NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Govt Re-Configures MSOs – Diesel users to pay for new standards at the pump – ERA

    Source: Energy Resources Aotearoa

    Energy Resources Aotearoa warns that consumers will ultimately face higher costs at the pump because of new Minimum Stockholding Obligations (MSO) announced today.
    Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie says with diesel consumption expected to decline in the coming years, investment in diesel assets is challenged and may become obsolete.
    “The Government’s decision to add 7 days of diesel stockholding obligation on importers, rather than fund and manage themselves, will require industry to either lease additional tanks or convert/build tanks to support current demand. Both options require significant long-term investment which will be passed through to the consumer at the pump.”
    “Add the low likelihood of experiencing a sustained and severe fuel disruption to that picture, and we will have a high-cost solution imposed on New Zealanders for a rare and unprecedented event.”
    Carnegie says that while the government’s reasoning for increasing fuel stocks is New Zealand’s vulnerability to international fuel supply disruptions, the costs to consumers far outweigh the benefits beyond the current 21 days of mandated cover.
    “New Zealand operates in a nimble, complex and highly integrated supply chain system that supplies liquid fuels in Asia Pacific, which has only improved since the closure of the Marsden Point refinery.
    Now, more than ever, more ships are on the water delivering fuel across New Zealand. Since the refinery closure, fuel companies have been providing fuel to New Zealand through more frequent shipments from a wider range of sources.”
    Carnegie says if the government wants to enhance resilience, it should fund an extra seven days of coverage instead of imposing this requirement on fuel importers.
    “The beneficiaries are all New Zealanders rather than diesel users who will have to carry these costs. Government funding is the fairest approach to sharing the costs because resilience is a form of public insurance for the highly unlikely event of a sustained and severe fuel disruption.
    Costs associated with MSO include monitoring systems and IT, labour, storage for fuel and data, legal and contractual fees, engineering, and design. All of these costs will ultimately be passed on to the consumer.
    We are not convinced that increasing onshore stocks will improve diesel resilience or is the right approach to future-proofing New Zealand’s emergency management system.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee Observes National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Memphis, TN – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee and the Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime (“OVC”) joins communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 6-12, 2025, and in celebrating victims’ rights, protections, and services. This year’s theme, “Kinship – Connecting & Healing,” is a call to action to recognize that shared humanity should be at the center of supporting all survivors and victims of crime. KINSHIP is a state of being with survivors that drives vital connections to services, rights, and healing. KINSHIP is where victim advocacy begins.

    Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorney’s Offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2023, there were approximately 20 million crime victimizations in the United States. More than 6.4 million were the result of violent crimes, including rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Of that 6.4 million, only about 45% were reported to police.

    The United States Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and right of victims of crime.

    Here, in the Western District of Tennessee, we have a dedicated Victim Witness Coordinator who supports federal crime victims by providing victims with essential services, including referrals to counseling, securing temporary housing, assisting with access to victim’s compensation funds, and accompanying victims to court proceedings to provide support and guidance. These services provide victims with tools to reshape their futures.

    The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems by disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge and practices across the United States and by providing grants for the implementation of these crime-fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter partnerships with these officers.

    Further National Crime Victims’ Rights Week resources can be found at https://ovc.ojp.gov/ncvrw2025/overview.

    ###

    For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: ZENMEV Launches New MEV-Based Staking Model amid Global Market Shakeup

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, NY, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In response to heightened market volatility and investor uncertainty, ZENMEV has introduced a new staking model leveraging Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) to offer structurally resilient returns.

    A New Frontier in Long-Term Investment Strategies Based on MEV

    Global stock markets have recently experienced significant downturns due to tariff issues and fluctuating interest rates, causing widespread investor anxiety over plummeting asset values. Financial experts suggest avoiding panic-driven, short-term selling and instead recommend stable long-term investment strategies resilient to market volatility. One alternative gaining institutional attention is staking based on Maximal Extractable Value (MEV), with the ZENMEV platform emerging as a leading player. Unlike traditional major exchanges or regular staking services, ZENMEV returns the structural profits generated from blockchain mechanisms directly to ordinary users, quickly becoming a prominent choice.

    Market Volatility and Emergence of Staking Alternatives

    According to recent economic reports, growing recession fears and geopolitical risks have weakened trust in traditional stock markets. Historically, investors have gravitated toward safer assets like gold or bonds in such environments, but cryptocurrencies have recently emerged as alternative investments. However, their significant volatility remains a psychological hurdle during bear markets.

    In these circumstances, staking has been increasingly popular as a more stable income strategy. Users lock assets for a certain period to help validate network transactions and earn rewards in the form of block rewards or transaction fees. Notable examples include Ethereum (since transitioning to Proof of Stake), Cosmos (ATOM), and Tezos (XTZ), all providing annual fixed interest rates. Staking helps minimize impulsive short-term trading decisions, allowing investors to accumulate assets steadily.

    However, typical staking models rely solely on block rewards, limiting their profitability. Achieving satisfying returns can be challenging without significant market growth. To address this limitation, staking strategies utilizing MEV have emerged prominently, with ZENMEV leading the way.

    Understanding ZENMEV Redefining the MEV Ecosystem
     MEV refers to profits generated by blockchain validators who rearrange or insert transactions within a block to extract additional value. Decentralized Finance (DeFi) activities such as large swaps, arbitrage, or collateral liquidations create MEV opportunities. Historically, these opportunities were accessible only to specialized bots, large validators, or miners, attracting criticism as an exclusive insider game.

    ZENMEV disrupts this exclusivity by transparently distributing MEV gains to everyday users. Users deposit assets like Ethereum (ETH) or Solana (SOL), and ZENMEV’s MEV trading bots, known as Zenbots, analyze on-chain data in real time to identify and execute MEV opportunities within milliseconds. For example, if a large buy order appears on a decentralized exchange, ZENMEV strategically purchases the asset at a lower price immediately before executing the large order, realizing risk-free profits from the subsequent price increase.

    These profits are instantly and transparently distributed to stakeholders through ZENMEV’s smart contracts. Users simply deposit assets and automatically share in the structural profits derived from blockchain mechanisms. This added value distinguishes ZENMEV from conventional staking, which relies only on block rewards.

    Stable Returns in Bear Markets through Market-Neutral Strategies

    Bear markets usually lead to reduced asset prices and declining trading volumes in cryptocurrency markets. However, ZENMEV remains attractive as MEV profits derive from volatility and trading activities rather than asset price direction. For instance, front-running strategies capture profits by quickly executing transactions before large orders that push prices upward, independent of overall market trends.

    Provided meaningful trading volumes or volatility persist, MEV opportunities remain present even during downturns. Research suggests MEV opportunities continue to emerge unless markets become completely stagnant. Thus, MEV’s market-neutral strategy offers relative stability during bear markets, occasionally surpassing typical validator rewards. This structural advantage underscores ZENMEV’s growing appeal in challenging market conditions.

    Core Strength: Advanced Zenbot Algorithms and Mempool Scanning

    ZENMEV’s robust performance relies heavily on sophisticated algorithms and mempool scanning technologies. The platform efficiently processes thousands of transactions per second using deep learning models, enabling Zenbots to accurately identify and swiftly execute profitable opportunities such as liquidity pools, significant swaps, and rapid token price fluctuations. These AI-driven bots prioritize transactions strategically to maximize profit, ensuring competitive execution within blockchain networks.

    Rapid Multichain Expansion and Strategic Global VC Investment

    Though MEV discussions commonly focus on Ethereum and BNB chains, ZENMEV also seeks opportunities across networks like Solana and Cosmos. By customizing strategies to each blockchain’s unique characteristics, ZENMEV allows users seamless access to diversified MEV opportunities from multiple chains through a single platform.

    ZENMEV recently attracted strategic investments totaling approximately $140 million from prominent Web3 venture capitalists. These funds will accelerate global market expansion, enhance AI-driven MEV detection models, and further strengthen ZENMEV’s competitive position. The company is actively expanding into North America, Europe, and Asia, solidifying its global footprint.

    Combining Node Rewards with MEV Profits

    ZENMEV’s staking model uniquely combines basic validator rewards with additional MEV-generated income. Users who participate as validators typically receive standard block rewards but also benefit from additional profits derived from MEV strategies, significantly enhancing overall annual returns.

    The platform simplifies this process by automatically identifying and capitalizing on MEV opportunities, requiring no specialized technical knowledge from users. Participants simply stake assets as usual and benefit from structurally enhanced returns, making sophisticated MEV strategies broadly accessible.

    Mental Stability and Long-term Investment Approach in Bear Markets

    During bear markets, investor psychology often drives premature selling due to fear of further losses. ZENMEV’s staking model mitigates these emotional decisions by offering consistent returns from MEV strategies, encouraging investors to maintain a long-term perspective despite short-term volatility.

    ZENMEV’s continuous, AI-driven monitoring of blockchain activities eliminates the need for users to track news and market movements manually. By capturing fleeting profitable transactions automatically, ZENMEV safeguards asset values and bolsters investor confidence even during downturns.

    Conclusion and Outlook

    ZENMEV staking emerges as a uniquely robust investment alternative amid current market uncertainties, effectively harnessing blockchain inefficiencies to generate consistent returns. By democratizing previously inaccessible MEV strategies and automating the process with advanced AI technology, ZENMEV significantly enhances traditional staking models.

    With multi-chain capabilities, cutting-edge AI integration, and recent strategic funding, ZENMEV’s growth potential appears substantial. As market-neutral and volatility-responsive strategies gain prominence, platforms like ZENMEV could significantly shape the future landscape of decentralized finance.

    For detailed information, visit ZENMEV’s official website or explore technical documentation.

    Social Links

    CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/community/profile/zenmev/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zenmev/

    X: https://x.com/zenmev

    Telegram: https://t.me/ZENMEV_Channel

    Medium: https://medium.com/@zenmev

    Media contact

    Brand: ZENMEV

    Contact: Media team

    Email: support@zenmev.com

    Website: https://zenmev.com/

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray, Rep. Houlahan Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation Strengthening Menopause Research at DoD and VA 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Senator Murray also leads major bipartisan legislation endorsed by Halle Berry to boost menopause research, expand training and awareness
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Joni Ernst (R-IA), joined Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D, PA-06) and Stephanie Bice (R, OK-05) in reintroducing the Servicewomen and Veterans Menopause Research Act. This legislation requires the Department of Defense (DoD) in coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to research and study the effects of menopause on women servicemembers and women veterans. This research would, for the first time ever, analyze any gaps in treatment and research for women servicemembers and veterans experiencing perimenopause or menopause, with a focus on the effect of combat roles, toxic exposure, and on overall mental health. 
    “Every woman goes through menopause—but for far too long, research that would help us better understand and treat the symptoms of menopause has been underinvested in and overlooked. I’ve been working to tackle this problem from every angle so that women can have the information and the tools they need to enter menopause with confidence and get the care that’s right for them, and our women in uniform and women veterans are no exception,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud to join Rep. Houlahan in introducing this legislation to strengthen research at VA and DoD on menopause and mid-life women’s health—and I’ll be pushing to include it in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.” 
    “Servicewomen and women veterans need dedicated resources and research to better understand the unique way military service impacts menopause. Not only is this a health care issue, but it is also a workforce and family-building issue. Women are going into perimenopause earlier, struggling with debilitating health conditions and being forced to leave the workforce earlier due to medical difficulties from menopause,” said Representative Houlahan. “Service members, including those in non-combat roles, face significantly more stress than their civilian counterparts, potentially leading to early onset menopause and other unique challenges. It is essential to understand the health implications through research, not only for the readiness of our force, but our broader workforce as well.” 
    Research proves that stress on the body often leads to earlier perimenopause, cutting child-bearing years short, and other physical and mental health conditions that impact women’s ability to work. Servicemembers are disproportionately affected due to the high-stress nature of their jobs. This bill will require a report and identification of gaps in health care knowledge and coverage so that DOD and VA can better serve those that serve us. With a fast-growing number of women veterans, this research is more important than ever for the readiness of our armed forces, as well as our workforce.  
    Read the full text of the bill here. 
    “Let’s Talk Menopause applauds the introduction of the Servicewomen and Veterans Menopause Research Act by Representatives Houlahan and Bice. This groundbreaking initiative shines a necessary light on the unique health challenges faced by our service members and veterans as they navigate menopause. Understanding the impact of military service on menopause is crucial for developing tailored support and treatments, ensuring our heroes receive the care they deserve,” said Donna Klassen, Co-Founder/CEO of Let’s Talk Menopause. 
    “As the population of women veterans continues to grow, it’s imperative that the VA not only continues to study our healthcare needs but also takes proactive steps to address them,” said Elisa Cardnell, President of Service Women’s Action Network. “Military service has a lifelong impact on health, and we applaud the efforts of Rep. Houlahan and Rep. Bice to determine how it may impact perimenopause and menopause.”
    “Menopause is a natural life stage that all women will encounter. This includes our nation’s service members and veterans,” said Society for Women’s Health Research President and CEO Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE. “Yet, as in so many areas of women’s health, we are operating with a lack of information. This new legislation from Representative Houlahan will give us important insights into menopause’s impact on our service members, including how it affects military service and combat roles. It is our hope that members of Congress will work together in a bipartisan way to quickly pass this legislation.”  
    Last Congress, Senator Murray introduced the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, new comprehensive bipartisan legislation that would be the most expansive effort so far to boost federal research on menopause and would—for the first time—coordinate the federal government’s existing programs related to menopause and mid-life women’s health. Senator Murray has always championed women’s health care and fought to boost investments in women’s health care research in particular. As the previous top Democrat on the HELP Committee, Murray led negotiations and passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016, bipartisan legislation that provided $4.8 billion over the next 10 years to invests in a wide range of health priorities including with regards to women’s health care. Murray leads and has repeatedly introduced the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act, which would increase women’s access to preventive and lifesaving cancer screenings. Murray has also been a strong advocate for women veterans’ health care—transforming the VA over decades to meet the needs of women veterans, whether by authoring and passing the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act in 2010 or by delivering annual funding as an appropriator to help VA provide the necessary care for women veterans. Last year as Chair of the Appropriations Chair, Senator Murray delivered a record $900 million investment in women veterans’ health care.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Republicans Attack Public Education, Pressley Reintroduces Bills to Invest in Safe, Nurturing Learning Environments for All Students

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Pair of Bills Would Address Pushout of Black Girls, Invest in Counselors and End Over-Policing of Public K-12 Schools

    Ending PUSHOUT Act | Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act

    WASHINGTON – Today, as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans attack public education, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) is leading her colleagues in reintroducing a pair of bills, the Ending PUSHOUT Act and Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, which would collectively end the discriminatory treatment of Black and brown students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities in schools, and invest in safe, nurturing learning environments for all students.

    “Classrooms should be a place for students to learn, grow, and thrive – not be overpoliced and criminalized. With Republicans gutting public education and attacking vulnerable students, our bills would help protect our students by promoting trauma-informed policies and investing in counselors, nurses, social workers, and other trained professionals who actually make our schools safer,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m grateful to my House and Senate colleagues for their ongoing partnership and for the coalition of individuals and organizations from across the country who joined us in support of these bills. We must affirm the right for every student to learn in a setting free from fear.”

    Rep. Pressley is joined by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in reintroducing the Ending PUSHOUT Act, which would end the punitive pushout of girls of color from schools. 

    “Over the last 25 years, more than $1 billion in federal funds have been used to put police officers in our nation’s schools without any evidence that this funding has improved school safety or student outcomes,” said Senator Booker. “Additionally, research shows that students of color, particularly girls, are often subjected to harsher and more frequent disciplinary action compared to their white counterparts. The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act and Ending PUSHOUT Act are critical bills that invest federal dollars in counselors, social workers, and other trauma-informed personnel to support students so we can keep create safer academic environments for all students to thrive.”

    “I want my granddaughter to learn, grow, and receive an education in an environment where she is loved and valued,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “But we know, both from the data and our own experience, that this is not always the case for Black girls. They are disproportionately likely to face severe punishment for similar behaviors compared to their white peers and we must take action to dismantle this systemic discrimination. The school-to-prison pipeline is real, and it has specifically harmed and targeted Black girls. I’m proud to support Rep. Pressley’s End PUSHOUT Act to put an end to this injustice, and foster a learning environment where every student, regardless of race, gender, or ZIP code, has the opportunity to thrive.”

    “It’s heartbreaking but not surprising that across the country, Black girls and Indigenous girls are still being pushed out of classrooms at staggering rates. Black students in Minnesota are eight times more likely to be suspended than white students. For Indigenous students, it’s ten times,” said Rep. Omar. “The Ending PUSHOUT Act is about creating school environments where girls of color feel safe, supported, and free to learn. I’m proud to stand with Congresswoman Pressley and Congresswoman Watson Coleman to say our girls deserve better and we’re going to fight for them.”

    Rep. Pressley is joined by Congresswoman Omar (MN-05), Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12), and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in introducing the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, which would invest in safe and nurturing school climates that support all students and end over-policing in our nation’s public K-12 schools.

    “Every kid deserves to feel secure and supported in their classroom. But too often students, especially kids of color and students with disabilities, are arrested at school instead of getting the help that would actually address the root causes of their behavioral issues. While a number of school districts across the country have made progress by taking police out of classrooms and giving our kids the kind of support that we know leads to better results, other schools have gone back to old rules that just punish kids but don’t help them get back on track. This legislation would put more counselors and social workers in schools and make sure school districts have the resources they need to make classrooms safe for all students,” said Senator Murphy.

    “Our children deserve to feel safe, supported, and seen in their schools, not criminalized for simply being kids. Schools have increasingly relied on policing to manage behavior in our classrooms, a practice that has disproportionately harmed Black, brown, LGBTQ+, and disabled students,” said Rep. Omar. “This bill moves us toward justice by directing resources toward counselors, social workers, and the support systems our students actually need to thrive. I’m proud to join my colleagues in fighting for a future where every child has the freedom to learn in an environment that uplifts their potential instead of policing their existence.”

    “Schools should be a place our students feel safe and supported without fear of surveillance or punishment,” said Rep. Summer Lee. “Rather than increasing police presence in schools, the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would invest in trauma-informed counselors and social workers to create more positive learning environments. We should be bringing students in, not pushing them out—especially marginalized students disproportionately criminalized for normal childhood and adolescent behavior.”

    Across the country, the education of Black and brown students is often disrupted as a result of discriminatory and punitive discipline policies that criminalize and push them out of school. In particular, Black girls are suspended, expelled, referred to law enforcement, and arrested on school campuses at disproportionately higher rates than white girls due to unfair dress code and hair policies and a lack of understanding of the historical, social, and economic inequities such as poverty, trauma, hunger, and violence that often impact student behavior. Overall, Black girls, girls of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary school discipline policies such as suspension and expulsion, which can have long-term effects on the safety, wellbeing, and academic success of all students.

    Additionally, research shows that the presence of mental and behavioral health personnel in schools, like counselors, social workers, and psychologists, improves educational outcomes for kids, specifically by improving attendance and graduation rates while lowering the rates of suspension, expulsion and other disciplinary incidents. Meanwhile, the presence of police in schools leads to an increase in arrests of students — disproportionately students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities — often for common misbehavior that a school could address without the involvement of law enforcement. 

    The Ending PUSHOUT Act will work to disrupt the school-to-confinement pathway by investing in safe and nurturing school environments for all students, especially girls of color.  Specifically, the bill would:

    • Establish new federal grants to support states and schools that commit to ban unfair and discriminatory school discipline practices and improve school climate.
    • Protect Civil Rights Data Collection and strengthen the Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
    • Establish a federal interagency taskforce to end school pushout and examine its disproportionate impact on girls of color.

    The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would:

    • Prohibit the use of federal funds for maintaining police in schools: Since 1999, the federal government has spent more than $1 billion to increase the number of police in schools. However, evidence does not show this funding has improved student outcomes and school safety. This legislation would prohibit federal funds from being used to hire or maintain police in K-12 schools, diverting that funding toward other uses related to school safety within applicable grant programs.
    • Invest billions to help schools hire counselors, social workers, and other trauma-informed support personnel necessary to create safe, supportive learning environments for all students: This legislation helps schools build safe and positive learning cultures by establishing a new $5 billion grant program to support the hiring of counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and other personnel. The grant would also help schools implement programs to improve school climate, such as school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports, as well as invest in trauma-informed services and professional development. As more schools move away from policies that criminalize students and push them out of school, this historic investment will ensure districts have the resources to provide students with the support they need to feel safe in school and thrive.

    Last year, Congresswoman Pressley, along with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro released a groundbreaking report they requested from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that across the United States, Black girls face disproportionately severe discipline compared to other girls and receive harsher punishments than their white peers for similar behaviors. These disparities are further exacerbated for Black girls with disabilities and Black girls that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

    Both bills are informed by Rep. Pressley’s People’s Justice Guarantee and is a continuation of her longstanding history of working to address issues of disparate school discipline and education inequities during her tenure on the Boston City Council.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Access Canberra is speaking your language

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Concierge Tejas estimates he speaks with customers in Hindi or Gujarati at least 25–30 times a week.

    Many frontline service staff at Access Canberra speak multiple languages.

    This not only reflects the diversity of the Canberra community but allows them to assist customers who may not be comfortable communicating in English.

    Across Access Canberra’s five service centres, staff speak 12 languages, in addition to English.

    These are:

    • Hindi
    • Punjabi
    • French
    • Japanese
    • Vietnamese
    • French
    • Thai
    • Greek
    • Gujarati
    • Croatian
    • Tibetan
    • Indian.

    Staff wear badges, allowing customers to identify them easily to see which languages they speak.

    Woden Service Centre Concierge Tejas is often the first friendly face customers see when they enter the Centre and speaks Gujarati, Hindi and English.

    “Being a Concierge I think I speak in Hindi and Gujarati at least 25–30 times a week to help members of community,” he said.

    He finds the badge helps Canberrans with little English feel more at ease.

    “Wearing the badge gives members of the community an idea that I speak different languages. It invites members of the community who may be anxious of walking into a service centre because they can’t correctly interpret or understand English. I have also seen people who can understand English very well, but speaking it is the problem. Thus, whenever I can, I assist the Customer Service Officer and customer complete a transaction by translating for both,” Tejas said.

    “As soon as a customer finds out that I can speak their language, they are delighted and relaxed that they can communicate in a much clearer and better way. Customers are more at ease because I can translate government policies and legislation for them, making comprehending them easier.”

    Tejas has worked at Access Canberra since 2021.

    “My vision every day is to help members of community who visit the service centre in every possible way,” he said.

    “I am proud of wearing this badge because I know I can make a difference and put a smile on someone’s face.”

    Many Access Canberra transactions can be carried out online. Visit accesscanberra.act.gov.au to find a translation option on the homepage.

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    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Germany is back’: 3 ways NZ can benefit from Europe’s renewed centre of power

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mathew Doidge, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury

    Getty Images

    It’s unlikely many New Zealanders paid close attention to Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ statement late last year that “New Zealand and Germany are committed to enhancing their partnership”.

    Peters had been visiting Berlin two weeks after Donald Trump’s US election victory, but well before the real contours of the second Trump administration came into focus.

    The foreign minister’s diplomatic tone may have suited the less heated atmosphere of the time, but 2025 is a very different place. With the pillars of the international system New Zealand depends on crumbling, strong ties with an active Germany at the heart of Europe begin to look more important.

    Germans, too, are grappling with the same uncertainties – not least Friedrich Merz, the Christian Democratic Union party leader who is all but certain to be the new chancellor when coalition negotiations conclude.

    Among the most pro-American of Europe’s leaders, Merz will enter the Chancellery at a time when US relations are fraught. Even before the February election results were finalised, he acknowledged this new reality, calling to “strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that […] we can really achieve independence from the USA”.

    With Trump’s reversal of US support for Ukraine, his “might is right” foreign policy and hostile trade tariffs, Germany and the European Union have begun to reassess their place in the new world order. New Zealand will be watching closely.

    Easing the ‘debt brake’

    Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine a Zeitenwende – a watershed moment from which “the world afterwards will no longer be the same as the world before”. Trump 2.0 has only reinforced this rupture.

    Responding to events even before assuming office, Merz (supported by the Social Democratic Party and the Greens) reformed Germany’s “debt brake”, or Schuldenbremse.

    Restricting government borrowing to 0.35% of GDP, the brake was introduced by former chancellor Angela Merkel in 2009 to limit indebtedness following the global financial crisis. It achieved its aim, but contributed significantly to the current parlous state of German infrastructure and defence.

    The reform allows greater borrowing for defence and establishes a €500 billion infrastructure fund (with €100 billion for climate and economic transformation as the price for Green support).

    This is the first step in Merz’s goal to transform Germany from “a sleeping middle power to a leading middle power again”, and exercise greater leadership in the European Union alongside France and Poland.

    With Emmanuel Macron’s French presidency ending in 2027, and France’s far-right gaining strength (Marine Le Pen’s recent embezzlement conviction notwithstanding), a strong Germany at the heart of Europe is essential to the maintenance of the EU and its approach to world affairs.

    As an important – perhaps vital – partner for New Zealand and the Pacific, three key considerations stand out.

    A leading middle power: Friedrich Merz addressing Christian Democratic Union supporters in Berlin on election night, February 23.
    Getty Images

    Pacific re-engagement

    Germany’s ties with Samoa and the Pacific may be a century old, but it has recently begun looking south again, including opening an embassy in Suva in August 2023.

    Now, the Trump administration’s axing of USAID has put foreign aid in the region under a cloud. Pacific states are not eligible for German bilateral development support, but are covered by more general climate change and disaster preparedness programmes.

    Since stepping up Pacific engagement in 2022, Germany has also joined the Partners in the Blue Pacific and been an advocate for Pacific projects within the EU’s Global Gateway Initiative (a framework for global infrastructure investment).

    Importantly, Germany does not intend to establish significant independent Pacific aid projects. Rather, it sees itself as a “force multiplier”, partnering with other donors to support their efforts. New Zealand therefore has an opportunity to both strengthen relations with Germany and add impact to its own Pacific projects.

    Climate resilience

    Climate change is the single greatest security threat to Pacific island states, and yet another area the US is pulling back from. But while Germany has been a strong player on climate policy, Merz has been a critic of the Greens and environmental policy in general.

    The balance of power in the new Bundestag may now force a change of mindset. Merz’s coalition will hold just 328 seats in the 630-seat chamber, meaning Green support cannot be discounted. A more serious commitment to climate policy will be the price.

    There is a base to work from, too. Germany co-founded the UN Group of Friends on Climate and Security with Nauru in 2018, and has identified climate issues as a driving force behind its Pacific engagement. Again, this is an area where New Zealand’s interests can be served by closer engagement with Germany.

    The rules-based order

    Ultimately, the international trade system and multilateral frameworks for cooperation and conflict resolution are crucial pillars of the Germany-New Zealand relationship.

    With the US no longer a reliable backstop, Germany and the EU are also the bulwark for a rules-based order grounded in international law. Merz’s debt brake reform, seen as strengthening Europe, was framed in these terms:

    Our friends in the EU are looking to us just as much as our adversaries and the enemies of our democratic and rules-based order.

    “Germany is back,” Merz said in March. We may well see New Zealand’s foreign minister back in Germany before long, too.

    Mathew Doidge 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. ‘Germany is back’: 3 ways NZ can benefit from Europe’s renewed centre of power – https://theconversation.com/germany-is-back-3ways-nz-can-benefit-from-europes-renewed-centre-of-power-253926

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Seek Answers & Return of Maryland Father Wrongfully Deported to El Salvador

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Justice admitted the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a father who was living legally in the United States under protected status — was an “administrative error.”  Mr. Garcia, 29, who fled El Salavador in 2006 and migrated to the U.S. in 2011, is married with a five-year old child and two step children who are all U.S. citizens.  According to USA Today: After finishing a shift working as a sheet metal apprentice and picking up his son from his grandmother’s house, Mr. Garcia was pulled over by ICE officers in several vehicles and erroneously told that his status had changed.  He was handcuffed and placed in an ICE vehicle and eventually sent to an out of state detention facility before being flown out of the country to a notorious prison in El Salvador known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
    In 2019, an immigration judge granted Mr. Garcia protection from deportation on the grounds that he might be at risk of persecution from local gangs in his home country.  ICE officials under the Trump Administration in 2019 did not object to the judge’s ruling.
    Last week, Justice Department lawyer Erez Reuveni told a federal judge that Mr. Garcia “should not have been removed.”  The judge agreed and wrote a scathing opinion finding that the Trump Administration’s actions “shocks the conscience” and that the government had acted “without any lawful authority” and was holding Mr. Garcia in “direct contravention” of U.S. law.  The judge ordered the U.S. to return Mr. Garcia to the United States.  However, the Trump Administration contended Mr. Garcia could not be returned to the U.S. because he is in Salvadoran custody and U.S. courts have no jurisdiction there, even though the U.S. is reportedly paying the El Salvadoran government $6 million to house deportees from the United States.  Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump Administration’s request to temporarily block a lower court order.
    Today, 25 U.S. Senators, including Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) wrote to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Tedd Lyons urging them to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States. 
    In their letter, the Senators call on the Trump Administration to comply with the lower court order requiring that they facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and ask for responses to a series of questions regarding ICE’s enforcement policies that may have led to this grave error – and what measures they will take to ensure such an incident does not occur again.
    “We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately,” the 25 U.S. Senators wrote.
    “Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence,” the Senators continued. “This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.
    “Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible,” they noted. “And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens.
    “On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order,” the Senators urged.
    In addition to Van Hollen, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators: Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    The Senators closed the letter with a series of questions to Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:
    The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case?  
    In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?   
    Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
    Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
    Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors. 
    Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors? 
    What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process? 
    Full text of the letter follows:
    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,?? 
    We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.  
    According to court filings, on March 12, 2025, shortly after Mr. Abrego Garcia had picked up his son from the boy’s grandmother’s house, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped Mr. Abrego Garcia, inaccurately telling him that his protected status had changed. After giving his wife a few minutes to arrive to take custody of his son, ICE arrested and detained him without any further explanation as to the reason for his arrest. ICE then transferred Mr. Abrego Garcia and other detainees to Texas, where on March 15, 2025, they were loaded onto planes and deported to El Salvador. Mr. Abrego Garcia was reportedly on the only plane that was not sent under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act but instead was transporting migrants with formal removal orders signed by a judge. This occurred despite the fact that ICE knew, as the Administration conceded in court, that his protected legal status specifically prohibited his removal to El Salvador.  
    Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence. The judge found that Mr. Abrego Garcia and his relatives credibly testified that gang members had been trying to extort his family and recruit him and his brother to join the gang, forcing his family to move multiple times, ultimately compelling both him and his brother to flee to the United States out of fear.  
    The immigration judge agreed that Mr. Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution if deported back to El Salvador and thus granted him a form of legally mandated protection known as “withholding of removal.” Withholding of removal, which may only be granted by an immigration judge, provided Mr. Abrego Garcia the ability to stay and work in the United States despite being the subject of a deportation order. This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.  
    Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible. Though the Administration has admitted in court that his deportation was a mistake, it alleges that there is nothing it can do to address this injustice, given that Mr. Abrego Garcia is now in the jurisdiction of the government of El Salvador as part of an agreement to imprison U.S. deportees in exchange for financial compensation.  
    Your unwillingness to immediately rectify this “administrative error” is unacceptable. Under multiple Democratic and Republican administrations, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE followed the rule of law and worked to quickly return people who were wrongfully deported, in the rare instances where such “administrative errors” occurred. The Administration’s mass deportation agenda does not transcend immigration law or the need for due process. And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens. On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order.
    To address our concerns about this matter and to provide clarity on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s policy regarding the immigration enforcement actions against immigrants with protected status, we ask that your Administration answer the following questions by April 22, 2025: 
    The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case?  
    In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?   
    Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
    Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
    Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors. 
    Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors? 
    What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process? 
    We appreciate your prompt attention to this vital matter and look forward to reviewing your fulsome, timely response. 
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Reed, Coons Lead National Security Senators in Sounding Alarm Over Recent Firings at NSA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, without cause or justification, President Donald Trump fired the top American cybersecurity official responsible for countering foreign cyber threats, just as the U.S. is confronting the most complex, sophisticated, and sustained attacks on U.S. cyber infrastructure our nation has ever experienced. The abrupt firing of General Timothy Haugh, the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), as well as the reassignment of Wendy Noble, the Deputy Director of the NSA, comes on the heels of the Trump Administration undermining the federal government’s election-related cyberdefenses, the mass-firing of federal cybersecurity personnel across multiple agencies, and an attempt to shift cyberdefense responsibilities onto states and municipalities.
    This week, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-RI), and Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chris Coons (D-DE), led 21 of their committee colleagues in a letter to President Trump regarding the still unexplained ouster of General Haugh and Deputy Director Noble and warning that the Trump Administration’s actions are exposing the U.S. to serious threats from foreign adversaries and sophisticated cybercriminals.
    “These actions severely compromise our ability to keep Americans safe. As you are well aware, our nation currently faces serious cyber threats from foreign adversaries, such as from China’s Salt Typhoon, with near-daily attacks against our critical infrastructure,” the 24 Senators wrote. “In addition, our nation’s military is engaged in ongoing operations against multiple threats, from the Houthis in Yemen to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Given the dangers facing the United States, it is inexplicable that the Administration would remove the senior leaders of NSA/CYBERCOM without cause or warning, and risk disrupting critical ongoing intelligence operations.”
    The senators also highlighted the impact this move would have on the dual-hat arrangement, in which a single officer leads both the NSA and CYBERCOM, and stressed that prematurely severing this agreement could put U.S. national security at risk.
    They continued, “Premature termination of the dual-hat arrangement would severely degrade the speed and effectiveness of NSA’s and CYBERCOM’s abilities to execute their missions and could have dire consequence for our national security. As Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis has repeatedly made clear in the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2020, clear criteria must be met before any termination can be considered and both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs must together certify that separation will not “pose risks to the military effectiveness of the United States Cyber Command that are unacceptable to the national security interests of the United States.”
    Joining Vice Chairman Warner and Ranking Members Reed and Coons in this letter are U.S. Senators: Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
    As members of the key committees tasked with conducting oversight over NSA, the senators requested written justification for why General Timothy Haugh and Deputy Director Wendy Noble were removed from their posts, and asked for a Congressional briefing regarding any additional actions the administration plans to take with respect to NSA and CYBERCOM, including but not limited to the separation of the dual-hat.
    Full text of the letter follows:
    Dear President Trump,
    We write with alarm at the sudden and inexplicable firing of the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, General Timothy Haugh, as well as the reassignment of the Deputy Director of the NSA, Wendy Noble. Not only have both dutifully served this nation for decades under both Democratic and Republican administrations, but their removals were conducted in the middle of the night with no consultation with Congress and, according to reports, at the behest of a private citizen who has a record of promoting conspiracy theories.
    These actions severely compromise our ability to keep Americans safe. As you are well aware, our nation currently faces serious cyber threats from foreign adversaries, such as from China’s Salt Typhoon, with near-daily attacks against our critical infrastructure. In addition, our nation’s military is engaged in ongoing operations against multiple threats, from the Houthis in Yemen to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Given the dangers facing the United States, it is inexplicable that the Administration would remove the senior leaders of NSA/CYBERCOM without cause or warning, and risk disrupting critical ongoing intelligence operations.
    Furthermore, we urge you to exercise careful consideration and consultation with Congress on any further actions that may impact NSA’s or CYBERCOM’s abilities to provide the critical intelligence and operational support to policymakers and warfighters. This includes, but is not limited to, any considerations to terminate the dual-hat arrangement. Premature termination of the dual-hat arrangement would severely degrade the speed and effectiveness of NSA’s and CYBERCOM’s abilities to execute their missions and could have dire consequence for our national security. As Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis has repeatedly made clear in the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2020, clear criteria must be met before any termination can be considered and both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs must together certify that separation will not “pose risks to the military effectiveness of the United States Cyber Command that are unacceptable to the national security interests of the United States.”
    As Members of the respective committees of oversight, we request that you formally provide in writing a justification for why Director Timothy Haugh and Ms. Wendy Noble were removed from their posts and provide a briefing to Congress on any additional actions you plan to take with respect to NSA and CYBERCOM, including but not limited to the separation of the dual-hat.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Multi-billion-pound investment secured as Universal theme park and resort set to be built in Bedford, bringing thousands of jobs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Multi-billion-pound investment secured as Universal theme park and resort set to be built in Bedford, bringing thousands of jobs

    A multi-billion-pound investment in a major new Universal theme park and resort in Bedford has been agreed between Universal, the government and the local council, in a move that represents a major vote of confidence in the UK economy and the future of partnerships between the UK and the US.

    • The Prime Minister has today closed the deal on a new Universal theme park in Bedfordshire 
    • Plans will bring an estimated £50bn boost for the economy and create around 28,000 jobs in total across creative, hospitality and construction industries
    • Set to open in 2031, the theme park will form part of a new planned entertainment resort, due to include immersive storytelling, rides, attractions and hospitality
    • Deal firmly puts the UK on the global investment stage, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, which will create growth and opportunities across the country

    A multi-billion-pound investment in a major new Universal theme park and resort in Bedford has been agreed between Universal, the government and the local council, in a move that represents a major vote of confidence in the UK economy and the future of partnerships between the UK and the US.

    The theme park, which is set to be one of the largest and most advanced in Europe, will bring nearly 20,000 jobs during the construction period, with a further 8,000 new jobs across the hospitality and creative industries when it opens in 2031. 

    Supporting the government’s Plan for Change to create economic growth and opportunities by getting people into well-paid, decent jobs across the creative, technology, tourism and hospitality sectors, Universal has committed to working with local colleges and universities to train the next generation of its hospitality workforce, including through a range of apprenticeships and internships.  

    As well as generating significant opportunities, the new theme park and resort will bring significant local benefits – with approximately 80% of employees at the theme park expected to come from local areas – and support a stream of ongoing work to unleash the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor through growth, infrastructure revitalisation and further job opportunities.

    Universal expects the site to generate nearly £50 billion for the economy by 2055, with 8.5 million visitors expected in its first year – becoming the largest visitor attraction in the UK. This will support the government to deliver its growth mission – creating higher living standards and putting more money in people’s pockets.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

    Today we closed the deal on a multi-billion-pound investment that will see Bedford home to one of the biggest entertainment parks in Europe, firmly putting the county on the global stage.

    This is our Plan for Change in action, combining local and national growth with creating around 28,000 new jobs across sectors such as construction, AI, and tourism.

    It is not just about numbers; it’s about securing real opportunities for people in our country. Together, we are building a brighter future for the UK, getting people into work and ensuring our economy remains strong and competitive.

    The development, working with Bedford Borough Council, will be the first Universal-branded theme park and resort destination in Europe and will be part of a larger 476-acre entertainment resort complex.

    Proposed plans from Universal Destinations & Experiences, a business unit of Comcast, include a world-class theme park with several themed lands featuring Universal’s distinct brand of immersive storytelling, thrilling rides, innovative attractions and exciting entertainment, all utilising sophisticated and advanced technology. Initial resort plans also feature a 500-room hotel and a retail, dining and entertainment complex.

    Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation, said:

    We could not be more excited to take this very important step in our plan to create and deliver an incredible Universal theme park and resort in the heart of the United Kingdom, which complements our growing US-based parks business by expanding our global footprint to Europe. We appreciate the leadership and support of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Minister for Investment Poppy Gustafsson, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and their teams, as we work together to create and deliver a fantastic new landmark destination.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

    At a time of global change, this investment is a vote of confidence in Britain as a place to do business. Universal’s investment will bring billions to the economy and create thousands of jobs to the UK, putting more money in people’s pockets.

    Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, said:

    Bringing a world-class theme park and resort to the United Kingdom is a tremendous opportunity and is part of our strategy to introduce the Universal brand and experiences to new audiences around the globe.  We appreciate the incredible support for our proposed project and look forward to bringing it to life in the years ahead.

    As part of the Plan for Change, the government will commit to a major investment in infrastructure around the site to support the delivery of the project and ensure it is well connected and easily accessible. It comes just days after the government signed-off the expansion of Luton Airport, showcasing how the government’s pro-growth agenda is delivering real-life benefits for working people. 

    The deal supports the UK’s world leading creative industries, a growth-driving sector identified in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, which will be published this spring. The Strategy will drive investment into high growth sectors, unlocking jobs and growth right across the country.

    Universal Destinations & Experiences has a proven track record of building and operating major theme parks and resorts across the globe. A Universal development in the UK will join the company’s existing portfolio of destinations across the United States and Asia-Pacific. 

    The proposals remain subject to a planning decision from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

    Additional details on the project:

    • Please contact Universal Destinations & Experiences for artist impression and drone footage of the site: uprcorpcomm@uniparks.com
    • Further details on Government plans for infrastructure investment around the site will be set out in due course. 
    • The theme park resort will be built on the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks. More information on the project can be found at universalukproject.co.uk. 
    • The theme park and resort is subject to planning permission, which will be considered at a later date.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Warren Grills Greer on Potential Job Losses From Trump Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 08, 2025

    Warren: “What you’re telling us is the fact that hundreds of thousands, even millions of people, could lose their jobs and that prices could go up will not be a factor for you or for Donald Trump for rolling those tariffs back.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, demanded answers from Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative, on President Trump’s reckless tariffs that have the potential to lead the nation into an economic crisis.

    After President Trump’s announcement on his “reciprocal” tariffs on almost every country in the world, the stock market experienced its biggest drop since the first days of the pandemic. Senator Warren sounded the alarm about a likely recession, citing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who warned that the tariffs could lead to both “higher prices” and “higher unemployment.”

    Greer is responsible for developing and promoting the U.S. trade agenda and leading trade negotiations on behalf of the U.S. When asked if the Trump administration would reverse course on their tariffs if they cost workers their jobs and raised prices, Ambassador Greer refused to provide a straight answer.

    In fact, Greer insisted that Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on China would bring “lower unemployment, lower inflation,” putting him at odds with economists of all political leanings.  

    “What you’re telling us is the fact that hundreds of thousands, even millions of people, could lose their jobs and that prices could go up will not be a factor for you or for Donald Trump for rolling those tariffs back,” said the senator. 

    Today, Senator Warren joined Ranking Member Ron Wyden in introducing legislation to repeal Donald Trump’s global tariffs. The resolution would terminate the emergency that Trump declared to slap tariffs of up to 49% on products Americans buy from other countries.

    “Look, if Republicans are serious about protecting American jobs and fighting inflation, then they can join Democrats right now to pass a resolution to fix Trump’s restless tariffs,” said the senator. “This economy is teetering on the edge of collapse. We have the power right here in the Senate and over in the House of Representatives to take this authority away from Donald Trump.”

    Transcript: Hearing to examine the President’s 2025 trade policy agenda.

    Senate Finance Committee

    April 8, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Donald Trump is single-handedly driving this economy off a cliff. With no evidence to back him up, he’s claimed emergency authorities to slap new tariffs on nearly every product we import, from nearly every country. 

    But Congress has the power to reverse those tariffs—and we should do so immediately. 

    Tariffs can be a tool to help build things in America. But Trump has slapped tariffs on, then off, on then off again with no rhyme or reason—and the uncertainty about the long-term rules makes companies far less likely to invest in manufacturing or jobs here in the United States. 

    If Congress doesn’t stand up to Trump, economists predict a recession before the end of the year, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell says we’re in a real danger of “both higher unemployment and higher inflation.” Translation: Trump’s tariffs will push millions of workers out of jobs and push prices up at the same time.

    So, Ambassador Greer, we’ve heard a lot of conflicting statements about whether these tariffs are here to stay, how many more rounds of on/off we’re going to do. So, let me ask the question from a different perspective.

    Ambassador Greer, we lost 700,000 jobs each month in the last recession. If 700,000 Americans lose their jobs, will the Trump administration suspend these tariffs?

    Ambassador Jamieson Greer: Senator, I think the economists who are making these projections, who often are in favor of fully unfettered free trade, are the same ones, you said in the first Trump term, that put tariffs— I just don’t think it’s going to happen, Senator.

    Senator Warren: Mr. Greer, let me just stop you there. I’m not asking about projections. I’m asking, if the numbers show that 700,000 people have lost their jobs because of these new tariffs that Trump has slapped on, will the administration reverse course and lift those tariffs? 

    Ambassador Greer: Senator, that’s not going to happen. We’ve lost 5 million manufacturing jobs over the years, which is the number I’m most worried about, and we have to get those jobs back. 

    Senator Warren: So, I take that as a no. Let me try another one. Moody says that if the Trump tariffs remain in place, we will definitely plunge into a recession, which will ultimately cost three and a half million Americans their jobs. 

    So, Ambassador Greer, if Trump’s tariffs push three and a half million people out of work, will the Trump administration reverse course and lift those tariffs? 

    Ambassador Greer: Senator, the Wall Street analysts are wrong. They never want to have any kind of change to the status quo–

    Senator Warren: I’m not asking if they’re right or wrong–

    Ambassador Greer: But that’s who you’re quoting to me, Senator.

    Senator Warren: I’m giving you a number. If the number is three and a half million, if it never comes to pass, you don’t have to worry about your answer, but if three and a half million people lose their jobs because of these tariffs, is the Trump administration prepared to lift them? 

    Ambassador Greer: Right now, this minute, we’re working on negotiations with countries who believe they can achieve reciprocity with us and get their trade deficit down, and that’s the emergency we’re focused on. There’s not going to be a situation where, years from now, we’ve lost millions of jobs.

    Senator Warren: Let me try one more time: if Trump tariffs push workers out of their jobs and raise prices as Fed Chair Powell has predicted, will you reverse course then?

    Ambassador Greer: I think also with respect to Chairman Powell, who I don’t know personally, but I know the President makes decisions on trade, and he rarely takes advice from Chairman Powell on this. We found in Trump One that you could put tariffs on China and you could make it work and have lower income, sorry, lower unemployment, lower inflation, and increase real median household income over time as we reshore and that’s what we have to do, Senator. 

    Senator Warren: What I’m hearing you say is that no one can hear a rhyme or reason to why the tariffs are off again, on again, off again, on again. But what you’re telling us is the fact that hundreds of thousands, even millions of people, could lose their jobs and that prices could go up will not be a factor for you or for Donald Trump for rolling those tariffs back. Look, if Republicans are serious about protecting American jobs and fighting inflation, then they can join Democrats right now to pass a resolution to fix Trump’s restless tariffs. This economy is teetering on the edge of collapse. We have the power right here in the Senate and over in the House of Representatives to take this authority away from Donald Trump. We can get this voted on. Senator Wyden and I have already, are about to, introduce the bill to do that, and if Republicans are serious about not playing the red light green light with tariffs but instead about protecting our economy, our families, our jobs, and keeping prices low, then Republicans should join us on that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Childcare places increased in Liverpool thanks to grant funding

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Over 2,500 new childcare places are being created in Liverpool that will support working parents – and there are more to come.

    The increase has been made possible by grant funding received from the government to support the national expansion of funded childcare places as well as places which are part of the “wraparound” programme for primary school-aged children.

    So far, Liverpool City Council has awarded over £1.5m to providers which will create 366 early years places, 303 before-school places and 1,858 after-school places – 2,527 in total – for youngsters from families with eligible working parents. And a fourth round of applications is due to open shortly.

    The grant funding streams, which can support either capital work such as buildings or equipment for early years places, or increasing staff numbers and other running costs for wraparound places, has been distributed to childcare settings, such as nurseries or child minders, or breakfast and after-school clubs for primary school children.

    Ofsted-registered providers were invited to apply for funding as part of a stringent process. Applicants had to provide financial accounts, cashflow forecasts and a business plan. If providers were applying for building work they also needed to supply a quote, with further quotes requested if their application was successful. Providers were also visited by the grants team to talk through their project.

    For each funding stream, a grant panel team assessed all applications against numerous criteria to ensure fairness, with 78 being successful. Successful providers will continue to have their projects monitored to ensure value for money.

    Applications received by the council ranged from converting unused rooms to complete new builds.

    From last April, the national expansion of funded childcare places has seen eligible working parents of two- year-olds able to access 15 hours a week of childcare with the offer further expanded to nine-month olds up to three-years-olds last September. The offer is set to expand further from this September with children aged from nine months to three years able to access 30 hours of childcare a week.

    Since changes to the entitlements, uptake in Liverpool has been impressive. With 94 per cent of eligible families of two-year-olds who applied for a Childcare Choices code now taking up a funded place when the first change was implemented, equating to 1,756 children.

    With the further expansion to nine-month-olds to three-year-olds 97 per cent of families who applied for a code took up a funded place, equating to 2,085 children now benefitting from an early years education.

    Parents eligible for funded childcare should visit the Childcare Choices website.

    Cllr Liz Parsons, cabinet members for Children’s Social Services, said: “It’s great news that early years providers in Liverpool have grasped this opportunity to apply for funding to ensure that as many as possible of our working families can take up the expanded childcare offer.

    “Our early years providers are vital for Liverpool, not only ensuing that parents are able to work but that youngsters get the benefits of an early years education which is so important for their development as they get ready to set off on their school journey.

    “It is also exciting to see that the wraparound offer in the city is set to become stronger which will again give more support to working parents.

    “The available funding has been carefully allocated by the council’s panel to ensure that real value is generated for Liverpool’s families and we’re already looking forward to seeing the applications we receive in the fourth round.”

    Neil Verdin, headteacher at Pleasant Street Primary School, one of the providers which has secured funding for its wraparound service, said: “The successful grant application has allowed Pleasant Street to increase our capacity for extended provision.

    “Previously, we were unable to meet the demand due to restricted space but now the grant contributed to a modern new ‘Cedar Room’ being built. This has allowed us to increase our intake, with available spaces currently matching parental requests for places.”

    Brian Quinn, owner of The Childcare Academy in the Baltic Quarter, said: “The government expansion grant has been a great opportunity. What we’ve been able to do is open a new space for nine additional babies, 15 spaces for pre- and after-school clubs and a holiday club in the summer holidays.

    “We’ve had an exponential growth and success with the expansion grant, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee Chairman Mills Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Biden Administration’s Far-Left Foreign Policy

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee Chairman Cory Mills delivered opening remarks at a full committee hearing titled, “Deficient, Enfeebled, and Ineffective: The Consequences of the Biden Administration’s Far-Left Priorities on U.S. Foreign Policy.”

    Watch Here

    -Remarks- 

    Good afternoon and welcome to the first hearing of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Intelligence in the 119th Congress. 

    As we start the new Congress, I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to deliver real results for the American people by advancing President Trump’s America first foreign policy agenda.

    Over the next few months, through our State Department reauthorization deliberations, this Subcommittee will work to identify areas of the Secretary’s Office, or the “S Bureau,” that must be reformed and reprogrammed to reorient the United States as a leader on the world stage while ensuring that taxpayer dollars are effectively used to bolster U.S. national security efforts. 

    For far too long, the State Department prioritized radical liberal political ideologies and woke policies over advancing diplomatic objectives that serve American interests and protect the American people from our adversaries.

    While the Biden administration was trying to figure out what pronouns to use, our adversaries grew stronger and more emboldened. 

    China aggressively enforced unlawful territorial claims in the South China Sea and has undermined the United States and our allies at every turn. Russia invaded Ukraine. North Korea ramped up its military provocations. Iran advanced its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, empowering its proxies to cause chaos throughout the Middle East. Israel was attacked and global shipping routes in the Red Sea were blocked. 

    Over the last four years, among others, the American people watched these foreign policy failures unfold and voted for real change and action on November 4th. The American people gave President Trump and the Republican-led Congress a mandate to reverse the damage and restore common sense to the federal government.

    Today, this Subcommittee will take its first step to deliver on this mandate by examining the State Department’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. 

    The Office of Diversity and Inclusion detrimentally influenced operations across the Department by: making DEI a “core precept” for promotion consideration within the ranks of the Foreign Service; granting passport applicants the ability to select “X” as a gender; and using taxpayer dollars to fund numerous woke projects, including “commemorating black consciousness month with an event in which employees learned about the inclusion of Afro-Brazilian culture through music and LGBTQI+ culture through Vogue dance” in Brazil. That was a mouthful.

    These policies corrupted the core mission of the State Department and we must restore unity and fundamental American principles to the Department, eliminate wasteful spending, and ensure that President Trump’s Executive Orders are fully implemented, not subverted by rebranding DEI-driven programs. It is our duty to ensure that America becomes safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

    I want to thank our witnesses for appearing before the Subcommittee today. 

    I look forward to a productive discussion on how we can enhance America’s security through common sense policies and responsible leadership.  

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Matthews Asia Co-Founder Mark Headley Returns as Executive Chairman

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Matthews Asia today announced that co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mark Headley, has been appointed Executive Chairman and will assume the CEO responsibilities. Mark, who will continue to serve on the Matthews Asia Board of Directors and as the newly appointed Chairman and interim CEO, succeeds Cooper Abbott, who left the firm on April 7, 2025.

    Mark Headley brings his extensive investment and operational leadership back to the firm he co-founded with Paul Matthews in 1995. During his long tenure at the firm, he held both CEO and CIO roles as well as being a Portfolio Manager on a range of mutual funds. Under Mark’s leadership, he helped guide the firm through a significant period of growth as well as managing the firm during challenging periods in financial markets that included the Global Financial Crisis in 2007.

    Over his two decades at Matthews, and in partnership with Paul Matthews, Mark helped lead the evolution and growth of the firm to become a leading and highly regarded Emerging Market investment manager for Asia-focused investments. With a strong commitment to active management and fundamental research, he helped the firm develop its investment approach and build a deep bench of investment talent. The firm’s focus on investments in Asia and Emerging Markets created a unique value proposition which remains in place today along with a deeply embedded client-centric culture.

    Paul Matthews, founder, said, “I am extremely pleased that Mark has been appointed Executive Chairman of the firm we founded together over 30 years ago. During Mark’s time at Matthews, the success of this firm had been driven by his deep understanding of Asia’s markets and an unwavering focus on exceeding our clients’ expectations. I am confident that Mark is the right person to lead the company. As a former CEO and Portfolio Manager of Matthews, he has the proven strategic and operational leadership experience that will help the firm navigate through these challenging markets and set the firm onto a path towards its next period of growth and innovation.”

    Mark Headley, Executive Chairman, said, “I am delighted to be rejoining Matthews. I am particularly excited to work closely with Sean Taylor, CIO, and a talented group of experienced professionals at the firm. I am confident that we can deliver long-term growth opportunities for our clients, employees and shareholders.”

    About Matthews Asia

    Matthews is an independent, privately owned investment manager founded in 1991 on a belief that Global Emerging Markets offer exceptional long-term growth potential. As a trusted and experienced investor, Matthews takes a long-term, active, fundamental investment approach to construct highly differentiated portfolios that focus on Emerging Markets, Asia and China. The firm manages assets on behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally in vehicles that include SMAs, mutual funds and active ETFs. For more information about Matthews, please visit www.matthewsasia.com.

    Media Contact in the U.S.:
    Dukas Linden PR
    Sarah Lazarus/Christian Healey
    +1 617-335-7823/+ 1 781-439-2500
    sarah@dlpr.com/christian@dlpr.com

    Media Contact in Europe/Asia:
    Mark Lidstone
    Matthews Asia
    mark.lidstone@matthewsasia.com

    Disclosure
    This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not, in any way, constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or product mentioned herein. Investing in international and emerging markets may involve additional risks, such as social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation.
            
    Matthews Asia is the brand for Matthews International Capital Management, LLC and its direct and indirect subsidiaries.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Strengthening Alberta’s ties in eastern Canada

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Automotive Component Manufacturer Selects Scotland County for Southeast Operation, Adding 35 New Jobs

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Automotive Component Manufacturer Selects Scotland County for Southeast Operation, Adding 35 New Jobs

    Automotive Component Manufacturer Selects Scotland County for Southeast Operation, Adding 35 New Jobs
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, Governor Josh Stein announced Bailey Manufacturing Company (BMC), a manufacturer of stamped metal automotive parts, will add 35 new jobs in Scotland County. The company will invest more than $4.3 million in a new production facility in Laurinburg. 

    “Bailey Manufacturing’s decision to locate to Scotland County is more proof that North Carolia is a top state for businesses across all industries,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Our state’s manufacturing legacy and longstanding commitment to innovation will continue to attract growing companies to every corner of the state.” 

    Bailey Manufacturing supplies stamped metal components for the automotive industry. In addition to metal stamping, the New York-based company also offers machining, welding, and assembly services for its list of customers, including automotive manufacturers such as General Motors and many others. BMC produces and ships 13 million parts annually throughout the United States, Mexico, China, and South Africa. The 50,000-square-foot facility in Laurinburg will double production capacity for BMC and offer more manufacturing, warehousing, and administrative space. 

    “Bailey Manufacturing is excited to join the growing list of automotive suppliers in North Carolina.  Our new southeast facility will allow us to better serve our growing customer base,” said John Hines, President of Bailey Manufacturing Company. “I want to thank North Carolina, Scotland County, Scotland County EDC and the City of Laurinburg for their assistance in making this project a reality and look forward to a prosperous future together.”  

    “BMC is a great addition to our automotive supply chain of more than 250 manufacturers,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “North Carolina is home to 20 of the top global OEM suppliers, the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast, and one of the largest state-maintained transportation networks to get parts to customers all over the world.” 

    While wages vary by position, the annual average salary for the new positions will be $52,000, exceeding Scotland County’s average of $46,708. These new jobs could potentially create an annual payroll impact of more than $1.8 million for the region. 

    A performance-based grant of $120,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help the company locate to North Carolina. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All OneNC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met. 

    “I am pleased to welcome Bailey Manufacturing Company to Scotland County,” said N.C. Senator Danny Earl Britt. “Our hardworking people are ready to help the company establish its operation in Laurinburg that will lead to future success.” 

    “These new jobs and investment are welcome additions for our community,” said N.C. Representative Garland E. Pierce. “This decision by Bailey Manufacturing Company validates Scotland County as a great place for growing companies to do business.” 

    In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in this project include the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Richmond Community College, North Carolina’s Southeast, Scotland County, Scotland County Economic Development Corporation, and City of Laurinburg. 

    Apr 8, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Hageman Applauds President Trump’s Executive Order on Coal

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman

    Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump issued Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry, a massive win for Wyoming coal. Rep. Hageman is a champion for Wyoming coal in Congress, serving as co-chair of the Coal Caucus and spearheading legislation to overturn the Buffalo RMP and increase coal leasing in the Powder River Basin. These policies and more are included in the President’s order, fulfilling his promise to unleash American energy and bolster our prosperity. 

    “Coal is the energy of the future – Wyoming understands that, and so does President Trump. This is yet another promise made and delivered from President Trump, and one which rightly recognizes that coal is key to powering the great American comeback. Decades of dystopian environmental policies manifested in the Obama and Biden presidencies, the Inflation Reduction Act, and more, all designed to shutter Wyoming and decrease the affordability and reliability of American power. I do not believe that the role of the federal government is to force despair on its people, and neither does President Trump. Today is a win for Wyoming and a win for America,” said Rep. Hageman. 

    This executive order implements policy to maximize current coal mining operations and encourage new projects for generations to come. This includes streamlining coal leasing, providing royalty rate relief, prioritizing coal exports, designating metallurgical coal as a critical mineral, and expanding categorical exclusions for coal. This executive order is on top of actions already taken by President Trump to stave off coal power plant closures and nullify harmful Biden regulations. 

    Since assuming office in 2023, Rep. Hageman has introduced legislation to terminate the Biden administration’s Buffalo RMP revision, end the federal coal moratorium, and require leasing of federal coal reserves. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, she is also working to include coal policy derived from her bills and the President’s executive order in the budget reconciliation process. 

    ###

    Contact: Esteban Elizondo, Communications Director 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Smith Introduce Legislative Package to Support Union Workers, Protect Workers’ Right to Organize

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced the introduction of the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act and the Tax Fairness for Workers Act, two pieces of legislation that will level the playing field for labor organization and restore fairness in the tax code for workers.
    The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act:
    U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) led 25 Senate colleagues in introducing the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, legislation that levels the playing field for labor organization and ensures workers truly have a fair shot at forming a union. As workers across the country fight for better pay and safer working conditions by unionizing, they often face million-dollar corporate intimidation campaigns to prevent unionization, which corporations are then allowed to write off as run-of-the-mill business expenses. The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act would classify business’ interference in worker organization campaigns like political speech under the tax code and therefore make it ineligible for a tax deduction.
    The legislation is supported by the Communications Workers of America Union (CWA), the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), United Steelworkers (USW), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the Center for American Progress. Full bill text is available here.
    The Tax Fairness for Workers Act:
    Led by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), the Tax Fairness for Workers Act would reverse a provision in the 2017 tax reform package that stripped workers of their ability to deduct common expenses incurred as a result of their work. Workers bare the full cost of union dues, which can average $800 per year, but in addition, must pay for work-related expenses like travel, tools, and uniforms – expenses that they can no longer write off after the 2017 tax reform. The Tax Fairness for Workers Act would furthermore create an “above the line” deduction for union dues, so workers can use it even if they don’t itemize. Full bill text is available here.
    “Organized labor built our country and American workers deserve to have a fair shot at forming a union and deserve fairness in the tax code,” said Senator Luján. “The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act and Tax Fairness for Workers Act are critical pieces of legislation that will protect workers’ right to organize and support our union workers. I’m proud to partner with Senators Smith and Booker on these critical efforts to strengthen American labor.”
    “Rich and powerful corporations should not be getting tax breaks for making workers’ lives harder.” said Senator Smith. “Workers have a fundamental right to organize for better working conditions. These bills will put working people first and ensure that unionized workers can exercise their right to organize. Corporations don’t deserve tax subsidies for depriving workers of that right, and this legislation would put a stop to it.”
    “American taxpayer dollars should not be used to subsidize union busting,” said Senator Booker. “The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act is critical legislation to put an end to corporations receiving tax breaks for interfering with workers’ rights to unionize for better pay and safer working conditions.”
    “It is unacceptable for Congress to support anti-worker tax provisions, especially when they’re considering more tax cuts for the wealthy while ignoring the urgent needs of working families. It’s time to give workers their fair share. Our tax code should prioritize workers organizing to have a voice on the job. That is why we wholeheartedly support the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act and the Tax Fairness for Workers Act. We commend Senators Lujan, Smith, and Booker and all those championing a fairer tax system for working families,” said CWA Director of Government Affairs, Dan Mauer.
    “Workers who exercise their fundamental freedom to form and join unions should never face intimidation and retaliation from corporate bosses. As we’ve seen a wave of union organizing across the country over the last several years, we’ve also witnessed a wave of companies using often illegal union-busting tactics to stop their workers from standing together in a union. Companies that bully and intimidate workers who want a union on the job should never reap financial benefits. This legislation would put an end to it. We fully support this important effort to hold union-busting CEOs accountable so they pay meaningful penalties for their blatantly anti-democratic behavior,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Protecting American Energy From State Overreach

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Purpose.  My Administration is committed to unleashing American energy, especially through the removal of all illegitimate impediments to the identification, development, siting, production, investment in, or use of domestic energy resources — particularly oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, geothermal, biofuel, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources.  An affordable and reliable domestic energy supply is essential to the national and economic security of the United States, as well as our foreign policy.  Simply put, Americans are better off when the United States is energy dominant. American energy dominance is threatened when State and local governments seek to regulate energy beyond their constitutional or statutory authorities.  For example, when States target or discriminate against out-of-State energy producers by imposing significant barriers to interstate and international trade, American energy suffers, and the equality of each State enshrined by the Constitution is undermined.  Similarly, when States subject energy producers to arbitrary or excessive fines through retroactive penalties or seek to control energy development, siting, or production activities on Federal land, American energy suffers.Many States have enacted, or are in the process of enacting, burdensome and ideologically motivated “climate change” or energy policies that threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security.  New York, for example, enacted a “climate change” extortion law that seeks to retroactively impose billions in fines (erroneously labelled “compensatory payments”) on traditional energy producers for their purported past contributions to greenhouse gas emissions not only in New York but also anywhere in the United States and the world.  Vermont similarly extorts energy producers for alleged past contributions to greenhouse gas emissions anywhere in the United States or the globe.Other States have taken different approaches in an effort to dictate national energy policy.  California, for example, punishes carbon use by adopting impossible caps on the amount of carbon businesses may use, all but forcing businesses to pay large sums to “trade” carbon credits to meet California’s radical requirements.  Some States delay review of permit applications to produce energy, creating de facto barriers to entry in the energy market.  States have also sued energy companies for supposed “climate change” harm under nuisance or other tort regimes that could result in crippling damages.These State laws and policies weaken our national security and devastate Americans by driving up energy costs for families coast-to-coast, despite some of these families not living or voting in States with these crippling policies.  These laws and policies also undermine Federalism by projecting the regulatory preferences of a few States into all States.  Americans must be permitted to heat their homes, fuel their cars, and have peace of mind — free from policies that make energy more expensive and inevitably degrade quality of life.These State laws and policies try to dictate interstate and international disputes over air, water, and natural resources; unduly discriminate against out-of-State businesses; contravene the equality of States; and retroactively impose arbitrary and excessive fines without legitimate justification.These State laws and policies are fundamentally irreconcilable with my Administration’s objective to unleash American energy.  They should not stand.
    Sec. 2.  State Laws and Causes of Action.  (a)  The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of appropriate executive departments and agencies, shall identify all State and local laws, regulations, causes of action, policies, and practices (collectively, State laws) burdening the identification, development, siting, production, or use of domestic energy resources that are or may be unconstitutional, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable.  The Attorney General shall prioritize the identification of any such State laws purporting to address “climate change” or involving “environmental, social, and governance” initiatives, “environmental justice,” carbon or “greenhouse gas” emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes.(b)  The Attorney General shall expeditiously take all appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State laws and continuation of civil actions identified in subsection (a) of this section that the Attorney General determines to be illegal.(c)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall submit a report to the President, through the Counsel to the President, regarding actions taken under subsection (b) of this section.  The Attorney General shall also recommend any additional Presidential or legislative action necessary to stop the enforcement of State laws identified in subsection (a) of this section that the Attorney General determines to be illegal or otherwise fulfill the purpose of this order.
    Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. 
                                   DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,    April 8, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Kosovo’s inclusive and peaceful election marks progress, but challenges remain

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Peace and Security

    Kosovo’s recent parliamentary election – conducted peacefully and inclusively – marked a significant step in its democratic development, the UN’s top envoy said on Tuesday, noting gains in women’s representation.

    Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Caroline Ziadeh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, highlighted that women secured more seats in the 120-member Assembly – exceeding the 30 per cent gender quota mandated by law.

    “I congratulate the people of Kosovo on yet another peaceful and inclusive election,” she said.

    Following the final certification of election results on March 27, attention now turns to the formation of Kosovo’s new government, she added, recognising complex negotiations ahead.

    According to media reports, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party finished first, securing 48 seats, but falling short of the 61 required for majority.

    “Once [the next government is in] place, it is imperative that concrete steps will be taken to prioritise the well-being of the people in Kosovo as well as the implementation of commitments made under the EU-facilitated Dialogue and advance on the process of normalisation of relations,” Ms. Ziadeh said.

    Special Representative Ziadeh brefing the Security Council.

    Building trust

    The UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) for its part remains committed to fostering trust-building efforts across ethnic and political divides, she said, with initiatives such as the UNMIK-supported Barabar Centre, which has hosted over 100 interethnic dialogue events fostering reconciliation.

    Additionally, a high-level gender roundtable was organized in the Albanian capital, Tirana, last September bringing together regional leaders to enhance women’s roles in decision-making and conflict resolution.

    Innovative programmes – such as joint cultural heritage visits, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for girls – are helping create connections across ethnic lines and strengthening trust, Ms. Ziadeh said.

    Challenges remain

    However, challenges remain, such as the Pristina authorities’ closure of Serbian-run social welfare institutions in northern Kosovo, which have raised concerns about access to essential services.

    “Time and again, I have expressed my concerns regarding the closures of Serbia-run institutions and the consequences they are having on economic and social rights, especially for persons in vulnerable situations,” Ms. Ziadeh said.

    She also noted concerns over previous allegations of sexual harassment of Kosovo Serb women in public, underscoring the need for more robust investigations.

    Ms. Ziadeh urged authorities to approach such sensitive issues through constructive dialogue rather than through unilateral action.

    Call for international support

    She urged ambassadors to remain resolute in their support for peace, stability and principled cooperation in Kosovo.

    “Through collective commitment, we can help reinforce credible political dialogue, safeguard fundamental rights, and lay firmer foundations for security and increased prosperity.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Stansbury Introduces Resolution of Inquiry Into DOGE’s Unsanctioned Use of Government Data, AI

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

    WASHINGTON—Rep Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee Committee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, led Committee Democrats in introducing   Resolution of Inquiry to investigate DOGE’s unsanctioned use of government data and artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on American privacy and national security. 

    “The American people demand to know why Elon Musk and DOGE are hacking our private and sensitive data and what they are doing with it. This includes Social Security, IRS, Treasury, and other highly sensitive data,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Ranking Member of the DOGE Oversight Subcommittee. “Today, I dropped an oversight resolution demanding the Administration provide answers about what it is doing with our data and how it is using Artificial Intelligence to data mine our systems. It is our duty to fight for answers and get to the bottom of what exactly DOGE and Musk are doing with our data.” 

    A Resolution of Inquiry (ROI) would require the Administration to provide documents, communications, and factual information. Once introduced, the committee to which the ROI is referred has 14 legislative days to act on and report the resolution to the House or it will become privileged on the House floor. This action is necessary because the Administration has failed to provide clear information on how DOGE has risked the security of federal information systems, including through the use of AI. Instead, the Administration has deliberately kept DOGE’s actions shrouded in secrecy. 

    The resolution would require the Administration to provide documents, communications, and information regarding:  

    • How data and AI are being used by DOGE at federal agencies; 
    • The federal data and sources of federal data that may have been fed into any AI system; including details of whether any of this information contained sensitive data of American citizens; 
    • Any concerns raised by federal employees that the use of AI violates the Privacy Act or the security of Americans’ personal information; 
    • Any concerns raised by federal employees that the use of AI violated the Advancing American AI Act by failing to publicly disclose current and planned AI use cases; and
    • Lists of federal expenditures, programs, or personnel identified by AI for freezes or cuts.

    On March 12, 2025, Committee Democrats sent letters to 24 federal agencies requesting documentation that any potential use of AI at their agencies complies with federal laws, protects Americans’ sensitive and private data, and does not financially benefit Elon Musk. 

    Click here to read the Resolution of Inquiry. 

    Click here to read the one-pager explaining why this Resolution of Inquiry is necessary and how it works.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stansbury Joins All House Democrats Defending Federal Workers’ Collective Bargaining Rights

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) joined Labor Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Mark Pocan (WI-02), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Steven Horsford (NV-04) and Debbie Dingell (MI-06), alongside Vice-Chairs Reps. Glenn Ivey (MD-04) and Stephen Lynch (MA-08) to call on President Trump to rescind his executive order stripping collective bargaining rights from over 1 million federal employees.  

    The lawmakers highlighted the illegality of the order and called on the President to restore the collective bargaining rights that federal employees are statutorily entitled to. 

    A full copy of the letter can be found here. The letter was signed by every single House Democrat. 

    “Collective bargaining is the strongest tool that workers have available to create a fair workplace,” wrote the lawmakers. “This action strips away those hard-earned rights – which have been upheld by presidents from both parties for decades – from federal workers who keep our country running, including nurses who care for veterans, inspectors who keep our food safe to eat, teachers who educate our children, and so many more.” 

    “Furthermore, this EO not only undermines the principles of fair labor practices but also threatens the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government, jeopardizing the delivery of critical services to the American people,” continued the lawmakers. “The freedom to join a union and collectively bargain is central to achieving the American dream for millions of American workers. This action is the single most anti-worker and anti-union presidential action since Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers in 1981, and it must be reversed immediately.”  

    “We urge you to immediately rescind this harmful, unlawful EO and to reaffirm the rights of federal workers to unionize and collectively bargain. The American people deserve a federal workforce that is protected, respected, and empowered to carry out its duties effectively,” concluded the lawmakers. 

    While Congress granted the President narrow authorities to exclude some agencies from collective bargaining, those exclusions can only be made if that agency has a primary function in intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work, and only if the statute cannot be applied “in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.” However, this Administration has made clear that the EO’s exclusions are not based on national security concerns, but instead as retaliation for labor unions defending their members’ rights and making it easier to fire federal employees. 

    The Congressional Labor Caucus is composed of more than 120 Members of Congress working to protect and advance workers’ rights. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Mexico Delegation Continues Fight to Protect Federal Workers

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

    WASHINGTON D.C. — The New Mexico Congressional Delegation continues its fight to protect federal workers in the state by demanding transparency from the Trump Administration regarding the illegal purging of federal workers. 

    Read the full letter here. 

    Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) led a letter to Charles Ezell, the Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management that was signed by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez(NM-03) and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02).  

    “We write in strong opposition to the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to purge nonpartisan civil servants from the federal workforce. Our state is home to around 30,000 federal employees who are critical to managing and protecting the health, safety, and economic prosperity of New Mexico. These indiscriminate cuts threaten the effective functioning of critical federal services and will harm our states’ residents,” the members wrote. “The Administration’s executive overreach could cripple federal agencies, including in critical areas of disaster preparedness, public health, public safety, and national security.” 

    The delegation requests the administration provide detailed and complete information regarding federal employees in New Mexico that have been terminated, placed on leave, transferred, or been subject to a reduction in force (RIF). An answer from the administration is requested by April 14th, 2025.  

    The text of the letter is below:  

    Dear Acting Director Ezell, 

    We write in strong opposition to the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to purgenonpartisan civil servants from the federal workforce. Our state is home to around 30,000 federal employees who are critical to managing and protecting the health, safety, and economic prosperity of New Mexico. These indiscriminate cuts threaten the effective functioning of critical federal services and will harm our states’ residents. We request that you provide detailed and complete information regarding federal employees in New Mexico that have been terminated, placed on leave, transferred, or been subject to a reduction in force (RIF). 

    On January 28, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email to more than 2 million federal employees with the subject line “The Fork in the Road.” The email outlined a “deferred resignation” offer for federal employees with a deadline for response of February 6, 2025. However, this deadline was eventually extended by court order.  

    The Administration then attempted to expand its purge by terminating en masseprobationary status employees, because these employees have fewer legal protections. On January 20, 2025, OPM issued a memorandum titled, “Guidance on Probationary Periods, Administrative Leave and Details,” which required agencies to identify and submit to OPM a list of employees within their probationary periods. According to public reporting, your agency directed federal agencies to prioritize terminations of individuals in their probationary period. 

    On February 11, 2025, President Trump, joined by unelected billionaire Elon Musk, 

    issued a sweeping Executive Order titled “Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative,” which directed all agency heads to “initiate large-scale reductions in force.” Shortly thereafter, federal agencies across the government began imposing “widespread layoffs” of thousands of probationary employees. Another Executive Order sent out on March 14th, further reiterates the Administration’s desire to unlawfully withdraw congressionally mandated funding in an attempt to eliminate federal jobs. Agencies were required to submit the 2nd phase of their RIF plans to OPM signaling that more job cuts are being planned for the future. This comes as U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted a Preliminary Injunction broadening a temporary restraining order against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its Acting Director, Charles Ezell, finding the termination of probationary federal employees illegal because OPM had no authority to order it. The Administration’s executive overreach could cripple federal agencies, including in critical areas of disaster preparedness, public health, public safety, and national security. 

    Given the significant impacts of the Administration’s purge on our state, we request that you provide the following information by April 14, 2025: 

    1. The number of federal employees in New Mexico since January 20, 2025, that have been terminated, placed on administrated leave, taken early retirement, or been subject to a RIF broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service; 

    2. The number of veterans who held positions with the federal government in New Mexico since January 20, 2025, that have been terminated, placed on administrated leave, taken early retirement, or been subject to a RIF broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service; 

    3. The number of federal employees in New Mexico that have accepted the Administration’s “deferred resignation” offer broken down by agency, county, congressional district, GS level, and average length of federal service; 

    4. A detailed plan explaining how OPM will work with agencies and our state government to ensure that RIFs do not result in delays or disruptions to programs and benefits, including but not limited to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, on which our constituents rely; and 

    5. Can you commit to providing a recurring update every week that highlights the impacts of federal personnel cuts to New Mexico? 

    6. How will New Mexico continue to access crucial services that our state relies on if they are impacted due to the personnel cuts in the federal government? 

    If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact any of our officesdirectly. Thank you for your prompt response to this matter. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Whitesides, Levin Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral CA Delegation Push to Preserve ARCHES Hydrogen Hub Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff, Whitesides, Levin Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral CA Delegation Push to Preserve ARCHES Hydrogen Hub Funding

    The network of hydrogen hubs promotes American energy independence, lowers costs for consumers, and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs across California
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with Representatives George Whitesides (D-Calif.-27) and Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), led a bipartisan, bicameral delegation of 45 lawmakers in urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to preserve funding for hydrogen production hubs, specifically California’s Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES). The letter follows reports that DOE is considering eliminating funding for the development of four hydrogen hubs, including ARCHES.
    These cuts would break existing agreements while leading to significant job losses and a reduction in growth of new energy resources. With federal, private, and state matching funds, ARCHES is projected to create over 200,000 jobs in California and generate more than $2.95 billion annually in economic value by 2030.
    “As bipartisan members of the California delegation, we write with concern about reports that the U.S. Department of Energy is planning to cancel the hydrogen hub award commitment made to California’s Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES),” wrote the lawmakers. “As the administration evaluates existing energy investments and pathways to make energy affordable, we respectfully urge you to continue supporting the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems Hub in California. ARCHES plays a critical role in securing American energy dominance, advancing world-leading energy technology, creating new manufacturing jobs, and lowering energy costs for American families.”
    “The investment is already being used to bring together private industry, local governments, and community organizations to collaborate and build a secure, American-made energy future,” continued the lawmakers. “We view ARCHES as a strategic investment in American energy innovation, an all-of-the-above energy strategy, and energy independence and competitiveness.”
    In addition to Padilla, Schiff, Whitesides, and Levin, the letter was also signed by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11) and Representatives Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.-33), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Ami Bera (D-Calif.-06), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (D-Calif.-31), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Jim Costa (D-Calif.-21), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Vince Fong (R-Calif.-20), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Adam Gray (D-Calif.-13), Josh Harder (D-Calif.-09), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Young Kim (R-Calif.-40), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.-23), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.-29), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.-38), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-14), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04), Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), David Valadao (R-Calif.-22), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43).
    Senator Padilla has been a strong supporter of the development of clean hydrogen power in California. Padilla secured up to $1.2 billion for the ARCHES hydrogen hub from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and sent a letter to former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm urging the Department of Energy to support ARCHES’ proposal as part of its Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program. Last week, Padilla, Senator Schiff, and 25 other Democratic Senators sounded the alarm on DOE’s “hit list” of key energy projects, demanding Secretary of Energy Chris Wright follow the law and preserve the hydrogen hub program. Padilla also questioned President Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of Energy on the hit list, highlighting the importance of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program to “jumpstart” the national hydrogen economy and urging him to protect vital funding for ARCHES.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Wright:
    As bipartisan members of the California delegation, we write with concern about reports that the U.S. Department of Energy is planning to cancel the hydrogen hub award commitment made to California’s Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES). As the administration evaluates existing energy investments and pathways to make energy affordable, we respectfully urge you to continue supporting the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems Hub in California. ARCHES plays a critical role in securing American energy dominance, advancing world-leading energy technology, creating new manufacturing jobs, and lowering energy costs for American families.
    In July 2024, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) awarded $30 million to the California Hydrogen Hub through the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems to initiate hydrogen hub projects, following its selection as one of seven regional hubs in October 2023. These projects – and the economic growth and American jobs they support – are dispersed across the State of California from the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland to the reservation of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians to Lancaster, California. The investment is already being used to bring together private industry, local governments, and community organizations to collaborate and build a secure, American-made energy future. As California’s Hydrogen Hub, ARCHES anticipates the creation of 220,000 good paying jobs, from research and development (R&D) to manufacturing and maintenance of renewable hydrogen systems. This, in turn, promotes public-private partnerships to expand our STEM workforce.
    We view ARCHES as a strategic investment in American energy innovation, an all-of-the-above energy strategy, and energy independence and competitiveness. With that, we respectfully request that you continue supporting ARCHES and provide time for the California hub and its member organizations to further justify their vital role in meeting the energy goals of the administration.
    Thank you, and we look forward to your response.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology Urge Swift Action to Boost Economy, Protect U.S. National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology Urge Swift Action to Boost Economy, Protect U.S. National Security

    Biotech Commission report emphasizes: Emerging biotechnology is key to continued U.S. dominance and securing future economic growth in a new era of global competition
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and the other Commissioners of the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) delivered their major report and action plan, urging Congressional action to bring the full weight of American innovation to improve and maintain U.S. global leadership in biotechnology. Padilla was appointed to serve as a Congressional Commissioner after Congress formed the Commission in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
    For decades, the United States has been the global leader in biotechnology innovation. Today’s Commission report found that the United States is dangerously close to falling behind China. The Commission reports that the United States’ growing dependence on China for numerous critical supply chain elements is a national security vulnerability. Biotechnology is key to increasing supply chain security, resilience, and scalability by allowing the United States to control its own access to critical components.
    “Biotechnology holds immense potential to transform numerous key sectors of our economy and will create good-paying jobs at all skill levels in agriculture, health care, defense, industrial manufacturing, and more. I am proud to be part of this commission that is ensuring the United States maintains our national security and economic competitive advantages as biotechnology grows across industries,” said Senator Padilla.
    “The United States is locked in a competition with China that will define the coming century. Biotechnology is the next phase in that competition. It is no longer constrained to the realm of scientific achievement. It is now an imperative for national security, economic power, and global influence. Biotechnology can ensure our warfighters continue to be the strongest fighting force on tomorrow’s battlefields, and reshore supply chains while revitalizing our manufacturing sector, creating jobs here at home,” said Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.).
    The Commission found that emerging biotechnology is rapidly advancing, and the impact of biotechnology innovation already extends far beyond health, touching industries from agriculture and infrastructure to manufacturing and defense. The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology is accelerating this impact.
    The Commission also reported that biotechnology will drive the next wave of battlefield innovation and will be used to secure supply chains, enhance readiness, streamline logistics, improve resilience, and counter biological threats before they emerge.
    Furthermore, the Commission assessed that the future of American biotechnology leadership requires strategic federal action that encourages innovation by spurring private investment. This includes targeted investments and strategic government reforms to reduce regulatory bottlenecks.
    In addition to Senators Padilla and Young, the bipartisan Commission includes Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.-05) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), as well as outside experts.
    “As emerging technologies transform the national security landscape, both the United States and our adversaries are gaining new capabilities. The United States must take the lead in biotechnology and propel us ahead of China in the 21st century,” said Representative Bice.
    “We must embolden the best and brightest in biotechnology to innovate boldly. American ingenuity is stifled by outdated regulations in this sector. Only Congress can open the door to the American-led biotechnological future,” said Representative Khanna.
    “Technology is not inherently good or bad, but who uses it matters. Biotechnology can have tremendous potential for good or tremendous potential for harm. The Chinese government has made biotechnology a strategic national priority for 20 years. The U.S. must reassert our global leadership to remedy this strategic weakness. We must be the ones driving the standards for how biotechnology is developed and used,” said NSCEB Vice Chair Dr. Michelle Rozo.
    The Commission’s report laid out six pillars for action and makes 49 recommendations. Full details can be found here.
    Pillar 1: Prioritize biotechnology at the national level
    Pillar 2: Mobilize the private sector to get U.S. products to scale
    Pillar 3: Maximize the benefits of biotechnology for defense
    Pillar 4: Out-innovate our strategic competitors
    Pillar 5: Build the biotechnology workforce of the future
    Pillar 6: Mobilize the collective strengths of our allies and partners
    Last year, Senators Padilla and Young introduced a bipartisan package of bills focused on protecting America’s food security and agricultural supply chains, which are critical to U.S. national security. Padilla also announced the Commission’s first round of findings and recommendations for policymakers in an interim report outlining the promise of biotechnology for U.S. national security and economic competitiveness and growth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Leads Push to Stop Sharing of Sensitive Data on Unaccompanied Children for Immigration Enforcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Leads Push to Stop Sharing of Sensitive Data on Unaccompanied Children for Immigration Enforcement

    Senators: “We also ask that you immediately suspend any access to ORR’s database and children’s case files that runs counter to existing law, policy, and regulations.”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, led seven Senators in sounding the alarm on troubling reports that the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has unlawfully granted expanded access to sensitive data on unaccompanied children and their sponsors to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Senators raised serious concerns that ICE could misuse this confidential information to enact mass deportations and detain immigrant families and demanded DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. immediately cease this misguided practice.
    Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), ORR maintains sensitive information about unaccompanied children and their sponsors, including the immigration status of household members, but this information is not meant to be shared for immigration enforcement purposes.
    “Sharing of this information is subject to strict limits under several federal and state laws, regulations, and ORR policies in recognition of the severe harms to children and families that may follow from unauthorized use and disclosure,” wrote the Senators. “Reports that additional ICE personnel may now access ORR’s database raise serious questions about the authority and purpose for such use.”
    “We are deeply concerned that broad and unlawful information sharing practices may be renewed, with dire consequences for children’s safety, rights, and the fair administration of justice,” continued the Senators. “Therefore, we request that you provide detailed information regarding the purpose, nature, and authority for any expanded information sharing between ORR and ICE. We also ask that you immediately suspend any access to ORR’s database and children’s case files that runs counter to existing law, policy, and regulations.”
    Specifically, ORR’s confidential database contains information such as counseling notes, mental health information, and medical records, as well as private records of children’s trauma, physical and sexual abuse, and other harms they have experienced. The files also have detailed data about sponsors and other household members, which can include information about immigration status.
    Under the previous Trump Administration, ORR and ICE entered into a Memorandum of Agreement giving ICE similar data access, which ICE used to conduct immigration enforcement against sponsors. This harmful ICE arrangement resulted in many children being forced into prolonged stays in ORR custody due to fear among sponsors to come forward.
    In addition to Senator Padilla, the letter was also signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress opposing President Trump’s anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric. Padilla blasted the Trump Administration’s stop work order to organizations that provide legal services for unaccompanied children and demanded they protect Congressionally mandated legal representation for these children in the immigration system. He also recently cosponsored Senator Hirono’s Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2025, which would provide unaccompanied children with legal representation when they appear in proceedings before an immigration judge.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Noem:
    We write in response to alarming reports that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has authorized expanded access by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel to an ORR database containing information about unaccompanied children and their sponsors.
    In the exercise of its responsibilities under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) to provide for unaccompanied children’s care and placement, ORR maintains significant and often deeply sensitive information about children and their sponsors. Sharing of this information is subject to strict limits under several federal and state laws, regulations, and ORR policies in recognition of the severe harms to children and families that may follow from unauthorized use and disclosure. Reports that additional ICE personnel may now access ORR’s database raise serious questions about the authority and purpose for such use.
    ORR’s confidential case files include information ranging from counseling notes, mental health information, medical records, to information about incidents that may occur in care. Children’s files may include sensitive details about trauma, physical and sexual abuse, and other harm that a child has experienced in their country of origin, during their journey, or even while in government custody. ORR also maintains information and documentation about sponsors and other household members as part of the Family Reunification Application completed by potential sponsors. This may include information about immigration status.
    With limited exceptions, this information must be kept confidential and released by ORR only to individuals or entities providing appropriate authorization and documentation. Although ORR shares information with relevant ICE personnel in limited circumstances, like in the case of a child who is absent from or has been transferred out of a facility and in certain other instances relating to child safety, it generally requires the Department of Homeland Security, like other investigative agencies, to make a formal case file request detailing the scope of any relevant investigation and/or providing a warrant, court order, or subpoena to seek case file information. Further, consistent with prior congressional directives and outlined in ORR’s Policy Guide and the ORR Unaccompanied Children Program Foundational Rule, ORR “shall not share any immigration status information relating to potential sponsors with any law enforcement or immigration enforcement related entity at any time.”
    It is unclear what information ICE personnel will now be able to view and how broadly such information may be being shared. The potential for ICE personnel to maintain access to the full database at any time is particularly troubling, and it is especially disconcerting in light of recent reports that ICE will be implementing a multi-phased enforcement initiative against unaccompanied children and their families in the coming weeks that could potentially result in the placement of hundreds of thousands of children into removal proceedings and/or in family detention. Past information sharing during the prior Trump Administration resulted in harmful impacts for children and their families. With the recent issuance of an Interim Final Rule aimed at revoking the Foundational Rule’s provisions limiting information sharing, we are especially concerned about a repeat of harmful impacts for children and their families.
    In April 2018, ORR and DHS signed a Memorandum of Agreement providing for continuous information sharing about unaccompanied children from the time they arrived through release. Based on this information, ICE undertook enforcement actions against sponsors of unaccompanied children, which resulted in many children being left without potential sponsors, who had either been apprehended by ICE or declined to come forward to sponsor children in ORR custody out of fear of interacting with the federal government. Children spent longer periods in ORR custody, leading many to experience distress, compounding their previous trauma. Information sharing also resulted in new government inefficiencies and costs, as the number of children in care steadily increased and releases were stymied.
    The use of ORR’s child welfare functions to promote immigration enforcement were not only unlawful, but put children at greater risk of trafficking and exploitation. In response, Congress enacted critical directives to prevent ORR’s sharing of non-essential case information and children’s mental health records for immigration enforcement, and the 2018 Memorandum of Agreement was ultimately terminated.
    We are deeply concerned that broad and unlawful information sharing practices may be renewed, with dire consequences for children’s safety, rights, and the fair administration of justice. Therefore, we request that you provide detailed information regarding the purpose, nature, and authority for any expanded information sharing between ORR and ICE. We also ask that you immediately suspend any access to ORR’s database and children’s case files that runs counter to existing law, policy, and regulations.
    We look forward to your immediate response.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Rogers Lead Effort to Expand the Talladega National Forest

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    Legislation would strengthen conservation efforts and boost tourism in the area.

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL-03) in introducing the Talladega National Forest Expansion Act. The Talladega National Forest Expansion Act would expand the proclamation boundary of the Talladega National Forest by approximately 50,000 acres in three counties in East Alabama. This bill gives the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) the authority to purchase land from willing sellers—stimulating the local economies and promoting conservation in the surrounding areas.

    Alabama’s premiere hiking trail, the Pinhoti Trail System, would be greatly enhanced upon the USFS acquirement of these acres.

    “The Talladega National Forest is one of many reasons to visit Alabama,” said Sen. Tuberville. “From beaches to mountains to forests to lakes, we truly have it all in our state. But we have to make sure we take the right steps to conserve our resources. By expanding the proclamation boundary, we will boost tourism in surrounding towns and keep the forest beautiful for years to come. I’m thankful to be working with Rep. Rogers to expand the Forest’s boundaries and ensure continued economic and agricultural prosperity in our great state.”

    “I was glad to join Coach Tuberville in this effort to allow the expansion of the boundary of the Talladega National Forest by 50,000 acres,” said Rep. Rogers. “The proposed expansion to complete the southern portion of the Pinhoti Trail will provide a large boost to our local outdoor tourism industry. I was glad to work closely with our local leaders on this legislation and am hopeful to see an undivided Pinhoti Trail in the near future.”

    “The Alabama Trails Foundation applauds the leadership of Senator Tuberville and Congressman Rogers in introducing this important legislation,” said Paul DeMarco, President, Alabama Trails Foundation. “The expansion of the Talladega National Forest represents a legacy of commitment to outdoor recreation and conservation. It lays the foundation for making the Pinhoti Trail an even more popular destination and positions east Alabama to continue growing an outdoor recreation economy into a powerhouse that spotlights the importance of Alabama’s natural resources.”

    Talladega County Commission, Coosa County Commission, Clay County Commission, and Alabama Trails Foundation have endorsed this legislation.

    Read full text of the legislation here. 

    BACKGROUND:

    The Talladega National Forest was established in 1936 with two distinct proclamation boundaries: the Oakmulgee Division and the Talladega Division. Currently, the Talladega Division has a proclamation covering 400,000 acres with roughly 200,000 acres under ownership by the U.S. government. Since its establishment, the proclaimed boundary of the Talladega National Forest has been adjusted nine times, most recently in the 1990 Farm Bill.

    The Pinhoti Trail, part of the Talladega National Forest, is Alabama’s longest-distance hiking trail. Currently, the trail is interrupted by 15 miles of road walks between its southernmost portions. This legislation would allow those lands to be acquired by the USFS, improve trail maintenance efforts, and improve hiker safety by transforming the 15-miles of road walks into off-road trails.

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Responding to the changing education system | Pour réagir à l’évolution du système d’éducation

    [. These changes would reflect the wide range of programming that private schools offer, strengthen democratic accountability in school boards and increase clarity and efficiency in the teacher discipline process. If passed, the act would also align school board and francophone school boards’ joint use and planning agreement requirements with their municipal partners. Finally, changes to the Education Act would allow displaced Jasper residents to vote and run in school board elections.

    “We are committed to a strong and reactive education system that meets the needs of students, teachers and communities. These proposed changes would respond to the ever-changing education landscape and the feedback we received from Albertans and education partners.”

    Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education

    Language change in legislation

    Proposed changes to the Education Act would change the term ‘private school’ to ‘independent school’ throughout legislation to reflect the wide range of programming and school choice independent schools provide for Alberta families. This proposed change is a result of feedback from the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta.

    “The Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta wishes to express its sincere gratitude for this change in language. The shift to the term ‘independent school’ more accurately reflects the reality that while our schools operate under independent school authorities, they are part of the collective system of education in Alberta. We welcome this adoption of more inclusive language that will bring us into alignment with our neighboring provinces.”

    John Jagersma, executive director, Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta

    Stronger democratic accountability

    Proposed changes would strengthen democratic accountability by removing the ability of school boards or francophone school boards to disqualify an elected trustee over code of conduct breaches, leaving those decisions in the hands of voters. These changes are proposed based on feedback from the public and education partners and would align with the Municipal Government Act.

    Improving the teacher discipline process

    Proposed changes to the Education Act would improve clarity and efficiency in the teacher discipline process by:

    • Allowing administrators to delegate reporting requirements and other complainant roles.
    • Eliminating duplicate reporting requirements to decrease administrative burden.
    • Enabling administrators to be informed about ongoing complaints when a teacher, principal or assistant principal becomes employed by a different school authority.
    • Clarifying that the chair of the hearing committee may apply to the court for an order of compliance when necessary.

    Additionally, changes to the Education Act would introduce a $250 fee for complainant appeals, which would be refundable if the appeal is successful.

    Clarifying joint use and planning agreements

    School boards and francophone school boards won’t have to enter joint use and planning agreements with municipalities that are exempt from this requirement by Municipal Affairs. The minister of education will have similar regulatory powers as the minister of municipal affairs, allowing them to set criteria, requirements and exemptions for joint use agreements. These changes are based on feedback from municipalities, school boards and francophone school boards to ensure better consistency and cooperation between education and municipal partners.

    “These changes pave the way for stronger collaboration and local flexibility, helping schools and communities thrive together. Empowering both education and municipal partners ensures smarter planning for the future.”

    Mike McMann, superintendent, Fort Vermilion School Division

    Ensuring voting rights for displaced Jasper residents

    Proposed changes to the Education Act would align with planned changes to the Local Authorities Election Act to ensure that Jasper residents displaced by the July 2024 wildfires can vote and run as candidates in the 2025 and 2026 school board and francophone school board elections.

    Changes to school property ownership

    The Education Act would also be changed to enable Alberta Infrastructure to own new kindergarten to Grade 12 schools and playgrounds and lease them to school boards, francophone school boards and charter schools for operation and maintenance.

     “Our priority is to ensure Alberta’s students have access as soon as possible to the state-of-the-art facilities they need to learn and succeed. The proposed changes would modernize public property management, enhancing accountability and transparency with public assets like new schools.”

    Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

    Quick facts:

    • If passed, changes related to private school terminology, teacher discipline and joint use and planning agreements would come into effect upon proclamation.
    • If passed, amendments related to trustee accountability would come into effect on the day following the next local authorities’ general election, in October 2025.
    • Changes related to voting rights for Jasper residents would come into effect with the changes in Municipal Affairs’ Local Authorities Election Act that are part of Municipal Affairs’ Elections Statutes Amendment Act planned for spring 2025.
    • Changes related to school property ownership would come into effect at the same time as the Appropriation Act, 2025.

    Related information

    • Strengthening Alberta’s education system
    • Bill 51: Education Amendment Act, 2025

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    Les modifications proposées à l’Education Act répondraient aux changements survenus dans le système d’éducation et donneraient suite aux commentaires de la population albertaine.

    Si le projet de loi est adopté, l’Education Amendment Act 2025 donnerait suite aux commentaires émis par les parents et les partenaires en éducation. Ces modifications reflèteraient la vaste gamme de programmes offerts par les écoles privées, renforceraient la responsabilité démocratique des conseils scolaires et amélioreraient l’efficacité et la clarté du processus disciplinaire des enseignants. La loi, si elle est adoptée, harmoniserait également les exigences relatives aux ententes d’utilisation conjointe et de planification (joint use and planning agreements) conclues par les autorités scolaires et les autorités scolaires francophones avec celles de leurs partenaires municipaux. Finalement, les modifications à l’Education Act permettraient aux résidents déplacés de Jasper de voter et de se faire élire lors des élections scolaires.

    « Nous nous engageons à offrir un système d’éducation solide et réactif qui réponde aux besoins des élèves, des enseignants et des communautés. Les modifications proposées permettraient de s’adapter au paysage éducatif en constante évolution et donneraient suite aux commentaires que nous avons reçus des Albertains et des partenaires en éducation. »

    Demetrios Nicolaides, ministre de l’Éducation

    Changer le vocabulaire dans la législation

    Les modifications proposées à l’Education Act permettraient de remplacer le terme « private school » (école privée) par « independent school » (école indépendante) dans l’ensemble de la législation afin de refléter le choix d’écoles et le large éventail de programmes qu’offrent les écoles indépendantes aux familles albertaines. Cette proposition de modification fait suite aux commentaires formulés par l’Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta.

    « L’Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta tient à exprimer sa profonde gratitude pour ce changement de vocabulaire. L’utilisation du terme “école indépendante” reflète plus fidèlement la réalité : bien que nos écoles soient gérées par des autorités scolaires indépendantes, elles font partie du système collectif d’éducation de l’Alberta. Nous saluons l’adoption d’un langage plus inclusif qui nous permettra d’avoir un vocabulaire semblable à celui utilisé par nos provinces voisines. »

    John Jagersma, directeur général, Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta

    Accroitre la responsabilisation démocratique

    Les modifications proposées renforceraient la responsabilisation démocratique en retirant la capacité des conseils scolaires ou des conseils scolaires francophones de disqualifier un conseiller scolaire élu en raison de manquements au code de conduite, laissant cette décision entre les mains des électeurs. Ces modifications ont été proposées pour faire suite aux commentaires du public et des partenaires en éducation et elles permettraient d’harmoniser la loi avec la Municipal Governance Act.

    Améliorer le processus disciplinaire des enseignants

    Les modifications proposées à l’Education Act clarifieraient le processus disciplinaire des enseignants et le rendraient plus efficace :

    • en permettant aux administrateurs de déléguer à une autre personne le rôle de répondre aux exigences en matière de rapports et d’autres rôles de plaignant;
    • en éliminant les exigences redondantes en matière de rapports afin de réduire le fardeau administratif;
    • en autorisant les administrateurs à être informés des plaintes en cours contre un enseignant ou un leadeur scolaire quand celui-ci devient l’employé d’une autre autorité scolaire;
    • en précisant le fait que la présidence du comité d’audience peut demander au tribunal une ordonnance d’observation, si nécessaire.

    De plus, ces modifications à l’Education Act imposeraient des frais de 250 dollars pour toute demande d’appel d’un plaignant. Ces frais seraient toutefois remboursés si l’appel est accueilli.

    Clarifier les ententes d’utilisation conjointe et de planification

    Les autorités scolaires et les autorités scolaires francophones ne seront plus tenues de conclure des ententes d’utilisation conjointe et de planification (joint use and planning agreements) avec les municipalités qui sont exemptées de cette exigence par le ministère des Affaires municipales. Le ministre de l’Éducation aura des pouvoirs réglementaires similaires à ceux du ministre des Affaires municipales, ce qui leur permettra d’établir des critères, des exigences et des exemptions pour les ententes d’utilisation conjointe. Ces modifications donnent suite aux commentaires des municipalités, des autorités scolaires et des autorités régionales francophones visant une plus grande uniformité et une meilleure collaboration entre les partenaires éducatifs et municipaux.

    « Ces modifications ouvrent la voie à une collaboration renforcée et à une plus grande flexibilité à l’échelle locale, ce qui aidera les écoles et les communautés à s’épanouir ensemble. En autonomisant les partenaires éducatifs et municipaux, on favorise une meilleure planification à l’avenir. »

    Mike McMann, directeur général, Fort Vermilion School Division

    Protéger le droit de vote des résidents déplacés de Jasper

    Les modifications proposées à l’Education Act seraient harmonisées avec les modifications prévues à la Local Authorities Election Act afin que les résidents de Jasper qui ont été déplacés en raison des feux de forêt de juillet 2024 puissent voter et se porter candidats lors des élections scolaires 2025 et 2026, incluant celles des autorités scolaires francophones.

    Apporter des changements au droit de propriété des écoles

    L’Education Act serait également modifiée pour permettre au ministère de l’Infrastructure de devenir propriétaire des nouveaux bâtiments et terrains de jeux scolaires (maternelle à 12e année) et de les louer aux autorités scolaires, aux autorités scolaires francophones et aux écoles à charte pour qu’elles en assurent le fonctionnement et l’entretien.

    « Notre priorité est de s’assurer que les élèves albertains ont accès le plus rapidement possible aux installations de pointe dont ils ont besoin pour apprendre et réussir. Les modifications proposées permettraient de moderniser la gestion des biens publics, tout en renforçant la responsabilisation et la transparence pour les biens publics tels que les nouvelles écoles. »

    Martin Long, ministre de l’Infrastructure

    En bref

    • Si elles sont adoptées, les modifications concernant l’utilisation du terme « independent school », le processus disciplinaire des enseignants et les ententes d’utilisation conjointe et de planification entreraient en vigueur au moment de leur proclamation.
    • Si elles sont adoptées, les modifications relatives à l’imputabilité des conseillers scolaires entreraient en vigueur le jour suivant les prochaines élections générales scolaires, en octobre 2025.
    • Les modifications concernant le droit de vote des résidents déplacés de Jasper entreraient en vigueur avec celles proposées à la Local Authorities Election Act par le ministère des Affaires municipales qui font partie de l’Elections Statutes Amendment Act dont l’entrée en vigueur est prévue au printemps 2025.
    • Les modifications relatives au droit de propriété des écoles entreraient en vigueur en même temps que l’Appropriation Act, 2025 (loi de crédits).

    Renseignements connexes (en anglais seulement)

    • Strengthening Alberta’s education system
    • Projet de loi 51, Education Amendment Act 2025

    Multimédia (en anglais seulement)

    • Regarder la conférence de presse

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK is committed to supporting Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and helping to build an inclusive and multi-ethnic democracy: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    The UK is committed to supporting Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and helping to build an inclusive and multi-ethnic democracy: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Minister Counsellor, at the UN Security Council meeting on Kosovo

    The UK is a longstanding friend of Kosovo. 

    We remain committed to supporting Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and its development of an inclusive and multi-ethnic democracy. 

    During his visit to Kosovo last week, the UK’s Foreign Secretary reaffirmed our commitment to that goal.

    We welcome Kosovo’s recent elections.

    These were assessed by international observers as peaceful and competitive. 

    The UK looks forward to working closely with whoever forms the next government.

    As a strong supporter of Kosovo’s statehood, we welcome Kenya’s recent recognition of Kosovo, adding to the many countries recognising Kosovo across the globe. 

    We encourage those who have yet to recognise Kosovo’s independence to do so.

    Mr President, while the Secretary General’s report rightly points out the pressure felt by many Kosovo-Serbs, we also welcome actions that have been taken to improve community relations, such as Kosovo’s successful efforts to recruit police officers from non-majority communities.

    We regret however that no judges or prosecutors have, to our knowledge, asked to be considered for reintegration into the Kosovo institutions. 

    We look forward to active participation of Kosovo-Serbs in peaceful municipal elections during the next reporting period.

    More broadly, Mr President, we encourage Serbia and Kosovo to engage constructively with the EU’s Special Representative, Peter Sorensen, to reach a comprehensive and legally binding normalisation agreement through full implementation by both sides of the Brussels and Ohrid Agreements. 

    We strongly encourage Serbia to bring to justice without further delay those responsible for the 2023 attacks on KFOR troops and in Banjska, and to fulfill its pledge to co-operate in investigation of the attack on the Iber-Lepenc Canal. 

    I would like to end by expressing the UK’s gratitude to the Special Representative and all Mission staff who have contributed to UNMIK’s work. 

    However, with conditions on the ground now unrecognisable from 1999, we believe it is time for the Council to review UNMIK’s role and responsibilities to ensure it can continue to effectively support security, stability and human rights in Kosovo, in a way that reflects the world of 2026.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Bringing manufacturing back from overseas isn’t an easy solution to Trump’s trade war

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Stone, Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, University of South Australia

    Shutterstock

    The past week has seen the United States single-handedly rewrite the underlying paradigm for global trade. And while it is fair to say that the methods are extreme, the underlying goal of the policy is not unique to the US.

    Indeed, the push to support, and expand, domestic manufacturing through policy intervention is experiencing a resurgence not seen since the 1970s.

    Many people believe the COVID pandemic exposed weaknesses in global supply chains. In reality, the pandemic simply accelerated an existing trend of slowing of integration.

    Growing concerns around trade wars and risks from climate shock existed prior to COVID with both policymakers and firms rethinking globalisation strategies.

    Countries were also becoming concerned about the manufacturing dominance of China and the potential weaponisation of economic activity.

    The risks of rising concentration

    The expansion of international trade has led to massive efficiencies in production.

    But it has also led to concentration of certain sectors in certain regions. Examples include software development in Silicon Valley, semiconductor manufacturing in Taiwan and critical minerals processing in China.

    The Apple campus in Silicon Valley: no other country has been able to match the tech hub.
    Shutterstock

    This geographic concentration started to raise concerns for many countries. Reasons include climate events disrupting supply chains, pandemics and increasingly, geopolitical concerns.

    In response to the rise in economic concentration, countries as diverse as Japan, South Korea, the European Union, India, Brazil and the US introduced policy actions to promote or return certain critical sectors to domestic production.

    Australia’s Future Made In Australia plan is a prime example of this.

    Trade disruptions

    Even before the Trump tariffs, the US and other countries were alarmed by China’s control over key manufacturing sectors, and its associated ability to disrupt trade and commerce.

    Australia experienced this first-hand when China imposed significant tariffs on wine and barley in response to Australia’s call for a COVID inquiry.

    China’s willingness to use its economic position was demonstrated on Friday when it announced not just retaliatory tariffs, but export restrictions on seven categories of rare earth minerals. These are critical to strategic US sectors affecting companies like Apple and defence contractor Lockheed Martin.

    Government support on the rise

    This shift to increased economic resilience through self-reliance has led to a big surge in government intervention through industrial policies.

    The objective of industrial policy is to target certain sectors in order to change the structure of economic activity within a country. It uses government policy to promote investment in sectors deemed under-served by markets.

    While all countries have used some level of industrial policy, historically it was mainly confined to developing economies. It has been used sparingly since the 1970s. Between 2009 and 2017, the total number of industrial policies used by countries was less than 200.

    Between 2017 and 2023 the use of industrial policy increased nine-fold. In 2023, there were roughly 2,500 industrial policy interventions put in place with two-thirds introduced by advanced economies. Almost 48% were concentrated in three: China, the EU and the US.

    Intervening in markets

    Generally, industrial policy has been out of favour with mainstream economists. It is very hard to get right as it relies on an in-depth knowledge of industries as well as an ability to predict the future.

    Providing funding for one sector means less funding available for others. This could undermine new technologies or other as-yet unseen opportunities. It involves shifting resources from existing, efficient uses to less efficient uses.

    It rarely works. A prime example are the many countries that have spent billions of dollars trying to recreate a domestic Silicon Valley with no success.

    However, Trump is trying to do just that, on an economy-wide scale, mainly through tariffs. The tariffs announced also imply the US will go it alone. The approach takes fragmentation to a new level, where bilateral negotiations are the name of the game.

    Shifting global alliances

    Meanwhile the response from other nations such as Canada, Southeast Asian economies and even Europe, is to diversify and form new alliances without the US.

    Indeed, the Canadian Prime Minister’s first trip overseas was not, as tradition dictates, to the US, but to Europe and the UK, whom he dubbed “reliable” partners.

    Becoming more isolated and pushing other countries to China may not be what the US intends, but it is happening.

    Last week, Japan and South Korea announced a joint strategy with China to promote regional trade. The EU’s trade representative went to Beijing shortly after the tariff announcement where the two nations announced plans to “deepen trade and investment” ties.

    The risks of highly integrated supply chains in the face of security concerns, or changes in a trading partner’s domestic policy, have become glaringly clear.

    How countries choose to address these concerns, especially through the widespread use of industrial policy, will create further disruption to markets. While it is considered politically expedient for security concerns, this will raise prices and limit choice in domestic markets. As the old adage reminds us, there is no free lunch.

    Susan Stone 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. Bringing manufacturing back from overseas isn’t an easy solution to Trump’s trade war – https://theconversation.com/bringing-manufacturing-back-from-overseas-isnt-an-easy-solution-to-trumps-trade-war-253744

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –