it’s boiled and distilled.
Alexander Kaplitz and Kevin A. Schug

Unlike traditional plastic recycling, pyrolysis theoretically isn’t limited to specific types of plastic. It could be made to accommodate many of them, although current technology is limited to a few types – polyethylene and polypropylene, used in food containers and bottles – at an industrial scale.

So, plastic pyrolysis could help handle the waste from consumer products such as plastic bags, bottles, milk jugs, packaging materials, wet wipes and even discarded children’s toys. Pyrolysis can also handle more complex plastic waste such as tires and discarded electronics, although solid waste handlers and recyclers avoid certain plastic types in pyrolysis, such as polyvinyl chloride – or PVC, which is found in pipes and roofing products – and polystyrene, used in packaging, as these can create harmful byproducts.

During pyrolysis, the plastic polymers are broken down into smaller molecules, resulting in the production of liquid oil, fuel source gases such as methane, propane and butane, and char.

Char is the solid residue left at the end of the pyrolysis process. It can be used as a carbon-rich material for various applications, including adding it to soil to make it healthier for farming, as it increases soil moisture and pH, benefiting nutrient absorption. Char also has the ability to absorb harmful carbon gases from the air, which can help prevent climate change.

The main downside of char is if it’s used too much it can increase soil alkalinity, which may hinder plant growth.

Plastic pyrolysis uses heat to break down plastic, with the intent to convert plastic waste into usable materials.

How pyrolosis works

The plastic pyrolysis process typically involves several key steps.

In the first step of pyrolysis, community recyclers collect the plastic waste and clean it to remove any contaminants. The plastic then gets shredded into smaller pieces to facilitate the pyrolysis process. Unlike traditional recycling, it needs only minimal sorting.

Chemical recyclers operating pyrolysis plants feed the shredded plastic into a pyrolysis reactor, where they heat it to temperatures ranging from 600 to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit (315 to 871 degrees Celsius). Without oxygen, plastics in the reactor don’t catch fire and emit fumes into the air. Instead, this high-temperature environment causes the plastic polymers to break down into smaller hydrocarbon molecules. These smaller molecules can be further refined.

The high temperature turns some molecules into vapors, which condense into liquid oil. Chemical companies can further refine this oil to be used as fuel or as a raw material to make other chemicals or plastics.

In addition to liquid oil, the pyrolysis process generates natural gases, such as methane, ethane, butane and propane. Pyrolysis operators then capture these gases, and they can sometimes use them as a source of energy to power the pyrolysis reactor or other industrial processes.

Plastic pyrolysis generates oil, which engineers can use to create new materials or fuels.
BASF, CC BY-NC-ND

Benefits of pyrolysis

When done effectively, plastic pyrolysis offers several benefits.

By expanding recycling beyond just plastic bottles and milk jugs, pyrolysis could reduce the amount of plastic waste pollution that ends up in landfills and oceans.

Additionally, converting plastic waste into usable products could help lower the production demand for new plastics from petroleum hydrocarbons. The byproducts could get used in recycled plastics.

Some researchers are also testing pyrolysis oils to see whether they can use them instead of gasoline to fuel vehicles. The gases produced during pyrolysis can even generate energy that fuels the pyrolysis reactor, making the process more self-sustaining and reducing the need for external energy sources.

Currently, about 15% to 20% of the pyrolysis products are recycled into new propylene and ethylene, while most – about 80% to 85% – becomes diesel fuel, hydrogen, methane and other chemicals.

While plastic pyrolysis holds some promise, it also faces challenges. The cost of setting up and operating pyrolysis plants is high. How profitable the process is depends on the availability of suitable plastic waste, the market demand for the oils and gases produced, and the costs of energy and staff necessary to operate the reactor.

Another issue is quality control. Most plastic types can undergo pyrolysis, but different plastics create oils with different chemical makeups. Scientists will need to understand the composition of these oils before industry can determine which plastic types to focus on and how each oil could create new materials.

Pyrolysis oils have unique chemical compositions depending on the type of plastics used to create them.
Alexander Kaplitz and Kevin A. Schug

Researchers like us at The University of Texas at Arlington and our international colleagues are studying new chromatography-based oil-separation techniques that can successfully identify some types of pyrolysis oils. Chromatography is the process of separating components in a mixture by passing them through a stiff material.

Different components in the mixture are attracted to this material to different degrees. So, they exit the chromatography system at different times, which separates them from one another.

With more research into the technique’s efficiency and technological advancements to scale up pyrolysis, this technique could be one part of a sustainable solution to plastic waste management. In the meantime, pyrolysis is being used now, with one report estimating the market for pyrolysis plants at US$40 billion in 2024 and predicting it to grow to $1.2 billion by 2033.

Kevin A. Schug receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes for Health, ExxonMobil, and Weaver Consultants Group. He is affiliated with VUV Analytics, Inc. and Infinity Water Solutions as a member of their scientific advisory boards. Lummus Technology, LLC provided the funding for research on plastic waste pyrolysis oils at UT Arlington.

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

– ref. Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat – https://theconversation.com/plastic-pyrolysis-chemists-explain-a-technique-attempting-to-tackle-plastic-waste-by-bringing-the-heat-234453

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Beach work underway in Herne Bay

Source: City of Canterbury

Annual beach maintenance work is underway in Herne Bay and will take around two weeks to complete.

Beach recycling has started inside the Neptune Arm and will then move to the west side of the pier.

It involves transporting beach material, which has shifted throughout the winter, back to its original position.

This is important work because the beach material is the first line of defence against storms.

It also gets the beach ready for the busy summer season.

Published: 18 March 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Simpson Secures Permanent Pay Fix for Wildland Firefighters

Source: US State of Idaho

Rep. Simpson Secures Permanent Pay Fix for Wildland Firefighters

Washington, March 18, 2025

WASHINGTON—Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson—Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—secured a key provision in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act that prioritizes funding for Wildland Fire Management, including permanently addressing wildland firefighter pay. The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act passed Congress on March 14 and was signed into law by President Trump.
“The men and women who fight catastrophic wildfires across the nation deserve stability and adequate compensation for their courageous work,” said Rep. Simpson. “A permanent pay fix for our wildland firefighters will strengthen recruitment and retention while providing financial security to the first responders who protect our communities. I have long fought for this critical provision, and I am grateful to my colleagues and the Trump administration for their support in making it a reality.”
Congressman Simpson’s Interior Appropriations bill included a permanent pay fix for federal wildland firefighters and passed the House in July 2024. Rep. Simpson also released an op-ed on why a permanent pay fix is needed.
The full text of the bill is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: From Disaster Recovery to Saving Cultural Heritage: IAEA Boosts Assistance to Countries in Non-Destructive Testing

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Non-destructive testing encompasses a variety of techniques that leverage the interactions of matter with radiation, sound, magnetic fields, electrical currents, and testing agents to inspect materials without damaging them. The most used methods include industrial radiography, ultrasonic testing, liquid penetrant inspection and magnetic particle inspection.

Using gamma or X rays, industrial radiography plays a critical role in creating images that can reveal the safety and quality of civil engineering structures, as bridges, tunnels, dams and buildings are subject to deterioration from environmental stress, including extreme events like earthquakes. NDT is used extensively to inspect aircraft structures, turbine blades and pressure vessels.

As NDT allows experts to inspect objects without harming them, it also contributes significantly to the field of cultural heritage. NDT techniques enable experts to analyse the internal structures of priceless artifacts, sculptures, and historical structures without causing damage, which aids in restoration and conservation efforts.

Meet the Scientists at #ICARST2025

Innovations and latest developments in NDT techniques will be prominently featured at the upcoming International Conference on Applications of Radiation Science and Technology, which will gather hundreds of experts from radiation-related physics, chemistry, materials science, biology, and engineering fields in Vienna from 7 to 11 April 2025. The conference will be livestreamed.

Following on from previous conferences in 2017 and 2022, #ICARST2025 will showcase how radiation sciences have contributed to industrial growth and economic development by providing versatile tools and processes to produce high quality products in a clean and efficient manner. Participants will discuss how these technologies help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“At a side event on Enhancing Global Collaboration in NDT for Disaster Recovery Enhancement, we will highlight the importance of strong international stakeholder networks in our NDT emergency response plan,” said Hannah Affum, an Industrial Technologist at the IAEA. “We will also sign Practical Arrangements with the International Committee for Non-Destructive Testing (ICDNT) for the promotion of increased use of NDT in industry, civil engineering, and cultural heritage.”

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: High soybean prices in Zambia and Malawi may make chicken costly too: lack of competition is to blame

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Arthur Khomotso Mahuma, Economist and Researcher at the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, University of Johannesburg

Poultry is one of the cheapest protein sources for the growing population of the east and southern Africa region. That makes soybeans critical to food security in the region, as they are an important input in chicken feed.

Soybean pricing and production dynamics have been challenging for Zambia and Malawi, threatening poultry production in the region.

Poultry feed makes up 60%-70% of the total cost of poultry production. Soybean prices directly affect the affordability of poultry and the ability of producers to be competitive. Small-scale independent poultry producers in particular have a hard time because they buy feed from the open market and are too small to determine prices. Large producers source feed from their own operations and determine soybean prices.

Figure 1: From soybeans to poultry

Zambia and Malawi are the key soybean producers in east and southern Africa. Both countries were hit hard in 2024 by climate change related weather and by the behaviour of players in the soybean market, including processors and traders.

Zambia’s soybean production fell by 74% because of poor rains and also because of farmers being squeezed. Large buyers had negotiated very low prices in previous years, so farmers planted less.

Malawi’s production also fell (20%), but much less than Zambia’s. Yet the surge in soybean prices in Malawi by 48% between May 2024 and November 2024 was out of proportion with the drop in production, and even surpassed Zambian prices (Figure 2). Malawian prices were the highest in the region, even though it produced enough to export.

We are economists at the African Market Observatory, which monitors prices of staple foods and conducts research on market dynamics. We analyse market concentration and barriers to entry, within and across countries in east and southern Africa, and we do in-depth field work.

Our work shows that competition issues, such as the ability of large buyers to influence prices and high margins, are at the heart of the surge in prices and low production in Malawi and Zambia. The climate-related weather effects are an additional factor.

Figure 2: Soybean prices in Zambia, Malawi and South Africa (benchmark) (3-month moving averages)

Market outcomes

In Zambia, dominant buyers of soybean offered farmers very low prices during the 2023 season – well below US$400/t and the South African benchmark (Figure 2). This meant that farmers planted less than half the 2023 crop in the 2024 season.

Crops were also affected by poor rainfall. Malawi’s 2024 production fell by 20% because of the worst drought in 100 years. The drop in production was lower than expected, demonstrating that farmers can adapt to weather changes. Prices still rose, however, driven by the highly concentrated soybean trading and processing market.

Cheapest source of proteins

Poultry is one of the cheapest sources of protein and has one of the lowest environmental impacts. It is essential that the value chain works well from feed to chicken rearing and becomes more resilient to extreme weather events.

The experience of 2024 shows what can go wrong.

Poultry demand in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow more than fourfold by 2050. Producers will need affordable feed.

Among them are many small-scale independent producers who rely on competitive markets for their inputs. Yet we found that with the escalating soybean and feed prices in Malawi from late 2021, and higher prices for day-old chicks, small independent producers had negative margins, meaning they made a loss in the second half of 2021. High feed prices undermine the competitiveness of Malawi’s poultry industry.

Aside from South Africa (which relies on genetically modified soybean), Zambia and Malawi have been the largest producers in the region. These countries have been exporting around half of their production (including soycake) to neighbouring countries with larger populations such as Tanzania and Kenya.

Zambia’s production plummet

Between 2020 and 2023, Zambia’s soybean production grew from 297,000 tonnes to 650,000 tonnes (Figure 3). In 2024, its production collapsed by 74% to 170,000 tonnes. This sharp decline was primarily due to farmers opting to plant less soybean because of the low prices offered from processors in 2023 (Figure 2). Farmers bought 50% less soybean seed for the 2024 season than the 2023 season.

Figure 3: Soybean production in Zambia and Malawi

With limited storage facilities available for farmers in most countries in the region, including Zambia, farmers typically have to sell to traders and processors shortly after harvest.

In Zambia, soybeans are produced by many small farmers, so they compete to sell their crop to a few main processors in a concentrated market. As a result, these processors have greater power to influence the terms of trade, such as price. This was especially evident in 2023 when processors offered farmers lower prices (Figure 2).

Poor rainfall linked to the 2023/24 El Niño phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which is the warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, causing drought in southern Africa while inducing heavy rainfalls and floods in eastern Africa, did have an impact across southern Africa, including Malawi and Zambia. While Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania recorded above average rainfall, their soybean output is low.

Resilience to climate change impacts requires deepening and diversifying agriculture production across countries and regional trade to meet demand.

Soybean prices in Malawi remain high but Zambia’s prices stabilise

Malawi’s prices increased rapidly to over US$700/tonne in June 2024, surpassing Zambia’s, and continued to rise to almost $900/tonne at the end of the year, far above other countries in the region. The reason couldn’t be reduced production from poor rainfall, because production still exceeded local demand. This happened even as the Malawi government put export restrictions on soybeans (but not soymeal). The price surge raises competition concerns in Malawi, where trading and processing is highly concentrated. In theory, highly concentrated markets are characterised by high prices, due to a lack of price competition.

By comparison, Zambia’s prices moderated because of imports. In addition, the low soybean prices offered to farmers in 2023 also meant that processors had crushed surplus soybeans, thereby building up soymeal stock. This reduced the demand for soybeans, as did power cuts in Zambia, which limited crushers’ operations.

Urgent next steps

Soybean developments over 2024 show the need to consider how competition issues within and across borders can undermine the resilience of regional food markets and hinder the ability of small producers to compete. Zambia is currently conducting a commercial poultry market inquiry. But a regional approach in monitoring markets and tackling anti-competitive conduct is necessary to support poultry production.

Arthur Khomotso Mahuma works for the African Market Observatory (AMO), an initiative of the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) at the University of Johannesburg. He is also a Competition Expert for the Shamba Centre for Food and Climate which has provided funding for CCRED’s for research on African Food Markets.

Namhla Landani works for the African Market Observatory (AMO), an initiative of the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development at the University of Johannesburg. The AMO receives funding from the Shamba Centre for Food and Climate for research on African Food Markets.

– ref. High soybean prices in Zambia and Malawi may make chicken costly too: lack of competition is to blame – https://theconversation.com/high-soybean-prices-in-zambia-and-malawi-may-make-chicken-costly-too-lack-of-competition-is-to-blame-250322

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Ethiopia’s war may have ended, but the Tigray crisis hasn’t

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Assefa Leake Gebru, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Strategic Studies , Mekelle University

For over 20 years, Ethiopia was led by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, a coalition of four ethnic-based political parties representing Tigray, Amhara, Oromo, and Southern nations, nationalities and peoples. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front was the most influential party within the coalition. However, in 2018, when the Prosperity Party came into power, the front lost its important role in government.

On 4 November 2020, the federal government launched an attack on Tigray, terming it a military offensive against political aggression from the Tigrayan front. This sparked a war that lasted two years, and caused severe damage to people and resources. The African Union’s lead mediator in the crisis, Olusegun Obasanjo, estimated about 600,000 civilians were killed. This makes it one of the most destructive conflicts of the 21st century.

On 2 November 2022, the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front signed a peace deal in South Africa, the Pretoria agreement. More than two years later, however, Tigray still faces immense political and humanitarian challenges. Assefa Leake Gebru, who has studied post-war Tigray, explains what’s happening.

What’s the current situation in Tigray?

The 2022-2022 war and its lingering effects have thrown the Tigray region into chaos. People are grappling to get basics like food, water and medicine. The regional economy was devastated by the war. There have been no rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts so far. Humanitarian aid is limited. Imagine if your local grocery store ran out of everything and couldn’t restock – that’s the situation I have witnessed and studied in Tigray, which is affecting millions of residents.

Additionally, the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front are now fighting among themselves for power. The division is mainly between two factions: one led by former regional president Debretsion Gebremichael and the other by Getachew Reda, who heads the interim administration.

In January 2025, leaders of Tigray’s military forces supported calls from the Debretsion faction for new regional leadership. The interim administration opposed this, calling it a soft coup. The federal government considers the political faction led by Debretsion illegitimate. The military leaders’ decision also sparked public protests, with Tigrayans calling for a separation between the military and politics.

This internal division has weakened the interim administration, which was installed as part of the Pretoria agreement in March 2023.

Given this situation, the interim administration remains fragile amid serious humanitarian concerns and security threats facing the region. The interim government and dysfunctional law enforcement institutions aren’t strong enough to fix things.

Read more:
What is federalism? Why Ethiopia uses this system of government and why it’s not perfect

Economically, jobs remain scarce. A 2024 survey found a youth unemployment rate of 81%. This situation has been created by economic collapse, asset plunder during the war and the absence of a functioning government.

Socially, people are stressed and hurting, like a community still reeling from a major fallout. It’s a pile-up of problems that are making life incredibly tough.

What, exactly, is the Pretoria agreement?

The Pretoria agreement is an important peace deal between Tigray’s political leaders and the federal government. It was signed in Pretoria, South Africa, on 2 November 2022. The African Union facilitated the peace talks hosted by South Africa.

The goal of the agreement? End the violence that began in 2020, keep people safe by calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, allow aid like food trucks to roll in, disarm Tigray fighters and set up an interim government to restore order.

It also aimed to re-establish the Ethiopian government’s control over federal installations in Tigray.

What has been implemented and what hasn’t?

There has been some positive progress. The Pretoria agreement established the interim government. Some everyday services are back, like banks reopening and planes flying again. A few Tigray fighters have put down their weapons.

But here’s where it gets messy. Soldiers from Eritrea – which supported the Ethiopian army in the Tigray war – and militias from another Ethiopian region, Amhara, are still hanging around Tigray, raising security threats. They’re preventing internally displaced persons from going back home.

The plan to fully disarm Tigrayan fighters hasn’t been completed either. This threatens regional stability, undermines peace efforts and increases the risk of renewed violence.

What are the implications of not fully executing the Pretoria agreement?

First, the region’s humanitarian crisis could worsen. An estimated one million displaced people are grappling with high levels of food insecurity, and thousands of schools remain closed. A weak interim government and the continued occupation of parts of Tigray by armed groups has hindered the restoration of services and stifled economic progress.

Second, the division within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front makes it hard to lead the region under an interim administration. A lack of consensus on power-sharing has hindered effective governance, undermining the intended transitional authority.

Third, a weak interim government can’t keep civilians safe, which was a pillar of the Pretoria agreement. Economically, the lack of jobs and skyrocketing prices are hitting Tigrayans hard. Socially, everyone’s on edge.

Finally, there’s a risk of igniting further conflict in the region along the political fault lines between Debretsion and Getachew. There is a high chance of this situation being manipulated by Eritrean forces, who weren’t involved in the negotiations that led to the Pretoria agreement. The fractures in the interim government provide an opportunity for neighbouring Eritrea to support one faction against the other, which could escalate into war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front has been one of Eritrea’s bitterest enemies. The antagonism between the two led to the 1998-2000 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

If these tensions keep up, Tigray will remain stuck in an awful cycle. The African Union and international community must address these issues to prevent a spiral into further chaos.

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

– ref. Ethiopia’s war may have ended, but the Tigray crisis hasn’t – https://theconversation.com/ethiopias-war-may-have-ended-but-the-tigray-crisis-hasnt-251846

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests that’s not quite true

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Martin Abel, Assistant Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College

Artificial intelligence is expected to generate a growing share of the world’s creative work. karetoria/Moment via Getty Images

People say they prefer a short story written by a human over one composed by artificial intelligence, yet most still invest the same amount of time and money reading both stories regardless of whether it is labeled as AI-generated.

That was the main finding of a study we conducted recently to test whether this preference of humans over AI in creative works actually translates into consumer behavior. Amid the coming avalanche of AI-generated work, it is a question of real livelihoods for the millions of people worldwide employed in creative industries.

To investigate, we asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4 to generate a short story in the style of the critically acclaimed fiction author Jason Brown. We then recruited a nationally representative sample of over 650 people and offered participants US$3.50 to read and assess the AI-generated story. Crucially, only half the participants were told that the story was written by AI, while the other half was misled into believing it was the work of Jason Brown.

After reading the first half of the AI-generated story, participants were asked to rate the quality of the work along various dimensions, such as whether they found it predictable, emotionally engaging, evocative and so on. We also measured participants’ willingness to pay in order to read to the end of the story in two ways: how much of their study compensation they’d be willing to give up, and how much time they’d agree to spend transcribing some text we gave them.

So, were there differences between the two groups? The short answer: yes. But a closer analysis reveals some startling results.

To begin with, the group that knew the story was AI-generated had a much more negative assessment of the work, rating it more harshly on dimensions like predictability, authenticity and how evocative it is. These results are largely in keeping with a nascent but growing body of research that shows bias against AI in areas like visual art, music and poetry.

Nonetheless, participants were ready to spend the same amount of money and time to finish reading the story whether or not it was labeled as AI. Participants also did not spend less time on average actually reading the AI-labeled story.

When asked afterward, almost 40% of participants said they would have paid less if the same story was written by AI versus a human, highlighting that many are not aware of the discrepancies between their subjective assessments and actual choices.

Why it matters

Our findings challenge past studies showing people favor human-produced works over AI-generated ones. At the very least, this research doesn’t appear to be a reliable indicator of people’s willingness to pay for human-created art.

The potential implications for the future of human-created work are profound, especially in market conditions in which AI-generated work can be orders of magnitude cheaper to produce.

Even though artificial intelligence is still in its infancy, AI-made books are already flooding the market, recently prompting the authors guild to instate its own labeling guidelines.

Our research raises questions whether these labels are effective in stemming the tide.

What’s next

Attitudes toward AI are still forming. Future research could investigate whether there will be a backlash against AI-generated creative works, especially if people witness mass layoffs. After all, similar shifts occurred in the wake of mass industrialization, such as the arts and crafts movement in the late 19th century, which emerged as a response to the growing automation of labor.

A related question is whether the market will segment, where some consumers will be willing to pay more based on the process of creation, while others may be interested only in the product.

Regardless of how these scenarios play out, our findings indicate that the road ahead for human creative labor might be more uphill than previous research suggested. At the very least, while consumers may hold beliefs about the intrinsic value of human labor, many seem unwilling to put their money where their beliefs are.

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

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

– ref. People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests that’s not quite true – https://theconversation.com/people-say-they-prefer-stories-written-by-humans-over-ai-generated-works-yet-new-study-suggests-thats-not-quite-true-251347

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Cocoa Man Who Drove Across the State to Commit Armed Robbery in Tampa and Shot Employee in the Face Charged

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

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Phillip Johnson (21, Cocoa) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Johnson faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.

According to the complaint, during the early morning hours of February 1, 2025, three individuals traveled from Brevard County to Tampa to commit a robbery. After arriving in Tampa, the three individuals went inside the Dreams Club near Ybor City. The three individuals were wearing all black clothing, ski masks, and armed with rifles and handguns.

While inside, the three individuals demanded money from the victim, and Johnson ultimately shot the victim in the face.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with great assistance provided by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Cocoa Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office for the 13^th Judicial Circuit in Tampa. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Natural gas-fired electricity generation during Texas cold snap just shy of record high

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

March 18, 2025

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Hourly Electric Grid Monitor
Note: ERCOT=Electric Reliability Council of Texas; CT=central time

A February 19–22 cold snap increased electricity demand in Texas, and natural gas-fired electricity generation approached record highs for hourly and daily generation.

Electricity demand in Texas typically peaks in the summer during heat waves and in the winter during cold snaps. During peaks in electricity demand, grid operators must have dispatchable electricity generation sources available to service net electricity load, which is the generation required to meet demand after subtracting supply from intermittent sources such as wind and solar. Surges in electricity demand in the region overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) are primarily supplied by natural gas-fired generation; ERCOT manages approximately 90% of the electricity load in Texas. In addition to demand surges, natural gas-fired generation rises to meet supply requirements during periods of lower wind and solar generation. In February’s cold snap, demand increased and combined wind and solar generation decreased.

According to our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, natural gas-fired electricity generation in the region increased to 48.8 gigawatts (GW) between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. central time on February 20, 193% higher than the same time on February 18 (the day before the cold snap) and only 1% below the previous record set on January 16, 2024. Rising temperatures during the daylight hours on February 20 decreased electricity generation needs, which led to lower natural gas-fired generation during the daytime.

Although hourly natural gas generation peaked on February 20, daily natural gas-fired electricity generation peaked during the cold snap on February 21 at 991.9 gigawatthours (GWh). Natural gas generation on February 21 was the second-highest daily level ever recorded in ERCOT and 1% less than the previous record set on December 23, 2022, according to our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. Average daily natural gas-fired generation during the cold snap was 904.8 GWh, 411.1 GWh (83%) more than the February 2025 daily average and 575.6 GWh (175%) higher than the same period in 2024.

Daily net electricity load peaked at 1,357.4 GWh on February 21 (85% higher than on February 18), of which 73% was served by natural gas-fired generation. Natural gas met 95% of the increase in net electricity load between February 18 and 22. Wind and solar generation decreased to 264.2 GWh on February 21, 52% less than on February 18, increasing the demand for natural gas-fired electricity generation.

Although winter storms can disrupt production in the natural gas sector, supplies in Texas were sufficient during peak generation periods this February. System reliability was improved by weatherization standards approved in August 2022 following Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. The new standards required critical natural gas infrastructure, including pipelines servicing power plants, to be better protected against weather emergencies.

Principal contributor: Jordan Young

MIL OSI USA News –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Jacksonville Convicted Drug Dealer Indicted On Federal Charge Of Escaping From Halfway House

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Brian Keith Speights (67, Jacksonville) has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jacksonville for escaping from custody at a halfway house in Jacksonville. If convicted, Speights faces up to five years in prison and a maximum of three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in 2019, Speights was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison after being convicted of using his Jacksonville residence to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, and for possessing several firearms in furtherance of illegal drug trafficking. On January 2, 2025, he knowingly and willfully escaped from custody at the Bridges Federal Reintegration Center in Jacksonville, where he was lawfully confined serving the sentence imposed in 2019. Speights was arrested on this new federal charge on March 17, 2025, and his arraignment and detention hearing are set for March 19, 2025.

An indictment is only an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

MIL Security OSI –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: Overwatch Expands Cybersecurity Innovation with AI-Driven Hyper-Automation, Delivering Unfair Advantage to MSPs

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BATAVIA, Ill., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI) is redefining cybersecurity for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and their customers by embedding hyper-automation and AI-driven security into its platform. Through strategic partnerships with SentinelOne (NYSE: S), D3 Security, and other industry leaders, High Wire – Overwatch does the hard, behind-the-scenes work so that partners and their customers receive a seamless, white-glove cybersecurity experience. This unfair advantage allows partners and customers to deliver enterprise-grade protection without the complexity or overhead of managing it themselves.

“SentinelOne recognizes Overwatch is more than just a cybersecurity provider—we are an enabler of success for our partners,” said Ed Vasko, CEO of Overwatch. “As such, they want to partner with us to increase our revenue growth across their expanding portfolio. Because AI and automation are the foundation of a smarter, more efficient security ecosystem, we can scale revenue faster, keep costs flat, and provide better security. By doing the heavy lifting, we help our channel partners deliver powerful security outcomes without adding operational burden. Our focus on innovation is about adopting new technology that works at scale against the constant onslaught of multi-vector cyber-attacks across industries. It’s about leveraging AI and automation to streamline security operations, enhance threat detection, and reduce technical debt—giving our partners a true competitive edge.”

Overwatch integrates AI-powered threat detection, automated response, and hyper-automation to eliminate inefficiencies and enhance security outcomes. By leveraging Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (MEDR), Managed eXtended Detection and Response (MXDR), and Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR), Overwatch enables MSPs to activate services faster, streamline operations, and reduce technical debt—all while maintaining top-tier security.

Through its partnership with SentinelOne, Overwatch provides next-generation Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) solutions.

With SentinelOne’s Singularity platform, Overwatch unifies cloud, endpoint, and firewall logs for seamless threat correlation. Leveraging Purple AI, the industry’s most advanced AI security analyst, we help our customers detect attacks earlier, respond faster, and stay ahead of them. Purple AI streamlines detection rule creation and threat hunting, reducing manual effort and enhancing visibility. Integrated vulnerability detection proactively identifies and mitigates risks by linking security gaps to active threats.

As a trusted partner in SentinelOne’s UXIP program, Overwatch is among a select group of companies granted firsthand access to beta features, user experience enhancements, and new product capabilities before they go to market. This exclusive partnership allows Overwatch to test, refine, and provide feedback on SentinelOne’s latest innovations, ensuring that our clients benefit from the most advanced security technologies as soon as they become available.

“The combination of High Wire’s Overwatch MDR and MSSP services with SentinelOne’s AI security technology is a powerful one that will create significant value for customers,” said Brian Lanigan, SVP, Global Head of Partner Ecosystem, SentinelOne (NYSE: S). “Together, we can deliver innovations that empower security leaders to reimagine and revolutionize how they respond to emerging threats in ways that significantly reduce risk, speed decision-making, and free up their teams to focus on high-impact initiatives.”

Overwatch’s partnership with D3 Security takes automation and orchestration to the next level. D3’s AI-powered platform integrates alerts from multiple security sources, allowing automated responses such as account lockdowns and password resets. SOAR connections enable Overwatch to execute security actions inside client networks without manual intervention, ensuring faster and more precise incident resolution.

The combination of D3’s hyper-automation capabilities and Overwatch’s 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) means low-level alerts are handled automatically, while critical threats like ransomware trigger immediate, hands-on intervention. Overwatch’s white-glove approach ensures partners and customers never need to worry about cybersecurity gaps.

Overwatch continues to push the boundaries of AI-driven security with D3’s Morpheus AI, set to launch in 2025. This next-generation AI SOC solution will revolutionize managed security by providing real-time detection, autonomous analysis, and rapid mitigation of cyber threats.

High Wire Network’s commitment to innovation and hyperautomation transforms cybersecurity delivery and drives tangible business growth. By enabling partners to deliver enterprise-grade protection with greater speed, efficiency, and scalability, Overwatch creates a distinct competitive advantage in the marketplace. This strategic focus positions Overwatch to accelerate partner adoption, expand recurring revenue streams, and strengthen its overall market presence—delivering meaningful value to shareholders and supporting long-term growth objectives.

About SentinelOne

SentinelOne (NYSE: S) is a leading AI-powered cybersecurity platform. Built on the first unified Data Lake, SentinelOne empowers the world to run securely by creating intelligent, data-driven systems that think for themselves, stay ahead of complexity and risk, and evolve on their own. Leading organizations—including Fortune 10, Fortune 500, and Global 2000 companies, as well as prominent governments – trust SentinelOne to Secure Tomorrow™. Learn more at sentinelone.com.

About High Wire Networks

High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI) is a fast-growing, award-winning global provider of managed cybersecurity. Through over 200 channel partners, it delivers trusted managed services for more than 1,100 managed security customers worldwide. End customers include Fortune 500 companies and many of the nation’s largest government agencies. Its U.S.-based 24/7 Network Operations Center and Security Operations Center is in Chicago, Illinois.

High Wire was ranked by Frost & Sullivan as a Top 15 Managed Security Service Provider in the Americas for 2024. It was also named to CRN’s MSP 500 and Elite 150 lists of the nation’s top IT-managed service providers for 2023 and 2024.

Learn more at HighWireNetworks.com. Follow the company on X, view its extensive video series on YouTube or connect on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

The above news release contains forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this document that are not statements of historical fact, including but not limited to, statements identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “appear,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “hope,” “indicate,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and other variations or negative expressions of these terms, including statements related to expected market trends and the Company’s performance, are all “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and its management. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performances and are subject to a wide range of external factors, uncertainties, business risks, and other risks identified in filings made by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances upon which any statement is based except as required by applicable law and regulations.

Media Contact:
Lori Aleman
Director of Marketing
Phone: O: 630-635-8477 C: 602-920-0902
Email: lori.aleman@highwirenetworks.com

The MIL Network –

March 19, 2025
MIL-OSI: Jackery Showcases Smart Essential Home Backup Solutions & Energy-Efficient Upgrades at National Hardware Show 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LAS VEGAS, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As spring kicks off and the season for home improvement gets underway, homeowners are focusing on upgrades that enhance efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. Jackery, a leader in reliable and innovative renewable energy solutions, is set to exhibit at the National Hardware Show 2025 in Las Vegas, showcasing cutting-edge essential home backup solutions designed to make homes smarter, stronger, and better prepared for any emergency.

With extreme weather events and power disruptions becoming more frequent, Jackery continues to innovate, ensuring people have high-capacity, easy-to-use backup power solutions that not only provide peace of mind during outages, but also support long-term energy efficiency upgrades. Whether people are looking to modernize their energy systems, reduce electricity costs, or prepare for the unexpected, Jackery offers the perfect seasonal home upgrade for 2025.

At the show, Jackery will showcase its industry-leading solar generator lineup, designed to power essential home functions during blackouts, storms, and emergencies. These plug-and-play, solar-compatible solutions keep refrigerators running, lights on, and communication devices charged—ensuring uninterrupted comfort and security when the grid goes down.

Jackery’s Latest Innovations on Display

Jackery’s 5000 Plus Essential Home Backup Kit – A Smarter Approach to Backup Power

The modern alternative to whole-home energy storage systems. Designed for seamless, automatic backup, this high-capacity solar generator integrates with a Smart Transfer Switch to instantly restore power to essential appliances—keeping refrigerators, lights, WiFi routers, and other electronics running without interruption. Unlike traditional backup systems, the 5000 Plus is modular, allowing homeowners to expand their energy storage over time—a flexible, cost-effective solution that grows with their needs.

This smart system makes it possible to save more with every charge. With the ability to prioritize solar charging and schedule charging during off-peak hours, users can optimize energy usage and cut electricity costs by up to 30% per month. When battery levels are above a set threshold, Jackery’s 5000 Plus Essential Home Backup Kit prioritizes solar charging; if they drop below, it seamlessly switches to hybrid solar + AC charging. Scheduled charging shifts energy consumption to lower-cost nighttime rates, maximizing savings.

Plus, when not in use for essential home backup, the 5000 Plus transforms into a portable solar generator, perfect for job sites, DIY projects, and outdoor adventures.

Jackery Solar Roof – The Future of Aesthetic, Integrated Solar Energy

For homeowners investing in energy efficiency and cost-saving upgrades, the Jackery Solar Roof seamlessly combines form and function. The first-ever and only curved solar tiles available in the U.S., this sleek innovation blends into modern and traditional architecture while delivering industry-leading solar efficiency of over 25%. Designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, the Jackery Solar Roof helps homeowners future-proof their energy consumption and lower electricity bills, all while maintaining the architectural integrity of the home.

Jackery HomePower 3000 – The Essential Home Backup for Every Household

As homeowners look to spring and summer home upgrades that enhance reliability, efficiency, and resilience, the Jackery HomePower 3000 stands out as a must-have essential backup solution for any home. With a massive 3,072Wh capacity and 3,600W output (7,200W peak), it delivers seamless power to critical appliances, ensuring uninterrupted comfort and security during blackouts, storms, and emergencies. Designed for effortless plug-and-play use, it requires no installation, making it a versatile and cost-effective alternative to complex whole-home backup systems. With an ultra-fast UPS (≤20ms switching), the HomePower 3000 instantly detects and responds to power outages, keeping refrigerators, lights, and communication devices running without interruption. Its solar-ready compatibility also allows users to harness renewable energy for long-term savings and sustainability. Built with a durable, long-lasting LiFePO4 battery, the HomePower 3000 is engineered for safety, reliability, and all-season performance—making it a smart and practical home upgrade for those preparing for unpredictable weather, rising energy costs, and the need for greater energy independence.

Upgrade Your Home This Season with Jackery – Visit Booth #W1001

Spring and summer aren’t just about cosmetic upgrades—they’re the perfect time to invest in practical improvements that enhance home efficiency, resilience, and comfort. Jackery’s Essential Home Backup solutions offer energy independence, affordability, and peace of mind, ensuring people are prepared for outages while reducing reliance on the grid.

Attendees at National Hardware Show 2025 can visit Booth #W1001 for a hands-on experience and to gain expert insights on integrating Jackery’s portable solar power solutions into their emergency preparedness and home upgrade plans.

For more information about Jackery and its lineup of solar generators, visit www.jackery.com.

About Jackery:

Founded in California in 2012, Jackery is a leader in innovative solar generators and renewable energy solutions. Offering a diverse range of products from compact 100W units to robust 123kWh energy storage systems for whole-home backup, Jackery combines cutting-edge technology with a steadfast commitment to sustainability. Dedicated to providing reliable, renewable energy solutions, Jackery prioritizes convenience, trust, energy independence, and environmentally responsible practices. With over 150,000 five-star reviews, Jackery has earned the trust of customers worldwide. As of mid-year 2024, Jackery solar panels sold have saved 760 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and reduced carbon emissions by 758,000 tons—equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of a medium-sized city. To learn more, check out Jackery on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACTS
ICR
jackery@icrinc.com

Rachel Stotts
rachel.stotts@jackery.com

The MIL Network –

March 19, 2025

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