NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Global: Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cal J. Halvorsen, Associate Professor of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis

    New volunteers get trained in Lexington, Ky., to help out at CASA of Lexington in April 2023. AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

    As gerontologists – social scientists who study aging populations – we envision a future in which older people leave a doctor’s visit with a prescription to go volunteer for something.

    Does that sound far-fetched? There’s scientific research backing it up.

    Good for your health

    While spending more than a dozen years researching what happens when older adults volunteer with nonprofits, including churches, we’ve found that volunteers consider themselves to be in better health than their peers who don’t. In addition, their blood pressure is lower, and they appear to be aging more slowly than other people of the same age.

    Other researchers have found that volunteering is associated with a lower risk of having a heart attack.

    The mental health benefits are just as striking.

    Volunteering is tied to having fewer symptoms of depression and being more satisfied with your life. It often brings an instant boost in mood – along with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.

    Even engaging in what’s known as “informal helping” – lending a hand to friends, neighbors or community members in need, without getting paid or participating in an organized program – can help you in similar ways.

    There are also health benefits for those who start volunteering much earlier in life.

    Children and teens who volunteer tend to have better health and lower levels of anxiety and fewer behavioral problems than those who don’t volunteer.

    Changing demographics

    The number of U.S. adults at least 62 years old – the earliest age at which you can claim Social Security retirement benefits – has grown by nearly 35 million since 2000, while the number of children and teens under 18 has fallen by nearly 1.5 million. There are now about 76 million Americans over 62 and 71 million under 18.

    This change has been gradual. Following a long-term demographic shift, record numbers of Americans are reaching retirement age.

    Benefits for society and the economy

    The benefits of volunteering aren’t just for the volunteers themselves.

    The total value of the hours of unpaid work volunteers put in totals an estimated US$170 billion each year, according to AmeriCorps, the federal agency focused on national and community service.

    And participating in community service programs can lead to better job prospects for volunteers, that same agency has found.

    AmeriCorps Seniors, which focuses on engaging volunteers ages 55 and older, runs programs that offer major benefits to their communities. These include the Foster Grandparent program, which connects older adult mentors to children, and the Senior Companion program, which connects volunteers to older adults seeking some help to continue living independently in their own homes.

    A current AmeriCorps Seniors pilot program is helping adults 55 and up, who can have more trouble landing new jobs than younger people, gain new job skills through their community service.

    People of all ages can get together through volunteering. Some organizations intentionally encourage this kind of intergenerational cooperation, including CoGenerate and Generations United.

    Rebuilding communities

    Researchers have also found that volunteering may increase trust within a community, especially when it brings together people from different backgrounds.

    It can strengthen “social cohesion,” a term researchers use to describe how much people bond and help each other, and reduce prejudice.

    Volunteers’ views on social issues may change through their work, too: More than 4 in 5 adults over 55 who tutored public school students to strengthen their reading skills in the national Experience Corps program, for example, stated that their views on public education evolved as a result. Those volunteers expressed more support for public education and said they’d be more likely to vote in favor of spending on schools.

    An American pastime

    Our findings are backed by science, but they also have roots in American history.

    Alexis de Tocqueville – a French philosopher and diplomat who arrived in the United States in 1831 to study the new nation’s penal system – was so impressed by the scale of volunteering in the U.S. that he wrote about it in his 1835 book “Democracy in America.”

    Tocqueville observed that “Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds” were likely to unite in many kinds of groups or associations.

    More recently, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has said that volunteering can strengthen communities, and that “community is a powerful source of life satisfaction and life expectancy.”

    If you aren’t volunteering today, here are a few ideas to help you begin.

    Start small. Try joining an organization or association in your community, taking part in neighborhood cleanups or volunteering at your local senior center, animal shelter or museum. Love gardening? You can take care of local parks, conservation areas, community gardens and more.

    Once you’re ready for a bigger commitment, consider becoming a mentor through programs such as OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring or Big Brothers Big Sisters.

    And consider a more extensive level of commitment to organizations or causes you care deeply about. This might include joining a nonprofit board of directors, volunteering more hours, or taking on a volunteer leadership role.

    At a time when trust is eroding and divisions seem insurmountable, volunteering offers something rare: an evidence-backed way to reconnect with communities, institutions and each other.

    Reach out to your favorite nonprofit, visit Volunteer.gov or VolunteerMatch.org, or connect with a nonprofit resource center, a regional United Way or a community foundation to find volunteer opportunities near you.

    Cal Halvorsen is a Senior Research Fellow at CoGenerate. He received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to examine the longitudinal effects of volunteering on cardiovascular disease biomarkers.

    Seoyoun Kim receives funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to examine the longitudinal effects of volunteering on cardiovascular biomarkers.

    – ref. Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering – https://theconversation.com/want-to-stay-healthier-and-fulfilled-later-in-life-try-volunteering-252585

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The UK has a lot of people out of work because of mental illness – but listening to those affected reveals that’s rarely the whole story

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Annie Louise Irvine, Research Affiliate, King’s College London

    ARMMY PICCA/Shutterstock

    What is going on in the UK when it comes to the massive rise in benefit claims related to mental health? It’s complicated, that much is certain.

    Understanding the causes of mental health-related economic inactivity and what to do about it is at the top of the UK government’s policy agenda. It recently set out plans in a green paper to improve access to effective employment support for people with mental health problems. At the same time, controversial reforms to health and disability benefits were central to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement.

    As a social researcher, listening closely to people’s lived experiences has taught me that while their distress is genuine, significant and at times severe, it is rarely the whole story of what is constraining their ability to find and stay in work.

    Mental distress is almost invariably bound up in other challenging circumstances that also pose barriers to work – issues such as homelessness, violence and abuse, caring commitments, lone parenthood, poverty, involvement with the criminal justice system, and the obstacles caused by inflexible employers and insecure work.

    This has made me wonder if the system’s very narrow focus on health as a barrier to work is part of the problem.

    It’s not that the mental health conversation has gone too far – but it may have become too narrow. While it is essential to respond to people’s distress, we can’t understand their capacity for work, or support their steps back into employment, unless we pay attention to all the other factors that limit their opportunities for work.

    The work capability assessment (WCA) was introduced 17 years ago to determine how far and in what ways someone’s disability, illness or health condition limits them from working. Since then, welfare support has been narrowed down to questions of obligation and conditionality – with health as the central focus.

    But this narrow approach, and the exclusive link between ill health and work-related obligations, has crowded out the full range of challenges, constraints and contingencies that affect people’s capacity for work. When health is the only thing the system is interested in, it’s the only thing claimants can discuss.

    So now, with the UK government’s plan to scrap the WCA and introduce a new kind of “support conversation”, there is an opportunity to bring this broader range of factors back into the picture.

    In a positive shift, the government has recognised that discussions about work need to include a better understanding of people’s goals and aspirations, and that these conversations should also facilitate access to support for debt, housing, careers, training and social connection.

    How this might be done is a question that needs careful thought and experimentation. The government is seeking responses on how this “support conversation” should be designed and delivered.

    In a recent workshop, we explored the opportunities and challenges that might arise from a more holistic approach to assessing capacity for work. Participants in our workshop felt there was potential for more positive experiences and effective support.

    But they also envisaged risks both for claimants and welfare services, including the potential for claimants to be retraumatised, as well as extra admin and the possibility of raising unrealistic expectations.

    Better support for people who want to work

    As the government’s Pathways to Work green paper recognises, there are many people for whom formal paid employment may never be possible. But there are some people in the health-related benefits group who would like to work.

    In my most recent research project, I met people living with mental health difficulties and neurodivergence who were keen to work but felt frustrated at the lack of personalised support. Here are a few examples of what they told me:

    In my experience, they don’t help you, they just tell you to do this, that and the other. But they’re not supporting you through the process of finding a job. They’re just throwing these jobs at you. (female, 26)

    I do want to work. It’s just, I want to be able to work and then keep the job. And right now, I just I don’t feel like I’ve got the right things in place to help me with that … I don’t want to use it as just an excuse … What I want is: ‘Oh, I’ve got ADHD, can you please take that into account?’ (male, 33)

    I really don’t know what [job] to go for … A lot of my issues have been connected to frustration and feeling stuck, and not being able to find a pathway into sustainable employment – and things related to education. It’s all kind of linked in a bundle (male, 38)

    Shifting the balance towards personalised and holistic support is a step in the right direction. But the spectre of welfare conditionality, and the threat of sanctions if someone is unable to fulfil work-related activities, will always be a block on engaging those who might be able to work, given the appropriate time and support.

    While the green paper describes sanctions as a “last resort”, it does not go far enough on removing compliance from people’s encounters with the system.

    Mental ill health is often part of a bigger picture of challenging circumstances including lone parenthood or poverty.
    Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock

    The goal should be to make a safe space for people to go beyond the health conversation. The new “support conversation” must allow people to talk about their health and non-health constraints, and the full range of support they need to move into appropriate work.

    We do need to talk about mental health – the reality of people’s distress must never be undermined. But we need to talk about more than just mental health, and approach people’s work-related challenges with an appreciation that mental health problems rarely arise out of nowhere. We cannot understand capacity for work without understanding people’s wider social context.

    Lastly, we really need to ditch the “any job” approach. It is the fit of a particular workplace and particular job with a person’s unique life circumstances that makes the difference as to whether work is feasible, fulfilling and sustainable.

    Annie Louise Irvine has received research funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. She is affiliated with the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, the University of York School for Business and Society, and serves as a non-executive Director for the organisation Better Connect.

    – ref. The UK has a lot of people out of work because of mental illness – but listening to those affected reveals that’s rarely the whole story – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-has-a-lot-of-people-out-of-work-because-of-mental-illness-but-listening-to-those-affected-reveals-thats-rarely-the-whole-story-252891

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens offer democratic alternative to dead end of Reform

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    / by Green Party

    Responding to Reform’s local elections campaign event, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP said: 

    “We know people are struggling after 14 years of Conservative austerity, now followed by the crushing disappointment of a new Labour government making more cuts to front line services. But Reform will never be the answer to the decline of the two old parties. 

    “Reform is a party designed to benefit the very richest and has no track record of delivering for people. Green councillors up and down the country are delivering real hope and real change in their communities every day. 

    “We are offering a hard-working and democratic alternative to the dead end, divisive choice of Reform and their impossible promises.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Import ban of cattle, pigs, sheep, and deer from Austria to protect farmers

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Import ban of cattle, pigs, sheep, and deer from Austria to protect farmers

    The government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD).

    The government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD), following a further confirmed case in Hungary, close to the Austrian border.  

    Due to the proximity of the new Hungarian case to the Austrian border, the decision has been made to suspend the commercial import from Austria of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, wild ruminants and porcines (including deer and wild boar), and their untreated products such as fresh meat and dairy.   

    The UK Government had already taken action to suspend the commercial import of these products from Slovakia, Hungary and Germany.   

    Action is already underway with local authorities and traders to address possible risks from goods on the way to GB. Such goods must be pre-notified and wider border systems in place will prevent consignments entering GB.  

    In addition, travellers can no longer bring meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal by products of pigs and ruminants (including non-domestic species), or hay or straw, from Austria.  

    This is in addition to the action already taken by the UK Government to prevent the personal import of these products from Germany, Hungary and Slovakia to Great Britain.

    The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following the recent outbreaks in Hungary and Germany. There are no cases in the UK currently.  

    FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas. Livestock keepers should therefore be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity.  

    FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.    

    UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:  

    Following the detection of a second foot and mouth disease case in Hungary, with a restriction area crossing the border into Austria, we have taken action to prevent the commercial import of potentially risky goods from Austria.  

    I would urge livestock keepers to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, ensure scrupulous biosecurity is maintained and to report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

    Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

    We will continue to protect our nation’s farmers from the risk posed by foot and mouth disease.  

    This is why we have acted immediately to impose import restrictions on Austria, we will continue to keep the situation under review and will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease continues to spread further.

    What you can do    

    If you’re an animal keeper, read about how to spot foot and mouth disease and report it.    

    If you’re an importer or exporter, read about the import restrictions for foot and mouth disease.   

    Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the main signs are sores and blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue with potentially a fever, lameness and a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs, signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering.      

    While horses and companion animals are not susceptible to FMD, hay feed or straw bedding, if sourced from an infected area, could act as a fomite and therefore also prevented from entering GB.  

    Maintaining good biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.    

    Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it immediately by calling:    

    • 03000 200 301 in England     

    • 0300 303 8268 in Wales     

    • your local  Field Services Office in Scotland    

    For more information, visit: Imports, exports and EU trade of animals and animal products: topical issues – GOV.UK

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Updated SORP: charities encouraged to respond to consultation and be ready for change

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Updated SORP: charities encouraged to respond to consultation and be ready for change

    The joint SORP-making body has today launched a public consultation on the next version of the charities accounting and reporting framework.

    The ‘Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ (‘the SORP’) ensures consistency and transparency across the sector, making charity accounts comparable, understandable and useful for donors, beneficiaries, and the public alike.  

    It has been updated following an extensive development process informed by the views of engagement partners and a sector specific SORP Committee.  

    The SORP-making body is now inviting comments on the draft as the feedback will help shape the final version, which is expected to be published in autumn 2025 and effective from January 2026.  

    The SORP has been updated to reflect changes introduced by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland – and in particular to reflect changes to how charities will need to recognise certain types of income and certain types of leases in their accounts. The consultation is seeking views on how the revised requirements are explained in the context of charities. Charities are also encouraged to ready themselves for these two changes, the substance of which is already decided.

    Improvements are also proposed in other areas that are within the discretion of the SORP-making body. These are to make the SORP more straightforward to navigate for charities, and to improve information for beneficiaries, donors and the public about how charity resources are stewarded. These proposed changes include:  

    • introduction of 3 tiers based on income levels to ensure proportionate reporting, whilst also meeting the information needs of users   

    • advancing reporting in important areas such as impact reporting, reserves, going concern and volunteers 

    • introduction of proportionate reporting for environmental, social and governance issues. 

    The SORP-making body is keen to hear the views of charities, preparers, auditors and independent examiners of charity accounts, trustees, employees and beneficiaries of charities and others who may use charity accounts including donors, funders, financial supporters and other stakeholders. 

    The consultation on the ‘Exposure Draft of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ will run from 28 March 2025 for 12 weeks.  

    The joint SORP-making body comprises the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The Charities Regulator for the Republic of Ireland is an observer on the SORP-making body. 

    Charity Commission for England and Wales Chief Executive David Holdsworth CEO, said:  

    Some charities have to prepare accounts using the Charities SORP, whilst others choose to do so. The framework promotes transparency and accountability over the stewardship of the resources charities hold, which is vital to public trust and confidence in the sector. This new draft has been developed through extensive engagement with experts including through the SORP Committee, and can be improved further through this formal consultation. I really encourage charities and others with an interest or experience to give us their feedback.  

    Charity Commission for Northern Ireland Chief Executive, Frances McCandless, said: 

    The SORP plays a crucial role in setting accountancy standards for charities. To ensure it evolves to meet modern expectations and supports those preparing, reviewing, and reading charity accounts, we need your input. This consultation is a key opportunity for those who use the SORP to shape its future. With implementation approaching in January 2026, and as FRS 102 will not be changing, now is also the time for charities to start thinking about how they can be ready to report under the new standards.  

    Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) CEO, Katriona Carmichael, said:  

    The Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) helps promote trust and confidence in charities by enhancing transparency and accountability of how a charity’s resources are managed. The Exposure Draft SORP has been developed by experts in charity finance to ensure that charities can keep up with developments in modern financial reporting. It’s with this in mind that I’d encourage charities applying the SORP and others to contribute to this consultation process, and take action now to prepare for the upcoming changes in accounting standards that are reflected in the Exposure Draft SORP. 

    ENDS  

    Notes to editors 

    1. More information about the Charity SORP, including the consultation on the ‘exposure draft’, can be found at https://www.charitysorp.org/  

    2. The Charity SORP applies to charities preparing accruals accounts under UK-Irish Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP).  The SORP provides guidance on FRS 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), as well as setting out sector specific requirements. More information about FRS 102 can be found here

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: FINAL MEETING Master planning and innovative financial solutions to support the implementation of the Yashil Makon initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

     

    The Yashil Makon Initiative is a nationwide program launched by the Government of Uzbekistan to transform environments across the country through sustainable development practices. This initiative seeks to expand and enhance green spaces, promote environmental stewardship, and improve the overall quality of life for citizens. It aligns with Uzbekistan’s broader commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its national strategy for environmental sustainability.

    Uzbekistan’s Yashil Makon Initiative has been supported through a collaborative project by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

    The project objectives included tools and activities to support the effective and efficient implementation of the Initiative:

    • Developing a Master Plan for the Yashil Makon Initiative, encompassing technical guidelines for area selection, planting techniques, tree seedling standards, disease management, and productivity norms.
    • Enhancing the Yashil Makon inventory by upgrading the monitoring and information platform and implementing digital solutions.
    • Assisting in identifying and implementing early actions for carbon trading organization.
    • Creating income sources for local communities and Afghans residing in Surkhandarya by supporting local initiatives and research to establish productive nurseries/seedling bases.

    The final workshop, held on 24 March 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan at Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies (Green University). The workshop concluded the project and shared its results. It also consolidated inputs from national and international experts and discussed implementation mechanisms, including technical guidance, financial models, and community-based approaches.

    More information at: https://gov.uz/en/eco/news/view/42131

    Photo credit: UNDP Uzbekistan

     

     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Over 7,000 Join Congressman Brad Sherman’s Town Hall with Guests CA Attorney General & Democracy Forward Senior Advisor

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)

    Sherman Oaks, CA – On March 26th, over 7,000 residents joined Congressman Brad Sherman’s (CA-32) Telephone Town Hall to hear updates from Sherman and his key guests, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Senior Advisor for Democracy Forward Nikki McKinney, on collective efforts to challenge the Trump-Musk dismantling of our government and critical services.

    “This is a distressing time for our country – but the overwhelming participation we saw in last night’s Town Hall is a testament to our community’s engagement and resilience,” said Congressman Sherman. “Together, we are standing up against actions that undermine our democracy.”

    In a detailed address to open the event, Congressman Sherman spoke on the community’s concerns regarding the brazen and destructive actions by Donald Trump and Elon Musk and highlighted the key legal battles and other substantial efforts that are being deployed to stop them.

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta detailed ongoing legal efforts against the current administration’s overreaches: “Our legal actions are not just about opposition; they’re about protection, defending our state’s values, rights, and freedoms under the law,” Bonta stated.

    Nikki McKinney from Democracy Forward, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the fundamentals of democracy, discussed the organization’s role in challenging the Trump-Musk actions through strategic litigation. “We’re on the front lines in the courts, fighting to preserve the integrity of our democratic institutions against unprecedented challenges,” McKinney highlighted.

    As the Representative of Pacific Palisades, Congressman Sherman also provided updates on our recovery from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. “As we navigate these challenging times, it’s crucial to address the immediate needs of our community, especially those affected by recent wildfires,” Sherman explained. He stressed the importance of applying for Federal wildfire disaster assistance before the upcoming deadline on March 31. “While I’ve fought and continue to push for more time, another extension is unlikely. Apply now to receive the assistance you need,” Sherman urged.

    During the Telephone Town Hall, Sherman requested input from residents by asking a series of survey questions about their thoughts and concerns. The results of the survey questions are as follows:
     

    Do you approve of President Trump’s performance as President so far?

    -Approve: 6%

    -Disapprove: 93%

    -Unsure: 1%

    The Trump tax law limited deduction of State and Local Taxes (“SALT”) like property taxes on federal income tax returns to $10,000 per filer. That provision is set to expire this year. As Congress considers revising our tax laws, do you support eliminating the SALT deduction, keeping it at $10,000, or removing the $10,000 limit on the deductibility as was the case before 2017?

    1.    SALT with no limit on deductibility of state and property taxes: 56%

    2.    SALT with $10,000 limit on deductibility of state and property taxes: 14%

    3.    Eliminate SALT deduction: 2%

    4.    Unsure: 27%

    Should your Member of Congress vote for legislation that he thinks is good for the county, or should he vote NO on everything that Republican Speaker Johnson is willing to propose, and President Trump is willing to sign?

    1.    Obstruction and Resistance: Vote NO on all of Speaker Johnson and President Trump’s legislation: 51%

    2.    Negotiate with Republicans but only vote for a bill Democrats think is good: 44%

    3.    Vote with the Republicans: 1%

    4.    Unsure: 3%

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man who glorifed Lee Rigby murder recalled to prison after Met Counter Terrorism investigation

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have ensured that a registered terrorist offender who glorified the murder of Lee Rigby has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ in prison after he breached his notification requirements.

    Royal Barnes 34 (28.08.90) was convicted in March 2014 of inciting terrorism overseas and three counts of transmitting a terrorist publication following the murder of Lee Rigby, a British soldier, in Woolwich.

    Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Monitoring those convicted of terrorism-related crimes is a key part of our work to ensure that they are not posing any further risk to the public.

    “Terrorism offenders are subject to strict notification requirements once they have completed their sentences, and we are proactive in making sure they are sticking to these. As this case shows we will not hesitate to take action should we identify any breaches and it should also send a message that there are serious consequences for those who do so.”

    Barnes was sentenced to five years and four months in jail in 2014 after he produced videos, posted on Youtube, showing footage of the scene and calling for British-based Muslims to fight the government.

    He was released from prison in September 2016, but recalled in June 2017 for breaching his licence when he was found in possession of an iPhone which he hadn’t notified officers about. He was then released again in May 2019 and was subject to a number of ‘Part 4’ notification requirements.

    On 26 October 2023 he was arrested for breaches of these notification requirements relating to use of a vehicle, mobile phone and email account. He was also found to have been involved in fraudulent activity related to possession of bank cards.

    He pleaded guilty to these offences on 25 October last year and was sentenced on 28 March, at the Old Bailey, to three-and-a-half years in prison for the two breaches and a further 12 months, to be served consecutively, for the fraud offence.

    He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence in custody before being referred to a parole board.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens concerned by Government delays to relationships education guidance

    Source: Scottish Greens

    28 Mar 2025 Education

    Schools must feel safe for all pupils. Education can help to end violence against women and girls.

    More in Education

    With extreme misogyny on the rise, the Scottish Greens are deeply concerned that new guidance for teaching young people about relationships and sexual health could face further delay.
     
    Green MSP Ross Greer has worked since 2016 to update this teaching guidance, with a focus on tackling violence against women and girls by introducing content on the importance of consent. The current guidance was produced in 2014 and is woefully inadequate. It does not include a section on consent in sexual relationships, nor is it fully LGBTQ-inclusive.
     
    Mr Greer was heavily involved in drafting new guidance during the Scottish Greens’ time in government. This was published and consulted on in 2023, but the results of that consultation and the Scottish Government’s response are only now being published.
     
    In the government’s response to the consultation, they have said that they will ‘further develop/clarify’ sixteen areas of the guidance, which will likely lead to a further delay to its introduction. This is despite the increased recognition that many boys and young men are being radicalised by extreme online misogyny, as highlighted by the recent Netflix series Adolescence.
     
    The Scottish Greens have urged the Scottish Government to listen to the positive feedback already received from young people, highlighting the survey and focus group work carried out by Youngscot and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

    Scottish Greens’ education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP said:

    “Violence against women and girls is rampant across society and sadly our schools are no exception. Twice as many girls feel unsafe at school because of sexism as they did a decade ago. Teaching all pupils, but especially boys and young men, about the importance of consent is essential to tackling this and making our schools safer. It cannot wait any longer.
     
    “I have spent close to a decade trying to fix this guidance. The draft we produced and consulted on two years ago starts with a substantial section on the importance of consent in relationships. This was based on years of evidence gathering which proved that far too many pupils were leaving school having received education on sex and relationships which didn’t cover this crucial concept.
     
    “As the Netflix drama Adolescence has highlighted, teachers and schools need more resources and support to protect women and girls, and to support men and boys. Another long delay means they are still stuck with decade-old guidance which is woefully out of date.
     
    “The Scottish Government needs to set a clear deadline for finishing what we started. This guidance must be ready to go no later than when the new school year starts in August.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spring Statement heralds further boost to growth in Scotland

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Spring Statement heralds further boost to growth in Scotland

    Scottish Secretary welcomes Chancellor’s £2.2billion defence budget boost to create more jobs and opportunities in the sector as part of Plan for Change

    Growth is central to the Spring Statement announcements and Plan for Change, as Sec of State Ian Murray championed at the signing of the Argyll & Bute Growth Deal recently

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week pledged a new era of security and national renewal as she delivered a Spring Statement to kickstart economic growth, protect working people and keep Britain safe. 

    Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has welcomed her measures, including a £2.2 billion increase in the UK-wide defence budget for 2025-26, on top of £2.9 billion announced at Autumn Budget.

    Mr Murray said:

    We are living in an increasingly insecure world, and the extra £2.2 billion for defence – on top of the £2.9 billion announced at Autumn Budget – will make Britain stronger and safer. This is a huge boost for Scotland’s world-leading defence sector, which delivers Scottish economic growth and more highly-skilled jobs. The increase will also mean better homes for our military personnel and families, including the thousands based in Scotland. 

    Today’s announcements underpin the great strides being made by the UK Government in achieving stability in our public finances. There have been three interest rate cuts since the general election. Next week the increase in the minimum wage will mean a pay rise for hundreds of thousands of workers in Scotland and our employment rights legislation will deliver the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation. 

    The Spring Statement also delivered an extra £28 million for the Scottish Government. That is on top of their £4.9 billion extra from the budget, creating a record £47.7 billion settlement for 25/26, announced at the Autumn Budget. This is the biggest budget settlement in the history of devolution and an end to austerity. The Scottish Government must now use that wisely – to improve Scotland’s failing public services.” 

    This latest defence boost builds on the Chancellor’s recent visit to Babcock in Rosyth where she also announced that UK defence exporters would benefit from a £2 billion increase to UK Export Finance lending capacity. 

    Her Spring Statement underlines that growth is at the heart of the UK Government’s Plan for Change with £13 billion of additional capital spend allocated alongside the defence funding boost.

    It follows the Budget in the autumn where it was announced that the Scottish Government will be provided with a £47.7 billion settlement in 2025/26 – the largest in real terms in the history of devolution. This includes an additional £3.4 billion through the Barnett formula, with £2.8 billion for day-to-day spending and £610 million for capital investment.  

    The measures announced this week top up these Barnett consequentials by a further £28 million in 2025/26.

    The Scottish Government continues to receive over 20% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK, translating into over £8.5 billion more in 2025-26. Block Grant funding from 2026-27 onwards will be confirmed at Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which concludes on 11 June 2025. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will meet with his counterparts from the devolved governments to discuss their priorities ahead of its conclusion.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Dame Karen Pierce visits Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    Dame Karen Pierce visits Bosnia and Herzegovina

    UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, used her visit to reiterate the UK’s commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, paid her first official visit in this role to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 27-28 March.

    Dame Karen Pierce, one of the UK’s most experienced diplomats, has been appointed the UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans in February this year, taking over from Air Chief Marshal The Lord Peach.

    Dame Karen Pierce began her visit with talks with the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina members, Chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Foreign Affairs in which she reiterated the UK’s steadfast commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s stability and security.

    Dame Karen Pierce said:

    It’s an honour to have been appointed as the UK’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans – a region of great personal attachment to me, and to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina so early on in my role. The UK remains fully committed to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    I am visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina in a moment of political crisis. It is important to underline that BiH has the institutions and mechanisms to respond to this crisis. An early domestic resolution will enable further progress on the country’s EU path. For our part, the UK will continue to support BiH in fulfilling its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

    This autumn, the UK is hosting the Berlin Process summit with Western Balkans leaders to support stability, security and economic co-operation in the region Dame Karen Pierce discussed objectives and delivery with Amer Kapetanovic, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, a key regional partner.

    During the visit, Special Envoy Dame Karen Pierce also met human rights defenders, journalists, and project partners with whom the UK works on a range of issues for the benefit of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    In her meeting with leaders and representatives of the biggest religious communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she urged them to work together to deescalate political crises and to build trust between communities: preserving peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina is paramount.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-left”>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.  As the Federal capital city, Washington, D.C., is the only city that belongs to all Americans and that all Americans can claim as theirs.  As the capital city of the greatest Nation in the history of the world, it should showcase beautiful, clean, and safe public spaces. 
    America’s capital must be a place in which residents, commuters, and tourists feel safe at all hours, including on public transit.  Its highways, boulevards, and parks should be clean, well-kept, and pleasant.  Its monuments, museums, and buildings should reflect and inspire awe and appreciation for our Nation’s strength, greatness, and heritage.  Our citizens deserve nothing less.

    Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to make the District of Columbia safe, beautiful, and prosperous by preventing crime, punishing criminals, preserving order, protecting our revered American monuments, and promoting beautification and the preservation of our history and heritage. 

    Sec. 3.  Making the District of Columbia Safe by Fighting Crime.  (a)  My Administration shall work closely with local officials to share information, develop joint priorities, and maximize resources to make the District of Columbia safe.  Such coordination shall occur through the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force (Task Force), which is hereby established by this order.  The Task Force shall be chaired by the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor or his designee, and shall otherwise include representatives from the following departments, agencies, or components, selected as such department, agency, or component determines:
     (i)     the Department of the Interior;
    (ii)    the Department of Transportation;
    (iii)   the Department of Homeland Security;
    (iv)    the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
    (v)     the United States Marshals Service;
    (vi)    the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;
    (vii)   the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia;
    (viii)  the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and
    (ix)    the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
    The Chairman of the Task Force may also select other departments, agencies, or components to participate as he deems necessary.  Representatives of such other departments, agencies, or components shall be selected as such department, agency, or component determines.
    (b)  The Task Force may, to the extent permitted by law, request operational assistance from and coordinate with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, United States Park Police, Amtrak Police, and other Federal and local officials as appropriate. 
    (c)  The Task Force shall coordinate to ensure effective Federal participation in the following tasks:
    (i)     directing maximum enforcement of Federal immigration law and redirecting available Federal, State, or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegal aliens in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area;
    (ii)    monitoring the District of Columbia’s sanctuary-city status and compliance with the enforcement of Federal immigration law;
    (iii)   providing assistance to facilitate the prompt and complete accreditation of the District of Columbia’s forensic crime laboratory;
    (iv)    in collaboration with its leadership and union, providing MPD with assistance to facilitate the recruitment, retention, and capabilities of its police officers and to facilitate work with Federal personnel, resources, and expertise to reduce crime; 
    (v)     collaborating with appropriate local government entities to provide assistance to increase the speed and lower the cost of processing concealed carry license requests in the District of Columbia;
    (vi)    reviewing and, as appropriate, revising Federal prosecutorial policies on seeking pretrial detention of criminal defendants to ensure that individuals who pose a genuine threat to public safety are detained to the maximum extent permitted by law;
    (vii)   collaborating with appropriate local government entities to provide assistance to end fare evasion and other crime within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system; and
    (viii)  deploying a more robust Federal law enforcement presence and coordinating with local law enforcement to facilitate the deployment of a more robust local law enforcement presence as appropriate in areas in or about the District of Columbia, including in such areas as the National Mall and Memorial Parks, museums, monuments, Lafayette Park, Union Station, Rock Creek Park, Anacostia Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Suitland Parkway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, and ensuring that all applicable quality of life, nuisance, and public-safety laws are strictly enforced, such as those prohibiting assault, battery, larceny, graffiti and other vandalism, unpermitted disturbances and demonstrations, noise, trespassing, public intoxication, drug possession, sale, and use, and traffic violations, including as prescribed by Executive Order 13933 of June 26, 2020 (Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence), which was reinstated by Executive Order 14189 of January 29, 2025 (Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday).
    (d) The Task Force shall report to me as necessary through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor regarding safety in the District of Columbia, and the tasks set forth in subsection (c) of this section.  As part of this reporting, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Task Force, shall assess whether public-safety circumstances in the District of Columbia require additional executive action. 

    Sec. 4.  Making the District of Columbia Beautiful.  (a)  The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Transportation, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, the Administrator of General Services, the National Capital Planning Commission, and the heads of such other executive departments or agencies and local officials as the Secretary of the Interior deems appropriate, shall develop and implement a program to beautify and make safe and prosperous the District of Columbia.
    (b)  The program under subsection (a) of this section shall include, at a minimum, the following elements as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:
    (i)    a coordinated beautification plan for Federal and local facilities, monuments, land, parks, and roadways in and around the District of Columbia;
    (ii)   restoration of Federal public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been damaged or defaced, or inappropriately removed or changed, in recent years;
    (iii)  removal of graffiti from commonly visited areas, with local assistance;
    (iv)   proposals to ensure Federal buildings or lands adequately uplift and beautify public spaces and generate in the citizenry pride in and respect for our Nation;
    (v)    a coordinated Federal and local approach to ensure the cleanliness of public spaces, sidewalks, parks, highways, roads, and transit systems in and around the District of Columbia; and
    (vi)   the encouragement of private-sector participation in coordinated beautification and clean-up efforts in the District of Columbia. 
    c)  The Secretary of the Interior shall immediately issue a directive to the National Park Service requiring prompt removal and cleanup of all homeless or vagrant encampments and graffiti on Federal land within the District of Columbia subject to the National Park Service’s jurisdiction, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

    Sec. 5.  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 or 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,
        March 27, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Enact Releases 2024 Sustainability Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RALEIGH, N.C., March 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enact Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACT) (Enact) today announced the release of its 2024 Sustainability Report covering the calendar year 2024.

    This report continues Enact’s transparency on its progress in areas vital to its sustainability pillars, priorities identified as critical to Enact’s long-term success by internal and external stakeholders. This year’s report provides new insights into Enact’s approach to sustainability with spotlights on additional facets of Enact’s sustainability initiatives, such as our third party risk management program, professional development programs, and Hurricane Helene relief response.

    “On behalf of the Enact team, I am pleased to share our 2024 Sustainability Report,” said Rohit Gupta, President and CEO of Enact. “Enact remains committed to helping build stronger communities through homeownership, philanthropy, and volunteerism and we know that our continued growth and profitability are contingent in part on our continued focus on sustainability. This year’s report shows the areas where we’re focusing and the progress we’re making as we continue to deliver for all of our stakeholders.”

    Enact’s 2024 Sustainability Report is available on Enact’s Investor Relations website at https://ir.enactmi.com/sustainability.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, our expected financial and operational results, the related assumptions underlying our expected results, guidance concerning the future return of capital and the quotations of management. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by use of words such as “will,” “may,” “would,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “designed,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “could,” “should,” or “intend,” the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events that we cannot predict, including risks related to an economic downturn or a recession in the United States and in other countries around the world; changes in political, business, regulatory, and economic conditions; changes in or to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “GSEs”), whether through Federal legislation, restructurings or a shift in business practices; failure to continue to meet the mortgage insurer eligibility requirements of the GSEs; competition for customers; lenders or investors seeking alternatives to private mortgage insurance; an increase in the number of loans insured through Federal government mortgage insurance programs, including those offered by the Federal Housing Administration; and other factors described in the risk factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, may cause our actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Enact believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, Enact can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved and it undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

    About Enact Holdings, Inc.
    Enact (Nasdaq: ACT), operating principally through its wholly-owned subsidiary Enact Mortgage Insurance Corporation since 1981, is a leading U.S. private mortgage insurance provider committed to helping more people achieve the dream of homeownership. Building on a deep understanding of lenders’ businesses and a legacy of financial strength, we partner with lenders to bring best-in class service, leading underwriting expertise, and extensive risk and capital management to the mortgage process, helping to put more people in homes and keep them there. By empowering customers and their borrowers, Enact seeks to positively impact the lives of those in the communities in which it serves in a sustainable way. Enact is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Enlight Announces Filing of Form 20-F For The Year Ended December 31, 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TEL AVIV, Israel, March 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. (NASDAQ: ENLT, TASE: ENLT) today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

    The annual report on Form 20-F, which contains Enlight’s audited financial statements, can be accessed at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, as well as via the Company’s investor relations website at http://www.enlightenergy.co.il/info/investors.

    Enlight will provide a hard copy of its annual report on Form 20-F, including its complete audited financial statements, free of charge to its shareholders upon request.

    About Enlight Renewable Energy

    Founded in 2008, Enlight develops, finances, constructs, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects. Enlight operates across the three largest renewable segments today: solar, wind and energy storage. A global platform, Enlight operates in the United States, Israel and 10 European countries. Enlight has been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 2010 (TASE: ENLT) and completed its U.S. IPO (Nasdaq: ENLT) in 2023. Learn more at www.enlightenergy.co.il.

    Contacts:

    Yonah Weisz
    Director IR
    investors@enlightenergy.co.il

    Erica Mannion or Mike Funari
    Sapphire Investor Relations, LLC
    +1 617 542 6180
    investors@enlightenergy.co.il

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s expectations relating to the Project, the PPA and the related interconnection agreement and lease option, and the completion timeline for the Project, are forward-looking statements. The words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “target,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible,” “forecasts,” “aims” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our ability to site suitable land for, and otherwise source, renewable energy projects and to successfully develop and convert them into Operational Projects; availability of, and access to, interconnection facilities and transmission systems; our ability to obtain and maintain governmental and other regulatory approvals and permits, including environmental approvals and permits; construction delays, operational delays and supply chain disruptions leading to increased cost of materials required for the construction of our projects, as well as cost overruns and delays related to disputes with contractors; our suppliers’ ability and willingness to perform both existing and future obligations; competition from traditional and renewable energy companies in developing renewable energy projects; potential slowed demand for renewable energy projects and our ability to enter into new offtake contracts on acceptable terms and prices as current offtake contracts expire; offtakers’ ability to terminate contracts or seek other remedies resulting from failure of our projects to meet development, operational or performance benchmarks; various technical and operational challenges leading to unplanned outages, reduced output, interconnection or termination issues; the dependence of our production and revenue on suitable meteorological and environmental conditions, and our ability to accurately predict such conditions; our ability to enforce warranties provided by our counterparties in the event that our projects do not perform as expected; government curtailment, energy price caps and other government actions that restrict or reduce the profitability of renewable energy production; electricity price volatility, unusual weather conditions (including the effects of climate change, could adversely affect wind and solar conditions), catastrophic weather-related or other damage to facilities, unscheduled generation outages, maintenance or repairs, unanticipated changes to availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments, environmental incidents, or electric transmission system constraints and the possibility that we may not have adequate insurance to cover losses as a result of such hazards; our dependence on certain operational projects for a substantial portion of our cash flows; our ability to continue to grow our portfolio of projects through successful acquisitions; changes and advances in technology that impair or eliminate the competitive advantage of our projects or upsets the expectations underlying investments in our technologies; our ability to effectively anticipate and manage cost inflation, interest rate risk, currency exchange fluctuations and other macroeconomic conditions that impact our business; our ability to retain and attract key personnel; our ability to manage legal and regulatory compliance and litigation risk across our global corporate structure; our ability to protect our business from, and manage the impact of, cyber-attacks, disruptions and security incidents, as well as acts of terrorism or war; the potential impact of the current conflicts in Israel on our operations and financial condition and Company actions designed to mitigate such impact; changes to existing renewable energy industry policies and regulations that present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to renewable energy projects; the reduction, elimination or expiration of government incentives for, or regulations mandating the use of, renewable energy; our ability to effectively manage our supply chain and comply with applicable regulations with respect to international trade relations, tariffs, sanctions, export controls and anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws; our ability to effectively comply with Environmental Health and Safety and other laws and regulations and receive and maintain all necessary licenses, permits and authorizations; our performance of various obligations under the terms of our indebtedness (and the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that we guarantee) and our ability to continue to secure project financing on attractive terms for our projects; limitations on our management rights and operational flexibility due to our use of tax equity arrangements; potential claims and disagreements with partners, investors and other counterparties that could reduce our right to cash flows generated by our projects; our ability to comply with tax laws of various jurisdictions in which we currently operate as well as the tax laws in jurisdictions in which we intend to operate in the future; the unknown effect of the dual listing of our ordinary shares on the price of our ordinary shares; various risks related to our incorporation and location in Israel; the costs and requirements of being a public company, including the diversion of management’s attention with respect to such requirements; certain provisions in our Articles of Association and certain applicable regulations that may delay or prevent a change of control; and other risk factors set forth in the section titled “Risk factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and our other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC.

    These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK A Day in the Life of our Deputy Speakers

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    The House of Commons has three Deputy Speakers, who fill in for the Speaker in the Chamber and have a range of parliamentary duties. For the first time in history all of the Deputy Speakers are women. We accompanied them and their private secretary, Abi, to see what a day for them looks like.

    #womenshistorymonth

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXw-8oP_kHg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Success at the 2025 Local Government Awards!

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Councils throughout Northern Ireland celebrated as the ten award winners of the 2025 Local Government Awards were announced at an event hosted by Barra Best at the Game of Thrones Studio in Banbridge last night (Thursday 27 March).

    Coordinated by the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA), the awards ceremony also marked the 10th anniversary of the newly established councils and the evolving role of councillors, who are vital in advocating and delivering for their communities and the wider region.

    This year’s awards attracted 69 entries and were designed to celebrate the exceptional efforts of councils in their communities. They highlighted the innovative service provision, new initiatives, and the personal commitment of councillors, local government staff, and local government partners.

    The award categories focused on showcasing the dedication, hard work, and creative approaches that local councils demonstrate daily, while also creating opportunities for local government staff and elected members to shine.

    Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council collected two awards on the night.

    Food Heartland took home the award for ‘Best Outcome of the Past Decade Award.’ This council-led initiative connects farmers, food producers and chefs across the borough to work collaboratively to foster a vibrant food culture and showcase the region’s exceptional culinary offerings.

    Local Government Awards 2025. Best Outcome of the Past Decade Award. Winner: Food Heartland – Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council. The award was presented by Jonathon Carr West, CEO, LGiU.

    ABC Place Plans, which helps to empower communities, promotes collaboration and integrates sustainability to strengthen civic pride, enhance wellbeing and ensure long-term prosperity and resilience of our towns and cities, won the ‘Innovative Planning for the Future Award.’

    Local Government Awards 2025. Innovative Planning for the Future Award Winner: ABC Place Plans – Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. The award was presented by Stephanie Singer, Director, Quadra Consulting.

    NILGA President, Cllr Alison Bennington stated, “Councils across Northern Ireland are committed to enhancing the communities they serve while also supporting broader government and civic initiatives. Our councils undertake valuable work and dedicate time and resources to modernise and improve their areas for local communities, businesses, and visitors, as well as for wider government and civic society.

    “The Local Government Awards are a testament to these services and provide benchmarks for broader government. They offer fantastic learning tools for councils in an environment where every penny and resource counts.

    “We can improve by learning from the best. This is a passion of NILGA, which is evident in each of our ambitious and resourceful councils. Congratulations to our winners and finalists and thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate and support the 2025 Local Government Awards.”

    Celebrating a “Decade of Achievement” for Northern Ireland’s councils, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said “Councils play a central role in delivering a wide range of services and in helping to develop and grow the local economy – making life better for all our citizens.

    The Minister continued, “Councils have made significant progress, taking on planning responsibilities, introducing Community Planning, and working in partnership with central government to develop and deliver City and Growth Deals. This has brought decision-making closer to local communities, ensuring services are tailored to meet specific needs. Local councils have also driven economic regeneration by partnering with businesses, investing in infrastructure, and promoting tourism. Initiatives like Labour Market Partnerships and the £1 billion investment in City and Growth Deals are creating jobs, boosting entrepreneurship, and enhancing connectivity.”

    APSE Chief Executive Mo Baines remarked, “Across local government, day in and day out, our unsung frontline heroes go above and beyond to deliver for their local communities. The Local Government Awards highlight their commitment to the goals of continuous improvement and excellence in public services. From maintaining beautiful parks and managing waste collection to attracting businesses and promoting arts, culture, and leisure, it is a privilege to recognise the fantastic work that local councils do on the front lines.”

    The awards cover ten categories, with sponsor partners and support bodies including agendaNi, the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), CCLA Good Investment, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), Hays Recruitment, the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), the Local Government Staff Commission (LGSC), Quadra Consulting, the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), and the William Johnston Memorial Trust (WJMT).

    Also shortlisted for the awards were the Inclusive ABC Initiative (Local Government Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award), Council-wide Quality Management System (Best Use of Data and Technology Award) and ABC Safeguarding Officer, Gary Scott (Employee of the year).

    Click here for a full list of the winners.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alexander Novak held a meeting on improving the investment climate in the North Caucasus Federal District

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting at the Government Coordination Center on improving the investment climate in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that are part of the North Caucasus Federal District. The meeting was attended by Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Construction and Housing and Utilities Irek Fayzullin, Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev, representatives of federal executive bodies, heads and representatives of constituent entities that are part of the North Caucasus Federal District, representatives of development institutions, investment banks, as well as PJSC Gazprom, OOO Gazprom Mezhregiongaz, PJSC Rosseti, JSC Kavkaz.RF, JSC Rosagroleasing, etc.

     

    “One of the tasks set by the President is to achieve the national goal of a sustainable, dynamic economy. A national project has been formed, the goals of which also include ensuring investment growth by 60% by 2030. Of course, the regions will play a decisive role in solving this problem: the quality of work with businesses, the effectiveness of investments and the speed of project implementation depend on them. Let me remind you that, based on the results of last year, very good results were achieved in terms of investment growth rates – plus 7.4%, in 2023 the growth was 9.8%. In total, this is almost 20% of accumulated growth,” said Alexander Novak, opening the meeting.

    The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the significant role of investment activity in the North Caucasus in achieving the national goal of investment growth. “The Federal District demonstrates historical leadership in core non-resource industries, including light industry and the agricultural sector. The infrastructure and transport and logistics potential of the district serve as the basis for reorienting the country’s foreign economic activity from the West to the South. In the North Caucasus Federal District, as in other regions of Russia, private investment plays a key role – it should become the main driver of growth. The priority task is to create favorable conditions through various formats of investor support, including risk sharing, access to long-term money and improvement of the administrative and legal environment,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

    He named three main areas of work in the North Caucasus Federal District.

    The first is the creation of institutional conditions at the local level by introducing a regional investment standard. This work needs to be expanded from the federal and regional to municipal levels. The next stage should be a systemic restart of work to improve the investment climate. To this end, on the instructions of the President, the Ministry of Economic Development, together with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, is forming a national business model.

    The second direction is related to the replication and fine-tuning of federal support instruments. The project financing factory, mechanisms of agreements on the protection and encouragement of capital investments are in demand. An important instrument for attracting investment to the regions are special economic zones and PPP mechanisms, infrastructure instruments and targeted support measures.

    The third block of work should be aimed at increasing the investment attractiveness of the subjects of the North Caucasus Federal District – solving issues related to the specifics of the regions. In this direction, it is necessary to solve the problems of increasing the activity of credit institutions, as well as trust in investors implementing projects in the Caucasus. Regions need to work more actively to bring business out of the shadows.

    Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov and Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev reported on the achievements in the field of breakthrough investment projects in the Caucasus and on the progress of the implementation of programs for the modernization of the energy infrastructure of the North Caucasus Federal District. In order to ensure sufficient power supply capacity for the population and industry, the task was set to combat illegal cryptocurrency mining in the region.

    According to the Minister of Construction and Housing and Utilities Irek Faizullin, the collection of payments for housing and utilities services in the North Caucasus Federal District remains low: in a number of regions it does not exceed 43%. He also paid special attention to the problems of accidents in heating networks, the need to update the water disposal infrastructure and compliance with the deadlines and quality of construction of infrastructure facilities in the housing and utilities sector, etc.

    Following the meeting, Alexander Novak instructed the authorities of the North Caucasus Federal District regions to actively engage in targeted work with businesses, inform entrepreneurs and SMEs about available opportunities, including new government support measures. The Agency for Strategic Initiatives, together with the Ministry of Economic Development, was instructed to introduce indicators for assessing the use of government support measures in the North Caucasus Federal District, as well as to work out the launch of new programs together with development institutions and investment banks, taking into account the existing experience of applying support measures for breakthrough investment projects.

    The Deputy Prime Minister paid special attention to the need to bring the collection rates for energy supply, gas and housing and communal services to the level of the Russian average. To this end, he instructed to implement the best available practices and tools for improving payment discipline used in the leading regions of Russia, including those subjects of the North Caucasus Federal District where the collection rate exceeds 98%. The regions should exchange information with each other on the use of such practices. Gazprom, together with regional authorities, was instructed to consolidate abandoned networks in order to minimize gas losses in them, and to monitor work to prevent emergency situations. Rosseti will have to analyze the implementation of the Rosseti North Caucasus program of measures to reduce losses in power grids, as well as analyze their investment program to determine measures to develop regional energy systems.

    At the end of the meeting, Alexander Novak invited representatives of federal and regional executive authorities, as well as representatives of development institutions, banks and businesses to take part in the Caucasus Investment Forum, which will be held in the city of Mineralnye Vody in Stavropol Krai on May 25–27. The Deputy Prime Minister called the forum an important discussion platform that helps increase the investment attractiveness of the region. “Last year, 100 agreements worth more than 106 billion rubles were signed at the forum, including 7 agreements with foreign companies. Therefore, I count on your active participation in the forum, as well as companies and partners from your regions,” said Alexander Novak.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Battery Storage Industry Unveils National Blueprint for Safety

    Source: American Clean Power Association (ACP)

    Headline: Battery Storage Industry Unveils National Blueprint for Safety

    New Assessment Demonstrates Effectiveness of Safety Standards and Modern Battery Design 
    WASHINGTON, D.C., March 28, 2025 — Today, the American Clean Power Association (ACP) released a comprehensive framework to ensure the safety of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in every community across the United States, informed by a new assessment of previous fire incidents at BESS facilities.  
    The assessment, conducted by the Fire and Risk Alliance, analyzed historical data and scientific studies on fire incidents over the last decade in the U.S. The findings indicate no impact to public health or surrounding communities from the incidents studied. ACP’s Battery Storage Blueprint for Safety outlines key actions and policy recommendations for state and local jurisdictions to regulate battery storage, enforce the country’s most rigorous safety standards, and ensure coordination on safety and emergency response in all communities. 
    “The energy storage industry is committed to a proactive and tireless approach to safety and reliability. At its core, energy storage facilities are critical infrastructure designed to protect people from power outages,” said ACP VP of Energy Storage Noah Roberts. “Like substations, transformers, and transmission lines, energy storage systems deliver needed power in times when we need it most. Every community across the country should have confidence that the battery storage facilities keeping their lights on and utility bills affordable adhere to the most rigorous safety requirements. This is why we have released the battery storage industry’s comprehensive, actionable blueprint for safety.”  
    New Assessment Demonstrates Battery Storage Safety Measures Are EffectiveThe assessment’s key finding reveals that, in all reviewed cases of environmental sampling related to the BESS fire events, no previous incidents resulted in contaminant concentrations that would pose a public health concern or require further remediation.  
    As the investigation into the fire at the Moss Landing facility—increasingly viewed as an anomaly, and a system located in a 1950’s gas turbine hall—is ongoing, the assessment underscores the importance of modern designs and recently published standards: “Many documented BESS fires involved early-generation systems that predate modern safety standards. The implementation of robust national codes and advancements in ESS design have significantly improved fire safety and reduced risks.” 
    Battery Storage Industry Advances America’s Most Rigorous & Vetted Safety StandardA critical component of the Blueprint is understanding where the industry has been successful in efforts across the country to advocate for enforcement of the National Fire Protection Association’s standard for energy storage, NFPA 855. The set of standards includes exhaustive requirements and ensures facilities use certified batteries and equipment.  
    In Michigan and Indiana, the energy storage industry helped advance new laws requiring compliance with NFPA 855. In Maryland and New York, the energy storage industry supported new regulations that enforced the latest NFPA 855 requirements. In California, the industry offered a suite of policy recommendations to address unique safety questions arising from the Moss Landing incident, including enforcing key provisions of NFPA 855.  
    Framework to Guide State & Local Permitting Rules for Battery StorageThe battery energy storage industry believes that state and local regulations will play a vital role in ensuring that every community has access to this important technology. In addition to working with fire officials and state policymakers to advance safety standards, the industry has developed a framework to help local governments effectively regulate the construction of battery storage facilities. ACP’s Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems Model Ordinance was designed with NFPA 855 as the core principle and integrates the national safety standard’s requirements throughout permitting rules.  
    With the 2026 edition of NFPA 855 expected to be finalized and published in 2025, the energy storage industry is already incorporating key enhanced requirements and is ready to work with states and local governments to implement the latest version of the standard. This will include updating the Model Ordinance, to be re-released in 2025.  
    Ongoing Commitment to Safety & Reliability: A Comprehensive Three-Part StrategyPolicy makers will play an important role in helping to ensure batteries continue to be deployed responsibly and effectively. To that end, the energy storage industry has developed a three-part strategy that includes policy recommendations and safety requirements aimed at holistically addressing concerns generated from the Moss Landing fire.  
    The following policy proposal and strategy recommendations can help minimize both the likelihood of future incidents and potential impacts: 
    Ensuring Safety at All Future Energy Storage Facilities: Requiring all battery storage facilities to comply with the latest published version of NFPA 855. State and local governments should proactively adopt and enforce this safety standard. 
    Advancing Safety at Existing Battery Storage Sites: Reviewing facilities built prior to the first adoption of NFPA 855 in the Fall of 2019 and considering a hazard mitigation analysis (HMA). State and local governments can require an HMA and corrective action, including the use of fire barriers or engineered solutions to meet large-scale fire testing requirements. All facilities should maintain an emergency response plan submitted with the local fire and emergency response authority. 
    Strengthening Coordination with Fire Departments & Local Communities: The industry and state and local governments should regularly coordinate on safety planning, inform siting and permitting requirements, continuously improve safety practices, and regularly provide training to facility operators and the fire service.  
    The energy storage industry is committed to acting swiftly, in partnership with fire departments, safety experts, policymakers, and regulators to enact these recommendations.  
    Learn more about the energy storage industry’s efforts to advance this commitment at energystorage.org.   

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British Ambassador visits Peten to strengthen conservation of the Mayan Forest

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    British Ambassador visits Peten to strengthen conservation of the Mayan Forest

    UK assistance continues advancing forests protection and sustainable livelihoods of communities in Peten, as the British Ambassador endorses a conservation agreement during her visit.

    Ambassador Juliana Correa visited Petén on 26-28 March to learn about the progress of projects supported by DEFRA’s Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF). She met with local authorities, implementing partners and communities. 

    On 26 March Ambassador Correa had discussions with representatives of the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) about the achievements and challenges in natural resource management in the region. She also met with implementing partners of the Guatemalan Mayan Forest sub-landscape, who presented progress in ecosystem restoration, fire prevention, and sustainable forest management. 

    Representatives of the communities of Cruce a La Colorada, La Pasadita, Paso Caballos, San Miguel, and San Miguel Poptún, explained to the Ambassador how their Climate-Smart Community Development Plans were helping them to better adapt to the effects of climate change and improve their environmental resilience. 

    During a visit to Uaxactun on 27 March, the Ambassador participated as witness in the signing of a Conservation Agreement between the BLF’s leading implementing organization Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), CONAP, and other partners, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s commitment to protecting forests and strengthening community governance models. As part of the focus on sustainability, she visited a forest nursery and a community sawmill, where she learned about the impact of responsible forest management and its contribution to the local economy. 

    On 28 March, the Ambassador toured the Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS) rescue centre, an organization that has received support from the United Kingdom for the conservation of endangered species and to promote environmental education. Finally, he met with FORESCOM, an organization that promotes the sustainable use of timber and non-timber products, contributing to the economic development of communities and the protection of forests. 

    DEFRA’s Biodiverse Landscapes Fund seeks to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and communities in regions of high ecological value, such as the Mayan Rainforest. The UK is investing in precious areas covering Guatemala and Belize, which compose the largest tropical forest in Mesoamerica and is a refuge for endangered species. The BLF’s activities in Peten are carried out by WCS, and other implementing partners.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The results of the VI International Arctic Forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” have been summed up

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The 6th International Arctic Forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” was held in Murmansk on March 26–27. The organizer was the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian Government.

    “The International Arctic Forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” – 2025 was attended by about 1.3 thousand participants and media representatives from 21 countries, as well as about 230 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from more than 110 companies. The business program included 20 events with the participation of more than 150 speakers. The forum turned out to be truly international and significant. At the plenary session, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin announced a number of fundamental decisions for the socio-economic development of the Arctic. The most important task of the IAF is to discuss current problems that the Government of Russia, federal ministries and regions must jointly solve for the successful operation of enterprises, improving the standard of living of people, supporting the territories as a whole,” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister – Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev.

    The IAF has become a platform for international dialogue on issues such as the development of the Northern Sea Route, increasing the investment and entrepreneurial potential of the Arctic zone, as well as environmental issues, humanitarian and cultural cooperation.

    “Right now, the Arctic is becoming a territory of opportunities for the entire country. Given the revision of traditional technological chains, given participation in large-scale Arctic projects, huge prospects are opening up for enterprises across the country and creative, artistic people. The development of the Northern Sea Route as the main transport artery in the Arctic, the construction of new railway approaches to northern ports will also have a multiplier effect for the entire country. Within the framework of the upcoming major international forums, including the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Arctic theme will be taken into account and allocated to a separate block of the business program of events,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of Russia, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and Holding of the International Arctic Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”.

    One of the central topics of the forum was the discussion of state policy in the Arctic, aimed at the comprehensive development of the Far North and the growth of the well-being of the region’s residents.

    “The mechanisms of state support need to be improved for the accelerated development of the macro-region, the implementation of investment projects, and the improvement of the quality of life of people. Based on the results of the implementation of the first stage of the Arctic development strategy until 2035, proposals will be prepared to update this fundamental document,” said Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunkov at a joint meeting of the State Council commissions on the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route.

    The forum was held under the motto “Live in the North!” The event brought together representatives of federal and regional authorities, businesses and the expert community.

    “Our strategic plan is “Live in the North!” This is the motto of today’s forum. For us, this is a plan in addition to national projects. Clear, worked out with people, designed, aimed at ensuring investment growth and, of course, increasing people’s incomes and their quality of life,” noted Murmansk Region Governor Andrei Chibis during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the MAF.

    Business program

    The business program of the forum included 20 sessions divided into four thematic blocks: “The Arctic and the NSR: how to win in the competitive struggle of world routes”, “The Arctic and the NSR: a pole for attracting investments”, “The Arctic and the NSR: development of key settlements”, “International cooperation and ecology”. More than 150 speakers took part in the discussions.

    The forum included a joint meeting of the State Council commissions on the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, which united five State Council commissions – in the areas of “Northern Sea Route and the Arctic”, “International Cooperation and Export”, “Energy”, “Youth and Children”, and “Efficient Transport System”.

    The session “The Arctic: Bridges of Cooperation between Peoples and States” summed up the results of the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference “The Universe of the Polar Bear: Effective Cooperation in the Arctic”.

    Also, for the first time, the MAF hosted a special session dedicated to the role of women in the development of northern regions – the “Arctic Living Room”.

    Plenary session

    The key event of the forum was the plenary session with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “Development of the Russian North, overcoming the challenges of harsh nature, the state’s entry into new promising frontiers – these tasks inspired many generations of our ancestors: sailors and Novgorod merchants of the Middle Ages, Arctic pioneers of the 16th and 17th centuries, industrialists of the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists, polar explorers, engineers, workers of the Soviet Union, teams of companies of modern Russia, which launched large Arctic projects in the early 2000s. And today, the northern vector of development is in the foreground, it is our sovereign, historical choice. And this means that the tasks that we set and solve in the Arctic, the projects that we implement here, must be of an appropriate, historical scale, with an expectation of decades, maybe even centuries. We will do everything to strengthen Russia’s global leadership in the Arctic, and, despite all the current difficulties and complexities, we will ensure the comprehensive development of this region and create a solid foundation for future generations,” the head of state noted.

    Participants

    The forum brought together about 1.3 thousand participants and media representatives from 21 countries, including Russia (Argentina, Great Britain, Venezuela, Vietnam, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, China, UAE, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Korea, Russia, USA, Serbia, Singapore, Turkey, Finland, France, Switzerland, Japan).

    The forum was attended by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Presidential Adviser and Special Representative of the President for International Cooperation in Transport Igor Levitin, Presidential Aide Alexei Dyumin, Presidential Aide Nikolai Patrushev, and Presidential Adviser Anton Kobyakov.

    The forum was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev and Deputy Prime Minister – Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Northwestern Federal District Alexander Gutsan, Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Siberian Federal District Anatoly Seryshev, Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunkov and Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov.

    The forum participants included seven heads of federal services and agencies and ten heads of constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

    The Chairman of the Committee of Senior Arctic Officials, Norwegian diplomat Morten Höglund, addressed the forum participants with a video message. In addition, the forum site was visited by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea Lee Do-hoon.

    The forum brought together about 230 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from more than 110 companies.

    ​

    Media

    The forum was attended by 305 media representatives from Russia and nine foreign countries (Great Britain, Venezuela, Vietnam, Germany, Qatar, Serbia, Turkey, Finland, France).

    ​

    Agreements

    Nine agreements were signed at MAF-2025:

    ● PJSC Rosseti North-West, JSC Rosseti Scientific and Technical Center and the Novosibirsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering signed a strategic partnership agreement;

    ● JSC Far East and Arctic Development Corporation signed an agreement on information interaction with the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, as well as with JSC Arsenal on cooperation in the extraction and enrichment of rare metal ores in the Murmansk region within the framework of the Kulyok – Rare Earths project with a total investment volume of 10 billion rubles;

    ● The Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs and PJSC Mining and Metallurgical Company Norilsk Nickel signed an additional cooperation agreement;

    ● a cooperation agreement was signed between the Government of the Republic of Karelia and Vodohod LLC;

    ● the Ministry of Property Relations of the Murmansk Region and the public-law company Roskadastr signed an agreement on the implementation of the pilot project “Involvement of real estate objects in economic circulation in the Murmansk Region”;

    ● the government of the Murmansk region and the Avito company signed a cooperation agreement;

    ● the government of the Murmansk region, Sberbank of Russia PJSC and the V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center signed a cooperation agreement;

    ● The Arkhangelsk Region Government and the United Volunteer Center of the Murmansk Region signed an agreement on cooperation in the development of volunteerism and strengthening cooperation in the regions of the Arctic zone, scaling up practices to support the wives of military personnel in the Northern Fleet.

    Sports program

    The sports program included eight events. The Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the Northwestern Federal District Alexander Gutsan and the Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrei Chibis took part in the ceremonial event dedicated to the 90th Festival of the North. The program of competitions, which will last until mid-April, included cross-country skiing, biathlon, speed skating and alpine skiing, bandy and others.

    For the forum participants, Arctic team building, exercise in ties, ice floating, alpine skiing and snowboarding, snow fights, as well as an introduction to traditional sports of the peoples of the North were organized.

    The forum included a presentation of the Arctic Mosaic sports, health and strength festival, which will be held annually in different regions of the Arctic zone. Under the auspices of the MAF, the IV All-Russian Arctic Games were held in Salekhard and Labytnangi, the program of which included nine sports.

    The final and largest event of the MAF-2025 sports program will be the 51st Murmansk Ski Marathon. On March 29 and 30, 2.5 thousand athletes will take to the start line of the 25 km and 50 km races at the Dolina Uyuta sports complex. The marathon participants will be Olympic winners and medalists Nikita Kryukov, Alexey Petukhov, Maxim Vylegzhanin and Alexander Bessmertnykh.

    Cultural program

    The cultural program included the opening of the Taste of the Arctic gastrofestival, where a joint team of restaurateurs and chefs from the subjects of the Russian Arctic zone presented a menu of regional cuisine. The Sami Village and the Taste the North ice bar operated on the site. There was also an Arctic crafts fair.

    The Murmansk Regional Museum of Local History offered the forum participants excursions that told about the uniqueness of the Murmansk Region. Thematic exhibitions were timed to coincide with the MAF. Among them was an exhibition of paintings dedicated to the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route, from the collections of the Murmansk Regional Art Museum.

    There was also a ceremony of donating works of art to the Murmansk Region and the opening of the exhibition “H2O. Art about water and more…”. Seven paintings and three sculptures were donated to the Murmansk Regional Art Museum from the Siyanie Contemporary Art Center and the collections of Vladimir Nekrasov and Andrey Malakhov.

    In addition, forum participants were able to take a tour of the icebreaker Lenin, the world’s first vessel with a nuclear power plant, which provided navigation along the Northern Sea Route for about 30 years. The icebreaker has guided thousands of ships through the Arctic and traveled a total of 654,400 nautical miles. It has now become a calling card of the Murmansk Region and one of the most visited tourist sites in the Kola North.

    The Murmansk Drama Theatre hosted an “Art Cocktail”, during which the audience saw the play “Prologue to the Murmansk Region” and a concert by the Pacific Fleet ensemble.

    On March 30, a creative evening of People’s Artist of Russia Alexander Oleshko “Set the Mood” will take place.

    ​

    Project “Soul of Russia. Arctic”

    As part of the project, seven films were screened in partnership with Roskino, including the films North Pole and Village of Widows, which were dedicated to the Year of Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    Creative meetings “Inspired by the Arctic” were held, during which viewers met with the production designer of the Soyuzmultfilm studio, creator of the animated series “Umka” Anna Popova, director of the film “North Pole” Alexander Kott, scriptwriter and producer of the film “Widows’ Village” Olga Martisova.

    During the children’s program “Arctic Film Vacations” they showed “The Best Episodes of Soyuzmultfilm Series” and “Warm Animation from Soyuzmultfilm”.

    The business program included a session entitled “The Northern Creative Path: A Territory of Business Opportunities,” where the contribution of creative industries to the economic growth of the northern territories, the use of the wealth of national cultural traditions to create unique brands, and other issues were discussed.

    Expert and analytical support

    The Roscongress Foundation’s information and analytical system continued to develop the Summary service, which uses artificial intelligence to obtain brief analytical summaries of discussions with descriptions of key conclusions, problems, and solutions voiced during the discussions.

    Based on the results of the forum, an analytical report “Results of the International Arctic Forum 2025” will be prepared, which will be available in electronic form in the information and analytical system of the Roscongress Foundation roscongress.org.

    Expert and analytical support for the forum was provided by experts representing the country’s leading scientific and educational centers that conduct research on a wide range of topics on the Arctic agenda, including the Murmansk Arctic University, the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, the St. Petersburg State University of Economics, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the G.P. Luzin Institute of Economic Problems of the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Regional Economic Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc.

    Partners

    The co-organizer of the forum is the state corporation Rosatom, the strategic partner is PJSC Rosseti, the strategic scientific partner is the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, the communications partner is the media holding MAER, the business program partners are VTB Bank, PJSC Novatek, MMC Norilsk Nickel, PhosAgro, and the business partner is VEB.RF.

    The information partners were the TV channel Rossiya 24, MIA Rossiya Segodnya, the TASS information agency, MIC Izvestia, the Vedomosti newspaper, the RT TV channel, the Business FM radio station, Sputnik, the Arguments and Facts newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Mir TV channel, the Komsomolskaya Pravda publishing house, Lenta.ru, Gazeta.Ru, Shkulev Media – Vokrug Sveta, the Federal Press information agency, the Expert magazine, the Regional Russia magazine, Vesti FM, the NEWS.ru portal, the GoArctic portal, the Arktik-TV TV channel, the Murmansk State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, the TV21 TV channel, the Murmansk Herald, the Vecherniy Murmansk newspaper and the Severpost information agency.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s Xizang welcomes foreign tourists, journalists: official

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Xizang is open to the world, and the region welcomes foreign friends to visit and travel and foreign journalists to conduct interviews, said a senior official of southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on Friday.
    Xu Zhitao, deputy head of the regional government, made the remarks at a press conference on the release of a white paper titled “Human Rights in Xizang in the New Era” held in the regional capital of Lhasa.
    He noted that given Xizang’s unique geographical and climatic conditions, the government implements certain management measures for foreigners entering the region.
    “Xizang attaches great importance to further opening up, as vitality comes from an open society,” said Xu, adding that in recent years, the number of foreigners visiting Xizang has been steadily increasing.
    He said that Xizang received approximately 320,000 foreign tourists in 2024 and the region would quicken its opening up and continue to improve conditions for foreigners visiting Xizang in line with changes in the region’s reception capacity and infrastructure development.
    “We will create more opportunities for media coverage in Xizang based on the region’s actual conditions, and we also hope that journalists will conduct their reporting with a positive attitude and uphold objectivity and fairness,” Xu added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Ukraine receives revised minerals agreement from U.S.

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Ukraine has received a revised minerals agreement from the United States, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Friday.

    “This is a working version, which essentially reflects the position of American legal advisers. We are forming our position,” Svyrydenko was quoted as saying by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

    The Ukrainian government will submit the agreement for parliamentary consultation once a final consensus is reached with the U.S. partners, she added.

    Last month, the Ukrainian government approved a deal with the United States, which envisages a joint investment fund to be financed with future revenues from Ukraine’s mineral resources.

    The deal was set to be inked on Feb. 28 in Washington. But its signing was postponed after a public spat between visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As federal environmental priorities shift, sovereign Native American nations have their own plans

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alyssa Kreikemeier, Assistant Professor of History, University of Idaho

    Billy Frank Jr., left, a Nisqually tribal elder, was arrested dozens of times while trying to assert his native fishing rights during the ‘Fish Wars’ of the 1960s and 1970s. In this 2014 photo, he stands with Ed Johnstone of the Quinault tribe. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

    Long before the large-scale Earth Day protests on April 22, 1970 – often credited with spurring significant environmental protection legislation – Native Americans stewarded the environment. As sovereign nations, Native Americans have been able to protect land, water and air, including well beyond their own boundaries.

    Their actions laid the groundwork for modern federal law and policy, including national legislation aimed at reducing pollution. Now the Trump administration is seeking to weaken some of those limits and eliminate programs aimed at improving the environments in which marginalized people live and work.

    As an environmental historian, I study how Native Americans have shaped environmental management. Tribal nations are the longest stewards of the lands today known as the United States. My work indicates not only that tribal nations contributed to the origins and evolution of modern environmental management on tribal and nontribal lands, but also that they are well poised to continue environmental management and scientific research regardless of U.S. government actions.

    Environmental sovereignty

    Native peoples stewarded and studied their environments for millennia before European colonization. Today, Native nations continue to use science, technology and Indigenous knowledge to benefit their own people and the broader population.

    Their stewardship continues despite repeated and ongoing efforts to dispossess Native peoples. In 1953, Congress reversed centuries of federally recognizing tribal authority, passing a law that terminated tribal nations’ legal and political status and federal obligations under treaties and legal precedents, including requirements to provide education and health care.

    This termination policy subjected tribal nations and reservation lands to state jurisdiction and relocated at least 200,000 Native people from tribal lands to urban centers.

    A groundswell of Native American resistance captured national attention, including protests and tactics such as “fish-ins,” which involved fishing at traditional grounds guaranteed by treaties but not honored by land use at the time. Their efforts led federal courts to affirm the very rights termination had sought to expunge.

    Native nations regained federally recognized rights and political power at the same time as the national environmental awakening. In fact, tribal nations exercised environmental sovereignty in ways that restored federal recognition and influenced broader U.S. environmental law and policy.

    Air quality

    In the 1960s, air pollution in America posed a serious health threat, with smog killing Americans on occasion and harming their long-term health. Under the 1970 Clean Air Act amendments, the federal government set national standards for air quality and penalties for polluters.

    As early as 1974, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in southeastern Montana began monitoring its own air quality. Finding that its air was substantially cleaner than other areas of the country, the tribe used a new approach to push the Environmental Protection Agency to approve enhanced protections beyond the minimum federal standards. The Northern Cheyenne wanted to prevent polluting industries from moving into locations with cleaner air that could be polluted without exceeding the federal limits. That protection was codified in the 1977 Clean Air Act amendments, which established legal protections and a process for communities to claim greater pollution protections nationwide.

    In 1978, the Northern Cheyenne used their higher standards to limit pollution sources on private land upwind of tribal lands, temporarily blocking the construction of two additional coal-fired power plants.

    Within a decade, the Assiniboine and Sioux nations at Fort Peck and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes also claimed enhanced air protection and developed air quality monitoring programs even before most state governments did. Dozens of tribal nations have taken control of their air quality in the years since.

    This September 1941 photo shows Native Americans fishing for salmon at Celilo Falls, Ore.
    Russell Lee/Library of Congress via AP

    Waterways

    Native nations also exercise sovereignty over waterways. In the Pacific Northwest, people whose ancestors have lived in the area for at least 16,000 years have moved to protect themselves and their lands from the effects of massive hydropower projects.

    The Columbia River Basin hydropower project, which began in the 1930s, now includes over 250 dams that together generate nearly half of the United States’ hydropower. Its dams and associated development stretch from the Canadian Rockies to Southern California, with effects crossing dozens of Native nations as well as international and state boundaries. The construction of the dams inundated multiple tribal nations’ lands and displaced thousands of Native people.

    When four dams were built on the lower Snake River in Idaho in the 1960s, they inundated ancestral lands and fishing grounds of Columbia River Native Americans, including the Nez Perce Tribe. The dams decimated fish populations many tribes have long relied upon for both sustenance and cultural practices and destroyed ancient and culturally significant fishing sites, including Celilo Falls near The Dalles, Oregon, which had been fished for at least 10,000 years.

    Nez Perce scientists and environmental managers, working alongside other Northwest tribes, have documented the near extinction of numerous species of salmon and steelhead fish, despite federal, state and tribal agencies investing billions of dollars in hatchery programs to boost fish populations. The Nez Perce Department of Fisheries Resources Management protects and restores aquatic ecosystems. In collaboration with nearby communities, the tribe also restores significant areas of habitat on nontribal lands. That includes decommissioning many miles of logging roads, removing mine tailings and sowing tens of thousands of native plants.

    The Nez Perce and other tribes advocate for the removal of those four dams to restore salmon populations. They cite, among other evidence, a 2002 Army Corps of Engineers study that found removal was the most effective way to meet the Endangered Species Act’s requirements to restore decimated fish populations.

    As part of a collaboration between federal agencies and Native tribes, juvenile coho salmon are released into the Columbia River Basin.
    AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus

    Taking a long view

    Native Americans and tribal nations see environmental sovereignty as essential to their past, present and future.

    In 2015, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes became the first Native nation to take over a federal dam when they purchased the Selis Ksanka Qlispe dam, operating on the Flathead River in Montana. Managed by a tribal corporation, the dam produces enough hydropower to supply 100,000 homes, bringing millions of dollars to tribal coffers rather than enriching a corporation in Pennsylvania.

    Over the decades, Native nations have partnered with federal agencies and used federal laws and funds to manage their environments. They have also built connections between tribes and nations across the continent.

    For instance, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission coordinates and assists Columbia Basin tribes with environmental management and fishing rights. In northern New Mexico, the Indigenous women of Tewa Women United work against the legacy and ongoing effects of nuclear research affecting their homelands and communities from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

    Across the U.S., the Indian Land Tenure Foundation works with Native peoples to secure control of their homelands through land return and legal reforms, while Honor the Earth organizes Indigenous peoples in North America and globally to advance social change rooted in Indigenous sovereignty through treaty organizing and advocacy.

    Tribal governments have been hit hard by the shifts in federal priorities, including Trump administration funding cuts that have slowed scientific research, such as environmental monitoring and management on tribal lands.

    Tribal governance takes a long view based in Native peoples’ deep history with these lands. And their legal and political status as sovereign nations – backed by the U.S. Constitution, treaties, more than 120 Supreme Court rulings and the plain text of federal laws – puts Native nations in a strong position to continue their efforts, no matter which ways the federal winds blow.

    I have conducted research for the National Park Service as an employee of the University of New Mexico’s School for Architecture and Planning. My research at the University of Idaho has been partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

    – ref. As federal environmental priorities shift, sovereign Native American nations have their own plans – https://theconversation.com/as-federal-environmental-priorities-shift-sovereign-native-american-nations-have-their-own-plans-251685

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From censorship to curiosity: Pope Francis’ appreciation for the power of history and books

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island

    Pope Francis delivers the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on Nov. 10, 2024. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

    In January 2025, while doing research at the Vatican archives, I heard Pope Francis’ Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square. The pope reflected on the ceasefire that had just gone into effect in Gaza, highlighting the role of mediators, the need for humanitarian aid, and his hope for a two-state solution.

    “Let us pray always for tormented Ukraine, for Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and all the populations who are suffering because of war,” he concluded. “I wish you all a good Sunday, and please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci!”

    A few weeks later, Francis was admitted to the hospital, where he remained for more than a month, receiving treatment for double pneumonia.

    In those weeks of uncertainty, I thought back to the pope’s words that Sunday afternoon. They encapsulate Francis’ image: a spiritual leader using his influence to try to bring peace. He is also a down-to-earth man who wishes you “buon appetito.”

    Francis does not fear addressing contemporary politics, unlike many of his predecessors. And some popes have closed their eyes to not just current events but past ones: learning and history that threatened their vision of the church.

    As a medievalist, I appreciate Francis’ contrasting approach: a religious leader who embraces history and scholarship, and encourages others to do the same – even as book bans and threats to academic freedom mount.

    People in St. Peter’s Square watch a broadcast as Pope Francis makes his first appearance since entering the hospital.
    AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

    Infamous index

    For 400 years, the Catholic Church famously maintained the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a long list of banned books. First conceived in the 1500s, it matured under Pope Paul IV. His 1559 index counted any books written by people the church deemed heretics – anyone not speaking dogma, in the widest sense.

    Even before the index, church leaders permitted little flexibility of thought. In the decades leading up to it, however, the church doubled down in response to new challenges: the rapid spreading of the printing press and the Protestant Reformation.

    The Catholic Counter-Reformation, which took shape at the Council of Trent from 1545-1563, reinforced dogmatism in its effort to rebuke reformers. The council decided that the Vulgate, a Latin translation of the Bible, was enough to understand scripture, and there was little need to investigate its original Greek and Hebrew version.

    Bishops and the Vatican began producing lists of titles that were forbidden to print and read. Between 1571-1917, the Sacred Congregation of the Index, a special unit of the Vatican, investigated writings and compiled the lists of banned readings approved by the pope. Catholics who read titles on the Index of Forbidden Books risked excommunication.

    In 1966, Pope Paul VI abolished the index. The church could no longer punish people for reading books on the list but still advised against them, as historian Paolo Sachet highlights. The moral imperative not to read them remained.

    The title page of a version of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, published in 1711.
    National Library of Slovenia/Drw1 via Wikimedia Commons

    Historian J.M de Bujanda has completed the most comprehensive list of books forbidden across the ages by the Catholic Church. Its authors include astronomer Johannes Kepler and Galileo, as well as philosophers across centuries, from Erasmus and René Descartes to feminist Simone de Beauvoir and existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. Then there are the writers: Michel de Montaigne, Voltaire, Denis Diderot, David Hume, historian Edward Gibbon and Gustave Flaubert. In sum, the index is a who’s who of science, literature and history.

    Love of humanities

    Compare that with a letter Francis published on Nov. 21, 2024, emphasizing the importance of studying church history – particularly for priests, to better understand the world they live in. For the pope, history research “helps to keep ‘the flame of collective conscience’ alive.”

    The pope advocated for studying church history in a way that is unfiltered and authentic, flaws included. He emphasized primary sources and urged students to ask questions. Francis criticized the view that history is mere chronology – rote memorization that fails to analyze events.

    In 2019, Francis changed the name of the Vatican Secret Archives to the Vatican Apostolic Archives. Though the archives themselves had already been open to scholars since 1881, “secret” connotes something “revealed and reserved for a few,” Francis wrote. Under Francis, the Vatican opened the archives on Pope Pius XII, allowing research on his papacy during World War II, his knowledge of the Holocaust and his general response toward Nazi Germany.

    An attendant opens the section of the Vatican archives dedicated to Pope Pius XII on Feb. 27, 2020.
    Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

    In addition to showing respect for history, the pope has emphasized his own love of reading. “Each new work we read will renew and expand our worldview,” he wrote in a letter to future priests, published July 17, 2024.

    Today, he continued, “veneration” of screens, with their “toxic, superficial and violent fake news” has diverted us from literature. The pope shared his experience as a young Jesuit literature instructor in Santa Fe, then added a sentence that would have stupefied “index popes.”

    “Naturally, I am not asking you to read the same things that I did,” he stated. “Everyone will find books that speak to their own lives and become authentic companions for their journey.”

    Citing his compatriot, the novelist Jorge Luis Borges, Francis reminded Catholics that to read is to “listen to another person’s voice. … We must never forget how dangerous it is to stop listening to the voice of other people when they challenge us!”

    When Francis dies or resigns, the Vatican will remain deeply divided between progressives and conservatives. So are modern democracies – and in many places, the modern trend leans toward nationalism, fascism and censorship.

    But Francis will leave a phenomenal rebuttal. One of the pope’s greatest achievements, in my view, will have been his engagement with the humanities and humanity – with a deep understanding of the challenges it faces.

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

    – ref. From censorship to curiosity: Pope Francis’ appreciation for the power of history and books – https://theconversation.com/from-censorship-to-curiosity-pope-francis-appreciation-for-the-power-of-history-and-books-250734

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Deborah Fuller, Professor of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

    Divesting from the next generation of researchers means cutting the lifeblood of science and medicine. J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images

    Nearly every modern medical treatment can be traced to research funded by the National Institutes of Health: from over-the-counter and prescription medications that treat high cholesterol and pain to protection from infectious diseases such as polio and smallpox.

    The remarkable successes of the decades-old partnership between biomedical research institutions and the federal government are so intertwined with daily life that it’s easy to take them for granted.

    However, the scientific work driving these medical advances and breakthroughs is in jeopardy. Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are terminating hundreds of active research grants under the current administration’s direction. The administration has also proposed a dramatic reduction in federal support of the critical infrastructure that keeps labs open and running. Numerous scientists and health professionals have noted that changes will have far-reaching, harmful outcomes for the health and well-being of the American people.

    The negative consequences of defunding U.S. biomedical research can be difficult to recognize. Most breakthroughs, from the basic science discoveries that reveal the causes of diseases to the development of effective treatments and cures, can take years. Real-time progress can be hard to measure.

    Medical breakthroughs are built on years of painstaking research.
    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    As biomedical researchers studying infectious diseases, viruses and immunology, we and our colleagues see this firsthand in our own work. Thousands of ongoing national and international projects dedicated to uncovering the causes of life-threatening diseases and developing new treatments to improve and save lives are supported by federal agencies such as the NIH and NSF.

    Considering a few of the breakthroughs made possible through U.S. federal support can help illustrate not only the significant inroads biomedical research has made for preventing, treating and curing human maladies, but what all Americans stand to lose if the U.S. reduces its investment in these endeavors.

    A cure for cancer

    The hope and dream of curing cancer unites many scientists, health professionals and affected families across the U.S. After decades of ongoing NIH-supported research, scientists have made significant progress in realizing this goal.

    The National Cancer Institute of the NIH is the world’s largest funder of cancer research. This investment has led to advances in cancer treatment and prevention that helped reduce the overall U.S. cancer death rate by 33% from 1991 to 2021.

    Basic science research on what causes cancer has led to new strategies to harness a patient’s own immune system to eliminate tumors. For example, all 12 patients in a 2022 clinical trial testing one type of immunotherapy had their rectal cancer completely disappear, without remission or adverse effects.

    Cuts in NIH funding will directly affect patients.

    Another example of progress is the 2024 results of an ongoing clinical trial of a targeted therapy for lung cancer, showing an 84% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. Similarly, in a study of women who were immunized against the human papillomavirus at age 12 or 13, none developed the disease later. Since the widespread adoption of HPV vaccination, cervical cancer deaths have dropped 62%.

    Despite these incredible successes, there is still a long way to go. In 2024, over 2 million people in the U.S. were estimated to be newly diagnosed with cancer, and 611,720 were expected to die from the disease.

    Without sustained federal support for cancer research, progress toward curing cancer and reducing its death rate will stall.

    Autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases

    Nearly every family is touched in some way by autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Government-funded research has enabled major advances to combat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

    For example, approximately 1 in 5 Americans have arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes joint swelling and stiffness. A leading cause of disability and economic costs in the U.S., there is no cure for arthritis. But new drugs in development are able to significantly improve symptoms and slow or prevent disease progression.

    Researchers are also gaining insight into what causes multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves and can result in paralysis. Scientists recently found a link between multiple sclerosis and Epstein-Barr virus, a pathogen estimated to infect over 90% of adults around the world. While multiple sclerosis is currently incurable, identifying its underlying cause can provide new avenues for prevention and treatment.

    The NIH’s BRAIN Initiative has invested more than $3 billion in neuroscience research since it began in 2013.
    Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    Alzheimer’s disease causes irreversible nerve damage and is the leading cause of dementia. In 2024, 6.9 million Americans ages 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s. Most treatments address cognitive and behavioral symptoms. However, two new drugs developed with NIH-supported research and clinical trials were approved in July 2023 and July 2024 to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s. Federal funding is also supporting the development of blood tests for earlier detection of the disease.

    None of these breakthroughs are a cure. But they represent important steps forward on the path toward ultimately reducing or eliminating these devastating ailments. Lack of funding will slow or block further progress, leading to the continued rise of the incidence and severity of these conditions.

    Infectious diseases and the next pandemic

    The world’s capacity to combat infectious disease will also be weakened by cuts to U.S. federal support of biomedical research.

    Over the past 50 years, medical and public health advances have led to the eradication of smallpox globally and the elimination of polio in the U.S. HIV/AIDS, once a death sentence, is now a disease that can be managed with medication. Moreover, a new version of treatments called preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, offers complete protection against HIV transmission when taken only twice per year.

    Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the critical role biomedical research plays in responding to public health threats. Increased federal support of science during this time allowed the United States to emerge with new drugs, vaccine platforms with the potential to treat a variety of chronic diseases, and insights on how to effectively detect and respond to pandemic threats.

    The ongoing avian influenza outbreak and its spillover into American dairy herds and poultry farms is another pandemic threat looming on the horizon. Rather than build upon infrastructure for outbreak surveillance and preparedness, grants that would allow scientists to better understand long COVID-19, vaccines and other pandemic-related research are being cut. Decreased funding of biomedical research will hamper the U.S.’s ability to respond to the next pandemic, putting everyone at risk.

    Research across the country has ground to a halt as grants remain in limbo or have been terminated altogether.
    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    Losses from defunding biomedical research

    The National Institutes of Health contributed over $100 billion to support research that ultimately led to the development of all new drugs approved from 2010 to 2016 alone. Over 90% of this funding was for basic research into understanding the causes of disease that provides the foundation for new treatments.

    Under the new directive to eliminate projects that support or use terms associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, the NIH and other federal agencies have made deep cuts to biomedical research that will directly affect patient lives.

    Already, nearly 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime, and nearly 11% with Alzheimer’s. About 1 in 5 Americans will die from heart disease, and nearly 1.4 million will be rushed to an emergency room due to pneumonia from an infectious disease.

    Defunding biomedical research will result in a cascade of effects. There will likely be fewer clinical trials, fewer new treatments and fewer lifesaving drugs. Labs will likely shut down, jobs will be lost, and the process of discovery will stall. The U.S.’s health care system, economy and standing as the world’s leader in scientific innovation will likely decline.

    Moreover, when the pipelines of scientific progress are turned off, they will not so easily be turned back on. These consequences will affect all Americans and the rest of the world for decades.

    University shortfalls directly resulting from cuts to research support will dramatically reduce the capacity of American institutions to educate and provide opportunities for the next generation. Funding cuts have led to the shuttering or heavy reduction of training programs for future scientists.

    Graduate students and postdoctoral trainees are the lifeblood of biomedical research. Supporting these young people committed to public service through research and health care is also an investment in medical advancements and public health. But the uncertainty and instability resulting from the divestment of federally funded programs will likely severely deplete the biomedical workforce, crippling the United States’ ability to deliver future biomedical breakthroughs.

    By cutting biomedical research funding, Americans and the rest of the world stand to lose new cures, new treatments and an entire generation of researchers.

    Deborah Fuller receives funding from the National Institutes Health. The personal views expressed here are those of the authors.

    Patrick Mitchell receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. The personal views expressed here are those of the authors.

    – ref. Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs – https://theconversation.com/cuts-to-science-research-funding-cut-american-lives-short-federal-support-is-essential-for-medical-breakthroughs-252150

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Report points to underspending on conditional grants 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The report on local government revenue and expenditure for the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year shows that conditional grants were underspent by municipalities, National Treasury said on Friday.

    These grants were allocated for programmes to support the development of infrastructure, fund emergency repairs after unforeseen disasters, fund the implementation of electrification projects, fund the upgrade of informal settlements as well as developing bulk water and wastewater infrastructure.

    “Six of the infrastructure grants have underperformed, with expenditure falling below 40% of their allocated budgets. The Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant (MDRG) reported an expenditure of just 16.9%, while the Integrated National Electrification Programme (Municipal) Grant (INEP) had an expenditure of 38.4%. 

    “The Metro Informal Settlements Partnership Grant (ISUPG) showed an expenditure of 34.7%, the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG) had 33.2%, the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG) reported 22%, and the Rural Roads Assets Management Systems Grant (RRAMS) stood at 28.8%,” Treasury explained.

    The report covers the performance against the adopted budgets of local government for the second quarter of the municipal financial year ending on 31 December 2024 and includes spending against conditional grant allocations for the same time frame.

    “The MDRG, in particular, demonstrated significant underperformance in the second quarter of the previous financial year, with an expenditure of only 16.9%. This grant has consistently underperformed in recent years, with little improvement, indicating ongoing challenges in its effective utilisation by municipalities.

    “The Integrated Urban Development Grant (IUDG) and the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) were the best-performing grants in this quarter, maintaining their strong performance from the first quarter. The IUDG recorded an expenditure of 52% against a total allocation of R1.1 billion, while the MIG achieved 54.9 % of its R17 billion allocation,” National Treasury said.

    The Department of Water and Sanitation grants, which administers the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), also showed positive performance, albeit at lower expenditure rates compared to the second quarter of the 2023/24 financial year. 

    However, overall grant performance this quarter was poor compared to the same period in the previous financial year.
    As of 31 December 2024, municipalities were allocated R44.1 billion for direct conditional grants, of which R28.2 billion has been transferred. 

    The National Transferring Officers (NTOs) reported spending of R18.4 billion, or 41.7 %, while municipalities reported spending of R12.8 billion, or 29.1% of the total allocation.

    “As at 31 December 2024, aggregate spending by municipalities was 44.2 % or R287.5 billion of the total adopted expenditure budget of R649.9 billion. Aggregated billing and other revenue was 49.9 % or R325.5 billion of the total adopted revenue budget of R652.3 billion. 

    “Capital expenditure amounts to R14.3 billion or 18.4% of the adopted capital budget of R77.4 billion. The adopted operating expenditure budget amounts to R572.5 billion, of which R273.2 billion (47.7%) was spent by 31 December 2024,” National Treasury said. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: KZN champions local economic growth

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Friday, March 28, 2025

    KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Thamsanqa Ntuli, has reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to support initiatives that drive local economic transformation and attract investors to the province.

    Ntuli was speaking at the Nquthu Investment Promotion Breakfast, held at the iNcome Museum, in Inquthu under the uMzinyathi District Municipality, central KwaZulu-Natal.

    Thursday’s breakfast highlighted a wide range of investment opportunities aimed at unlocking the region’s potential in agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, and small business development.

    The engagement also underscored the provincial government’s support for local economic development and investor mobilisation in rural areas. The gathering brought together government leaders, local entrepreneurs, and potential investors for meaningful dialogue and strategic partnerships.

    The Premier commended the initiative, noting its alignment with the 7th Administration’s mission to drive inclusive economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development across KwaZulu-Natal.

    “We are intentional about taking investment conversations to every corner of our province, especially rural areas like iNquthu. By supporting platforms like this, we affirm our commitment to building a thriving, self-reliant economy that benefits all our people.”
    The Premier also emphasised the importance of local investment in transforming communities, reducing unemployment, and creating long-term prosperity.

    He also encouraged stakeholders to seize the opportunities presented by the region’s natural assets and resilient communities.
    The breakfast marked another step forward in the province’s vision of equitable development, where no region is left behind in the journey toward economic transformation.

    The Premier was accompanied by Agriculture and Rural Development MEC, Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa. – SAnews.gov.za 
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Call to fight GBVF

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Urgent action is required to turn the tide against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said.

    “We cannot allow our communities to live in fear. Ending GBVF requires all of us—leaders, police, traditional authorities, and citizens, to act together with urgency, conviction, and compassion,” Ntuli said.

    This as he led a Crime Prevention Imbizo at Inkosi Mzondeni Civic Centre, in Mtubatuba on Thursday.

    He called on the community of KwaMsane and the broader uMkhanyakude District to take a united stand against crime, particularly the devastating scourge of GBVF.

    The Imbizo served as a platform for the Premier to engage directly with mayors, including law enforcement agencies, traditional leaders (Amakhosi), and community members on government-led strategies to address crime.

    These include increased policing visibility, community-based safety initiatives, support services for survivors, and stronger partnerships between government and civil society.

    The engagement aligns with the 7th Administration’s broader commitment to creating safe, inclusive, and dignified communities throughout KwaZulu-Natal. 

    It also reinforces a provincial call to action: “no more silence, no more tolerance, and no more inaction in the face of violence and crime.”

    The event started with a symbolic Peace Walk against GBVF at the Inkosi Mtubatuba Local Municipality and ended at Mtuba Police Station.

    Among the participants at the walk included local leaders, civil society organisations, youth, and ordinary community members, wo also sent a strong message that GBVF has no place in KwaZulu-Natal. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: SADC’s withdrawal from DRC not a sign of abandonment of peace efforts

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reiterated that the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) decision to withdraw the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) should not be interpreted as a sign of defeat or abandonment of peace efforts.

    “However, it should be seen as a confidence-building measure to ensure peace and stability in the eastern DRC,” the Deputy President told the Members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, Cape Town on Thursday. 

    Two weeks ago, SADC announced its decision to withdraw the SAMIDRC force from eastern DRC, opting for a phased withdrawal.

    Reports indicate that leaders from the 16-nation SADC have lost at least a dozen soldiers in the eastern DRC since January of this year. 

    Locally, 14 members of the South African Defence Force (SANDF) lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries as fighting in the Goma region intensified between 23 and 27 January. 

    These soldiers were part of the SAMIDRC, which aims to help restore peace, security, and stability in Africa’s second-largest country.

    Deputy President Paul Mashatile told Members of the NCOP that South Africa remains committed and supportive to ongoing peacekeeping efforts on the continent in line with the country’s foreign policy vision of a “prosperous and peaceful continent”. 

    “South Africa’s contribution to peace and support operations should not be measured in isolation. As the country participates through missions, mandated and authorised by multilateral institutions such as United Nations and SADC,” he explained. 

    However, he acknowledged that the recent death of 14 “brave” SANDF soldiers in the DRC is a clear indication of these challenges. 

    Deputy President Mashatile sent his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased SANDF soldiers and wished the injured a speedy recovery. 

    The second commander-in-chief stated that South Africa welcomes the appointment of former President Kgalema Motlanthe, who will join a panel of former presidents tasked with mediating peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 

    This decision to include Motlanthe was made during a virtual joint summit of the SADC and the EAC on Monday. 

    “We welcome the recent progress and commitments made by EAC-SADC, and we also welcome the government of DRC and Rwanda’s commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. 

    “The President and I will also continue interventions in South Sudan, to try and avert the return to full-scale war and holding of peaceful elections.”

    The questions presented before him covered issues related to government’s plans to deliver quality water services to communities across all provinces and the progress achieved in facilitating the settlement of outstanding land claims. 

    Water

    On ensuring quality and reliable water delivery to communities, he stated that water is a fundamental human right as specified in Chapter 2 of the country’s Constitution.

    “President Cyril Ramaphosa has established a Water Task Team, which I am chairing, working with Ministers and Water Authorities to provide clean water and sanitation services to all communities.

    “In executing its task, the Water Task Team has been conducting outreach programmes, inspections, and oversight visits to assess challenges in communities affected by water supply challenges.” 

    Land claims

    He also addressed the issue of land claims, stating that the government’s commitment to finalising outstanding land claims remains a key priority.

    “Over successive years, we have made good progress regarding the settlement of land claims and returning the land to those who were previously dispossessed. However, much more still needs to be done.”

    To expedite land access and reform, he announced that the government is focused on concluding restitution cases. 

    This includes prioritising old-order claims, which will lead to the transfer of secure and legally registered tenure to claimants along with settlement packages.

    Meanwhile, he said R11.6 billion will be allocated over the medium term to settle about 844 land restitution claims, with R3 billion earmarked to allocate 138 000 hectares of land. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Department confirms rescue of 23 South Africans from Myanmar

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has confirmed that 23 South Africans – who were part of a group of 7 000 people from various countries – have been rescued from Myanmar.

    “Our citizens returned to South Africa a few hours ago, assisted by DIRCO and the Border Management Authority. DIRCO facilitated the repatriation of the South African nationals and provided financial assistance,” the department said in a statement issued on Thursday afternoon. 

    Before leaving South Africa last year, these men and women were lured by an employment agency to Thailand under the pretences of lucrative jobs that were advertised on various social media platforms. 

    “These adverts promised the victims good salaries, free accommodation, comprehensive travel expenses, and other lucrative benefits. Once in Thailand, they were transported to Myanmar against their will.” 

    The victims were held captive for more than four months in a cybercrime compound in Myanmar, which borders Thailand. 

    “They were subjected to brutal treatment, including intimidation, physical torture, and forced labour. They were also compelled to engage in illicit activities, including online scams that targeted individuals worldwide.”

    In addition, DIRCO said, they were under 24-hour armed security and a ransom of about R50 000 was demanded for their release. 

    “They were forced to work for 16 hours a day and were frequently beaten or tortured if they refused, and they survived on spoiled food and contaminated water without access to medical treatment.”

    The department explained that the repatriation of the South African victims was part of the bilateral cooperation agreement to combat human trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crime signed by Thailand and South Africa in 2023. 

    “The government is grateful for the assistance provided by Thai authorities in facilitating the repatriation of the victims.”

    Victim support

    The Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) have since conducted an initial screening of the victims to verify their identity and family information.

    Following the screening interviews, the DPCI will transport the victims to health facilities to undergo health screenings. 

    Temporary accommodation will be provided for those from outside Gauteng, enabling them to reunite with their families and relatives, while those who live in the province will be transported home by DPCI. 

    Investigation

    According to the department, the DPCI will investigate the matter and follow up appointments will be scheduled at a later stage with the victims to gather comprehensive statements, as their emotional and physical wellbeing must be taken into consideration.

    “The DPCI will continue to work with all the relevant government departments to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the victims, as well as the successful arrest and conviction of traffickers in South Africa.” 

    The department said the South African government strongly condemns any acts of trafficking and has introduced relevant legislation to deal harshly with this heinous crime. 

    The government has urged citizens to exercise extreme caution when considering employment opportunities abroad. 

    “If the promise of employment is too good to be true, you must exercise caution and be suspicious.”

    All countries with embassies and liaison offices in South Africa are listed on the DIRCO website www.dirco.gov.za .

    Travellers are also advised to register on the DIRCO Travel Smart app, a digital platform that provides support and information to South African citizens travelling or residing in foreign countries.

    However, those who suspect that their loved one or someone else is a victim of human trafficking can report the matter to the SAPS Crime Stop hotline on 08000 10111, the nearest police station, the DSD, or a designated child protection organisation.

    “Your safety and well-being are in your hands. Stay vigilant and protect yourself and your loved ones from falling victim to these malicious schemes. Let us all work together to stop trafficking in persons,” the department said. 

    Use the following helplines to report suspected incidents of human trafficking:

    • Childline – 116

    • Film and Publication Board – 0800 148 148

    • GBV Command Centre – 0800 428 428

    • National Human Trafficking Hotline – 0800 222 777. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –