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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Rescuing Nigeria: how to break the cycle of decline and bring progress

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Omano Edigheji, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Johannesburg

    Nigeria has abundant human and natural resources but remains mired in underdevelopment. There are high levels of poverty, corruption, unemployment and inequality. The country is currently witnessing a rise in ethnic militias and terrorism, adding to the threats posed by armed herdsmen’s deadly clashes with rural communities over land.

    The nation suffers from poor economic management and a political leadership that has failed to promote structural transformation of the economy and politics.

    I am a political scientist with research specialisation in the political economy of development. In my view, Nigeria’s social, economic and political crises stem from the absence of a grouping of people who put the country’s interests first. I call this grouping a developmentalist coalition.

    I argue that for Nigeria to realise its potential and forge a prosperous shared future, like-minded individuals motivated by the ideology of development nationalism must come together in a coalition.

    Development nationalism refers to the commitment to advancing one’s country and ensuring its prosperity. This includes enhancing the capabilities of its people so they can reach their potential and contribute to national progress. Individuals like this put loyalty to their country above other identities or considerations.

    This coalition must focus on enhancing the nation’s productive capacity and uplifting the well-being of its citizens. Together, they can break the cycle of underdevelopment and achieve lasting progress.

    And this can be measured through the creation of a predictable governance structure characterised by the rule of law and the provision of essential public goods to citizens.

    Read more: Book review: Nigeria has democracy but not development. How to fix it

    Developmental nationalism

    Developmentalist coalitions shape political and economic affairs in most developed nations. In China, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Korea, Singapore and other countries that have tried to catch up with advanced nations, developmental nationalism has played a significant role.

    In some cases, a developmentalist elite creates its own political party. An example of this is the People’s Action Party founded by Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and his colleagues. The Labour Party in Norway, a coalition mostly of workers and farmers, is another example.

    In other instances, members of this elite join different political parties. When developmentalists are the dominant political elite, any party in power ensures that it upholds standards that reflect the core principles upon which the country is founded.

    Developmental elites articulate values that define and bind their nations. They provide moral and political leadership, as Nelson Mandela did in South Africa.

    Most of these elites want to have inclusive economic and political institutions that help them achieve their development objectives.

    Read more: Calls to restructure Nigeria’s federal system are missing the point: the country needs good governance, not reform

    Why Nigeria needs developmentalist coalitions

    Since Nigeria became independent from Britain in 1960, most of those who have overseen the country’s political and economic landscape have not acted in a nationalistic or patriotic manner.

    Instead, they have followed their self-interest and exploited the Nigerian state for personal gain.

    As a result, the economy remains undiversified, with a small and declining manufacturing sector, thereby missing out on the potential for job creation.

    Successive administrations in the last 26 years have allocated less funding to the education sector than the 26% of the national budget recommended by Unesco.

    The political elite have not built an economy that will create decent jobs for the youth. Also, they have fostered an education system that produces graduates who do not have the skills to start enterprises.

    Most young Nigerians are engaged in the informal sector, with its associated problems: unstable jobs, hazardous working conditions, and a lack of decent wages. Most youths are underemployed and in low value-added economic activities. This means Nigeria is missing out on the potential benefits of its youthful population.

    About 70% of Nigeria’s population of over 200 million are under 30 years old, and 41% are younger than 15.

    Political leaders have failed to create an environment that allows them to achieve their full potential.

    In Nigeria, the issue is not the lack of individuals focused on development. These people exist across all segments of the Nigerian society, including government. The real problem is that they haven’t formed a coalition.

    As a result, they cannot act collectively and cohesively to invest in Nigeria’s greatest asset: its people; and to promote industrialisation.

    Now is the time to form the developmentalist coalition to change the governance and development trajectory of the country.

    Read more: Is Nigeria in danger of a coup? What the country should do to avoid one – political analyst

    What to do

    In Nigeria, a broad-based coalition of developmentalist elites needs to be led by individuals with a clear vision for development and national cohesion.

    Members of this coalition could establish a political party to contest elections, gain political power, and use their positions in government to develop the nation.

    Party members must be disciplined and subordinate their personal ambitions to those of the party and the national interests. The party must not become an empire of powerful individuals: instead, its organs must be allowed to function.

    Establishing this coalition is the way to end Nigeria’s endemic corruption and build a robust manufacturing sector and a thriving digital economy.

    It also needs to promote agro-allied industry, investment in infrastructure, job creation and poverty reduction.

    This coalition should aim to transform Nigeria’s democracy into a system where political parties and elected representatives genuinely serve the people.

    – Rescuing Nigeria: how to break the cycle of decline and bring progress
    – https://theconversation.com/rescuing-nigeria-how-to-break-the-cycle-of-decline-and-bring-progress-251639

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Rescuing Nigeria: how to break the cycle of decline and bring progress

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Omano Edigheji, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Johannesburg

    Nigeria has abundant human and natural resources but remains mired in underdevelopment. There are high levels of poverty, corruption, unemployment and inequality. The country is currently witnessing a rise in ethnic militias and terrorism, adding to the threats posed by armed herdsmen’s deadly clashes with rural communities over land.

    The nation suffers from poor economic management and a political leadership that has failed to promote structural transformation of the economy and politics.

    I am a political scientist with research specialisation in the political economy of development. In my view, Nigeria’s social, economic and political crises stem from the absence of a grouping of people who put the country’s interests first. I call this grouping a developmentalist coalition.

    I argue that for Nigeria to realise its potential and forge a prosperous shared future, like-minded individuals motivated by the ideology of development nationalism must come together in a coalition.

    Development nationalism refers to the commitment to advancing one’s country and ensuring its prosperity. This includes enhancing the capabilities of its people so they can reach their potential and contribute to national progress. Individuals like this put loyalty to their country above other identities or considerations.

    This coalition must focus on enhancing the nation’s productive capacity and uplifting the well-being of its citizens. Together, they can break the cycle of underdevelopment and achieve lasting progress.

    And this can be measured through the creation of a predictable governance structure characterised by the rule of law and the provision of essential public goods to citizens.



    Read more:
    Book review: Nigeria has democracy but not development. How to fix it

    Developmental nationalism

    Developmentalist coalitions shape political and economic affairs in most developed nations. In China, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Korea, Singapore and other countries that have tried to catch up with advanced nations, developmental nationalism has played a significant role.

    In some cases, a developmentalist elite creates its own political party. An example of this is the People’s Action Party founded by Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and his colleagues. The Labour Party in Norway, a coalition mostly of workers and farmers, is another example.

    In other instances, members of this elite join different political parties. When developmentalists are the dominant political elite, any party in power ensures that it upholds standards that reflect the core principles upon which the country is founded.

    Developmental elites articulate values that define and bind their nations. They provide moral and political leadership, as Nelson Mandela did in South Africa.

    Most of these elites want to have inclusive economic and political institutions that help them achieve their development objectives.



    Read more:
    Calls to restructure Nigeria’s federal system are missing the point: the country needs good governance, not reform

    Why Nigeria needs developmentalist coalitions

    Since Nigeria became independent from Britain in 1960, most of those who have overseen the country’s political and economic landscape have not acted in a nationalistic or patriotic manner.

    Instead, they have followed their self-interest and exploited the Nigerian state for personal gain.

    As a result, the economy remains undiversified, with a small and declining manufacturing sector, thereby missing out on the potential for job creation.

    Successive administrations in the last 26 years have allocated less funding to the education sector than the 26% of the national budget recommended by Unesco.

    The political elite have not built an economy that will create decent jobs for the youth. Also, they have fostered an education system that produces graduates who do not have the skills to start enterprises.

    Most young Nigerians are engaged in the informal sector, with its associated problems: unstable jobs, hazardous working conditions, and a lack of decent wages. Most youths are underemployed and in low value-added economic activities. This means Nigeria is missing out on the potential benefits of its youthful population.

    About 70% of Nigeria’s population of over 200 million are under 30 years old, and 41% are younger than 15.

    Political leaders have failed to create an environment that allows them to achieve their full potential.

    In Nigeria, the issue is not the lack of individuals focused on development. These people exist across all segments of the Nigerian society, including government. The real problem is that they haven’t formed a coalition.

    As a result, they cannot act collectively and cohesively to invest in Nigeria’s greatest asset: its people; and to promote industrialisation.

    Now is the time to form the developmentalist coalition to change the governance and development trajectory of the country.



    Read more:
    Is Nigeria in danger of a coup? What the country should do to avoid one – political analyst

    What to do

    In Nigeria, a broad-based coalition of developmentalist elites needs to be led by individuals with a clear vision for development and national cohesion.

    Members of this coalition could establish a political party to contest elections, gain political power, and use their positions in government to develop the nation.

    Party members must be disciplined and subordinate their personal ambitions to those of the party and the national interests. The party must not become an empire of powerful individuals: instead, its organs must be allowed to function.

    Establishing this coalition is the way to end Nigeria’s endemic corruption and build a robust manufacturing sector and a thriving digital economy.

    It also needs to promote agro-allied industry, investment in infrastructure, job creation and poverty reduction.

    This coalition should aim to transform Nigeria’s democracy into a system where political parties and elected representatives genuinely serve the people.

    Omano Edigheji receives funding from organisation

    Research Grant from The Ford Foundation

    – ref. Rescuing Nigeria: how to break the cycle of decline and bring progress – https://theconversation.com/rescuing-nigeria-how-to-break-the-cycle-of-decline-and-bring-progress-251639

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From pulpits to protest, the surprising history of the phrase ‘pride and prejudice’

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Margie Burns, Lecturer of English, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    Despite the phrase’s rich history, the fame of Jane Austen’s novel ended up drowning out all other associations. Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels

    Most readers hear “pride and prejudice” and immediately think of Jane Austen’s most famous novel, that salty-sweet confection of romance and irony with a fairy-tale ending.

    Few people, however, know the history of the phrase “pride and prejudice,” which I explore in my new book, “Jane Austen, Abolitionist: The Loaded History of the Phrase ‘Pride and Prejudice.’”

    Like most Austen fans and scholars, I had read and loved her novels for years without learning much about the history of the title, which Austen chose after scrapping the original one, “First Impressions.”

    By the 20th century, “pride and prejudice” became solely associated with Austen’s 1813 novel.

    The phrase, which has religious origins, appeared in hundreds of works before Austen was born. From Britain it traveled to America, and from religious tomes it expanded to secular works. It even became a hallmark of abolitionist writing.

    Fighting words for religious factions

    While 2025 marks Austen’s 250th birthday, the phrase “pride and prejudice” first appeared more than 400 years ago, in religious writings by English Protestants. As the daughter, sister, cousin and granddaughter of Church of England ministers, Austen was certainly aware of the tradition.

    If ministers wanted to reproach their parishioners or their opponents, they attributed criticism of their sermons to “pride and prejudice” – as coming from people too arrogant and narrow-minded to entertain their words in good faith.

    While the usage began in the Church of England, other denominations, even radical ones, soon adopted it: “Pride and prejudice” appears in the writings of Nonconformists, Anabaptists, Quakers, Dissenters and other representatives of “Schism, Faction and Sedition,” as one anonymous writer called them.

    One early takeaway is that, amid fervent religious conflicts, various denominations similarly used “pride and prejudice” as a criticism.

    The unnamed minister himself complained that, owing to “the Pride and Prejudice of mens Spirits, the prevailing Interests of some Factions and Parties, the greatest part of the Nation are miserably wanting in their Duty.”

    At the same time, the phrase could be invoked to support religious toleration and in pleas for inclusiveness.

    “When all Pride and Prejudice, all Interests and Designs, being submitted to the Honour of God, and the Discharge of our Duty,” an anonymous clergyman wrote in 1734, “the Holy Scriptures shall again triumph over the vain Traditions of Men; and Religion no longer take its Denomination from little Sects and Factions.”

    From politics to prose

    In the 18th century, advances in publishing led to an explosion of secular writing. For the first time, regular people could buy books about history, politics and philosophy. These popular texts spread the phrase “pride and prejudice” to even more distant shores.

    One fan was American founding father Thomas Paine.

    In his 47-page pamphlet “Common Sense,” Paine argued that kings could not be trusted to protect democracy: “laying aside all national pride and prejudice in favour of modes and forms, the plain truth is, that it is wholly owing to the constitution of the people, and not to the constitution of the government[,] that the crown is not as repressive in England as in Turkey.”

    Others included Daniel Defoe, author of “Robinson Crusoe.” In his 1708 essay “Review of the State of the British Nation,” Defoe satirically exhorted the public to vote Tory rather than electing men of sense, to “dispell the Poisons” that “Sloth, Envy, Pride and Prejudice may have contracted, and bring the Blood of the Party into a true circulation.”

    After the philosophers, the historians and the political commentators came the novelists. And among the novelists, female writers were especially important. My annotated list in “Jane Austen, Abolitionist” includes more than a dozen female writers using the phrase between 1758 and 1812, the year Austen finished revising “Pride and Prejudice.”

    Among them was Frances Burney. Scholars have often attributed Austen’s famous title to Burney, who used the phrase “pride and prejudice” in her novel “Cecilia.”

    But Burney was not alone. Female novelists who used the expression before Austen included Charlotte Lennox, sisters Harriet and Sophia Lee, Charlotte Turner Smith, Mrs. Colpoys, Anne Seymour Damer and mother and daughter Susannah and Elizabeth Gunning, who jointly authored their novel “The Heir Apparent.”

    An abolitionist rallying cry

    As the critique embodied in the phrase progressed beyond religious and partisan conflict, it became increasingly used in the context of ethics and social reform.

    My most striking discovery in this research is the long-standing association of the phrase “pride and prejudice” with abolitionism, the movement to eradicate enslavement and the slave trade.

    The leaders of transnational antislavery organizations used it at their conventions and in the books and periodicals they published. In 1843, 30 years after the publication of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” British Quaker Thomas Clarkson wrote to the General Antislavery Convention, which was meeting in London.

    He exhorted the faithful to repudiate slavery “at once and forever” if there were any among them “whose eyes may be so far blinded, or their consciences so far seared by interest or ignorance, pride or prejudice, as still to sanction or uphold this unjust and sinful system.”

    He even used the phrase twice. Acknowledging that some violent abolitionists had aroused reaction, he warned his audience that “this state of feeling arises as much from pride and prejudice on the one hand, as from indiscretion or impropriety on the other.”

    At the funeral for abolitionist John Brown, the minister prayed over his body, “Oh, God, cause the oppressed to go free; break any yoke, and prostrate the pride and prejudice that dare to lift themselves up.”

    The prayer uttered at John Brown’s burial.
    Library of Congress

    Use of the phrase did not end with Emancipation or the end of the U.S. Civil War.

    In fact, it was one of Frederick Douglass’ favorite phrases. On Oct. 22, 1883, in his “Address at Lincoln Hall,” Douglass excoriated the Supreme Court’s decision rendering the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional.

    As was typical of Douglass, the speech ranged beyond racial inequities: “Color prejudice is not the only prejudice against which a Republic like ours should guard. The spirit of caste is malignant and dangerous everywhere. There is the prejudice of the rich against the poor, the pride and prejudice of the idle dandy against the hard-handed workingman.”

    Austen’s independent women

    Early on in “Pride and Prejudice,” the conceited Caroline Bingley snipes that Elizabeth Bennet shows “an abominable sort of conceited independence.” Later, the snobbish Lady Catherine accuses Bennet of being “headstrong.” But near the ending, Mr. Darcy tells Bennet that he loves her for “the liveliness” of her “mind.”

    In this respect, Bennet reflects a quality that all of Austen’s heroines possess. While they try to adhere to standards of courtesy and respect, none are guilty of saying only what the leading man wants to hear.

    Jane Austen.
    Stock Montage/Getty Images

    Given that Austen chose her title to honor the phrase and its history, it is ironic that her own fame ended up drowning out the abolitionist associations of “pride and prejudice” after the Civil War.

    If there is any work of fiction that successfully makes self-sufficiency, independent thinking and open-mindedness look good – and makes sycophants, rigidity and hysterical devotion to rank and status look bad – it is “Pride and Prejudice.”

    Yet the lasting popularity of Austen’s novel demonstrates that the ethics contained in the phrase continue to resonate today, even if its context has been lost.

    Margie Burns 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 pulpits to protest, the surprising history of the phrase ‘pride and prejudice’ – https://theconversation.com/from-pulpits-to-protest-the-surprising-history-of-the-phrase-pride-and-prejudice-249836

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Bierman, Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment, Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Vermont

    Military engineers managing supply routes in Greenland in the 1950s paid attention to the weather and climate.
     US Army/Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

    In 1957, Hollywood released “The Deadly Mantis,” a B-grade monster movie starring a praying mantis of nightmare proportions. Its premise: Melting Arctic ice has released a very hungry, million-year-old megabug, and scientists and the U.S. military will have to stop it.

    The rampaging insect menaces America’s Arctic military outposts, part of a critical line of national defense, before heading south and meeting its end in New York City.

    Yes, it’s over-the-top fiction, but the movie holds some truth about the U.S. military’s concerns then and now about the Arctic’s stability and its role in national security.

    A poster advertises ‘The Deadly Mantis,’ a movie released in 1957, a time when Americans worried about a Russian invasion. The film used military footage to promote the nation’s radar defenses along the Distant Early Warning line in the Arctic.
    LMPC via Getty Images

    In the late 1940s, Arctic temperatures were warming and the Cold War was heating up. The U.S. military had grown increasingly nervous about a Soviet invasion across the Arctic. It built bases and a line of radar stations. The movie used actual military footage of these polar outposts.

    But officials wondered: What if sodden snow and vanishing ice stalled American men and machines and weakened these northern defenses?

    In response to those concerns, the military created the Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment, a research center dedicated to the science and engineering of all things frozen: glacier runways, the behavior of ice, the physics of snow and the climates of the past.

    It was the beginning of the military’s understanding that climate change couldn’t be ignored.

    Army engineers test the properties of snow on Greenland’s ice sheet in 1955, a critical determinant of mobility on the ice and one that changes rapidly with temperature and climate.
    U.S. Army

    As I was writing “When the Ice is Gone,” my recent book about Greenland, climate science and the U.S. military, I read government documents from the 1950s and 1960s showing how the Pentagon poured support into climate and cold-region research to boost the national defense.

    Initially, military planners recognized threats to their own ability to protect the nation. Over time, the U.S. military would come to see climate change as both a threat in itself and a threat multiplier for national security.

    Ice roads, ice cores and bases inside the ice sheet

    The military’s snow and ice engineering in the 1950s made it possible for convoys of tracked vehicles to routinely cross Greenland’s ice sheet, while planes landed and took off from ice and snow runways.

    In 1953, the Army even built a pair of secret surveillance sites inside the ice sheet, both equipped with Air Force radar units looking 24/7 for Soviet missiles and aircraft, but also with weather stations to understand the Arctic climate system.

    The public reveal of U.S. military bases somewhere – that remained classified – inside Greenland’s ice sheet, in the February 1955 edition of REAL.
    Paul Bierman collection.

    The Army drilled the world’s first deep ice core from a base it built within the Greenland ice sheet, Camp Century. Its goal: to understand how climate had changed in the past so they would know how it might change in the future.

    The military wasn’t shy about its climate change research successes. The Army’s chief ice scientist, Dr. Henri Bader, spoke on the Voice of America. He promoted ice coring as a way to investigate climates of the past, provide a new understanding of weather, and understand past climatic patterns to gauge and predict the one we are living in today – all strategically important.

    Henri Bader describes drilling high on Greenland’s ice sheet in 1956 or 1957 in a Voice of America recording (National Archives), “The Snows of Yesteryear,” and a movie (U.S. Army). Created by Quincy Massey-Bierman.

    In the 1970s, painstaking laboratory work on the Camp Century ice core extracted minuscule amounts of ancient air trapped in tiny bubbles in the ice. Analyses of that gas revealed that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were lower for tens of thousands of years before the industrial revolution. After 1850, carbon dioxide levels crept up slowly at first and then rapidly accelerated. It was direct evidence that people’s actions, including burning coal and oil, were changing the composition of the atmosphere.

    Since 1850, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have spiked and global temperatures have warmed by more than 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit (1.3 Celsius). The past 10 years have been the hottest since recordkeeping began, with 2024 now holding the record. Climate change is now affecting the entire Earth – but most especially the Arctic, which is warming several times faster than the rest of the planet.

    Since 1850, global average temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have risen together, reflecting human emissions of greenhouse gases. Red bars indicate warmer years; blue bars indicate colder years.
    NOAA

    Seeing climate change as a threat multiplier

    For decades, military leaders have been discussing climate change as a threat and a threat multiplier that could worsen instability and mass migration in already fragile regions of the world.

    Climate change can fuel storms, wildfires and rising seas that threaten important military bases. It puts personnel at risk in rising heat and melts sea ice, creating new national security concerns in the Arctic. Climate change can also contribute to instability and conflict when water and food shortages trigger increasing competition for resources, internal and cross-border tensions, or mass migrations.

    The military understands that these threats can’t be ignored. As Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told a conference in September 2024: “Climate resilience is force resilience.”

    A view of aircraft carriers docked at the sprawling Naval Station Norfolk show how much of the region is within a few feet of sea level.
    Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

    Consider Naval Station Norfolk. It’s the largest military port facility in the world and sits just above sea level on Virginia’s Atlantic coast. Sea level there rose more than 1.5 feet in the last century, and it’s on track to rise that much again by 2050 as glaciers around the world melt and warming ocean water expands.

    High tides already cause delays in repair work, and major storms and their storm surges have damaged expensive equipment. The Navy has built sea walls and worked to restore coastal dunes and marshlands to protect its Virginia properties, but the risks continue to increase.

    Planning for the future, the Navy incorporates scientists’ projections of sea level rise and increasing hurricane strength to design more resilient facilities. By adapting to climate change, the U.S. Navy will avoid the fate of another famous marine power: the Norse, forced to abandon their flooded Greenland settlements when sea level there rose about 600 years ago.

    Norse ruins in Igaliku in southern Greenland, illustrated in the late 1800s while flooded at spring tide by sea level, which had risen since the settlement was abandoned around 1400.
    Steenstrup, K.J.V., and A. Kornerup. 1881. Expeditionen til Julianehaabs distrikt i 1876. MeddelelseromGrønland

    Climate change is costly to ignore

    As the impacts of climate change grow in both frequency and magnitude, the costs of inaction are increasing. Most economists agree that it’s cheaper to act now than deal with the consequences. Yet, in the past 20 years, the political discourse around addressing the cause and effects of climate change has become increasingly politicized and partisan, stymieing effective action.

    In my view, the military’s approach to problem-solving and threat reduction provides a model for civil society to address climate change in two ways: reducing carbon emissions and adapting to inevitable climate change impacts.

    The U.S. military emits more planet warming carbon than Sweden and spent more than US$2 billion on energy in 2021. It accounts for more than 70% of energy used by the federal government.

    In that context, its embrace of alternative energy, including solar generation, microgrids and wind power, makes economic and environmental sense. The U.S. military is moving away from fossil fuels, not because of any political agenda, but because of the cost-savings, increased reliability and energy independence the alternatives provide.

    Solar panels generate power on many U.S. military bases. This array at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, Calif., generates enough power for more than 15,000 homes and has a backup battery system to provide power when the sun isn’t shining.
    Frederic J . Brown/AFP via Getty Images

    As sea ice melts and Arctic temperatures rise, the polar region has again become a strategic priority. Russia and China are expanding Arctic shipping routes and eyeing critical mineral deposits as they become accessible. The military knows climate change affects national security, which is why it continues to take steps to address the threats a changing climate presents.

    Paul Bierman receives funding from the US National Science Foundation, this work in part supported by grant EAR-2114629.

    – ref. The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason – https://theconversation.com/the-us-military-has-cared-about-climate-change-since-the-dawn-of-the-cold-war-for-good-reason-246333

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Remembering China’s Empress Dowager Ling, a Buddhist who paved the way for future female rulers

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stephanie Balkwill, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles

    In sixth-century China, a woman known to history as Empress Dowager Ling ruled over an empire called the Northern Wei. Historians do not know her birth name or in what year she was born, but they do know that she served as empress dowager between 515 and 528. As the spouse of a ruling emperor prior to his death, she retained the title of empress dowager in her widowhood.

    She ruled on behalf of her young son, the heir to the throne; however, her regency was interrupted by a coup d’etat from 520 to 525. Although the empress dowager was expected to rule only as a regent, historical records indicate that she administered court in her own name. These same records also reveal that she adopted a personal pronoun – “zhen 朕,” otherwise known as the Chinese “royal we” – that was reserved for the exclusive use of the emperor.

    In my recent book, “The Women Who Ruled China,” I offer an overview of these historical sources and records that document her life, including a translation of her biography retained in the official chronicle of the Northern Wei. Using these sources, I argue that even though the Empress Dowager’s rule was problematic and short – resulting in her assassination – she laid the foundation for other, more successful female rulers across medieval East Asia.

    Capitalizing on different cultural traditions

    In the late fifth century, the capital city of the Northern Wei was moved from its northern location in modern-day Datong, China, to its southern location in Luoyang, a city at the very heart of Han Chinese culture and history; however, the people who ruled the empire were not ethnically Han Chinese.

    Known as the Taghbach, this group migrated south from the Mongolian steppe and ruled a multiethnic and multicultural empire from Luoyang, the world’s largest city and the former capital of the Eastern Han dynasty. The Northern Wei empire adopted laws, institutions and policies from both Taghbach and Han Chinese traditions.

    This cultural hybridity enabled the empress dowager to rule directly: On one hand, the Chinese court system rooted in the Han dynasty had long included the position of empress dowager, even though none of the women who held it had ruled directly. On the other, Taghbach culture had no formal position of empress dowager prior to its adoption of court ranks in the Northern Wei, but it did have a long tradition of women in public life. These women served in the military and advised on political matters.

    Multiple sources of evidence indicate that Taghbach women had a high degree of personal autonomy and political power, with no source suggesting otherwise.

    A well-known story about Taghbach woman appears in the legend of Mulan, who is said to have dressed as a man so that she could serve in the military in place of her father. The Mulan legend is widely recounted in Chinese literature and inspired a fictional character in two Walt Disney movies based on the Chinese fable.

    As a historian of gender in this period, I believe that the Mulan legend does not accurately depict Taghbach women. Instead, it is a Chinese story that emphasizes a form of gender transgression that makes sense only within Chinese and Confucian culture. Unlike Chinese culture, Taghbach culture had long known women warriors who could ride horses and shoot arrows without concealing their gender.

    Empress Dowager Ling was not a warrior, but she embraced martial symbols of her own power that were available to women in Taghbach culture but not in Chinese culture. For example, she was an accomplished archer and famously drove her own horse cart, which was just as splendid and imposing as was the emperor’s cart.

    In the Confucian culture of Han China, such actions were considered highly inappropriate for women, but Empress Dowager Ling carried them out while holding the Chinese title of empress dowager. Her rule, like her empire, was culturally hybrid. That blend of cultural traditions enabled her to take power in a way that neither Chinese nor Taghbach women had done before.

    A Buddhist ruler

    By the time of the reign of the Northern Wei empire, both Taghbah and Chinese cultures had become deeply familiar with Buddhism, a religion that they had inherited from India in a long process of cultural exchange along the Silk Road. The empire had integrated methods of Buddhist statecraft into its own forms of governance.

    Simply put, what this meant was that the ruler of the empire legitimized his reign through Buddhism, portraying himself either as a Buddha or as a patron of Buddhists – their texts and institutions. This was a type of governance that was widely practiced in premodern East Asia.

    The bodhisattva Maitreya, considered to be the Buddha of the future.
    Rogers Fund, 1982/The Metropolitan Museum, New York

    Even though Buddhist statecraft was widespread in the empress dowager’s time, she was the first woman to directly legitimate her independent rule through Buddhism. As a patron of Buddhism, she commissioned majestic Buddhist architecture. Perhaps seen by her populace as a Buddhist figure herself, she symbolized her co-rule with her son by using a Buddhist visual motif of two Buddhas sitting side by side, a representation that came to be known as the rule by “Two Sages,” meaning tandem rulers depicted in the guise of buddhas. The source for the image was the popular Buddhist text, the “Lotus Sūtra.”

    She also attempted to put her own granddaughter on the throne after the death of her son. As I argue in my book, she did so by capitalizing on the idea that first her son, and then her granddaughter, were thought of as the bodhisattva Maitreya, a being of infinite compassion who is believed to be the future Buddha.

    The empress dowager’s legacy

    Empress Dowager Ling was largely unsuccessful in her bid for power. Her rule was short and contested. She was murdered, and her empire was toppled within 13 years of her rule. For five of those years, she was not in power because of a coup d’etat.

    However, about 150 years after the assassination of the empress dowager, another woman would rise to rule China independently, this time taking the title of “emperor.” That woman is known as Empress Wu, or Emperor Wu Zhao, and she is undoubtedly the most famous woman in all of Chinese history. Numerous historical sources attest to her life, work and rule.

    What those sources tell us, however, is that she ruled using the very same strategies as Empress Dowager Ling. Investing her own family heritage in distant links to the Taghbach, she also positioned herself as a “Two Sage” ruler alongside the emperor in precisely the same way that Empress Dowager Ling did. She was also able to successfully establish herself as the bodhisattva Maitreya by using Buddhist texts known to Empress Dowager Ling and her court.

    She patronized the very same Buddhist structures as did Empress Dowager Ling, including the Buddhist caves at Longmen, just outside of Luoyang. However, she accomplished what Empress Dowager Ling could not – holding onto power successfully. I argue her success was possible because Empress Dowager Ling had paved the way.

    Stephanie Balkwill 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. Remembering China’s Empress Dowager Ling, a Buddhist who paved the way for future female rulers – https://theconversation.com/remembering-chinas-empress-dowager-ling-a-buddhist-who-paved-the-way-for-future-female-rulers-251132

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Conference on the protection and promotion of national minorities in Switzerland

    Source: Switzerland – Department of Home Affairs

    On 17 March 2025, Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider opened the fifth conference in Bern on the protection and promotion of national minorities in Switzerland. The event provided a platform for exchange between Swiss authorities, the Council of Europe, minority and non-governmental organisations plus the scientific community. The main focus was on embedding Italian and Romansh more deeply in everyday life, protecting the itinerant lifestyle of the Swiss Yenish and Sinti as well as stronger measures against racism and intolerance in education.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: General Laura J. Richardson Joins Siebert Financial Corp. Advisory Board

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK and MIAMI and LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — General (Ret.) Laura J. Richardson, former Commander of U.S. Southern Command, has joined the Siebert Financial Corp. (“Siebert”) (Nasdaq: SIEB) Advisory Board, the company announced today. A distinguished leader with nearly four decades of military service, General Richardson brings strategic expertise, operational leadership, and a deep understanding of global affairs, reinforcing Siebert’s commitment to expanding financial services for veterans, military personnel, and underserved communities.

    “General Richardson’s leadership and global experience will be a tremendous asset to Siebert,” said John J. Gebbia, CEO of Siebert. “Her distinguished national security and diplomacy career aligns with our mission to deliver innovative financial solutions that empower individuals and communities. We are honored to welcome her to our Advisory Board, as we continue expanding our services across key sectors, including military and veteran affairs, international markets, and women’s financial initiatives.”

    Most recently, General Richardson served as the 32nd Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), overseeing military operations across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. She previously led U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) and held multiple high-ranking positions, including Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces Command, Chief of Army Legislative Liaison to Congress, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Operation Enduring Freedom.

    As a trailblazer in the U.S. Army, General Richardson has commanded at every level, including leading an Assault Helicopter Battalion in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    “Muriel Siebert was a pioneer, and I am honored to join an organization that carries forward her legacy of leadership and innovation,” said General Richardson. “Financial security is a critical pillar of long-term stability for individuals, families, and communities. I look forward to working with Siebert to expand opportunities—especially for veterans, women, and those seeking financial independence in an evolving global economy. I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the Gebbia family on this exciting new chapter for Siebert, and I admire their vision for growing the firm’s impact.”

    General Richardson joins a prestigious Siebert Advisory Board that includes influential figures from finance, sports, and entertainment, such as international recording artist Akon, NFL Pro Brandon Marshall, Wall Street executives Mick Solimene and Steven Geskos.

    Her addition underscores Siebert’s commitment to leveraging world-class expertise to drive financial growth, foster strategic partnerships, and create meaningful solutions for its diverse client base.

    Strengthening Siebert’s Commitment to the Military and Veteran Community

    Kaj Larsen, Head of Military Investment at Siebert, emphasized the significance of General Richardson’s appointment:
    “Welcoming General Richardson to Siebert is a powerful statement about our commitment to those who have served. Her leadership and firsthand understanding of the military community will help us expand financial solutions tailored for veterans, active-duty personnel, and their families. At Siebert, we recognize the unique financial needs of those who have dedicated their lives to service, and this partnership strengthens our mission to support them with the best resources available.”

    About Siebert Financial Corp.
    Siebert is a diversified financial services company and has been a member of the NYSE since 1967 when Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the NYSE and the first to head one of its member firms.

    Siebert operates through its subsidiaries Muriel Siebert & Co., LLC, Siebert AdvisorNXT, LLC, Park Wilshire Companies, Inc., RISE Financial Services, LLC, Siebert Technologies, LLC, and StockCross Digital Solutions, Ltd, and Gebbia Media LLC. Through these entities, Siebert provides a full range of brokerage and financial advisory services, including securities brokerage, investment advisory and insurance offerings, securities lending, and corporate stock plan administration solutions, in addition to entertainment and media productions. For over 55 years, Siebert has been a company that values its clients, shareholders, and employees. More information is available at www.siebert.com.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
    The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words “may,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “project,” “intend” and similar words or expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.

    These forward-looking statements, which reflect beliefs, objectives, and expectations as of the date hereof, are based on the best judgment of the management of Siebert. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, including, without limitation, the following: economic, social and political conditions, global economic downturns resulting from extraordinary events; securities industry risks; interest rate risks; liquidity risks; credit risk with clients and counterparties; risk of liability for errors in clearing functions; systemic risk; systems failures, delays and capacity constraints; network security risks; competition; reliance on external service providers; new laws and regulations affecting Siebert’s business; net capital requirements; extensive regulation, regulatory uncertainties and legal matters; failure to maintain relationships with employees, customers, business partners or governmental entities; the inability to achieve synergies or to implement integration plans; and other consequences associated with risks and uncertainties detailed in Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors of Siebert’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and Siebert’s filings with the SEC.

    Siebert cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and new factors may emerge, or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact its business. Siebert undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent required by the federal securities laws.

    Media Contact
    Deborah Kostroun, Zito Partners
    deborah@zitopartners.com
    +1 (201) 403-8185

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/041ca78e-63d1-4c62-a534-e0c9a1fa3b51

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Champagne calls on Canada’s five largest grocery chains to take action to stabilize retail prices for consumers

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    September 18, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario

    Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, met with the leaders of Canada’s five largest grocery chains, who have committed to supporting efforts to stabilize food prices.

    During the meeting, the Minister stressed that the cost of groceries has risen drastically. Minister Champagne also said that for millions of Canadians, the price of food has become a real concern, affecting their quality of life and forcing them to make tough decisions.

    Minister Champagne acknowledged that the grocery sector faces numerous challenges, but he emphasized the particularly key role that the largest grocery chains play in the Canadian retail grocery sector.

    Minister Champagne reiterated that the government expects concrete actions from the largest grocers by Thanksgiving. Such actions must not negatively impact small suppliers or the price that farmers receive for their products, nor should they impact pricing mechanisms as determined by supply-managed industries.

    Stressing the need for a wide-ranging approach, the Minister said he looks forward to his continued work with the largest grocery chains and other industry actors—both domestic and foreign—in the coming weeks to bring relief to Canadians.

    Associated link

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/NIGERIA – After the March 3 kidnapping: Seminarian murdered, while the priest kidnapped with him is released

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – The seminarian who was kidnapped along with a priest on March 3 in southern Nigeria (see Fides, 5/3/2025) has been murdered, while the priest was released. According to the Diocese of Auchi, “Fr. Philip Ekweli was released by the kidnappers on Thursday, 13th of March, 2025 close to Amughe village, a few kilometres from Okpekpe town, North Ibie in Etsako East LGA of Edo State.””Unfortunately, however, the 21-year-old major seminarian, Andrew Peter, who was kidnapped along with Fr Ekweli, was gruesomely murdered by the abductors,” the statement added, signed by Fr. Peter Egielewa, Director of the Diocesan Media Relations Office. Father Ekweli and seminarian Andrew were kidnapped from the rectory of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Iviukhua-Agenebode, Etsako East County, Edo State, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on March 3, when armed men entered both the rectory and the church. The two were taken to nearby forests.The diocese appeals to security forces to protect the people of Edo State from the ongoing kidnappings: “The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Dunia, expresses gratitude to all for the prayers and moral support received while Fr Ekweli and the Seminarian were held in captivity. He calls on the government at all levels and the security agencies to stop the deteriorating security situation in Edo North in particular and other parts of Edo State, which has now become a safe haven for kidnappers, who can operate with impunity, while the people feel helpless and abandoned.” “People are not safe on the roads, in their farms and even in their homes. This is unacceptable when there are elected officials whose duty it is to protect the people. The bishop is grateful to the Edo State Government for their sincere efforts in seeing the victims rescued, but expresses dissatisfaction with the response of the police in particular in the rescue efforts, urging them to put in place better measures to rescue kidnapped victims rather than leave the entire rescue efforts solely in the hands of family, friends and acquaintances of kidnapped victims.”Father Egielewa recalls that “in the past decade, six of its priests had been kidnapped and tortured before release, three were attacked but escaped, and two—Fr. Christopher Odia and Seminarian Andrew Peter—were murdered.” “May the souls of Seminarian Andrew Peter, Fr Christopher Odia and all those killed by kidnappers in Nigeria through the mercy of God rest in peace,” the statement concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 17/3/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Bank of Canada announces the Governor’s Award recipient of the 2025 Fellowship Program

    Source: Bank of Canada

    Governor’s Award

    Reka Juhasz
    Assistant Professor of Economics, Vancouver School of Economics
    University of British Columbia

    Professor Reka Juhasz’s primary research focus is on the effects of industrial policy and how governments can improve the efficacy of these policies to foster economic growth. As global trade shifts, understanding how industrial policy can drive costs and inflation has implications for monetary policy, one of the Bank’s core functions. More broadly, her research also considers international trade, economic history, growth and development. Dr. Juhasz is published in top economic journals and has had a meaningful impact as a mentor in her department. She is also the co-founder of The Industrial Policy Group and was awarded the Alexander Gerschenkron Prize in 2016.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: SIA response to Home Office public body review

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    SIA response to Home Office public body review

    The Security Industry Authority (SIA) today (17 March 2025) welcomed the publication of the Home Office public body review of the regulator.

    Public body reviews provide an opportunity for government departments to ensure they are satisfied that an arm’s length body such as the SIA is operating with a clear purpose using an appropriate delivery model.

    In a joint statement issued today, Heather Baily, Chair of the SIA, and Michelle Russell, Chief Executive of the SIA, said:

    We welcome the publication of this review of the SIA and of the regulatory regime for private security. The SIA embraced the review with a collaborative, open, and transparent approach. We are pleased the review provides the necessary assurance to ministers and the public that the SIA is a well-run organisation doing good work. 

    The focus of this review was efficiency, and the review confirms the SIA has challenged itself to increase efficiency to contain the cost of its operations.

    The review also confirms the SIA is best placed in its current form to deliver the licensing of regulated security roles and the regulation of private security.

    We are particularly pleased that the review acknowledges the work licensed security operatives do to protect the UK. The review encourages them to “continue to work with the SIA as an expert and authoritative regulator that is punching above its weight to encourage the highest standards in the profession.

    We seek and continue to benefit from the support and co-operation of those working in the private security industry and our many partners to provide effective regulation and pursue robustly those who choose not to comply.

    We will work with the Home Office and the devolved governments to implement the recommendations of this review.

    The Home Office conducted the review between August 2023 and March 2024.

    Download and read the full review here: Security Industry Authority: Public Body Review 2025 – GOV.UK.

    Further information

    The SIA is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s main duties are the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).

    For media enquiries only, please contact: media.enquiries@sia.gov.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Bread Financial Provides Performance Update for February 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bread Financial® Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BFH), a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending, and saving solutions to millions of U.S. consumers, provided a performance update. The following tables present the Company’s net loss rate and delinquency rate for the periods indicated:

      For the
    month ended
    February 28, 2025    		   For the
    month ended
    February 29, 2024
      (dollars in millions)
    End-of-period credit card and other loans $ 17,949     $ 18,391  
    Average credit card and other loans $ 18,141     $ 18,541  
    Year-over-year change in average credit card and other loans   (2 %)     (6 %)
    Net principal losses $ 120     $ 131  
    Net loss rate   8.6 %     8.9 %
      As of
    February 28, 2025    		   As of
    February 29, 2024
      (dollars in millions)
    30 days + delinquencies – principal $ 1,027     $ 1,130  
    Period ended credit card and other loans – principal $ 16,506     $ 16,962  
    Delinquency rate   6.2 %     6.7 %
                   

    About Bread Financial®  
    Bread Financial® (NYSE: BFH) is a tech-forward financial services company that provides simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions to millions of U.S. consumers. Our payment solutions, including Bread Financial general purpose credit cards and savings products, empower our customers and their passions for a better life. Additionally, we deliver growth for some of the most recognized brands in travel & entertainment, health & beauty, jewelry and specialty apparel through our private label and co-brand credit cards and pay-over-time products providing choice and value to our shared customers.

    To learn more about Bread Financial, our global associates and our sustainability commitments, visit breadfinancial.com or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.  

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements give our expectations or forecasts of future events and can generally be identified by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” “likely,” “may,” “should” or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make regarding, and the guidance we give with respect to, our anticipated operating or financial results, future financial performance and outlook, future dividend declarations, and future economic conditions.

    We believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking statements, however, are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, in many cases, beyond our control. Accordingly, our actual results could differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release, and no assurances can be given that our expectations will prove to have been correct. Factors that could cause the outcomes to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the following: macroeconomic conditions, including market conditions, inflation, interest rates, labor market conditions, recessionary pressures or concerns over a prolonged economic slowdown, and the related impact on consumer spending behavior, payments, debt levels, savings rates and other behaviors; global political and public health events and conditions, including ongoing wars and military conflicts and natural disasters; future credit performance, including the level of future delinquency and write-off rates; the loss of, or reduction in demand from, significant brand partners or customers in the highly competitive markets in which we compete; the concentration of our business in U.S. consumer credit; inaccuracies in the models and estimates on which we rely, including the amount of our Allowance for credit losses and our credit risk management models; the inability to realize the intended benefits of acquisitions, dispositions and other strategic initiatives; our level of indebtedness and ability to access financial or capital markets; pending and future federal and state legislation, regulation, supervisory guidance, and regulatory and legal actions, including, but not limited to, those related to financial regulatory reform and consumer financial services practices, as well as any such actions with respect to late fees, interchange fees or other charges; impacts arising from or relating to the transition of our credit card processing services to third party service providers that we completed in 2022; failures or breaches in our operational or security systems, including as a result of cyberattacks, unanticipated impacts from technology modernization projects or otherwise; and any tax or other liability or adverse impacts arising out of or related to the spinoff of our former LoyaltyOne segment or the bankruptcy filings of Loyalty Ventures Inc. (LVI) and certain of its subsidiaries and subsequent litigation or other disputes. In addition, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a final rule that, absent a successful legal challenge, will place significant limits on credit card late fees, which would have a significant impact on our business and results of operations for at least the short term and, depending on the effectiveness of the mitigating actions that we have taken or may in the future take in anticipation of, or in response to, the final rule, may potentially adversely impact us over the long term; we cannot provide any assurance as to the effective date of the rule, the result of any pending or future challenges or other litigation relating to the rule, or our ability to mitigate or offset the impact of the rule on our business and results of operations. The foregoing factors, along with other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements, are described in greater detail under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year, which may be updated in Item 1A of, or elsewhere in, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed for periods subsequent to such Form 10-K. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation, other than as required by applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events, anticipated or unanticipated circumstances or otherwise.

    Contacts

    Brian Vereb — Investor Relations 
    Brian.Vereb@breadfinancial.com 

    Susan Haugen — Investor Relations 
    Susan.Haugen@breadfinancial.com

    Rachel Stultz — Media
    Rachel.Stultz@breadfinancial.com   

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Web summit to be held in HK

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong and World Internet Conference (WIC) Secretary General Ren Xianliang announced today the launch of the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit 2025 in Hong Kong.

    Under the theme “Integration of AI & Digital Technologies Shaping the Future – Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”, the event will be staged at the Convention & Exhibition Centre on April 14 and 15.

    For the first time, the WIC has designated Hong Kong to host the Asia-Pacific summit.

    The bureau said the summit is expected to attract around 1,000 participants from the Mainland and overseas, including representatives from governments and enterprises, international organisations, leading corporations, experts and scholars.

    Through exploring the latest trends in various technology areas, as well as in-depth exchanges of views and experiences, the event aims to enable all parties to seize the development opportunities brought about by digital and intelligent transformation, promoting high-quality development in innovation and technology (I&T), strengthening digital collaboration, and creating new momentum and new advantages for the development of the Asia-Pacific region.

    At a press conference today, Prof Sun pointed out that the WIC choosing Hong Kong as the host affirms the city’s pivotal role of bridging China and the world as a dual platform, further strengthening its position as an international I&T centre.

    The summit is expected to deepen regional co-operation in the I&T field, support Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T centre, and foster the development of the digital economy across the Asia-Pacific region, he added.

    The event is organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and co-organised by the Innovation, Technology & Industry Bureau. In addition to the opening ceremony and the main forum on “The Future of Digital Intelligence”, there will be three sub-forums themed “Large Artificial Intelligence Models”, “Digital Finance” and “Digital Government & Smart Life”, where internationally renowned speakers will share their insights.

    A government-enterprise dialogue session, a cybersecurity emergency response advanced training programme, and an information meeting on Practice Cases & Awards for Pioneering Science & Technology will also be held.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Charity regulator warns about fraudulent letters sent on its behalf

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Charity regulator warns about fraudulent letters sent on its behalf

    Charity Commission warns charities about fraudulent messages recently sent to charities and trustees.

    The messages typically request action to be taken such as removing a trustee or chief executive from their position, releasing funds as part of a grant or supplying documents such as a passport or utility bill. They may be signed as coming from ‘the Commission,’ Chief Executive Officer and/or its Directors.  

    We have reported the incidents to Action Fraud and will continue to monitor the situation.  

    It’s not always easy to tell if correspondence is real or fake, however please note we:

    • will only send you a letter just by post only if we do not have your current email address. Check and update your details
    • rarely address letters generically, for example ‘to whom it may concern’
    • do not write letters or emails of certification on behalf of UK charities regarding tax exemption or any other matters
    • do not issue requests to authenticate an account online by supplying personal identity documents
    • will not ask you to provide banking information

    In the rare circumstance where we might send you a letter by post  it will:

    • be franked – not stamped
    • normally have a case number or reference on it 
    • be unlikely to be marked as ‘Strictly Private and Confidential’ 
    • come from the Charity Commission of ‘England and Wales’, not the ‘UK’ or ‘England’

    It is unlikely that any serious allegations against individuals would be detailed in a letter, or that we would name individuals before there was clear evidence of wrongdoing. 

    Matters to do with casework or investigation would normally come from a caseworker or a team at the Commission . 

    If you are in any doubt, contact us to check.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Student clubs of the State University of Management: find something to your liking

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Students of the State University of Management can prove themselves not only in their studies, but also in student life.

    For this purpose, our university has more than ten associations for every taste, from dance to intellectual.

    The KVN League is a club that regularly conquers the top of the Premier and Major Leagues and every year gives us a whole season of battles between cheerful and resourceful teams on the stage of the Assembly Hall;

    ‍The creative collective “StuDos” is a club whose activists create and develop in choreography and vocals;

    ‍The Instrumental Music Club is an association in which you can master any instrument and genre of music, create your own ensemble and perform at a rock concert;

    ‍Case Club “Garnet” is a club whose mission is to help students build the career of their dreams;

    ‍The historical and patriotic club “Zvezda” unites students who advocate for an objective assessment of historical events and the preservation of the memory of their people;

    ‍The board game club “Mind Games” is an association of students who want to have fun and usefully spend their free time;

    ‍International Friendship Club – unites representatives of nationalities and cultures studying at the State University of Management;

    ‍The Student Parliamentary Club is an association of the most active and ambitious students of the State University of Management who are interested in political and social activities;

    ‍Media club “General Press SUM (GPS)” is a club of creative students: writers, photographers, designers and videographers who cover the most exciting events both at the State University of Management and beyond;

    ‍Vernadsky EcoClub – sets itself the task of making the State University of Management eco-friendly; with the club you can help preserve the environment;

    ‍Student theatre is a club where you can play any role, learn to speak freely, perform, express emotions, and, most importantly, study yourself.

    Go to the club page and find something you are ready to dedicate your best years to.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/17/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New-look repairs and maintenance service to be rolled out across Stoke-on-Trent

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Monday, 17th March 2025

    A repairs and maintenance company, which looks after 17,500 homes and around 600 public buildings in Stoke-on-Trent, will be back under the control of Stoke-on-Trent City Council from April.

    In August 2024, the city council announced how Unitas is being brought back in-house to enable it to better meet new government regulations requiring landlords to adhere to new, higher standards ­- and be accountable for all aspects of service delivery.

    Unitas was established in 2018 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the council, however, from Tuesday, 1 April 2025, Unitas will be transferred over to Stoke-on-Trent City Council and will operate alongside the hundreds of other valued services that the authority already provides.

    From that date, the Unitas name – and logo – will cease to exist, and the service will instead be known as the council’s Repairs and Maintenance Service.

    The current Unitas branding will be phased out and replaced with the Stoke-on-Trent City Council crest, in line with all other council services.

    New name badges and ID cards are currently being produced for repairs operatives who will present them upon arrival at a tenant’s property. The ID cards will also include a telephone number, which tenants can call to clarify who the person is before letting them into their homes.

    Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Over the last six months, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to ensure this transition carried out as smoothly and sensitively as possible for all involved.

    “The project is progressing well and I’m pleased to be able to announce that, from Tuesday, 1 April, the service will be back under control of the council.

    “For now, and in the near future, we don’t expect tenants to notice a huge difference in the way we are delivering our housing repairs and maintenance service. Everything will continue as normal up until at least April.

    “But we know from speaking to our tenants that improvement is needed to our repairs and maintenance service and we are looking at what changes we need to make to ensure we can provide a high-quality service. We also want to make sure that repairs are done right the first time and that, through our proactive investment programme, we can fix common housing issues before they become a big problem – such as damp and mould.

    “We are committed to improving people’s lives and making the city a healthier, wealthier and safer place for all.”

    The decision to bring the council’s repair and maintenance service in-house follows the introduction of new government legislation, introduced on the back of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Luis de Guindos: Interview with The Sunday Times

    Source: European Central Bank

    Interview with Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, conducted by Jon Ihle

    16 March 2025

    The progress of annual inflation, at least up until February, looked like it was going in the wrong direction. Are you still confident that it will converge towards 2% sometime this year?

    The disinflation process is on track. There was a small pick-up inflation in recent months, but this had been expected, mostly on account of unfavourable base effects in November, December and January.

    The main reason for our confidence that inflation will come down to 2% is that all indicators for services and underlying inflation are moving in the right direction. A very important one is compensation per employee. According to recent data and in line with our projections, wage growth is moderating, which will help services inflation to gradually decline.

    At the same time, we need to keep in mind that factors like tariffs and fiscal policy are causing a lot of uncertainty. But taking this into account, we are confident that headline inflation will converge on a sustainable basis towards our 2% medium-term target towards the end of this year or the beginning of next.

    Let’s talk about some of the factors in this uncertain environment. What are the specific factors that are influencing the Governing Council’s thinking about the rate path right now, and how has that changed since the start of the easing cycle?

    We have already reduced interest rates by a total of 150 basis points. This is what we refer to in our monetary policy statement as a “meaningfully less restrictive” stance than at the beginning of the cycle.

    Our projections now show that inflation will converge towards our target in the medium term. But again, we need to consider the uncertainty of the current environment, which is even higher than it was during the pandemic. For instance, our projections don’t include the definitive level of the tariffs imposed by the United States and its trade partners, since the current situation is so volatile.

    Nevertheless, we are confident that inflation is moving towards our target on a sustainable basis, for example due to the moderation in wage growth I mentioned earlier. Even energy prices, which had also resulted in a small pick-up in inflation, have started to decline.

    Markets in the last few weeks have had some very strong reactions to the external environment. I’m thinking of the increase in German bond yields, changing expectations for fewer rate cuts from the ECB and the stock market correction in the United States. Does any of that feed into the ECB’s thinking on the rate path?

    We look at a wide range of indicators, all of which have an impact on our analysis. These include the evolution of wages and of the economy in terms of domestic demand and growth. And we of course look at financing conditions, for which our bank lending survey is very useful.

    It’s true that bond yields have increased due to the new German Government’s budgetary plans and that we have seen a correction in US equities from very high levels. But we also need to try to look through the short-term evolution of markets and distinguish between short-term volatility and permanent or medium-term forces. If we were to be as volatile as the markets, that wouldn’t be very reassuring.

    You said the uncertainty now is even greater than during the pandemic. How would you characterise it? What are the big unknowns at the moment?

    First, the policies of the new US Administration. There’s a lot of talk about tariffs, but it’s not just about that. The new Administration has also been quite clear about deregulating banks, non-banks and crypto-assets. And beyond that, they have announced that they want to modify corporate tax, which could affect capital flows across the Atlantic. In general, what we’re seeing is that the new US Administration isn’t very open to continuing with multilateralism, which is about cooperation across jurisdictions and finding common solutions for common problems. This is a very important change, and a big source of uncertainty.

    Second, and as a result of the new Administration’s attitude towards defence, we have the European Commission’s proposal to increase national defence spending by 1.5% of GDP. This is certainly a decision in the right direction, and it will have an impact on the macroeconomic outlook. We don’t know enough details about the package to make an accurate assessment about its impact on the economy, but it will likely be positive for growth and have a limited impact on inflation.

    Let’s focus on defence. Are you comfortable with national budget rules being relaxed to accommodate more defence spending? Will you need to adjust your monetary policy as those changes in fiscal policy come through?

    We always take fiscal policy into account because it interacts with monetary policy. In this case, we need to know the concrete details of the package before we can make an accurate assessment. How will spending be distributed across items? In terms of economic impact, spending more on military wages is not the same as spending more on weapons. How much will be spent outside of the EU? How is it going to be financed? One part will be common debt, but the package is much larger than that. The rest could be covered by taxes or a reduction in public spending. All of these factors are important to know in order to assess the impact of the package on the economy.

    It looks like we may be moving closer towards a resolution of the war in Ukraine, or at least a ceasefire. Would that be beneficial for the euro area economy? Would it change anything of what you’ve outlined so far?

    From a human standpoint, a peace agreement would obviously be very positive. And in general, it would be beneficial for the economy as well. But we would need to see the exact terms of a potential settlement to know for sure.

    Turning to the United States, what role do you see for the ECB in terms of managing trade shocks and the overall approach of the Trump administration?

    We need to keep in mind that the current situation is very volatile. It seems like every day a new tariff is imposed or one that has already been announced is removed. Hopefully we’ll soon have more clarity on the US Administration’s plans for the time ahead.

    Obviously, a trade war would be a lose-lose situation for everybody. It would have a much worse impact on growth than on inflation. This is because increasing tariffs raises prices at first, but lower growth subsequently offsets this initial price increase. We also need to look not only at bilateral tariffs between the United States and Europe but also at what economists call “trade diversion”. This means that, for example, tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese goods could redirect trade flows to Europe, along with whatever economic impact that may have.

    Once we have all the details of the final policies, we will be able to better assess their impact based on all these factors. We are now using a baseline scenario and several alternative scenarios with different trade distortions to try to calibrate the impact as best as we can.

    Another aspect of the uncertainty in the United States is the way Trump is changing the relationship of the White House to many of the independent agencies in Washington. One of those might be the Federal Reserve. What would it mean for the ECB if its independence were to erode under President Trump? Has that scenario been discussed at all in the Governing Council?

    No, we haven’t discussed that because we can’t imagine it happening. The independence of the Federal Reserve is enshrined in law. We will always defend the independence of central banks, which is crucial to ensure they can fulfil their mandates.

    There are a lot of question marks over the predictability of the United States. Does Europe need to start thinking about making the euro more of a global reserve currency, if the dollar becomes less reliable?

    The euro is already a reserve currency, and strengthening its role in that respect is not part of our mandate. But keeping inflation low, increasing the potential growth of the European economy, signalling openness to trade agreements with different jurisdictions and making the European Union a model for free trade all over the world – all of this would strengthen the role of the euro as a reserve currency.

    But do you see a need for Europe to step more into that role ahead of the United States?

    I wouldn’t make comparisons with the United States. What Europe should do is maintain the position that it has always had as an open economy, in favour of free trade, the free flow of capital and multilateralism.

    Earlier you said that a trade war would be very detrimental to growth, but we don’t know all the details yet. How has the ECB’s view on euro area growth evolved in the last few months?

    We have downgraded our growth outlook for 2025 and 2026 by 0.2 percentage points. There are two main drivers behind that downward revision. First, uncertainty about the economy in the coming months has clearly dented confidence, and this is having an impact on investment. And second, a possible trade war would reduce net exports.

    Philip Lane has said recently that the conditions in the euro area are right for a pick-up in household consumption. Do you share his optimism that it can increase and maybe drive economic growth?

    All the factors that Philip indicated are correct. Real wages have increased, inflation is declining, interest rates are coming down and financing conditions are better. But still, the reality is that consumption is not picking up.

    This is because consumers don’t always react to developments in their short-term real disposable income. They also consider what might happen with the economy over the medium term, which is clouded in uncertainty. The possibility of a trade war or wider geopolitical conflict has an impact on consumer confidence.

    Eventually, the increase in the factors that Philip pointed out will prevail. But right now, the lack of consumer confidence due to the uncertainty of the world economy is offsetting that effect.

    European households have enormous cash savings at the moment, especially since the pandemic. Christine Lagarde has spoken frequently about turning those cash savings into investment to drive innovation and growth. Are you optimistic that this can become a reality?

    The capital markets union is certainly very important, but looking at the current economic situation in Europe, it’s crucial to put structural reforms in place to make it more productive and competitive. This is also what the Letta and Draghi reports argued.

    Fully integrating the internal market will be key here. It’s very difficult to have a capital markets union if you don’t have an integrated economy for goods and services. There are certainly concrete actions we can take to complete the capital markets union, but we should also focus on removing the internal obstacles to a real single market in Europe.

    There are three key elements here: fully integrating the Single Market, completing the banking union and completing the capital markets union. We must make progress on these three elements in parallel; it will be very difficult to make progress on one of them in isolation.

    Which of those elements would you say the ECB has the most influence on? And what can it do?

    Our mandate is price stability, but we also have an advisory role and produce expert opinions. Our economists and researchers carry out a lot of analytical work on Europe. The European Council and the Commission listen to what we have to say, and we are also accountable to the European Parliament. So we continuously use our voice to make the points that we believe are key to making the European economy more productive and competitive.

    Are you happy with the levels of credit flow from European banks to households and businesses?

    They are on the rise, following the rate cuts and the improvement in financing conditions. Demand for credit is not very strong, at least from a corporate standpoint, although it’s gradually increasing. This has to do with the lack of investor confidence. If you have doubts about the future and you’re waiting to see what will happen with trade, fiscal policy and geopolitical risk, you don’t invest, so you also don’t borrow. But in the case of households, we have started to see a significant increase in demand for mortgages.

    Speaking of housing: in several countries of the euro area, housing is in crisis. There’s an undersupply, and financing isn’t available to everybody that wants to buy a house. Do you think at this stage, nearly 15 years after the financial crisis, that lending rules are still too tight? Have regulators overcorrected on capital rules for banks, harming consumers and households?

    The current situation is very different to the one that we had 15 years ago. As a finance minister in Spain, I was dealing with the burst of a big housing and credit bubble, similar to what we saw in Ireland. Now, residential real estate prices are a big problem, but the drivers aren’t the same as the ones we had back then. From a financing standpoint, the situation is very different because the banks’ solvency is not in question.

    That being said, current developments in house prices are having a very negative impact on young people, who have a lot of trouble accessing housing. In some countries, this may have to do with issues with the rental market and how it is regulated. Policies should be put in place to make housing, mainly in the rental market, much more affordable. At the European level, improving the performance of the rental market will be very important in the near future. We should foster common action to achieve this, because it’s a significant source of social upset.

    But this is for national governments to do, not the ECB. We do need to analyse the situation, however, because not all countries are in the same position with respect to their rental markets. And there are lessons to be learned from the policies some countries have put in place.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Mozambique: Two years without justice for protester shot in the eye with rubber bullet

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Ahead of the two-year anniversary of Inocêncio Manhique losing his eye due to unlawful use of force by security forces, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Khanyo Farisè, said: 

    “Two years ago, security forces shot Inocêncio Manhique in the eye with a rubber bullet during a peaceful protest. To date, as a promised investigation has stalled, Manhique has received no justice for this crime. 

    “Inocêncio Manhique’s case is emblematic of the impunity that security forces enjoy in Mozambique. Indeed, security personnel have gone on to violently suppress peaceful assemblies, with reports of more than 300 people killed in the widespread crackdown on protests since last October’s elections. 

    “Authorities must ensure justice for Inocêncio Manhique by disclosing the results of any investigation they may have conducted into his case. They must also ensure that investigations into all reports of human rights violations committed during the ongoing post-election crackdown are prompt, transparent, independent, and impartial.” 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: With a federal election looming, America’s democratic decline has critical lessons for Canadian voters

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Matthew Lebo, Professor, Department of Political Science, Western University

    Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet have been sworn in, ending Justin Trudeau’s time in office and paving the way for a spring election. Canadians are soon heading to the polls as they watch American democracy crumble.

    United States President Donald Trump recently argued “he who saves his country does not violate any Law” as he ignores Congress and the courts, governs by executive order and threatens international laws and treaties.



    Read more:
    Is Donald Trump on a constitutional collision course over NATO?

    Once stable democratic institutions are failing to hold an authoritarian president in check.

    What lessons are there to protect Canadian democracy as the federal election approaches?

    Elites lead the way

    First, it’s important to delve into how so many Americans have become tolerant of undemocratic actions and politics in the first place. It’s not that Republican voters first became more extreme and then chose a representative leader. Rather, public opinion and polarization are led by elites.

    Republican leaders moved dramatically to the right, and the primary system allowed the choice of an extremist. Republican voters then aligned their opinions with his. Trump’s disdain for democratic fundamentals spread quickly. Partisans defending their team slid away from democratic values.

    Canada’s more centrist ideological spectrum is not foolproof against this type of extremism. Public opinion can be moved when our leaders take us there.

    Decline can start slowly and then accelerate. America’s democratic backsliding in the first weeks of Trump’s second presidency follows the erosion of democratic norms over decades. Republican attacks on institutions, the opposition, the media and higher education corrosively undermined public faith in the truth, including election results.

    Trust in government is holding steady in Canada, however. That provides an important guardrail for Canadian democracy.

    The dangers of courting the far right

    There are also lessons for our political parties. To maximize their seats, Republicans accepted extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene, but soon needed those types of politicians for key votes.

    The so-called Freedom Caucus, made up of MAGA adherents, forced the choice of a new, more extreme, leader of the House of Representatives. This provides a clear lesson that history has shown many times: it is dangerous for the party on the political right to accommodate the far right, which can quickly take control.

    Once established within the ruling party, extremists can hold their party hostage.

    At a recent meeting of the Munich Security Conference, Vice-President JD Vance pushed European parties to include far-right parties, and Elon Musk outright endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

    Austria recently avoided the inclusion of the far right in its new coalition, and now Germany is working to do the same. As Canada’s Conservatives look for every vote, courting far-right voters and candidates risks destabilizing the system.

    Can it happen in Canada?

    How safe is Canada’s Westminster-style parliamentary democracy?

    The fusion of legislative and executive power in parliamentary systems like Canada’s seems prone to tyranny. America’s Constitutional framers thought so when they designed a system with separate legislative, executive and judicial branches that could check each other’s power.

    They clearly did not imagine party loyalty negating the safeguards that protect democracy from an authoritarian-minded president. The Constitution gives Congress the power to legislate and impeach, limits the executive’s power to spend and make appointments, gives the judiciary power to hold an executive accountable and contains the 25th amendment allowing cabinet to remove a president.

    But when one party controls the legislative and executive branches during a time of hyper-partisanship, these mechanisms may not constrain an authoritarian. Today, Republican loyalty has eroded these checks and balances and American courts are struggling to step up to their heightened role.

    Although counter-intuitive, parliamentary systems like Canada’s are usually less susceptible to authoritarianism than presidential ones because the cabinet or the House of Commons can turn against a lawless leader.

    Still, if popular, authoritarian leaders can still retain their party’s support — and then things can slide quickly. The rightward pull of extremists seen in the U.S. House would be more dangerous here since the Canadian House of Commons includes our executive.

    Guarding against xenophobia

    Lastly, Canada should be wary of xenophobic rhetoric.

    “America First” is not simply shopping advice. It began as an isolationist slogan during the First World War but was soon adopted by pro-fascists, American Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. These entities questioned who is really American and wanted not only isolationism, but racist policies, immigration restrictions and eugenics.

    Trump did not revive the phrase accidentally. It’s a call to America’s fringes. Alienating domestic groups is a sure sign of democratic decline.

    “Canada First” mimics that century-long dark theme in America. In combination with contempt for the opposition, it questions the right of other parties to legitimately hold power if used as a message by one party.

    Also, asserting that “Canada is broken” — as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre often does — mimics Trump’s talk of American carnage, language and imagery he uses to justify extraordinary presidential authority.

    Such language erodes citizens’ trust in democratic institutions and primes voters to support undemocratic practices in the name of patriotism. Canadian parties and politicians should exit that road.

    Ultimately, institutions alone do not protect a country from the rise of authoritarianism. Democracy can be fragile. As a federal election approaches in Canada, it’s important to know the warning signs of extremism and anti-democratic practices that are creeping into our politics.

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

    – ref. With a federal election looming, America’s democratic decline has critical lessons for Canadian voters – https://theconversation.com/with-a-federal-election-looming-americas-democratic-decline-has-critical-lessons-for-canadian-voters-251544

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s potential embrace of ‘continentalist geopolitics’ poses grave risks to Canada

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Michael Williams, Professor of International Politics, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    In the few weeks since United States President Donald Trump returned to the White House, world leaders and commentators have struggled to make sense of his approach to foreign policy, including tariffs, alliance renegotiations and threats of territorial appropriation.

    No one is sure how much is bluff or negotiating tactics, nor how much is deadly serious.

    For some, Trump’s foreign policy is simply incoherent, but most try to fit his approach into the familiar choice between isolationism and internationalism.

    But there’s a third possibility: Trump’s second presidency marks a contemporary twist on an older form of continentalist geopolitics with important implications for Canada and the world.

    ‘Great Powers’

    Although it has been largely missing from foreign policy debates in the post-Second World War era, continentalist geopolitics has a long and often controversial history.

    In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, it envisioned a world divided into “great spaces,” each dominated by a different “Great Power.” According to this perspective, not all regions are equally important, and continentalist geopolitics does not require a choice between internationalism and isolationism.

    Instead, continentalism recommends that Great Powers like the U.S. — with its massive financial, natural and industrial resources — concentrate on controlling territory, the regions surrounding it and the crucial transportation routes on its continental fringes.

    Pressure is placed on countries whose importance is determined by their geopolitical proximity, and those that are least able to resist due to their dense connections and relative dependence on the U.S.

    The objective is not just to gain specific advantages; it’s to force neighbours into even tighter economic and infrastructural connections and dependence. The obvious countries in this scenario are Canada and Mexico, and it’s therefore unsurprising that both have been the targets of Trump’s significant tariff threats and other coercive measures.

    When Ontario Premier Doug Ford talks about the need for tighter continental ties through a continental AmCan arrangement, he provides exactly the desired reaction.

    Pressuring neighbours

    Beyond geographically contiguous states, continentalist geopolitics also focuses on areas that command key strategic passages and trade routes, especially those currently controlled by weaker powers.

    For the U.S., Panama, with its canal, fits the bill. Danish-administered Greenland, with its natural resources and geographic importance in a rapidly thawing Arctic region, is another. It’s unsurprising that these countries, along with Canada, were a Trump focus in the first weeks of his second administration.

    Today, continentalist geopolitics recognizes the multi-polarity and “multi-alignment” in world politics.

    It’s not isolationist, but it recognizes that waning American power in an inter-connected world gives more distant states the ability to resist U.S. pressure by making deals with a wide range of other countries. In this setting, an interventionist global role is neither possible nor desirable, and the U.S. should refrain from global commitments.

    As U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in one of his first interviews after taking office:

    “It’s not normal for the world to simply have a unipolar power… that was an anomaly. It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multi-polar world, multi-great powers in different parts of the planet. We face that now with China and to some extent Russia.”

    No commitment to global stability

    The continentalist perspective does not require a complete separation from the world economic or security order. Trade, financial and technology flows can be encouraged, but their basis would be a re-industrialized and more self-sufficient core, well-insulated from economic and security threats.

    Extended interests, such as European stability, could be minimized by increasing the cost burden to allies and minimizing fixed commitments. A powerful global capacity with a “light” geographic footprint is the preferred posture.

    Calls for increased defence spending by NATO allies and for European responsibility in enforcing a post-war settlement in Ukraine logically follow.

    The continentalist playbook is content to leave the management of distant regions to other powers, each pre-eminent in their part of the world. That means participation in international organizations is minimized.

    Foreign aid should reflect American interests, with involvement depending on the costs and benefits, not any automatic commitment to global stability. Feeding the world’s most extensive development agency, USAID, “into the wood-chipper” — to quote Elon Musk — is a page taken straight from this kind of geopolitician’s handbook.

    Unsavoury history

    The possibility that a continentalist geopolitics underpins recent U.S. foreign policy initiatives has received too little attention in Canada.

    It’s not yet clear that the actions of America’s new administration represent the rise, much less the triumph, of Trumpian geopolitics. Nor is there any guarantee that such a vision would or will succeed.

    But there is enough evidence to suggest we should take the possibility seriously. Since 1945, America’s foreign policy options have resided somewhere between internationalism and isolationism. But a geopolitical vision of world politics as a diverse canvas of large territory dominated by different Great Powers have a long, if often unsavoury, history in foreign policy.

    A southern neighbour pursuing a such a geopolitical approach would mark a radical transformation in world order and pose huge challenges for Canada. Canadians should at least be prepared for the possibility.

    Michael Williams receives funding from the Social Science Research Council of Canada

    – ref. Trump’s potential embrace of ‘continentalist geopolitics’ poses grave risks to Canada – https://theconversation.com/trumps-potential-embrace-of-continentalist-geopolitics-poses-grave-risks-to-canada-251545

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK Happy St Patrick’s Day ☘️

    Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)

    You can spot shamrocks in the windows of Westminster Hall and the tiles of the Central Lobby. The Palace of Westminster is home to symbols of all four parts of the United Kingdom, including the leek, thistle, rose and shamrock.

    Come and spot them for yourself by visiting Parliament on a tour. https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Idab1BzdM

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Building regulations: updated notices of approval for calculation methodologies: circular letter

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Building regulations: updated notices of approval for calculation methodologies: circular letter

    Methodologies of calculation of the energy performance of new buildings to demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations 2010 in England, and the methodologies for expressing the energy performance of buildings in England and Wales.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Building regulations: updated notices of approval for calculation methodologies: circular letter

    HTML

    Details

    The purpose of this circular letter is to draw attention to the publication of the following:

    • updated Notice of approval of the methodologies of calculation of the energy performance of new buildings to demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations 2010 in England
    • updated Notice of approval of the methodologies for expressing the energy performance of buildings in England and Wales

    The new notices of approval supersede the existing versions and come into effect on 17 March 2025. Please see the circular for full details.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 March 2025

    Sign up for emails or print this page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Stephenson County, Illinois, Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of Children

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

    ROCKFORD — A Stephenson County, Ill. man was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Rockford for sexual exploitation of children.

    COLLIN T. ZIER, 39, of Lena, Ill., was charged with one count of producing child pornography, one count of transporting child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography.

    The count of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years. The counts of transporting and receiving child pornography each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years. The count of possessing child pornography carries a maximum sentence of ten years.

    The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim.

    The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, while also providing critical services to victims.

    If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to https://www.missingkids.org/ or calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Seven Detroit Men Charged for Drug Distribution, Illegal Possession of Weapons, and Money Laundering

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

    DETROIT – Seven men have been charged in a forty-three-count indictment alleging conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, weapons charges, and money laundering, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced.

    Beck was joined in the announcement by Chevoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Detroit Field Office, and Charles E. Miller, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Detroit Field Office.

    Tary Holcomb (age 52), Maurice Hill (56), James Thomas (47), Curtis Weathers (52), Jason Ford, Conrad Taylor (48), and Shantonio Brooks (49), all of Detroit, were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a myriad of controlled substances, including cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each of the men faces a mandatory prison sentence of at least 10 years. Holcomb and Thomas each face additional charges for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, while Holcomb also faces charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for money laundering activities dating back to January 2023.

    This case is assigned to Judge Edmunds of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

    An indictment is only a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    “This case is an example of our zealous commitment to identify and dismantle local drug trafficking organizations that wreak havoc in our community by distributing harmful substances, illegally amassing weapons, and laundering illicit proceeds. This activity puts far too many at risk, and it will not be tolerated in our district,” Acting U.S. Attorney Beck said.

    “The indictment of seven men, accused of conspiring to distribute drugs, illegally possess firearms, and engage in money laundering, was successfully halted due to the tireless and meticulous investigative efforts by our dedicated team at the FBI Detroit Field Office, in close collaboration with our law enforcement partners at the IRS Criminal Investigation. This operation underscores our commitment to protecting the safety of Michigan’s communities,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI is unwavering in its mission to investigate and hold accountable those who threaten the well-being and security of our residents, ensuring a safer Michigan for all.”

    “Federal laws that regulate the reporting of financial transactions are in place to detect and stop illegal activities, such as the drug trafficking and money laundering charges levied today,” said Charles Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “CI is committed to enforcing these laws and following the money, wherever it leads.”

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    This case was investigated by agents from FBI’s Detroit Organized Crime Squad and IRS-CI along with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Ramamurthy. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Convicts Hayward Man of Bankruptcy Fraud and Contempt of Court

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Bernard Seidling Hid Millions in Assets During Bankruptcy and Disobeyed Bankruptcy Court Injunction

    MADISON, WIS. – A Hayward, Wisconsin, man has been convicted of two counts of bankruptcy fraud and one count of criminal contempt of court. Bernard Seidling, 73, also of Key West, Florida, was convicted following a four-day trial in federal court in Madison. The jury reached a verdict yesterday afternoon after about five hours of deliberation. The guilty verdict is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.

    “Fraud threatens the free and fair markets upon which our economy is based. Moreover, fraud against the Court—in this case, the Bankruptcy Court—has the potential to undermine public trust in the fairness of the courts. This case reflects my office’s commitment to prosecuting financial crime and protecting the integrity of the bankruptcy system,” said U.S. Attorney O’Shea. “I am grateful for our partnership with the U.S. Trustee’s Office and I commend our federal and state law enforcement partners, the FBI, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and the U.S. Postal Inspectors.”

    “The FBI is unwavering in its commitment to holding individuals like Mr. Seidling accountable,” stated FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “Criminal bankruptcy fraud threatens the integrity of our legal processes, and the FBI remains committed along with our law enforcement partners in bringing those to justice who would abuse and exploit the bankruptcy system.”

    Seidling filed for bankruptcy in 2022. He falsely stated he had no real estate, retirement accounts, trusts, partnerships, or business-related property, and that he had only one deposit account with a balance of $195. Through 25 witnesses and 115 exhibits, the government established Seidling had millions of dollars in personal and business assets, many of which were hidden behind trusts and partnerships. As one example, the day he filed bankruptcy, Seidling had four bank accounts in the names of trusts and a partnership with a combined balance of more than $3,000,000. In 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Seidling’s Hayward residence and located over $100,000 in cash and over $4,000,000 in uncashed cashier’s checks, most of which were drawn on business bank accounts but made payable to Seidling.

    The government also proved Seidling defrauded the bankruptcy court and the bankruptcy trustee by falsely representing that he could not meaningfully participate in the bankruptcy case due to his physical and mental health. This stalled the trustee’s efforts to identify and liquidate Seidling’s assets for the benefit of his creditors. During the period of Seidling’s alleged incapacitation, he continued to manage his businesses, conduct banking activity, and play tennis. He also represented himself and participated in state court litigation.

    The government also proved Seidling violated an order issued by the bankruptcy court. A November 2023 injunction prohibited Seidling from transferring or dissipating assets held by 37 of Seidling’s businesses, plus any other business entity Seidling was associated with. The injunction further prohibited Seidling from directing or instructing anyone else to transfer assets. Seidling violated the injunction by transferring real estate and draining bank accounts. He hid more than $1,000,000 in cash in a crawl space under his house. Seidling also used an unwitting individual to transfer a parcel of real estate.      

    Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson scheduled sentencing for June 11, 2025. Seidling faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of bankruptcy fraud. There is no maximum penalty for criminal contempt of court.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The United States also received assistance from the Office of the United States Trustee. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith P. Duchemin and Megan R. Stelljes.  

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Las Vegas Man Indicted For Forced Labor Trafficking, Illegal Acts Related To Documents, And Falsifying Immigration Documents

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident made his initial court appearance on Thursday before United States Magistrate Judge Brenda N. Weksler for allegedly forcing three victims from Cuba into domestic servitude, confiscating their passports and other identifications, and providing false statements on immigration documents.

    According to allegations contained in court documents and statements made in court, beginning on or about September 20, 2023, to about July 31, 2024, Rafael Juan Mitjans (50) took the passports, immigration documents, and other government identification documents belonging to three victims with the intent to restrict the victim’s ability to move and travel in order to maintain the labor and services of the victims.

    Further, as alleged, between June 18, 2023, and September 17, 2023, Mitjans provided false statements to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services that he would provide the victims with basic living needs, including money each month, a room with a bed, television, desk, and laptop, clothing, shoes, hygiene products, and three meals per day. He knew the statements on the immigration forms were false.

    A federal grand jury returned an indictment on March 12, 2025, charging Mitjans with three counts of forced labor, three counts of unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking and forced labor, and three counts of false statements on immigration documents. A jury trial has been scheduled before United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II on May 19, 2025.

    If convicted, the maximum statutory penalty is 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and HSI Las Vegas acting Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes, Jr. made the announcement.

    HSI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Clark County School District Police Department, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant United States Attorney Steven Rose is prosecuting the case.

    To report criminal violations of forced labor, contact the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or submit an HSI tip form online.

    An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    ###

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Nearly Nine Out of 10 Decision Makers Rank the Phone as the Most Important Outbound Channel for Meeting Customer Service Goals and Increasing Revenues

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — While channels like email and messaging are more prevalent, the phone remains one of the most business-critical tools available, according to a 2025 study from Forrester Consulting, commissioned by TransUnion (NYSE: TRU). The study found 86% of decision-makers across a wide range of industries agree the phone is the most important outbound channel for meeting customer service goals and increasing revenues.

    The study surveyed 719 decision-makers responsible for their company’s outbound call experience strategy, technology selection, and security. Its findings provide an update to the 2022 study and highlight key pain points, including inaccurate customer contact data and the threat of call spoofing. The full findings are available in the study, Optimizing Outbound Communications: Strategies And Technologies For Effective Customer Engagement. The State of Outbound Communications in 2025.

    Decision-makers indicated their companies made 26% fewer calls while increasing use of other digital channels; however, the phone remains their top channel for urgent customer service issues and discussing personal matters.

    “Business leaders understand the critical role communications solutions play in helping companies promote their brand while protecting consumers,” said James Garvert, senior vice president of TruContact™ Communications Solutions at TransUnion. “Adoption of customer contact, branded calling and call authentication solutions has proven to help businesses enhance the customer experience, increase revenues, and reduce fraud risk.”

    Importance of communications and contact solutions
    Three in four decision-makers say accurate caller information displayed on outbound calls is important for improving customer engagement and increasing answer rates. This rich content can be displayed through branded calling. Among the most valuable features of branded calling, respondents identified the following as “important” or “critical” to improving customer engagement and contact rates.

    Most Important Features to Drive Customer Engagement

    Accurate Caller
    ID on
    Outbound
    Calls    		 Protection
    Against Call
    Spoofing    		 Indication on
    Mobile Display
    that Call Is
    Authenticated    		 Displaying Logo
    on Outbound
    Calls
    75% 67% 62% 58%


    Damaging effects of fraud and call-spoofing
    Decision-makers noted the need for protection against call spoofing, with 80% reporting an uptick in customer service inquiries due to call spoofing and subsequent increased operational costs.

    In addition, 72% have observed a decline in customer trust due to call spoofing, directly affecting retention. Despite the recognized need for robust solutions, effective measures are elusive—and that problem appears to have gotten worse. The current survey found 55% of decision-makers said their current technologies lack adequate call spoofing protection, representing an increase from 38% since 2022.

    The study notes that businesses can also improve customer experience by focusing their use of the phone channel on urgent and personal matters—when it is most valued—and by understanding and respecting consumers’ individual contact preferences.

    Click here to read Optimizing Outbound Communications: Strategies And Technologies For Effective Customer Engagement. The State of Outbound Communications 2025.

    Learn more about TransUnion Branded Call Display (BCD), part of the Trusted Call Solutions (TCS) suite, and our suite of Customer Contact Intelligence solutions.

    TransUnion will be at Enterprise Connect 2025 at booth #1327. Senior Director of Product Management, Mick Moss, will be speaking at the show on Tuesday March 18, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. on the Restoring Trust in the Voice Channel with Branded Calling panel and on Thursday, March 20, 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. on the Building Trust in Outbound Calling Systems panel.

    Survey Methodology
    In this study, Forrester conducted an online survey of 719 decision-makers at automotive dealer, collections, financial services, healthcare, insurance, travel and hospitality, and wealth management organizations in the US to evaluate the current state of outbound communications. Survey participants included decision-makers in customer experience/service, call center/contact center, IT, IT security, marketing/advertising, operations, and risk/compliance/fraud. Respondents were offered a small incentive as a thank-you for time spent on the survey. The study was completed in November 2024.

    About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
    TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business.

    Contact     Dave Blumberg
      TransUnion
    E-mail david.blumberg@transunion.com
    Telephone 312-972-6646

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Building a better future with the law

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Building a better future with the law

    GLD lawyers played a critical role in delivering the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

    The Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduced to Parliament on 11 March is a key element of the Government’s Growth Mission.

    The Bill supports the Government’s commitments to build 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament, kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower through reforms to the planning system. 

    The key objective of the Bill is to streamline planning processes to accelerate house building and major infrastructure projects. The Bill will also support the government’s Clean Power 2030 mission by speeding up the delivery of clean energy infrastructure.

    Successful delivery of the Bill has involved outstanding cross government collaboration by Government Legal Department lawyers advising in 5 key departments: MHCLG, DfT, DESNZ, Defra and MoJ.

    GLD lawyers worked closely with lawyers in the Office for Parliamentary Counsel who drafted the Bill.

    Thanks to expert legal advice from across the Civil Service, we have been able to deliver all aspects of the Bill, and associated products such as the Explanatory Notes Delegated Powers Memorandum and Human Rights memorandum.  

    Innovative and creative thinking helped deliver legal solutions to support the delivery of housebuilding, the creation of a Nature Restoration Fund, and improvements to infrastructure and clean energy.

    The Bill’s measures which introduce environmental delivery plans make targeted amendments to existing environmental legislation, like the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, in order to assist the securing of improved outcomes for the environment.

    In response to Lord Banner KC’s independent review into legal challenges of Development Consent Orders[1], the Bill also makes provision for the removal of the paper permission stage for judicial reviews of National Policy Statements and Development Consent Orders, introduced by the Planning Act 2008, and removes the right to appeal for cases deemed totally without merit at the oral permission hearing.

    [1] Independent review into legal challenges against Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects – GOV.UK

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British Embassy Zagreb invites bids for Impact Fund 2025 to 2026

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    British Embassy Zagreb invites bids for Impact Fund 2025 to 2026

    British Embassy Zagreb invites organisations to submit proposals by 14 April 2025 for projects demonstrating impact in areas of strengthening inter-community relations in Southeast Europe.

    The British Embassy in Zagreb is inviting organisations to submit project proposals for funding from our Impact Fund. As the name suggests, the purpose of the fund is to achieve impact, so we’re looking for projects that make a real difference in the highlighted priority areas. Project proposals which strengthen and nurture relationships between Croatian and UK people and organisations are particularly welcome.

    Themes

    This year, the call will focus on organisations, projects and activities, which link to the following thematic areas:

    Regional stability and development: connecting and strengthening societies in Southeast Europe

    Projects which promote harmonious and constructive relations between communities within Croatia, and between communities in Croatia and its neighbours, to enable stability, European integration and socio-economic advancement in the context of global and domestic challenges. We will prioritise projects in the following areas: 

    • strengthening inter-community understanding, tolerance and constructive cooperation, both domestically and cross-border within Southeast Europe
    • defending against threats to inter-community relations in Southeast Europe, e.g. countering hate speech, historic distortion, and disinformation; supporting a healthy media landscape; and promoting factual, inclusive public discourse and narratives
    • empowering women and girls, enhancing female civic participation and equality, contributing to prosperity and security in the region

    Special emphasis should be placed on activities which generate change, with wider and lasting social impact.

    Innovation for growth: building and nurturing UK-Croatia research & innovation, science, technology, and business partnerships.

    Projects which nurture long-term research & innovation, science, technology, and business partnerships, with a special emphasis on fostering economic growth and UK-Croatia cooperation. We will prioritise projects in the following areas: 

    • establishing new partnerships between researchers, businesses and institutions in the UK and Croatia. In particular, large-scale UK-Croatia collaboration between researchers and organisations within Horizon Europe and other programmes (note: while we cannot directly fund research covered by these other programmes, but we can support establishing the research connections)

    • projects focused on policy and regulation, exchanging knowledge and best practice and other activities which promote and support research (this excludes direct funding) relating to AI, quantum technologies, high-performance computing, nuclear fusion, semiconductors, Health tech and engineering biology. Including values-based governance and regulation of new and emerging technologies, especially AI

    • building expertise on the commercialisation of innovation, connecting Croatian companies to venture capitals and tech ecosystems, and enabling the UK and Croatian business partnerships

    • addressing barriers to market access between the UK and Croatia (e.g. policy, implementation of regulations)

    Energy and climate: promoting green growth and energy transition  

    Projects which promote green and sustainable growth, support the transition to clean energy sources such as offshore wind, hydrogen and nuclear, and deeper UK-Croatia cooperation. Also, projects that tackle the climate crisis and mitigate its impacts, as well as tackling and reversing bio-diversity loss will be considered for funding. We will prioritise projects in the following areas: 

    • establishing UK-Croatia commercial and scientific partnerships in the development of net zero technologies, with focus on hydrogen and nuclear fission and fusion (e.g. joint initiatives, building partnerships within Horizon Europe, exchange programmes between the UK and Croatian institutions)
    • establishing UK-Croatia commercial and scientific partnerships in energy efficiency and storage, emission reduction, and accelerating to achieving net zero
    • establishing UK-Croatia commercial and scientific partnerships in tackling the climate crisis, mitigating its impacts by strengthening social, economic and ecological resilience, unlocking climate and nature finance

    Activity bid guidance

    The British Embassy will support projects with activities taking place between 20 June 2025 and 15 February 2026, with no expectation of continued funding beyond the stated period.

    Maximum project budget limit: 11,500 Euros.

    Project bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

    • alignment with thematic priorities and likelihood of achieving a real-world impact
    • outcomes that are achievable within the funding period and offer value for money
    • activity design that includes clear evaluation procedures and measures of impact
    • activity design that includes risk and financial accountability procedures
    • that the organisation’s safeguarding policies ensure protection of beneficiaries, especially vulnerable individuals and children

    Bidding process

    1. proposals must be submitted using the online application form.
    2. all proposals must be received by 12:00 pm on 14 April 2025. Late proposals will not be considered
    3. successful bidders will be notified by the end of May

    Transparency and further questions

    The British Embassy in Zagreb will organise an online question and answer session about the bidding process on Wednesday 26 March 2025 at 2pm (CET). You can join the live session using this link.

    Additional information and documentation

    All project implementers will be expected to sign a standard contract or grant agreement with the Embassy provided by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

    The terms of the contract or agreement are not negotiable.

    All projects are expected to have achieved 85% spend by end of December 2025. Proposed budgets must reflect this requirement.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spelthorne Borough Council: Letter to the Chief Executive (17 March 2025)

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Letter to the Chief Executive (17 March 2025)

    Letter to the Chief Executive of Spelthorne Borough Council outlining the Secretary of State’s proposed intervention package announced on 17 March 2025.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    Spelthorne Borough Council: Letter to the Chief Executive (17 March 2025)

    PDF, 288 KB, 10 pages

    Details

    A copy of the letter from James Blythe, Deputy Director, Local Government Stewardship and Interventions at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to Spelthorne Borough Council Chief Executive, Daniel Mouawad, in response to the Inspectors’ Best Value Inspection report (January 2025).

    The letter sets out the findings of the report, the proposed statutory support package under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999, including the appointment of Commissioners and invites representations on the proposal. All representations received on or before 28 March 2025 will be considered before ministers make their final decision.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 March 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –