NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Gene-edited pigs may soon enter the Canadian market, but questions about their impact remain

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Gwendolyn Blue, Professor, University of Calgary

    The Canadian government is currently considering approving the entry of gene-edited pigs into the food system.

    Using CRISPR gene-editing technology, genetic changes can be created precisely and efficiently without introducing foreign genetic material. If approved, these pigs would be the first gene-edited food animals available for sale in Canadian markets. My research examines how including the public in decision-making around emerging applications of genomics can help mitigate potential harms.

    These pigs are resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a horrible and sometimes fatal disease that affects pigs worldwide. PRRS has significant economic, food security and animal welfare implications.



    Read more:
    What is gene editing and how could it shape our future?

    The United States Food and Drug Administration recently greenlit the commercial production of gene-edited pigs. Will the Canadian government follow suit?

    AquAdvantage and EnviroPig

    In 2016, Canada approved the first transgenic animal for human consumption — an Atlantic salmon called AquAdvantage salmon that contains DNA from other species of fish.

    This approval came more than 25 years after the genetically modified fish was created by scientists at Memorial University in Newfoundland. The approval and commercialization of AquAdvantage salmon faced strong public opposition on both sides of the border, including protests, supermarket boycotts and court battles. In 2024, the company that produced AquAdvantage salmon announced that it was shutting down its operations.



    Read more:
    The science and politics of genetically engineered salmon: 5 questions answered

    In 2012, the Canadian government approved the manufacture of a transgenic pig known by its trade name, EnviroPig. Created by scientists at the University of Guelph, EnviroPigs released less phosphorus than conventionally bred pigs.

    EnviroPig did not make it to market; the same year, the University of Guelph ended the EnviroPig project. Funding for the project had been suspended, in part because of consumer concerns.

    Government regulation

    Some researchers argue that government regulation of gene-edited animals should be less restrictive than for transgenic techniques. Gene editing introduces genetic changes that can occur with conventional animal breeding that is not subject to regulation. Gene-edited crops in Canada are treated the same as conventionally bred crops.

    Others insist that stringent government regulation is necessary for gene editing to identify potential problems and ensure that laws keep up with industry and scientific ambition. Regulation plays a vital role in minimizing risk, encouraging public involvement and building trust.

    Social science research has, for decades, demonstrated that resistance to biotechnology is not because of the public’s lack of knowledge, as is often argued by biotechnology proponents. Public resistance to biotechnology is better understood as a rejection of potential harms imposed by governments and industry without public input and consent.

    Ethical, moral, cultural and political concerns

    At present, little opportunity exists for public engagement in Canadian assessments of gene-edited animals.

    Similar to the U.S., Canada does not have specific gene technology regulation. Rather, the federal government relies on pre-existing environmental and food safety legislation. Canadian regulatory agencies use a risk, novelty and product-based approach to assess animal biotechnology. From a regulatory standpoint, distinctions between technical processes — like transgenic modification versus gene editing — are less important than the safety of the final product.

    The Canadian government has recently updated its federal environmental and health regulations. This includes introducing mandatory public consultations for animals (vertebrates, specifically) created using biotechnology.

    Even with these changes, there’s still room for improvement. Public engagement is limited to consultations conducted within a short time frame. Interested parties are invited to provide scientific information about potential risks of animal biotechnology to human health or the environment, but comments that address ethical, moral, cultural or political concerns are not taken into consideration.

    More broadly, regulatory and academic debates about the gene editing of animals are largely informed by scientists and industry proponents with considerably less input from the public, Indigenous communities and social sciences and humanities researchers.

    Consulting the public

    From a social standpoint, the process by which gene editing is assessed matters as much as the safety of the final product. Inclusive public engagement is essential to ensure that the production of gene-edited food animals aligns with societal needs and values.

    Reactions to gene technologies are based on underlying values and beliefs, and sustained opportunities for public reflection and deliberation are vital for responsible innovation.

    Important questions should be addressed: Who will reap the benefits of gene-editing techniques? Who will bear the costs and harms? What are the potential implications, including hard-to-anticipate social and political changes? How should decision-making proceed to ensure that Canadians have sufficient opportunities for input?

    Currently, for the gene-edited pigs, members of the public can submit comments to the government until July 20, 2025.

    Public reactions to previous biotech food animals in Canada — including AquAdvantage salmon and the EnviroPig — show that lack of inclusive engagement can contribute to the rejection of animal biotechnology.

    Gwendolyn Blue receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She is a member of Gene Editing for Food Security and Environmental Sustainability, a multi-university consortium based at McGill University, and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Gene-edited pigs may soon enter the Canadian market, but questions about their impact remain – https://theconversation.com/gene-edited-pigs-may-soon-enter-the-canadian-market-but-questions-about-their-impact-remain-260627

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Returning to the office isn’t the answer to Canada’s productivity problem — and it will add pressure to urban housing

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Dilara Baysal, Research Fellow in Sociology, Concordia University

    As companies face pressure to increase productivity, many are calling workers back to the office — even though there is limited evidence that return-to-office policies actually improve innovation or performance.

    In cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where many major companies are headquartered, this is putting pressure on people to live near expensive downtown areas.

    As of April 2025, average one-bedroom rents were $2,317 in Toronto and $2,536 in Vancouver, with North Vancouver even higher at $2,680. If return-to-office policies continue, more workers may be forced into these pricey city centres, adding pressure to already overheated housing markets.

    Since early 2025, return-to-office policies have added to Canada’s housing stress. The Royal Bank of Canada, for instance, now requires staff in the office four days a week, and Amazon ended remote work in January. While rents haven’t jumped yet, similar policies in the U.S. have already pushed up demand, and may be a sign of what’s to come.

    In Washington, D.C., rents rose 3.3 per cent after federal employees were called back to offices. Cities like New York and San Francisco also saw rent increases linked to companies like JPMorgan Chase, Meta and Salesforce reversed remote work policies.

    The myth of office productivity

    According to the Bank of Canada, Canada’s economy is being negatively affected by low productivity. Low productivity slows Canada’s economic growth and keeps wages low. It also makes inflation worse because supply can’t keep up with demand. A productive economy meets demand more easily, keeping prices stable.

    In response, many companies are pushing return-to-office as the answer. RBC CEO Dave McKay endorsed a return to the office back in 2023, saying that “the absence of working together” has hurt innovation and productivity.

    At Google, under mounting pressure to compete in artificial intelligence, co-founder Sergey Brin also pushed for full-time office work, calling a 60-hour week the “sweet spot” for productivity.

    But recent research shows the story isn’t so simple. A University of Chicago working paper found that strict return-to-office rules can cause senior staff to leave, which hurts innovation.



    Read more:
    Working one day a week in person might be the key to happier, more productive employees

    Another study of 48,000 knowledge workers in India found that hybrid setups — where some people are in the office and others work from home — can make it harder to share ideas and work together.

    Meanwhile, a Stanford-led study found that working in the office just two days a week kept productivity strong and cut employee turnover by 33 per cent.

    The determinants of productivity and their underlying factors. These determinants connect across industries, businesses and places.
    (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), CC BY

    Where people live matters more

    Return-to-office mandates also aren’t a guaranteed way to boost productivity. A 2023 study supported by housing organizations across Canada found that affordable, well-located housing helps people find better jobs and specialize in their work.

    But when housing costs are high and commutes are long, productivity drops, especially for lower-income workers. Long commutes and high living costs create stress, limit mobility and cause people to miss out on job opportunities.

    Studies show that investing in technology and training workers matters much more. Research from the Canadian Research Data Centre Network finds that workplace training improves productivity in most sectors.

    A recent report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation also shows that high housing costs make it harder for many people to live in big cities, which ultimately reduces diversity in the workforce and weakens the economy.

    Affordable housing could boost productivity

    Housing in Canada is often viewed in two ways. One treats it as a commodity, where prices follow supply and demand. In this view, policies focus on increasing supply and offering market incentives. The other sees housing as a public need and a basic right, and calls for government action to ensure affordability and stability.



    Read more:
    Housing is both a human right and a profitable asset, and that’s the problem

    In practice, market forces can undermine policies designed to meet housing needs and ensure affordability. In Toronto, for example, developers resisted inclusionary zoning rules that require or encourage developers to include a certain percentage of affordable housing units within new residential developments. Instead, they delayed projects or chose to build high-end condos in different zones.

    This tension between housing as a commodity and housing as a public good is central to Canada’s current housing strategy. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has pledged to build 500,000 new homes annually by 2035 using tools like public lands, modular housing and tax incentives.

    While this supply-focused strategy targets long-term housing needs, it must also account for today’s complex economic realities such as inflation, increasing unemployment and economic stagnation due to lagging productiviy.

    Without tackling affordability and access directly, building more homes alone won’t be enough.

    Rising home prices and rents have played a major role in driving inflation. In Canada’s Consumer Price Index, shelter makes up about 29 per cent of overall household spending.
    (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), CC BY

    The real foundation of a productive economy

    Return-to-office policies often focus too much on one thing: how much each worker produces. But that narrow view of productivity ignores what really supports good work: access to affordable housing, time for training and flexibility to relocate for better job opportunities.

    To address productivity challenges, companies should invest in job-specific training, digital skills and ongoing learning to help employees adapt to new tools and processes, and the should offer more flexibility. What workers need most are affordable homes, shorter commutes and real opportunities to grow — not added stress and rising costs.

    Dilara Baysal 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. Returning to the office isn’t the answer to Canada’s productivity problem — and it will add pressure to urban housing – https://theconversation.com/returning-to-the-office-isnt-the-answer-to-canadas-productivity-problem-and-it-will-add-pressure-to-urban-housing-260395

    MIL OSI –

  • Indian Navy to induct first indigenous diving support vessel ‘Nistar’ on July 18

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Indian Navy is set to commission its first indigenously designed Diving Support Vessel (DSV) INS Nistar at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam on July 18, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

    The vessel, built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, will be formally inducted into the Eastern Naval Command to support deep-sea diving and submarine rescue operations, the Navy said in a statement on Thursday.

    According to the Navy, INS Nistar showcases the government’s focus on self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Over 120 MSMEs contributed to the project, which has achieved more than 80 per cent indigenous content.

    The commissioning marks a step forward in the Navy’s vision of designing and building complex platforms within the country.

    The new DSV carries forward the legacy of its predecessor, ex-Nistar, a submarine rescue vessel acquired from the erstwhile USSR in 1969 and commissioned in 1971. The original Nistar served the Navy for two decades, playing a vital role in submarine rescue and diving operations.

    The ship’s motto, Surakshita Yatharthta Shauryam — which translates to Deliverance with Precision and Bravery — reflects its mission profile and operational capabilities.

    At around 120 metres long and displacing more than 10,000 tonnes, INS Nistar is equipped with a Dynamic Positioning System that allows it to maintain its position with high accuracy during complex operations.

    Its onboard diving complex includes both air and saturation diving systems, along with underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Side Scan SONAR, significantly expanding its operational scope. As the ‘Mother Ship’ for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), the vessel will enhance the Navy’s submarine rescue preparedness.

    The ship is also equipped with an operation theatre, intensive care unit, eight-bed hospital and hyperbaric medical facilities, which are crucial for supporting rescue and diving missions.

    With an endurance of over 60 days at sea, the capacity for helicopter operations and a 15-ton subsea crane, INS Nistar is expected to be a versatile addition to India’s maritime fleet.

    The Navy said the induction of INS Nistar will boost India’s underwater operational capability and strengthen its strategic maritime posture across the Indian Ocean Region.

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oregon Secretary of State Audit Highlights Need for Improved Procurement and Contracting Oversight

    Source: US State of Oregon

    he Oregon Secretary of State (SOS) has released an audit of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and its State Procurement Services (SPS). DAS SPS is the central procurement authority for most executive branch agencies and provides services across state and local government.

    The audit identified the need for DAS to dedicate resources to a comprehensive compliance program and to provide enhanced customer service to support state agencies with their procurement, contracting and training needs. While the state’s eprocurement platform, OregonBuys, is meeting many of its goals, the audit also identified the need for improvements to OregonBuys’ functionality to improve the ability to analyze state spending.

    “State contracting has been difficult to navigate for too long. Both businesses and government agree: it’s time for a change. Governor Kotek has tasked me with overhauling this overly complex system. We must make contracting accessible and responsive for all Oregonians, ensuring it works for both government and businesses,” said DAS Director Betsy Imholt.

    Oregon state agencies rely heavily on procurement and contracting to acquire essential goods and services. These activities come with significant risks and require effective processes and oversight to ensure efficiency, security and equity. DAS SPS oversees public procurement and contracting for the state and holds primary authority over most state purchasing and contracting processes.

    DAS agrees with all eight audit recommendations and is committed to making improvements to enhance procurement and contracting processes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Opening Remarks at Full Committee Mark Up of CJS, Ag-FDA, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bills

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered the following opening remarks as the committee meets to consider draft fiscal year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; and Legislative Branch appropriations acts.

    Senator Murray’s opening remarks, as delivered, are below:

    “Thank you very much Chair Collins, and congratulations to you on your first markup as Chair. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with you on this committee. I also want to thank Senators Moran and Van Hollen—our CJS subcommittee leaders; Senators Hoeven and Shaheen—our Ag Subcommittee leaders; and Senators Mullin and Heinrich for your work on the Leg branch—and for all the work that went into these bills today.

    “We have an important job here today, to come together and work through our differences, so we can fund the government, help our families, and make our country safer and stronger. Help people, solve problems. That’s the job that I’ve been here for, for a long time.  

    “And over the past few years, we have—together in this committee, as Chair Collins alluded to—established a strong track record on this Committee of coming together, despite serious disagreements, to do just that with strong bipartisan bills.

    “Now, the challenges we face—and the threats to this very process—are greater than ever before with a president and an administration intent on ignoring the laws that we write and seizing more power for themselves.

    “And of course, for the first time ever, we are operating now on a partisan, full-year continuing resolution for all twelve of our funding bills, which turned over more say on how our constituents’ taxpayer dollars get spent to unelected bureaucrats than any of us should be comfortable with.

    “In the face of these immense challenges and threats, I believe it’s more important than ever that we ensure our constituents’ voices are heard, by passing these bipartisan, full-year spending bills. We cannot afford another disastrous slush fund CR that lets political appointees and bureaucrats—who have never been to any of our states—call the shots.

    “So, I’m glad we are here today taking an important step to do the hard work of finding common ground and advancing three funding bills that provide crucial investments to our country.

    “These are not the bills I would have written my own. I’d like to do a lot more to help our struggling families and rural communities, and develop cutting-edge technologies and science here in America. And I will obviously keep pushing to do as much as I can, at every opportunity.

    “But I also want to say that it is important that we do understand that we work together on this committee, do compromise, and pass our bills together.

    “I also want to say at the top that I share Ranking Member Van Hollen’s outrage that this administration has—on a dime—attempted to reprogram funding secured for the FBI headquarters after this committee provided funds and a competitive selection process was run.

    “It is emphatically not how things should work. But, yet again, we are seeing this President thumb his nose at Congress and do what he wants. This is really something that we should have been able to address in this bill—along with a lot else—and I am really disappointed that we could not.

    “So, while I will be voting yes to advance this bill and keep the conversation going, and support this bipartisan process, it is an issue that I will continue to press on with Ranking Member Van Hollen.

    “And I just say, I would caution this committee—if my Republican colleagues simply stand by and watch this, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to envision a future Democratic President who decides we don’t need to fund an FBI agency or building in another state and change the funding around, so I hope none of us want to help set that precedent for future presidents or generations.

    “But at the end of the day, I do believe these bills are all a good compromise starting point—delivering critical resources to continue key programs and make targeted new investments, rejecting some of the truly harmful proposed cuts by the President, and steering clear of the extreme partisan policies he’s requested and that we’ve seen in some of the House bills over the last few years.

    “At the end of the day, there is no question in my mind: these compromise bills offer a far better outcome for families back home than the alternatives of either the House, or another disastrous CR.

    “The three bills before us reject efforts to slash meals for hundreds of thousands of seniors, funding to keep people safe, investments in cutting-edge scientific research, and a whole lot more.

    “And more than that—these bills make essential investments to keep our country strong: from funding that keeps our families fed, food supply secure, and farms flourishing to funding that drives cutting-edge scientific research that is happening in our states, or fuels growing industries and small businesses.

    “There is also funding for our communities to keep our families safe.

    “There is funding to help each of us serve the folks who sent us here—investments in staff who help with constituent services, experts who provide crucial insights into legislation, Capitol operations and security that protect everyone who works here and comes to visit, and important investments in member security, as well.

    “In light of the tragic assassination and attack on lawmakers in Minnesota recently, it is painfully clear we must do more to address the threat of political violence that really tears at the heart of this democracy. So I’m pleased to see some progress and new investments there—it is clear we’ve got to do more, I will make sure we continue that conversation.

    “Bottom line, what we are doing here today is how the process should work: members coming together, writing bills with bipartisan input—and I hope we can continue this process with all of our bills.

    “The challenges that we face are really immense, and it is so important that we do the job that we were sent here to do.

    “But for us to be able to work in a bipartisan way effectively, that requires us to work with each other. To not just write bipartisan funding bills—but to defend them from partisan cuts sought by the President and the OMB director.

    “We need to make sure decisions about what to fund—and yes, what to rescind—are made here in Congress, on a bipartisan basis, and within our annual funding process.

    “We cannot allow bipartisan funding bills with partisan rescission packages. It will not work.

    “And that is why I will repeat my commitment to all of my colleagues: my colleagues and I on this side of the dais, we stand ready to discuss rescissions as part of these bipartisan spending bills—as part of these bills. And just as this committee has always done. Working together across the aisle to look where it makes sense to cut, or rescind, or reform. I believe that is the path to our collective success, and I hope my colleagues work with us on this offer and reject the rescissions package next week. 

    “So as we mark up this legislation today, I hope we all keep our eye on what comes next. We have nine more bills to get across the finish line, and these are decisions that will help us get there. And there are decisions that will make that task a lot harder—if not impossible.

    “I spoke about this last week at the hearing with Director Vought.

    “This mark up, these bills—they show the potential of this Committee when it works best.

    “We have a powerful role here, where we can do a lot of good for the communities we represent.

    “But I will warn everyone again, this Committee is not powerful just ‘because.’ It is powerful because we are able to work together to secure investments that actually become law.

    “But if we choose to ignore that, this Committee can, and will, lose its power.

    “If we start passing partisan cuts to bipartisan deals—how are we ever supposed to work together?

    “That is not hypothetical—that is a real question that will be posed by any party-line rescissions package.

    “There are two roads before us right now: there is the road we peered down at the last hearing. The road where this becomes the Rescissions Committee—looking at package after package of cuts, fighting over how much of the last deal that we will unravel, fighting over whose projects gets canceled, whose community gets robbed. 

    “And there is the road that we are taking a step down today—the bipartisan road. Where we actually work together—where we stand together—and get investments back home to the people who sent us here. I know where I want us to go.

    “And so, as we vote on these compromise bills today, I hope all of my colleagues will not just join me in advancing these bills, but also join me in reflecting on how we got here, and how we can best move forward.

    “We cannot take for granted the spirit of trust—the spirit of trust—that makes it possible for us to write bills together. It’s easy to damage, pretty hard to repair.

    “Thank you, Madam Chair.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Releases Documents Corroborating Justice Department Whistleblower’s Allegations Against Embattled Trump Judicial Pick Emil Bove

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    July 10, 2025

    Durbin: “I asked for documentation from Mr. Reuveni to further substantiate his claims. That’s what I’m releasing to the public today. And clearly substantiate Mr. Reuveni’s claims they do.”

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released text messages, email exchanges, and documents further corroborating the whistleblower disclosures of Mr. Erez Reuveni, formerly the Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, on Emil Bove’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

    On the disclosures and the status of Mr. Bove’s judicial nomination, which is eligible for a vote at the next Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, Durbin released the following statement:

    “Erez Reuveni was a career Justice Department attorney who vigorously defended President Trump’s immigration policies during his first Administration. So, when this loyal public servant came forward with serious allegations of misconduct by Emil Bove, I knew it was out of principle—not politics.

    “Senators raised these allegations at Emil Bove’s judicial nomination hearing, and he offered only carefully wordsmithed responses. So, I asked for documentation from Mr. Reuveni to further substantiate his claims. That’s what I’m releasing to the public today.

    “And clearly substantiate Mr. Reuveni’s claims they do. Text messages, email exchanges, and documents show that the Department of Justice misled a federal court and disregarded a court order. Mr. Bove spearheaded this effort, which demanded attorneys violate their ethical duty of candor to the court. And if Mr. Bove simply ‘can’t recall’ any of this and demands his subordinates compromise their professional obligations, he doesn’t have the moral judgment or character to serve in a lifetime position on the federal court.

    “These episodes can only lead to one conclusion: Emil Bove belongs nowhere near the federal bench. This vote will be a litmus test for Senate Judiciary Republicans. This is about more than a random f-bomb. This is a declaration of defiance of our courts at the highest level of our government by a man who now seeks a lifetime appointment to one of the highest courts in our land.”

    Following Mr. Bove’s judicial nomination hearing, Durbin requested the documents from Mr. Reuveni in a private letter to his attorneys. Durbin also led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in further investigation of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense regarding Mr. Reuveni’s accounts.

    For a summary of Mr. Reuveni’s document production, click here.

    For a PDF of Mr. Reuveni’s first documents production, click here.

    For a PDF of Mr. Reuveni’s second documents production, click here.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens call for safe and managed routes for asylum seekers

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    / by Green Party

    Responding to the new Anglo-French deal on small-boat crossings, Carla Denyer, Green Party Co-Leader, said:

    “The only way to stop people making dangerous journeys across the channel is to introduce safe and managed routes for people to seek asylum in the UK. Anything else – including the impractical and unrealistic deal announced today – is a distraction.

    “While our governments use migration as a political football, more people will lose their lives in the Channel fleeing violence, war or oppression because the only way for them to reach the UK is by putting their lives in the hands of people smugglers.

    “Earlier this year a committee of MPs published a detailed analysis of how to improve the UK’s refugee and asylum policy, and recommended sensible measures including improving family reunion, restoring the resettlement scheme, and introducing a pilot refugee visa.

    “Instead of scrambling to appear tough on migration with flawed scheme after flawed scheme, it’s time for the UK government to get practical about tackling small boat crossings, and urgently set up safe and managed routes for people to seek asylum in the UK.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government urged to extend democratic voting system

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    by Green Party

    Green MP and co-leader Adrian Ramsay responded to the government bringing back  supplementary voting for combined authority ‘metro’ mayors, the Greater London Authority mayor, elected council mayors, across England; and Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales. 

    “I look forward to the government now extending more democratic voting to General Elections and council elections as well. 

    “This change in systems is welcome for Mayoral contests because it ensures voters can express their preferences and the outcome will better reflect people’s views. 

    “We now need the government to wake up to the need to reform the General Election voting system, and the system for electing councillors. 

    “We have a deeply undemocratic first-past-the-post system for General Elections, particularly now the tired, old two-party system has fractured. 

    “That voting system also needs to change or we could once again find ourselves with a party with a majority of seats in Parliament won on a shrinking minority of votes.  

    “We need every vote to count and for the public to feel that they have a real say in how the country is governed.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Speaks Against President Trump’s Efforts To Strip Public Broadcasting Of Federal Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    July 10, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led Senators in speeches on the Senate floor against President Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions request to cut funding already appropriated by Congress—specifically the $1.1 billion cut to federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), including $700 million that provides critical funding for local public media. Should Republicans pass the President’s rescissions package, it would devastate more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations across the country.

    “Bottom line: do you think we’re better off with less information as Americans or more? Bottom line: do you want a choice to pick your own source of information, do you want that choice to include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting? The President says, ‘no, we’re not going to provide the assistance for that to continue.’ What [does it] mean for small towns in downstate Illinois all the way up to Chicago? Public media stations provide essential, nonpartisan news coverage, life-saving emergency and weather alerts, and educational programming for our kids,” said Durbin.

    Durbin went on to highlight how crucial public broadcasting stations are for rural communities. Right now, five counties in Illinois already are news deserts and 40 other counties have only one news source left. President Trump’s rescissions package would eliminate $700 million in support for local stations, forcing many of these rural stations with small donor bases to close if these cuts become law.

    “In these remote Illinois counties, these stations deliver critical services that commercial broadcasters [simply] abandon in less profitable markets. What does that mean? Once these stations are gone, they’re gone… And in times of crisis, that could mean in the extreme, the difference between life and death. Let me explain. Radio stations in Alaska, which rely on CPB to fund [up to] 98 percent of their operations, will lose the ability to share information about terrible weather conditions that are threatening the people of Alaska. In Alabama, folks will go without emergency alerts during tornado scares. And just this last weekend, a deadly flash flood took the lives of over 100 people and counting in rural, central Texas. While we don’t know exactly what procedures were in place, we do know that this funding is vital for emergency alerts—especially when disasters happen in the middle of the night. These are critical services, but President Trump doesn’t agree,” Durbin continued. 

    In President Trump’s request to Congress, he justified these proposed cuts saying, “federal spending on [the Corporation for Public Broadcasting] subsidizes a public media system that is politically biased and is an unnecessary expense to the taxpayer.”

    “These publicly funded local stations educate our children, deliver emergency alerts, and inform our democracy. They are not an ‘unnecessary expense’ by any measure—they are a lifeline,”Durbin continued. 

    During his floor remarks, Durbin highlighted what two public broadcasting stations mean to Illinois communities—WGLT and WQPT. WGLT hosts candidate events and forums ahead of each election and their mission is to keep neighbors connected and talking to each other. WGLT had nearly 100 percent bipartisan participation from candidates in the McLean County municipal election event. And McLean County municipal voter turnout has increased in local elections thanks to the work of WGLT. WQPT is the Quad Cities’ only locally owned PBS station, serving eastern Iowa and western Illinois. WQPT’s First Book Club outreach program provides five free books per year to at-risk youth by partnering with Title I classrooms. Since the start of the program, WQPT has given away 400,000 free books to children from low-income, English-as-second-language, rural, and special needs families.

    “While Donald Trump says this rescissions request is in the spirit of improving government efficiency, I ask this: is there anything ‘efficient’ about denying information to American citizens, about not giving American citizens a choice when it comes to broadcasting? I’ll tell you what this request really is: it’s an attack on rural America just like the [Republicans’] ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ Thanks to the ‘Big Beautiful Bill, [which] the President just signed into law, 300 rural hospitals could close around this country.”

    Durbin concluded, “With this rescissions request, small towns and rural communities are going to get hit again and [are] set to lose their only access to trusted, local media. These cuts could irreparably harm communities across America who count on public media for 24/7 news, music, educational programming, and emergency alert services. So, I urge my Republican colleagues—will they step up next week and vote that way [to protect public broadcasting?] Many of them represent rural areas, small town America. Stand up for these people and vote down this request to cut funding that has long enjoyed bipartisan support.”

    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province supports community efforts to protect against climate hazards

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding (DRIF) program provides support to First Nations and local governments for projects that will enhance their ability to withstand and adapt to natural hazards and climate-driven events.

    Funding is available in two categories:

    • Structural projects
    • Foundational and non-structural projects

    Local governments and First Nations throughout British Columbia are receiving more than $6 million for 11 projects as follows:

    Structural project

    Village of Hazelton: Diking infrastructure and flood protection improvements, $3.6 million

    Construction of a new 1.2-kilometre dike and upgrade to an existing dike along the Skeena River to protect critical village infrastructure, including historical structures, homes, businesses, utilities and cultural landmarks.

    Foundational and non-structural projects

    Central Coast Regional District: Disaster risk reduction and climate-adaptation plan, $290,246

    Identifies effective multi-hazard risk-reduction options with a climate-change lens to increase the resilience of the region.

    Comox Valley Regional District: Goose Spit climate resiliency project, $275,580

    Regional partner: K’omoks First Nation

    Assessment of Goose Spit’s protection of residential areas and critical infrastructure from flood, sea-level rise, storm surge and erosion, and to help identify mitigation options.

    Cook’s Ferry Indian Band: Shetland Creek hazard and risk assessment, $251,265

    Increases resilience for the community by better understanding and reducing natural-hazard risks, including flooding, avalanches, landslides and erosion.

    Homalco First Nation: Xwémalhkwu Willow Creek flood-hazard assessment and mitigation design, $399,858

    Supports community resilience by providing data to support long-term disaster risk-reduction and climate-adaptation projects to address drought and water scarcity, flood and erosion, and to develop a Willow Creek flood-hazard assessment and disaster-mitigation infrastructure design.

    Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation: Klemtu dam design, $394,600

    Design for a new water supply intake dam to replace the existing dam, which is at risk of failing and poses significant risk to the community. Increases resilience to both flooding and drought.

    Lake Babine Nation: Equipment for extreme temperatures, $61,000

    Community members will be protected from extreme temperatures, particularly the elderly and those with high-risk medical conditions, and can reduce response costs for emergency care.

    Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations: Climate change and disaster risk assessment, $130,000

    Supports long-term planning, ensuring the First Nations are better prepared for climate impacts while respecting and integrating Indigenous knowledge and priorities.

    Sumas First Nation: Strategic development for hazard risk and vulnerability resilience, $200,750

    By prioritizing key mitigation strategies, Indigenous-led resilience and regional co-ordination, the First Nation is better equipped to build long-term community resilience.

    Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band (WPCIB): Flood risk-management strategy, $400,000

    Advances flood-mitigation planning that considers climate change. Results to inform preliminary planning and design work for structural and non-structural projects for WPCIB IR #4.

    Yakweakwioose First Nation: Interception ditch climate-resilience project, $138,000

    Planning and design for nature-based solutions – a rain garden and urban forest – to support community resilience to extreme temperatures and flooding.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VA announces expanded burial benefits

    Source: US Department of Veterans Affairs

    Skip to content

    WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it has temporarily expanded burial benefits for certain Veterans, per the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.

    The new law specifies eligible Veterans are those who are discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care to receive VA-provided hospice care at their home and who pass away between July 1, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2026.

    Previously, Veterans who died at home under VA hospice care after discharge from VA-provided medical or nursing care were not always eligible for a full VA burial allowance. The Dole Act addresses that gap.

    “VA is working hard to fully implement the many provisions of the Dole Act,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “We’re excited to offer this expanded benefit, which better supports Veterans who choose to spend their final days at home, surrounded by their loved ones.”

    Families and caregivers of Veterans receiving hospice care at home following discharge from VA-provided medical or nursing care are encouraged to contact their local VA for information about eligibility and how to apply for burial benefits. Visit VA burial benefits or call 800-827-1000 for more information and see here for details on the legislative language authorizing this change.

    Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov

    Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.

    Contact us online through Ask VA

    Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.

    Learn about our chatbot and ask a question

    Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Bihar’s ‘Special Intensive Revision’ drive covers 66% voters, 15 days left for final submissions

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has reached 66 per cent voter coverage, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI), with the final deadline still more than two weeks away.

    As of 6 pm on Thursday, 5.22 crore enumeration forms — 66.16 per cent of the total 7.89 crore existing electors in the state — had been collected since the revision drive began on June 24.

    The ECI credited the progress to the active participation of voters and the coordinated effort of 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), over 20,000 newly appointed BLOs, and more than four lakh volunteers who are helping elderly, differently-abled, sick, and vulnerable voters. In addition, 1.56 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by all recognised political parties are supporting the exercise.

    Nearly 7.90 crore forms were printed for the drive, and about 98 per cent — roughly 7.71 crore — have already been distributed to voters whose names were on the rolls as of June 24.

    The ECI said the collection exercise could be completed ahead of the July 25 deadline if the current pace continues.

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-France Leaders Declaration

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK-France Leaders Declaration

    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the French Republic met today in Downing Street for the 37th UK-France Summit.

    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the French Republic met today in Downing Street for the 37th UK-France Summit.

    The United Kingdom and France share a commitment to peace, democracy, the rule of law, the rules-based international order, and human rights. In an international context in which these values are increasingly jeopardised, France and the United Kingdom share a responsibility to stand up for these aims and values, as major European countries, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, major world economies, and open democracies. Our relationship and cooperation are fundamental.

    Our two countries share a unique friendship, an intertwined history and profound connections between our people, businesses, and communities. As we open a new chapter in our bilateral and European ties, also building on the outcome of the first EU-UK Summit held in May 2025, we want to make our people safer and more secure, champion fair and lasting peace worldwide, deepen our defence and security collaboration, support competitiveness and growth for our economies, providing jobs, and prosperity to our countries.

    Foreign Policy/Global Issues

    We reaffirm our determination to ensure Russia does not prevail in its illegal war of aggression, as well as our commitment to lasting support to Ukraine, including security assurances that safeguard its independence and sovereignty. Today we convened the Coalition of the Willing bringing together more than thirty nations committed to Ukraine’s long-term security. We welcomed the development of mature operational plans to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces. We have agreed to launch a Counter-Shadow Fleet Partnership to crack down on dangerous Russian-backed vessels in the Channel, reduce Russian oil revenues via these vessels, and safeguard our maritime security. Alongside this, we commit to seeking a lowering of the crude oil price cap, further depriving Russia of the oil revenues it uses to fund its barbaric war. We will strengthen our joint efforts to prevent the supplying of dual-use components and weapons to Russia by third countries’ entities. We reiterate our readiness to step up pressure on Russia as it refuses to commit to peace. We are committed to defending democracy and stability in the wider European neighbourhood and have agreed to work together on new support to strengthen resilience in the Western Balkans and Moldova. We welcome the conclusion of the negotiations on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and urge the parties to sign this agreement as soon as possible

    We reaffirm our determination that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We will continue our cooperation, including in the E3 format with Germany, working with the US to ensure a robust deal on Iran’s nuclear programme that takes into account our shared security interests. We will continue to advocate for the resumption of Iran’s full cooperation with the IAEA. We are committed to addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing for an immediate ceasefire, and the release of all remaining hostages. We reaffirm our commitment to recognising a Palestinian state, as a contribution to a peace process. We will work together to support its development and the realisation of a Two-State Solution. We are also stepping up our coordination on security and humanitarian challenges in support of wider regional stability in Syria and Lebanon.

    Beyond Europe, we share a responsibility and resolve to defend our values and interests. As demonstrated by the actions of Russia’s enablers, our security is inextricably linked to the Indo-Pacific. We will strengthen our coordination and work together for a free, open, and sovereign Indo-Pacific through new joint maritime security training, reciprocal base access, and joint support to regional organisations. We will launch a Global Maritime Security Dialogue. We jointly reaffirm our commitment to peace and stability in the Korean peninsula, in the South and East China Seas, and in the Taiwan Strait, where we call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We will keep coordinating efforts and initiatives to address peace and security challenges in Africa and their humanitarian consequences, in particular regarding Sudan and the Great Lakes.

    We will continue to act through the European Political Community to respond to common security challenges, including irregular migration, and promoting stability and democratic resilience, competitive and economic growth throughout the continent.

    We share a commitment to strengthening the multilateral system and working together for reform across the three pillars of the UN. We have today agreed to expand our cooperation on humanitarian disaster preparation and responses, and to coordinate our work on global issues such as climate change, poverty and promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights. We support the next phase of the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits by each committing seed funding to unlock philanthropic finance and sustainable nature-positive outcomes.

    Defence And Security

    The return of conventional warfighting at scale in Europe, combined with hostile state actors, hybrid warfare and disinformation, requires a new, whole of society and government approach. As Europe’s two nuclear powers and leading militaries, we share responsibility for the continent’s defence and security. We are united in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the immediate and pressing threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.

    Today we announced Lancaster House 2.0 to modernise our cooperation. Through this we agree to deepen and broaden our unique defence and security partnership enshrined in the 2010 Lancaster House Treaties, a core pillar of security in Europe, complementing our cooperation in NATO and reinforcing Europe’s contribution to it, as well as the UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership.

    Deepening our longstanding and resolute commitment to cooperation of our independent nuclear deterrents, we have agreed to set out, in a specific statement, our contribution to the defence of European partners and NATO allies, and that whilst our nuclear forces are independent, they can be coordinated. We have decided to establish a UK-France Nuclear Steering Group that will coordinate policy, capability and operation.

    We will launch the Combined Joint Force, to build a shared capability of sufficient scale for warfighting, and ready to operate in all domains, including space and cyber, in the defence of Europe. This evolution of the existing Combined Joint Expeditionary Force will continue to be at the forefront of Coalition of the Willing planning. We have also agreed the path for new military capability projects, including the next generation of our Deep Strike and Air-to-Air missiles.

    We will deepen our cooperation on cyber issues, tackling the proliferation and irresponsible use of commercial hacking capabilities. We will address emerging threats, including in the hybrid domain, whilst harnessing the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies. We will maximise our impact against the highest-threat terrorist groups including deepening our counter-terrorism cooperation in Syria.

    We are committed to redoubling our collaboration to ensure the Euro-Atlantic security architecture remains fit for purpose, with European allies both shouldering their existing obligations and fully involved in shaping any new arrangements. We will intensify our cooperation with Germany and other partners to this end.

    Irregular Migration

    The cruelty of organised gangs who smuggle individuals across the Channel at great risk to life blights both our societies. Today, we announce a strengthening of our cooperation to tackle illegal Channel crossings, focused on reducing the risk to life at sea, breaking the criminal gang networks through law enforcement cooperation, and working upstream to tackle the root causes and smuggling networks.

    We continue to work together on novel and innovative approaches to intercept boats, exemplified by the ongoing French Maritime Review supporting enhanced Maritime co-operation, to ensure we adapt as the criminal gangs change their approach. We seek to use all the tools at our disposal, including both existing and new sanctions, to tackle people smuggling, trafficking, and organised immigration crime. In parallel, the United Kingdom is intensifying its efforts to reform its domestic asylum system, deliver on increasing returns and tackle illegal working.

    France and the UK have agreed to trial a pilot to deter illegal journeys across Europe to the UK and dangerous small boat crossings while saving lives, as an innovative approach to break the business model of organised gangs. It will provide for the readmission of migrants directly to France after an illegal journey by small boat to the United Kingdom and will also offer a reciprocal legal route to the UK for migrants in France, with a principle of equivalence between the number of readmissions to France and the number of legal admissions to the UK. The agreement will be finalised and signed subject to completing prior legal scrutiny in full transparency and understanding with the Commission and EU Member states as this initiative is related to an EU external border, and implemented within a few weeks, subject to the above processes, with real-time monitoring. We are pursuing an ambitious approach that complements wider European cooperation on irregular migration, including working together to prevent irregular Channel crossings within the Common Understanding agreed at the UK-EU Summit on 19 May.

    In this context, building on the Sandhurst Agreement, the United Kingdom reaffirms its commitment to fund Maritime action, increased law enforcement response onshore and inland, alongside new joint upstream working to tackle the issue at source and in transit, through the existing financial agreement through to March 2026, and through the finalisation of a new three year cycle (2026-2029) as soon as possible.

    Growth

    We will ensure continued cooperation and leadership on economic sectors of the future, leading to more growth, skills, and high-quality jobs for our people. This collaboration will make us stronger, remove barriers, and boost our collective resilience and cooperation on economic security, including on critical minerals. We will lead Europe on safely harnessing AI to the benefit of our people and economies, partnering our supercomputers and incubators, and combining the forces of our world-leading universities and research.

    We are committed to protecting our Critical National Infrastructure that underpins our thriving economies. Satellite connectivity is strategically important to Europe’s security and resilience and the UK’s investment in the Eutelsat Group is a demonstration of our commitment to this important technology, alongside the French Government and other existing shareholders. The UK will thus join, prorated to its current stake, the capital increase led by the French State and other existing shareholders of Eutelsat announced on June 19 – taking the total amount of capital raised to €1.5 billion. In the context of European Space Projects, we welcome UK suppliers bidding for supply chain commercial contracts when conditions are met. We will also work towards a resilient terrestrial alternative to Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

    Together, we will lead the way for Europe’s transition to net zero, creating the green jobs of the future and securing affordable energy supplies for our people. Today we reassert our resolve to diversify civil nuclear supply chains from Russia, upskill our nuclear workforces, and manage a responsible nuclear legacy. We welcome the confirmation by EDF of a 12.5% stake in Sizewell C post Financial Close and the proposed issuance of a €6 billion/£5 billion debt guarantee facility to Sizewell C from Bpifrance Assurance export.

    Today, we have agreed that our regulators will move forward in assessing interconnection projects under proportionately-agreed cost and revenue sharing arrangements between beneficiaries, aiming at delivering 1GW further interconnection by 2035. The delivery of further interconnection will be considered in line with national strategic plans. We will continue to work together on key technologies, including offshore wind, carbon capture, usage and storage, and hydrogen.

    We agree to deepen our collaboration on transport, particularly across the Channel, seeking ways to support decarbonisation, protect maritime workers’ pay and conditions, and support growth in the international rail sector. We also welcome the newly-adopted full bilateral framework on the Channel Tunnel, supporting the continued flow of passengers and goods.

    People-to-People

    We are delighted to announce an exceptional cultural partnership with the unprecedented loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK, for an exhibition in the British Museum between September 2026 and July 2027, and the loan of the Sutton Hoo Treasures among other masterpieces from the British Museum, for exhibitions in the Museums of Rouen and Caen, recalling the deep historical ties between our two countries. This exchange will feature as part of the 2027 European Year of the Normans which will celebrate the millennium of William the Conqueror, through cooperation, cultural and educational activities that will recall the strength of our links, past, present, and future. We will celebrate artistic, educational, and community-driven activity through events and initiatives that will support our creative industries. We will also work together to celebrate the 2027 Grand Départ of the Tour de France from the UK.

    We welcome the decision by the French government to facilitate the recognition by local authorities of UK blue badges throughout France for disabled drivers. We will expand connections between UK and French schools, supported by an extension of the arrangements we have made to facilitate school trips in both directions. We will maintain our working relationships on the introduction of the Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES) within the agreed EU framework and timetable to assure security and fluidity across our common border crossing points. Finally, we welcome further constructive exchanges between our Parliaments.

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Prime Minister’s remarks at the UK-France Summit press conference: 10 July 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Prime Minister’s remarks at the UK-France Summit press conference: 10 July 2025

    Prime Minister’s remarks at the UK-France Summit press conference today.

    Good afternoon. It’s a real pleasure to be here with President Macron, a firm friend to me personally – and a firm ally to the United Kingdom.

    We first met at the Élysée, I think about two years ago, before I came into office, when I was leader of the opposition.

    And it was clear to me then – that we had a shared sense of the dangerous times we’re living through.

    And of our responsibility to step up and to lead. We also share the fundamental belief that we serve our people better – create better jobs and opportunities.

    Make our nations stronger, fairer and more secure if we work together.

    And the State Visit has been a celebration of this relationship –

    Our unique bonds of history and of culture.

    And today, our task is to look forward.

    To deliver a step change in this partnership…

    To meet the challenges of this moment…

    And get the results that people want to see. 

    Starting – first – with tackling illegal migration.

    Now, this is a global crisis, and it’s a European crisis….

    But it is also – very acutely…

    A crisis for our two nations –

    A crisis of law, security, humanity – and fairness.

    We face a sprawling, multibillion pound enterprise…

    Run by organised criminal gangs…

    Leading hundreds of people to their death in the Channel.

    So we are determined, together, to end this vile trade.

    There is no silver bullet here.

    But with a united effort…

    New tactics –

    And a new level of intent –

    We can finally turn the tables.

    So I’m pleased to announce our agreement today…

    On a groundbreaking returns pilot.

    For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat…

    Will be detained…

    And returned to France –

    In short order.  

    In exchange for every return,

    A different individual will be allowed to come here…

    Via a safe route, controlled and legal…

    Subject to strict security checks…

    And only open to those…

    Who have not tried to enter the UK illegally.

    This will show others trying to make the same journey…

    That it will be in vain.

    And the jobs they’ve been promised in the UK

    Will no longer exist – 

    Because of the nationwide crackdown we’re delivering on illegal working –

    Which is on a completely unprecedented scale.

    The President and I have agreed that this pilot will be implemented in coming weeks.

    Now, I know some people will still ask –

    Why should we take anyone in? 

    So let me address that directly. 

    We accept genuine asylum seekers –

    Because it is right that we offer a haven to those in most dire need. 

    But there is also something else here… 

    Something more practical. 

    Which is that we simply cannot solve a challenge like stopping the boats…

    By acting alone and telling our allies that we won’t play ball. 

    That is why today’s agreement is so important…

    Because we will solve this…

    Like so many of our problems…

    By working together. 

    Just look at the steps the French Government is planning…  

    Subject to their ongoing Maritime review…

    To allow their officers to intervene in shallow waters…

    And prevent more boats from launching.

    This is a big step.

    I want to thank the President for driving it through.

    So this is our plan, together:

    Hard-headed, aggressive action on all fronts…

    To break the gangs’ business model –

    Secure our borders…

    And show that by attempting to reach the UK by small boat…

    Will only end in failure, detention and return.

    Second, we have also made real progress today on boosting jobs and growth… 

    Building on our new agreement with the EU.

    We’re ambitious for what we can do together…

    As G7 economies…

    Close trading partners…

    And leaders in areas that will dominate in years to come.

    Together our countries account for over half of European spending on research and technology.

    So we’ve gone further today…

    Collaborating on satellite connectivity…

    Bringing together our leading supercomputers – to seize the opportunities created by AI…

    And bringing down barriers to trade and investment in strategic sectors.

    Just this week we’ve welcomed EDF’s major investment in Sizewell C – 

    Which will create thousands of jobs,

    Boost our energy security,

    And protect billpayers for years to come.

    Third, we have strengthened our work…

    To stand together for European security, and in support of Ukraine – 

    Because I’m clear – 

    The security of the British people starts in Ukraine. 

    We have just co-chaired a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing –

    Including representatives from the United States – for the first time.

    We announced plans for a new “Multinational Force Ukraine.”

    Headquartered in Paris –

    So that we’re ready to support a peace deal when it comes.

    But while Putin turns his back on peace…

    We are rallying more support for Ukraine right now…

    To defend their people – and force Putin to the table.

    Now, as Europe’s only nuclear powers…

    And as leaders in NATO…

    We play a vital role in preserving the peace and security on this continent.

    So today we have updated the historic Lancaster House treaty –

    To protect our people, and our way of life.

    This is a major modernisation.

    We are overhauling the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force –

    To make it five times larger…

    50,000 troops strong…

    Able to act across every domain.

    But we’re going further.

    This morning, we signed the Northwood Declaration.  
    Confirming for the first time…

    That we are coordinating our independent nuclear deterrents.

    From today, our adversaries will know – 

    That any extreme threat to this continent…

    Would prompt a response from our two nations.   

    There is no greater demonstration of the importance of this relationship.

    And while we stand together for our collective defence…

    We must also deliver a defence dividend for working people.

    So we have agreed a deeper industrial partnership today…

    To bring our defence industries closer than ever before.

    We’re not just talking about stepping up…

    On defence, jobs and growth –

    We’re delivering it.

    Previous governments tried and failed to secure results like this.

    We can achieve them now…

    Because we have taken the time and care…

    To do the real work…

    The quiet, serious diplomacy…

    To build proper relationships…

    Which multiply our strength and the opportunities we enjoy. 

    So Emmanuel, thank you so much for being here.

    We represent two fiercely proud and independent nations.

    But by working together… 

    We are delivering for our people…

    And we are a force for good in a dangerous world.

    Thank you, Emmanuel, and over to you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Edinburgh to launch innovation team to help reduce poverty and reach net zero

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    View of Edinburgh from Arthur Seat – a Getty image

    Edinburgh is one of 19 new local authorities joining the international Bloomberg Philanthropies i-team initiative, which provides support and expertise to tackle pressing local challenges.

    The City of Edinburgh Council today announced plans for an Innovation Team which will work towards tackling the city’s ambitions of reaching net zero and ending poverty.

    The i-team, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, will include three specialised staff charged with helping the Council and civic and community-based partners design and implement services that improve people’s lives. They will receive technical assistance from regional and global specialists, and benefit from learnings from peers in local authorities across the region and around the world.  

    City of Edinburgh Council Leader Jane Meagher said:

    Edinburgh is one of the most successful cities in the world and yet we face unprecedented pressures. Our population growth, and appeal as a fantastic place to live and visit, makes it challenging to provide the best quality housing and support to residents who need it most. Likewise, Edinburgh’s world-famous environment, both built and natural, needs to be managed sustainably and protected from the effects of climate change.

    The support from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ international i-team initiative will provide a huge boost towards our aims of tackling poverty and hitting net zero, by helping us to establish a brand-new innovation team within the Council. I look forward to working with this team, and all our partners, as we work to deliver a fairer and stronger capital city.

    James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said:

    Realising efficient, effective government is an inside job—and the Innovation Teams we support around the world are critical to building that engine within the city halls they serve. We are glad to expand this model to 19 new municipal teams in Europe, who will join the growing number of public officials working locally, creatively, and ambitiously to break down silos, break through problems, and deliver results residents see and feel.

    To date, the Bloomberg Philanthropies i-team initiative has reached over 100 cities across 16 countries and four continents—representing more than 100 million residents—and inspired hundreds of other local governments to embrace innovation systems and practices.

    Published: July 10th 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chairman of NPC Standing Committee Meets with Vice Speaker of National Assembly of Republic of Korea

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) — Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), met with Lee Hak-yeon, vice speaker of the National Assembly (parliament) of the Republic of Korea (ROK), in Beijing on Thursday.

    Zhao Leji recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations to Lee Jae-myung on his election as President of the Republic of Korea and held a telephone conversation with him, during which the two sides reached an important consensus on elevating China-South Korea strategic cooperation and partnership to a higher level.

    The Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee stressed that China is ready to work with the ROK, under the strategic leadership of the heads of state, to improve mutual understanding and trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, expand cultural and humanitarian exchanges, and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.

    According to Zhao Leji, the NPC is willing to maintain close communication with the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, play the role of mechanisms and platforms for exchanges between legislative bodies, so as to provide legal guarantees for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and deepen coordination and cooperation within the framework of multilateral mechanisms.

    For his part, Lee Hak-yeon noted that the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea hopes to deepen cooperation with the NPC in order to contribute to the development of trade and economic ties and strengthening friendship between the peoples of the two countries. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Scholten Introduces Bill to Install Inspector General in the Executive Office of the President

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Hillary Scholten – Michigan

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI-03), alongside U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT.-03) and Eugene Vindman (VA.-07), introduced the Bringing Executive Accountability, Clarity, and Oversight Now (BEACON) Act, legislation to establish an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the Executive Office of the President (EOP). 

    “The American people deserve transparency and accountability from every corner of our government, especially the White House. The BEACON Act is a necessary step to ensure that no Administration is above the law or immune from scrutiny,” said Rep. Scholten. “By creating a truly independent Inspector General for the Executive Office of the President, this bill strengthens the oversight necessary to protect taxpayer dollars, prevent abuse of power, and promote trust in our public institutions. I’m proud to join Senator Schiff and Representatives DeLauro and Vindman to push forward this essential legislation that puts the public interest ahead of partisan politics.”

    The bill would require the same presidential appointment process as other inspectors general, with additional protections to ensure independence from the President. It would also direct the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) to annually audit the EOP OIG to ensure political pressure does not weaken the inspector general’s ability to effectively conduct oversight of the President and the Executive Office of the President.

    U.S. Senator Adam Schiff introduced the Senate version while U.S. Representatives Hillary Scholten, Rosa DeLauro, and Eugene Vindman introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI). 

    “Inspectors general conduct important independent oversight throughout different agencies in the executive branch. But the same is not true when it comes to the President and the White House — where there is no inspector general. That should change, regardless of who is in office. Establishing an Office of the Inspector General inside the Executive Office of the President will help ensure that no President or administration is above the law. Inspectors general hold federal agencies accountable by rooting out fraud and abuse, and this legislation would implement the same oversight of our nation’s highest office,” said Senator Schiff.

    “With the most corrupt President in the history of our country, it’s important we have the necessary guardrails in place to keep him and any President in check,” said Rep. Vindman. “As a former JAG and National Security Council ethics lawyer, I’m proud to introduce the BEACON Act that will install the right guardrails to make sure that even the most powerful office in our democracy is accountable to the people it serves. An independent Inspector General in the Executive Office of the President is long overdue. Our founders never intended for the President to operate in the shadows.”

    “In America, no one is above the law, and that should include President Trump. His reckless and illegal impoundment spree, during which he has stolen at least $425 billion in government funding from the American people, must end. Congressional Republicans’ desperate efforts to defund organizations like the Government Accountability Office, which investigates waste, fraud, and abuse, and President Trump’s efforts to fire independent Inspectors General across the government, show that this Administration is terrified of accountability and allergic to transparency. If they will not tell the American people the truth, then we must discover the truth. The BEACON Act would ensure that the President is accountable to the people, by installing an independent Inspector General in the Executive Office of the President. This is a vital check on executive power that is long overdue,” said Rep DeLauro.

    The bill has been endorsed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Democracy Defenders Action, and Public Citizen.

    “For decades, inspectors general across the executive branch have saved American taxpayers billions of dollars by identifying and helping to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse throughout federal agencies,” said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). “Yet the Executive Office of the President—the epicenter of federal policymaking and governance—lacks this key form of internal oversight, allowing corrupt actors at the highest levels of government to evade public accountability. It is time to establish an inspector general within the White House and begin the process of restoring the public’s confidence in their government. We thank Senator Schiff for introducing this common sense legislation and urge the Senate to pass it.”

    “The Office of Inspector General is widely credited with providing independent oversight and accountability of federal agencies. The White House does not have a single, designated Inspector General the same way as federal agencies. That oversight role has been placed with the Attorney General and Congress. It has become painfully clear that neither the AG nor Congress is living up to their oversight responsibilities. Sen. Schiff’s BEACON Act would fill that void by assigning a truly independent IG to oversee the otherwise secretive dealings of the White House,” said Craig Holman, Ph.D., Public Citizen.

    “Establishing an Inspector General for the President’s closest advisors promotes accountability at the highest levels of government,” said Virginia Canter, Anticorruption and Ethics Chief Counsel and Director at Democracy Defenders Action. “The BEACON Act would create an independent watchdog to strengthen oversight of the Executive Office of the President’s operations, spending, and integrity. It would enhance our democracy by shining a light on waste, fraud, and abuse among top government officials.”

     

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 10 July 2025 Statement Fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024

    Source: World Health Organisation

    The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) is hereby transmitting the report of the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee (Committee) regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024, held on Thursday, 5 June 2025, from 12:00 to 17:00 CEST.

    Concurring with the advice unanimously expressed by the Committee during the meeting, the WHO Director-General determined that the upsurge of mpox 2024 continues to meet the criteria of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and, accordingly, on 9 June 2025, issued temporary recommendations to States Parties, available here.  

    The WHO Director-General expresses his most sincere gratitude to the Chair, Members, and Advisors of the Committee.

    ===

    Proceedings of the meeting

    Sixteen (16) Members of, and two Advisors to, the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee (Committee) were convened by teleconference, via Zoom, on Thursday, 5 June 2025, from 12:00 to 17:00 CEST. Fourteen (14) of the 16 Committee Members, and the two Advisors to the Committee participated in the meeting.

    The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) joined in person and welcomed the participants, including Government Officials designated to present their views to the Committee on behalf of the two invited States Parties – Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The opening remarks by the Director-General are available here.

    The Representative of the Office of Legal Counsel then briefed the Members and Advisors on their roles and responsibilities and identified the mandate of the Committee under the relevant articles of the IHR. The Ethics Officer from the Department of Compliance, Risk Management, and Ethics provided the Members and Advisors with an overview of the WHO Declaration of Interests process. The Members and Advisors were made aware of their individual responsibility to disclose to WHO, in a timely manner, any interests of a personal, professional, financial, intellectual or commercial nature that may give rise to a perceived or actual conflict of interest. They were additionally reminded of their duty to maintain the confidentiality of the meeting discussions and the work of the Committee. Each Member and Advisor was surveyed, with no conflicts of interest identified.

    The meeting was handed over to the Chair who introduced the objectives of the meeting, which were to provide views to the WHO Director-General on whether the event continues to constitute a PHEIC, and if so, to provide views on the potential proposed temporary recommendations.

    Session open to representatives of States Parties invited to present their views

    The WHO Secretariat presented an overview of the global epidemiological situation of mpox, including all circulating clades of monkeypox virus (MPXV). Over the past 12 months, the majority of mpox cases have continued to be reported from the African continent, largely driven by outbreaks of MPXV clade Ib in East African countries, including the DRC, where clade Ia is co-circulating. Sierra Leone however is experiencing a rapidly evolving outbreak, which based on available genomic sequencing results, appears to be driven by MPXV clade IIb. Outside of the African region, there continues to be a steady report of monthly cases (between about 500 – 1000 monthly), from all regions, mostly reflecting ongoing circulation of MPXV clade IIb among men who have sex with men (MSM).

    In the DRC, while surveillance- and access to healthcare-related challenges persist, particularly in the eastern part of the country, trends in most Provinces where MPXV clade Ib is circulating, including those of North Kivu and South Kivu, are now appearing to stabilize or decline. Similar trends are also observed in areas endemic for MPXV clade Ia. In the capital Kinshasa, where the upsurge is driven by a co-circulation of MPXV clades Ia and Ib, the disease appears to be clustered geographically and in specific demographic groups, with incidence disproportionately higher among young adults, reflecting dynamics of transmission sustained by sexual networks in key areas of the city.

    In Burundi, a steady decline in incidence of mpox cases has been observed since late 2024. Initially concentrated in and around Bujumbura and later spreading to the administrative capital Gitega, with at its peak cases reported in most districts, the upsurge appears to now be concentrated only in a few hotspots.

    In Uganda, although national trends indicate a decrease in mpox cases since mid-February 2025, including a clear downward trend in the capital Kampala, limitations in testing capacity warrant cautious interpretation. Clusters are concentrated in urban settings, with transmission primarily among young adults, consistent with sexual contact transmission dynamics.

    In Kenya, although the number of mpox cases remains low, recent data suggest an upward trend. Surveillance is likely underestimating the actual incidence of mpox cases. Transmission has been associated with mobile populations, including truck drivers and sex workers.

    Sierra Leone has recently faced a significant upsurge of MPXV clade IIb, with a peak reproduction number in the capital Freetown, exceeding that observed in the past in Kinshasa, DRC, or Kampala, Uganda. Over the past three weeks, the number of observed mpox cases has been declining, possibly due to a combination of, increased natural immunity in high-risk groups and public health interventions. Transmission remains concentrated in urban areas and among young adults, likely to be associated with sexual contact.

    Travel-associated cases are declining but remain a concern. Notably, recent diagnoses of MPXV clade Ib infection in Australia – linked to exposure in Thailand – highlight the risk of undetected transmission in countries or areas with underperforming surveillance. The majority of secondary transmission resulting from imported mpox cases occurs through close, intimate, or sexual contact.

    MPXV clade Ia continues to show higher mortality, especially in children the DRC with a case fatality rate of 2-3%, although data should be interpreted considering, inter alia, the limitation of syndromic surveillance. Across all clades, individuals with underlying immunosuppression, particularly those with HIV infection, remain at greatest risk of severe outcomes and death. The overall case fatality rate for MPXV clade Ib and clade IIb remains around 0.5%.

    The WHO Secretariat presented the assessed risk by MPXV clades and further expressed in terms of overall public health risk where any given clade/s is/are circulating, as: Clade Ib – high public health risk in the DRC and neighbouring countries; Clade Ia – moderate public health risk in the DRC; Clade II – moderate public health risk in Nigeria and countries of West and Central Africa where mpox is endemic; and clade IIb – moderate public health risk globally. It was noted that the above risk assessment corresponds to the one presented during the third meeting of the Committee on 25 February 2025.

    The WHO Secretariat subsequently underscored progress in mpox control efforts, attributing gains to partnerships among national governments, communities, and WHO. However, these are now at risk due to a worsening funding shortfall, not only for the response but for global health programs that support mpox prevention and control activities.

    An updated WHO Mpox Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP, available here), covering the period May-August 2025 and integrating lessons from operational reviews conducted in early 2025, was issued in April 2025. While the strategy remains fit for purpose, the funding environment has deteriorated. Despite a $145 million funding requirement to support all partners involved in mpox response efforts, including $47 million for WHO, the Organization has received no new financial commitments since the issuance of the new SPRP, and resource constraints now threaten the sustainability of operations – personnel levels have dropped, and essential supplies, including vaccines, cannot be deployed efficiently.

    WHO has issued updated clinical care and infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance, emphasizing the importance of integrating mpox-related interventions into broader health programs and health services delivery. However, the effective implementation of the guidance remains limited by logistical and financial barriers, and its application at local level requires intensified support. Community-centered care strategies, such as home-based care with IPC integration and linkage to primary care, have been endorsed to alleviate pressure on health facilities.

    Seven countries have initiated mpox vaccination (Central African Republic, DRC, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda), with four additional countries (Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, and South Africa) poised to begin. Vaccine supply exists with 2.9 million vaccine doses in countries, but resource limitations hamper distribution and administration, with only approximately 724,000 doses administered to date. Strengthened coordination is essential to ensure equitable and timely delivery to high-risk populations.

    While recent progress in controlling and responding to the spread of mpox are encouraging, sustainability hinges on urgent and sustained resource mobilization, greater integration within health systems, and continued prioritization of community engagement. Without this, current gains risk being reversed.

    Representatives of Burundi and the DRC updated the Committee on the mpox epidemiological situation in their countries and their current control and response efforts, needs and challenges, and plans in the medium term.

    In Burundi, since the mpox upsurge started in July 2024, cumulatively, approximately 4,000 confirmed cases of mpox, including one death, were observed. The number of cases has been subsiding and, as of 25 May 2025, mpox cases are occurring in 9 districts, including two hotspots. The response in Burundi is focusing on rapid response to alerts and contract tracing. Among the challenges in responding to mpox are insufficient resources to provide food for cases, lack of clean water in some of the hotspots, and the absence of a functional multisectoral One Health platform.

    In the DRC, the number of mpox cases is plateauing, with a significant decrease in positivity rate, further corroborating the declining trends. Outside areas considered to be endemic, adults account for the majority of cases, with sexual contact being the most frequent mode of transmission. Overall, as a result of contact tracing activities, 83,000 contacts were identified, with a median of 5 contacts per case. More than two million mpox vaccine doses were received, with approximately 600,000 people vaccinated to date. Efforts are ongoing to make triage more efficient and effective, and improve diagnostics for mpox, including transport of samples from the affected communities. National authorities have developed a plan to intensify the response to the mpox outbreak, focusing on surveillance, contact tracing, risk communication, and vaccination. However, the funding gap is again impacting response activities, particularly in remote areas.

    Members of, and Advisors to, the Committee then engaged in questions and answers with the presenters from States Parties and the WHO Secretariat, revolving around the issues and challenges enumerated below.

    Global epidemiology, clade distribution, and risk assessment – The global epidemiological risk has remained largely unchanged since the Committee last met on 25 February 2025. However, 17 countries in Africa are currently reporting mpox outbreaks (i.e. one case or more in the last six weeks). MPXV clade Ib continues to spread in high-risk groups and has been newly detected in countries including Ethiopia, Malawi, South Sudan, and Zambia. Sierra Leone is experiencing a distinct outbreak, likely due to MPXV clade IIb according to initial evidence. This outbreak poses a specific local and regional risk and is a reminder of the ongoing risk of mpox outbreaks in specific contexts. The Committee asked about progress made towards the elimination of mpox in the WHO European Region. In that respect, the WHO Secretariat indicated that MPXV clade IIb continues to circulate at low levels, predominantly among MSM. Despite the reduced number of cases, elimination has not been achieved, with persistent transmission linked to gaps in immunity, behavioral risk factors, and communication barriers. Given the patterns of international travel, the risk of reintroduction in the WHO European Region persists.

    Surveillance, laboratory testing, and confidence in data – On the specific question of confidence in trends in the DRC, while there remain many specific challenges to surveillance, stable or decreasing trends observed in syndromic surveillance, epidemiological case-based surveillance and laboratory-based surveillance, coupled with decreases in test positivity, bring some confidence in the robustness of the assessment. Caution is warranted particularly when interpreting current trends in some areas of the Eastern Provinces of the DRC where access remains constrained, although, overall, Eastern DRC had been seeing a sustained decline in reported cases before the more recent security constraints. Concerns were expressed about the possibility of undetected transmission of MPXV in West Africa, including in Ghana and Togo in relation to MPXV clade Ib, as well as in Sierra Leone, in relation to MPXV clade IIb, despite of the declining trajectory of the number of cases after it peaked in early 2025. Concerns were also expressed regarding the need for enhanced genomic sequencing capacity. Burundi was commended for its strong surveillance performance, including its high testing rate and contact follow-up capacity. National laboratory diagnostic approaches generally report adhering to WHO protocols. However, in Sierra Leone, due to the burden of response activities, only 2% of samples positive for MPXV infection (prior to early May 2025) underwent genomic sequencing.he WHO Secretariat continues to support countries experiencing upsurges of mpox cases by providing technical assistance, including facilitating shipment of specimens to national or international laboratories.

    Patterns of transmission – The Committee highlighted that, unlike in most other areas experiencing the MPXV clade Ib outbreaks, an increased number of paediatric mpox cases is observed in the Provinces of North and South Kivu, DRC. While detailed epidemiological data are limited, this age pattern could potentially be explained, inter alia, by the build-up of immunity among adults following sexual exposure, leading to infections due to non-sexual exposure withing households. There have been anecdotical reports of exposure in paediatric healthcare facilities. It was noted that outbreaks of mpox have not otherwise been reported in educational or other settings where children are congregating.

    Contact tracing – Approaches to contact tracing differ across countries. In some settings the absence of systematic tracing and access to diagnostics reduces the effectiveness of overall control actions. The need to optimize public health resource allocation was underscored. This would entail reassessing the feasibility of traditional contact tracing in certain settings, as well as the use of mpox vaccine among identified contacts to reduce secondary transmission.

    Vaccination – As of June 2025, approximately 2.9 million mpox vaccine doses have been distributed across the African continent, the majority to the DRC, which has received about 2.5 million doses. Of these, approximately 600,000 doses have been administered. The remaining 1.9 million doses comprise 1.5 million LC16m8 vaccine doses donated by Japan (not yet deployed as training of health workers is underway) and 367,000 MVA-BN doses. A further 349,000 doses secured by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) remain undeployed due to funding shortages. An additional 219,000 MVA-BN doses have been pledged by the Government of the United States of America, pending approval for deployment. Strategies for the use of mpox vaccine have evolved in response to supply constraints and emerging epidemiological trends. In the DRC, since February 2025, approximately105,000 doses have been administered to children under 12 and approximately 56,000 doses to adolescents aged 12 to 18. Additional groups targeted by vaccination efforts in the DRC include healthcare workers, individuals at risk of severe disease – such as people living with HIV – and, in more recent phases, key populations in transmission hotspots, including sex workers, and MSM. In Sierra Leone, the vaccination strategy was initially focused on healthcare and frontline workers and people living with HIV. The focus of vaccination efforts then shifted to hotspots and contacts, sex workers, and MSM within those hotspots. Initially, most countries began with a two-dose regimen; however, the majority have now transitioned to a single-dose approach or are preparing to shift toward intradermal fractional dosing. These dose-sparing strategies were endorsed in the WHO position paper, if vaccine resources were limited, published on 23 August 2024, available here.[1] It was noted that intradermal fractional dosing, where each vial can yield four to five doses, is applicable only to the MVA-BN vaccine and has already been employed in some settings. Overall, the uptake of available vaccines has remained lower than anticipated due to logistical, operational, and financial barriers. Further efforts are needed to optimize the strategic use of available mpox vaccine and maximize its public health impact.

    Mpox and HIV infections and integration of health services – Coinfection with HIV presents significant challenges for health services in the management of mpox, especially in countries with high HIV prevalence. In Kinshasa, DRC, 9.3% of mpox cases are reported to be HIV-positive, though this figure likely underrepresents the true burden due to limited HIV testing and integration of health services. In Uganda, 55% of deaths associated with MPXV infection have occurred among people living with HIV. The importance of co-located testing services and data systems was underscored to capture the dual burden of HIV and mpox more effectively. Reference to WHO technical guidance was made in relation to the use of rapid tests for HIV diagnosis, immediate linkage to care for those who test positive, and protocols for clinical management of coinfected individuals. The needs for improving triage systems and refining clinical diagnostic criteria for mpox were highlighted, with emphasis on the misclassification of dermatological conditions, such as chickenpox. Overall, the integration of health care delivery remains uneven across countries.

    Funding – Funding gaps remain one of the most critical threats to the mpox response. It was noted that, since the launch of the updated SPRP in April 2025, WHO has not received any additional earmarked contributions, resulting in the scaling back of operations, including surveillance, laboratory support, community outreach, and vaccine-related logistics. Serious concerns were expressed regarding the sustainability of key control interventions, including HIV-related, the interruption of which could lead to the intensification of transmission and, hence, limit the ability of public health systems to adapt and respond to changing transmission patterns. However, it was emphasized that lessons should be learned from the experience of Burundi that, despite operating with limited resources, has made substantial progress in controlling the upsurge of mpox, thanks largely to non-pharmaceutical interventions – a combination of sensitive surveillance, effective contact tracing, strong laboratory testing capacity, and decentralized district-level interventions leveraging on community engagement.

    Anticipated scenarios for controlling and responding to mpox – The Committee expressed concerns about the current epidemiological trajectory suggesting that mpox may be moving toward endemicity in some countries, or areas thereof, in the African continent. Although some countries are seeing sustained declining trends, MPXV transmission persists. This is consistent with preliminary modelling work suggesting that the actual case counts may be higher than reported due to diagnostic and surveillance gaps. Such scenario raises concern in terms of future interspersed surges of cases in countries in the African continent, as well as exportation of cases within and beyond the continent. Therefore, the observed epidemiological evolution of mpox since the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) was determined in August 2024, requires the development of adequate definitions to describe the pattern of mpox transmission experienced by countries, or areas thereof, and, consequently, assist in setting the goals for control, and guide control and response interventions accordingly. 

    Deliberative session

    Following the session open to invited States Parties, the Committee reconvened in a closed session to examine the questions in relation to whether the event constitutes a PHEIC or not, and if so, to consider the temporary recommendations drafted by the WHO Secretariat in accordance with IHR provisions.

    The Chair reminded the Committee Members of their mandate and recalled that a PHEIC is defined in the IHR as an “extraordinary event, which constitutes a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease, and potentially requires a coordinated international response”.

    The Committee was unanimous in expressing the views that the ongoing upsurge of mpox still meets the criteria of a PHEIC and that the Director-General be advised accordingly.

    The overarching considerations underpinning the advice of the Committee are determined by (a) challenges in accurately describing the multi-faceted epidemiological patterns and profiles associated with multiple circulating MPXV clades, observed and markedly differing from historical experience with the disease; (b) uncertainties related to funding availability in the immediate and medium term, both, domestically and internationally; and (c) the subsequent challenges in defining public health strategic approaches for controlling and responding to the spread of mpox.

    On that basis, the Committee considered that:

    The event is “extraordinary” because of (i) the emergence and spread of MPXV clade 1b has introduced new uncertainties regarding virus evolution, and the current and foreseeable dynamics of mpox spread; (ii) the establishment of sustained community transmission of MPXV clade I in additional countries in the African continent, without a full appreciation of the factors driving the rapid evolution of the surge of mpox cases; (iii) the disproportionate burden of mpox cases among children, especially in the Eastern Provinces of the DRC, with not yet fully explained dynamics of transmission; and (iv) the persistent challenges integrating health service delivery to mpox patients, due to the likelihood of comorbidities and heightened vulnerability.

    The event “constitutes a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease” because of (i) sub-optimal surveillance systems in many countries and regions, likely leading to undetected transmission and subsequent spread of MPXV clade I into additional countries in the African continent. Such consideration applies to both countries in West Africa, where MPXV clade I had not previously been identified, but are experiencing significant population movement with central and east African countries where that virus is spreading, as well as to countries outside the African continent (e.g. exported case of MPXV clade Ib infection from Thailand to Australia); and (ii) the continuous exportation of MPXV clade I mpox cases from Africa to other continents, some of which resulting in secondary transmission.

    The event “requires a coordinated international response” because (i) there is a need for concerted efforts by the international community to supplement domestic funding for mpox control and response activities, as well as those of United Agencies, other international institutions and partnerships operational in the field and/or involved in vaccine procurement and related logistics; (ii) access to vaccine, even when available, remains challenging in terms of delivery capacity at the local level; (iii) in the context of limited funding, there is a need to facilitate the exchange of experience between countries, in particular those of countries like Burundi, that despite operating with limited resources, has made substantial progress in controlling the upsurge of mpox through the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions; and (iv) there is a need to monitor the spread and phylogenetic evolution of MPXV clades through genetic sequencing, not always available or optimally performing, in countries experiencing upsurges of mpox.

    The Committee subsequently considered the draft of the temporary recommendations proposed by the WHO Secretariat.

    Anticipating the possibility that the WHO Director-General may determine that the event continues to constitute a PHEIC, the Committee had received a proposed set of revised temporary recommendations ahead of the meeting. This reflected the proposal to extend most of the temporary recommendations issued on 27 February 2025. While acknowledging that the standing recommendations for mpox are approaching their expiration (20 August 2025) and could potentially benefit from extension or revision, the Committee reiterated the relevance of the proposed temporary recommendations. However, the Committee emphasized the needs (i) to prioritize temporary recommendations related to non-pharmaceutical interventions, taking into account implementation challenges and successful experiences on the ground; and (ii) to anchor vaccine deployment in evidence-based approaches.

    Conclusions

    Considering the complexity of the epidemiological evolution of the spread of mpox, of the distribution of the MPXV clades, the challenges in implementing efficient and effective control and response interventions, as well as issues raised by the Committee in occasion of their previous meetings, the Committee welcomed the proposal by the WHO Secretariat to hold an informal technical meeting aimed at assisting countries to prioritise response measures adapted to the varied epidemiological contexts, ahead of its next formal meeting should the WHO Director-General determine that the event continues to constitute a PHEIC.

    The Committee agreed to provide its feedback to the WHO Secretariat on the proposed set of temporary recommendations the day after the meeting (i.e. 6 June 2025), and to finalize the report of the meeting during the week of 9 June 2025.

    The Acting Director of the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management at WHO headquarters, on behalf of the WHO Deputy Director-General, expressed her gratitude to the Committee’s Officers, its Members and Advisors and closed the meeting.

    References: 

    [1] On 6 June 2025, after the fourth meeting of the Committee, WHO published the Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), 10-13 March 2025, including a section on mpox vaccine. The report is available here.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT ADDRESSES FEDERAL RECONCILIATION BILL IMPACTS AND VIRGIN ISLANDS RECOVERY PRIORITIES

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

    For Immediate Release                                          Contact: Tionee Scotland
    July 10, 2025                                                           202-808-6129

    PRESS RELEASE

    CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT ADDRESSES FEDERAL RECONCILIATION BILL IMPACTS AND VIRGIN ISLANDS RECOVERY PRIORITIES 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett released the following statement on the federal reconciliation bill signed into law by President Trump and its potential impacts on the U.S. Virgin Islands: 

    “Last week President Trump signed into law his tax and spending bill, H.R. 1, which passed the House and Senate narrowly with solely Republican votes and several Republican defections.  While the inclusion of permanent rum cover-over in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, represents a major win for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and the culmination of years-long efforts by elected officials and stakeholders, as I have consistently indicated from the beginning of the year, the bill will also bring significant challenges to our territory through cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and other critical programs.

    “My office has reached out to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands and the Government of the Virgin Islands finance team to share our concerns and offer our support as we hope the local government will begin the efforts to prepare for these impacts over the coming years. It will be imperative for the Virgin Islands local government to focus on finding new revenues and act creatively to remedy the impacts of federal cuts locally. This legislation will require us to find additional sources for increasing revenues to the general fund to continue providing support to families—supporting new businesses, jump starting local small businesses and training our own local workforce to support the rebuilding and construction projects that must come online.” 

    Congresswoman Plaskett emphasized the importance of the Government of the Virgin Islands taking advantage of the rebuild to create additional revenue, ancillary businesses and increased workforce.  Doing so means capitalizing on the cost-share waiver granted by the Biden-Harris administration, which has allocated billions of federal dollars for recovery projects across the territory. 

    “Seven years ago, our community’s infrastructure was devasted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, leaving our critical infrastructure decimated. Out of devastation came the opportunity to transform our territory and rebuild our critical infrastructure in a more resilient manner with profound funding from the federal government. In the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, I obtained provisions to allow the Virgin Islands to rebuild critical infrastructure with resilient design and features, up to the latest industry building standards and notwithstanding pre-disaster conditions in the Virgin Islands (the standard that normally applies).

    “That change in law has meant the Government of the Virgin Islands has been allocated billions in federal funding for our schools, hospitals, water systems, power grid, communications infrastructure, and other critical projects. In 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that rebuild projects approved before September 30, 2024, require only a 2 percent local match instead of the original 10 percent, with other projects requiring just 5 percent – projected cost savings for the local government of almost $1.5 billion. This represents an unprecedented opportunity to complete our hurricane recovery while stimulating economic growth. However, the cost share is for a ten-year period.  We must capitalize on this timeframe and utilize this opportunity not only to rebuild our infrastructure but also to attract small businesses and other industries to our territory,” Plaskett added. 

    “Now that the battle for the permanent increased rum cover-over rate of $13.25 is over, we need to focus on two critical areas related to the rum cover over: ensuring the Virgin Islands receives our fair share of worldwide rum cover-over revenue and working with rum companies to understand the utilization of funds for marketing and potentially increase the amount that comes directly to the Virgin Islands Government. Under the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), rum produced outside the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and then imported into the US also has a rum cover over that is divided between the two territories.  Under the CBI, that ratio should be based upon the rum produced by each, however there was never a change in ratio made when Diageo came to the Virgin Islands from Puerto Rico.  I previously engaged both the Mapp-Potter and Bryan-Roach Administrations on this issue, and it is my hope that the Bryan Administration will take this matter up so the Virgin Islands will receive its fair share of the cover over. Additionally, we need to ensure the rum companies are utilizing these funds for the maximum benefit for our community.” 

    “While federal cuts will create challenges, we also have untapped resources and underutilized opportunities at our disposal. The key is acting decisively during this critical recovery window while building sustainable economic growth for our future. My team and I remain ready to work with Governor Bryan and his team along with the Legislature of the Virgin Islands to ensure that we can not only weather these changes but emerge stronger.” 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT ADDRESSES FEDERAL RECONCILIATION BILL IMPACTS AND VIRGIN ISLANDS RECOVERY PRIORITIES

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

    For Immediate Release                                          Contact: Tionee Scotland
    July 10, 2025                                                           202-808-6129

    PRESS RELEASE

    CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT ADDRESSES FEDERAL RECONCILIATION BILL IMPACTS AND VIRGIN ISLANDS RECOVERY PRIORITIES 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett released the following statement on the federal reconciliation bill signed into law by President Trump and its potential impacts on the U.S. Virgin Islands: 

    “Last week President Trump signed into law his tax and spending bill, H.R. 1, which passed the House and Senate narrowly with solely Republican votes and several Republican defections.  While the inclusion of permanent rum cover-over in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, represents a major win for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and the culmination of years-long efforts by elected officials and stakeholders, as I have consistently indicated from the beginning of the year, the bill will also bring significant challenges to our territory through cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and other critical programs.

    “My office has reached out to the Legislature of the Virgin Islands and the Government of the Virgin Islands finance team to share our concerns and offer our support as we hope the local government will begin the efforts to prepare for these impacts over the coming years. It will be imperative for the Virgin Islands local government to focus on finding new revenues and act creatively to remedy the impacts of federal cuts locally. This legislation will require us to find additional sources for increasing revenues to the general fund to continue providing support to families—supporting new businesses, jump starting local small businesses and training our own local workforce to support the rebuilding and construction projects that must come online.” 

    Congresswoman Plaskett emphasized the importance of the Government of the Virgin Islands taking advantage of the rebuild to create additional revenue, ancillary businesses and increased workforce.  Doing so means capitalizing on the cost-share waiver granted by the Biden-Harris administration, which has allocated billions of federal dollars for recovery projects across the territory. 

    “Seven years ago, our community’s infrastructure was devasted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, leaving our critical infrastructure decimated. Out of devastation came the opportunity to transform our territory and rebuild our critical infrastructure in a more resilient manner with profound funding from the federal government. In the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, I obtained provisions to allow the Virgin Islands to rebuild critical infrastructure with resilient design and features, up to the latest industry building standards and notwithstanding pre-disaster conditions in the Virgin Islands (the standard that normally applies).

    “That change in law has meant the Government of the Virgin Islands has been allocated billions in federal funding for our schools, hospitals, water systems, power grid, communications infrastructure, and other critical projects. In 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that rebuild projects approved before September 30, 2024, require only a 2 percent local match instead of the original 10 percent, with other projects requiring just 5 percent – projected cost savings for the local government of almost $1.5 billion. This represents an unprecedented opportunity to complete our hurricane recovery while stimulating economic growth. However, the cost share is for a ten-year period.  We must capitalize on this timeframe and utilize this opportunity not only to rebuild our infrastructure but also to attract small businesses and other industries to our territory,” Plaskett added. 

    “Now that the battle for the permanent increased rum cover-over rate of $13.25 is over, we need to focus on two critical areas related to the rum cover over: ensuring the Virgin Islands receives our fair share of worldwide rum cover-over revenue and working with rum companies to understand the utilization of funds for marketing and potentially increase the amount that comes directly to the Virgin Islands Government. Under the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), rum produced outside the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and then imported into the US also has a rum cover over that is divided between the two territories.  Under the CBI, that ratio should be based upon the rum produced by each, however there was never a change in ratio made when Diageo came to the Virgin Islands from Puerto Rico.  I previously engaged both the Mapp-Potter and Bryan-Roach Administrations on this issue, and it is my hope that the Bryan Administration will take this matter up so the Virgin Islands will receive its fair share of the cover over. Additionally, we need to ensure the rum companies are utilizing these funds for the maximum benefit for our community.” 

    “While federal cuts will create challenges, we also have untapped resources and underutilized opportunities at our disposal. The key is acting decisively during this critical recovery window while building sustainable economic growth for our future. My team and I remain ready to work with Governor Bryan and his team along with the Legislature of the Virgin Islands to ensure that we can not only weather these changes but emerge stronger.” 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Andrea Salinas Introduces Bill to Improve Workforce Training for SNAP Recipients

    Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

    Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) reintroduced the SNAP E&T Data and Technical Assistance (DATA) Act, legislation to improve workforce training programs for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries and help put them on the path to self-sufficiency. 

    “SNAP is critical to ensuring that children, veterans, and seniors across Oregon don’t go hungry. This bill would improve employment and training opportunities for SNAP recipients to put them on the pathway to self-sufficiency,” said Rep. Salinas. “Given that Congressional Republicans just slashed SNAP benefits and imposed harsh work requirements, this bill is more important than ever to provide people with the tools they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.”

    State SNAP agencies are required to administer Employment and Training (E&T) programs for beneficiaries. These programs help participants gain skills, education, training, and experience that lead to good stable jobs. Through SNAP E&T, states are able to provide additional support services – such as transportation and child care – to help participants overcome barriers to joining or moving up in the workforce. However, many states do not have a user-friendly way to collect data on SNAP E&T programs or conduct robust analyses to improve program performance.

    The SNAP E&T DATA Act would codify and expand Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Data and Technical Assistance Grants to improve performance of Employment and Training programs. Specifically, the bill would: 

    • Support state and local agencies in the development of E&T data collection systems and processes that enhance states’ ability to review and analyze program services and outcomes for continuous program improvement.
    • Provide additional funds for technical assistance, so that states can become more effective, data driven E&T providers.
    • Encourage participation among states that have not yet received such grants.
    • Encourage data improvements that 1) facilitate co-enrollment and coordination with other federally supported workforce development programs and 2) support interoperability between SNAP E&T data systems and other state longitudinal data infrastructure, such as that for K-12 education, postsecondary education, and existing workforce development programs.

    In 2023, the Oregon Department of Human Services was awarded $1.5 million to assess and improve E&T participation and more accurately track program outcomes. Rep. Salinas’ legislation would significantly expand federal support for data collection on the effectiveness of SNAP E&T programs in Oregon.

    The SNAP E&T DATA Act is endorsed by the Data Quality Campaign and America Forward.

    “America Forward Coalition members who work with states, local governments, and participants in the SNAP Employment and Training program require accurate and accessible data to deliver the strongest possible SNAP E&T opportunities that advance economic mobility. We applaud Representative Andrea Salinas and urge Congress to include this critical legislation in the Farm Bill to enable continuous improvement, strengthen transparency, and break down barriers to participation in SNAP E&T,” said Chase Sackett, Policy Director, America Forward. 

    “Everyone should have the information they need to make informed decisions about their workforce pathways, support individuals navigating these pathways, and create policies that might help others navigate smoother pathways. DQC applauds the efforts of Rep. Salinas to ensure that the SNAP E&T program has the data infrastructure necessary so that it fulfills its role in helping individuals improve their economic mobility,” said Kate Tromble, Vice President of Federal Policy, Data Quality Campaign. 

    To read a one-page description of this legislation, click here.

     To read the full text of this legislation, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Kehoe Signs Legislation into Law Promoting Economic Development

    Source: US State of Missouri

    JULY 10, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, at bill signing ceremonies in St. Louis, Governor Mike Kehoe signed House Bills (HB) 199 and 1041 into law.

    Governor Kehoe joined St. Louis local business and community leaders and elected officials at Union Station to sign HB 199, which allows a special entertainment district to be established in downtown St. Louis. The legislation, sponsored by Representative Bill Falkner and Senator David Gregory, also modifies over 30 additional provisions relating to political subdivisions.

    • Allows the St. Charles Conventions and Sports Facilities Authority to receive a state tax incremental financing (TIF) district without first having a local TIF.
    • Allows Benton, Camden, Miller, and Morgan counties, as well as the City of Lake Ozark, to establish entertainment districts.
    • Extends eligibility to the St. Louis Port Authority for the Waterways and Ports Trust Fund.
    • Clarifies that the Kansas City Mayor must appoint commissioners to the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority from candidate panels submitted by the Clay or Platte County Commissions when their respective seats on the board become vacant.
    • Enables the establishment of a Clay County Sports Complex Authority, with similar powers and processes to those of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority.

    “I’m proud to be born and raised in St. Louis and remain committed to revitalizing downtown,” said Governor Kehoe. “This special entertainment district marks a new chapter for business and community leaders to promote tourism, public safety, and economic growth in St. Louis.”

    At Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis Brewery, Governor Kehoe joined Missouri brewers from across the state to sign Representative Dane Diehl’s and Senator Kurtis Gregory’s HB 1041, which modifies regulations for alcoholic beverages.

    • Reduces the malt liquor tax from $1.86 per barrel to $0.62 per barrel for all malt liquors produced at American Breweries.
    • Expands current law to allow wine, beer, malt liquor, and spirits to be donated by manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and unlicensed persons to charitable or religious organizations and educational institutions for auction or raffle.
    • Expands current law to allow cash rebate coupons for wine and liquor sales.
    • Increases revenues deposited into the Missouri Wine and Grape Fund from $0.12/gallon of wine sold to $0.21/gallon, allowing the Missouri Wine and Grape Board to use the additional revenue to support the University of Missouri’s Grape and Wine Institute.
    • Allows entities licensed to sell liquor by the drink for consumption on their licensed premises to be open 24 hours a day and serve alcohol from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m. the following day during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

    “We are proud to sign this legislation today, rightly branded as the American Beer Act, to help support and strengthen Missouri breweries, farmers, suppliers, and retailers who brew and sell American beer,” said Governor Kehoe. “Our state has a long history of being home to some of the best brewers in the nation, and by taking this action today to support breweries at a state level, Missouri is setting an example of supporting companies that are investing in American manufacturing, jobs, and communities.”

    For more information on the legislation and additional provisions signed into law, visit house.mo.gov and senate.mo.gov. Photos from the bill signing will be uploaded to Governor Kehoe’s Flickr page. Additional bill signings will continue to take place over the next several days. For more information on the bill signings, view Governor Kehoe’s schedule.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California scores more clean energy records: 9 in 10 days this year partially powered by 100% clean energy

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 10, 2025

    What you need to know: New data shows California’s power grid has run on 100% clean energy for some part of the day nearly every day this year – thanks to the state’s commitment to investing in new resources.

    SACRAMENTO – More than 9 out of 10 days so far this year have been powered by 100% clean energy for at least some part of the day in California. In 2025, California’s grid has run on 100% clean electricity for an average of 7 hours a day.

    Data compiled by the California Energy Commission shows clean energy has powered the equivalent of 51.9 days in the state – nearly 30% of the year to date running on 100% clean electricity. That already surpasses the amount of “clean energy days” last year – and represents a 750% increase in clean energy days since 2022.

    “The fourth largest economy in the world is running on more clean energy than ever before. Clean energy met our grid’s total demand for some part of the day almost every day this year – the equivalent of 51 full days powered by 100% clean electricity.

    Trump and Republicans can try all they want to take us back to the days of dirty coal but the future is cheap, abundant clean energy.” 

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    California has installed a record amount of clean energy – faster

    The addition of new clean energy resources – including battery storage – to the state’s grid has helped make clean energy days a reality in California.  

    Earlier this year, Governor Newsom announced more than 25,000 megawatts (MW) of new resources have been added to the state’s electric grid over the past five years — an amount equivalent to roughly half of the state’s record peak demand in 2022 and in addition to existing capacity.

    In 2024 alone, California added approximately 7,000 megawatts (MW) of new clean energy nameplate capacity —representing the largest single-year increase in clean energy capacity added to the grid in state history. This new figure broke the previous records set in both 2022 and 2023, marking a third consecutive year of unprecedented clean energy growth.

    Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage is up to over 15,000 megawatts – a 1,944% increase.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 9, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is sending more resources to assist New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas in disaster response, including incident support personnel and Urban Search and Rescue teams.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that California…

    Jul 9, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis today issued a proclamation declaring July 2025 as Disability Pride Month.The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATION California joins communities around the nation in…

    Jul 9, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced $35 million for law enforcement partners, local governments and community groups tackling impaired driving. Sacramento, California – Helping to address the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Superman wasn’t always so squeaky clean – in early comics he was a radical vigilante

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By John Caro, Principal Lecturer, Film and Media, University of Portsmouth

    Superman was the very first superhero. He debuted in Action Comics issue #1 which was released in June 1938. Over time, the character has been assigned multiple nicknames: “The Man of Steel”, “The Man of Tomorrow” and “The Big Blue Boy Scout”. However, in his first appearance in ravaged Depression-era America, the byline used to announce Superman’s debut was: “The Champion of the Oppressed”.

    Created by the sons of Jewish immigrants, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Superman is an example of youthful male wish fulfilment: an all-powerful figure dressed like a circus strong man, who uses brawn to right wrongs. However, Siegel and Shuster’s initial version of the character was a more flawed character.

    Appearing in a 1933 fanzine, Siegel’s prose story The Reign of the Superman with accompanying illustrations by Shuster, featured a reckless scientist whose hubris is punished when he creates the telepathic “super man” by experimenting on a drifter plucked from the poverty lines. Echoing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creator is dispatched by his creation.

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    Siegel and Shuster had some early success selling stories to National Allied Publications, the forerunner of DC Comics. At this time, comic books were mainly collections of newspaper cartoons – the “funnies” – pasted together to create more portable anthologies. They featured the escapades of characters like Popeye and Little Orphan Annie.

    Inspired by the heroic tales of derring do of pulp fiction adventurers such as Johnston McCulley’s Zorro (1919) and Philip Wylie’s 1930 science fiction novel Gladiator, Siegel and Shuster further developed their Superman character. They transformed him into a hero and added the now familiar cape and “S” logo.

    Having no luck selling their superhero to the newspapers, they eventually sold the rights to Superman to DC Comics, where Superman achieved huge success. Within a year, there was a syndicated newspaper strip and a spin-off Superman comic book featuring the first superhero with their own exclusive title. Along with extensive merchandising, there was a 1940 radio show, followed by an animation series in 1941, with the inevitable live action serial in 1948.

    In this early example of a property crossing multiple media platforms, Superman’s apparent appeal lay with the fantastical aspects, as he battled mad scientists, criminal masterminds and giant dinosaurs.

    But in the early issues, Superman’s enemies were noticeably more earthbound and reflected the concerns of an audience reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. In an early story, War in Sante Monte, Superman confronts a corrupt Washington lobbyist, Alex Greer, who is bribing a greedy senator. It transpires that Greer represents an arms dealer who is profiteering by manipulating both sides in an overseas war.

    In a later tale, Superman Battles Death Underground, our hero challenges the owner of a dangerous mine who is cutting corners with safety precautions.

    In 1932 Siegel’s father, a tailor, died following the attempted robbery of the family shop – so it is no surprise that Superman had a low tolerance for crime and its causes. In the story Superman in the Slums, dated January 1939, the social commentary is plain. When teenager Frankie Marello is sentenced to reform school, Superman acknowledges the impact of the boy’s social environment:

    It’s these slums – your poor living conditions – if there was only some way I could remedy it!

    His solution is to raze the dilapidated buildings to the ground, forcing the authorities to replace them with modern cheap-rental apartments. In creating new construction work, here is Superman’s extreme version of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

    In the 1998 forward to Superman: The Action Comics Archives Volume 2, former DC Comics editor Paul Kupperberg comments this is a Superman “who fought (mainly) guys in suits out to screw over the little guy”. The form that the fight took is of interest, for this Superman has no time for niceties or due process, as he gleefully intimidates and bullies anyone who gets in his way.

    A man caught beating his wife is thrown into a wall and warned that there is plenty more where that came from. The corrupt lobbyist is dangled over power cables until he reveals who he is working for. Any police officers that attempt to obstruct Superman’s personal quest for justice are brushed aside with annoyance.

    Refining Superman

    Through his appearances on mainstream radio and cinema, Superman softened and became more patient. In popular culture, concerns about the depression and social injustice shifted to efforts to encourage a national consensus as the United States moved to a war footing in the early 1940s.

    Post-war, there were occasional returns to the more radical interpretations of Superman, but generally it is the clean cut, fantastical Big Blue Boy Scout perception of the character that has dominated.

    The new Superman film appears to be maintaining that image. In the trailer, actor David Corenswet’s Superman tackles various super-villains and a destructive Kaiju (a Godzilla-like skyscraper-sized monster) – although there is the suggestion that behind them all is the corrupt industrialist, Lex Luthor.

    The trailer for the latest Superman film.

    Fittingly, it is in the pages of comic books that a more progressive, militant representation of Superman has emerged. In 2024 DC rebooted its familiar superheroes with its new grittier “Absolute” universe.

    Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval’s Absolute Superman comic (2024) emphasises the character’s status as an isolated blue-collar immigrant from the doomed planet of Krypton. This is a youthful, less seasoned Superman who is quick to anger and less likely to pull his punches. Their interpretation is closer to Superman’s early vigilante roots, including a storyline where he liberates the workers in a Brazilian mine from the clutches of exploitative big business.

    Perhaps – in the comic books at least – the Champion of the Oppressed has finally returned.

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    John Caro 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. Superman wasn’t always so squeaky clean – in early comics he was a radical vigilante – https://theconversation.com/superman-wasnt-always-so-squeaky-clean-in-early-comics-he-was-a-radical-vigilante-260721

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The Salt Path scandal: defending a memoir’s ‘emotional truth’ is a high-risk strategy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Robert Eaglestone, Professor of Contemporary Literature and Thought, Royal Holloway University of London

    Raynor Winn, author of the award-winning memoir The Salt Path, which was recently adapted into a film, has been accused of “lies, deceit and desperation”. Writing in The Observer, reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou claims that Winn left out significant facts and invented parts of the story.

    The Salt Path follows a transformative 630-mile trek along England’s South West Coast Path that Winn took with her terminally ill husband Moth after they lost their home and livelihood.

    The Observer article claims that aspects of both the story of losing their home and Winn’s husband’s illness were fabricated. In a statement on her website, Winn has defended her memoir, calling the claims “grotesquely unfair” and “highly misleading”.

    There’s a long list of memoirs which have been shown to be problematic. James Frey’s recovery memoir A Million Little Pieces (2003) was allegedly exaggerated. In 2006, he apologised for fabricating portions of the book. Worse, Binjamin Wilkomirski’s feted Holocaust survivor memoir Fragments: Memories of a Wartime Childhood (1995) was completely fake. Wilkomirski’s real name was Bruno Dössekker and he was not a Holocaust survivor, he had simply invented his “memories” of a death camp, though he seemed to believe they were true.

    But, for readers, how much does this matter? Novelist D.H. Lawrence wrote that readers should: “Never trust the artist. Trust the tale.” As readers of The Salt Path, we fear for Raynor and Moth as they desperately try to escape drowning from a freak high tide at Portheras Cove. We are relieved when we hear that Moth’s terminal disease was “somehow, for a while, held at bay”.

    The origin of the word fiction is from the Latin fingere, which means not to lie, but to fashion or form. All memoirs – indeed, all texts, from scientific articles to history books to bestselling novels – are “formed” or “shaped”. Writing doesn’t just fall from a tree, we make it, and it reveals the world by mediating the world.

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    But this idea, that writing is a “shaping”, is why this case matters. Writing, done by oneself, or by a ghostwriter (or even by AI) has conventions, not-quite-rules that underlie its creation and reception. Some of these are in the text (the enemies eventually become lovers); some are outside the text itself (you really can judge a book by its cover). But most conventions are both inside and outside at the same time.

    Works by historians have footnotes to sources, so you (and other historians) can check the claims. Each scientific article refers to many others, because each article is just one tiny piece of the whole puzzle on which a huge community of scientists are working, and the extensive references show how this piece fits (or doesn’t). Non-fiction follows conventions, while novelists can do whatever they want, of course, to challenge or obey the conventions (that’s one reason why novels are exciting).

    Memoir has a particularly important convention, revealed most clearly by the historian Stefan Maechler’s report on Wilkomirski’s fraudulent memoir. Maechler argued that Wilkomirski broke what the French critic Philippe Lejeune called the “autobiographical pact”, a contract of truth between the author and the reader.

    For Lejeune, however, this pact is not like a legal agreement. A memoir, unlike a scientific article, need only put forward the truth as it appeared to the author in that area of their life. While the information needs to be accurate to some degree, its level of verifiability is less than a legal document or work of history. Much more important for Lejeune is the harder-to-pin-down fidelity to meaning.

    After all, many meaningful things – falling in love, for example, or grief – happen mostly inside us and are hard to verify. Even more, the developing overall shape of our life as it seems to us is not really a historical fact, but our own making of meaning. For Lejeune, in a memoir, this emotional truth is more significant than the verifiable truth.

    Playing with ‘emotional truth’

    The author of The Salt Path seems to have leaned into this idea. In her first statement after The Observer’s piece she claims that her book “lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives … This is the true story of our journey”. How, after all, could one verify a “spiritual journey”?

    However, I don’t fully agree with Lejeune. Perhaps our inner and outer worlds are not as separate as he supposes. Our public actions, including sharing facts, show who we are as much as our words describing our inner journeys.

    In a memoir, the verifiable truth and the emotional truth are linked by a kind of feedback loop. As readers, we allow some degree of playing with verifiable truth: dialogue is reconstructed, not recorded; we accept some level of dramatisation; we know it’s from one person’s perspective. But we also make a judgment about these things (there’s no fixed rule, no science to this judgment).

    If there’s too much reconstruction, too much dramatisation, we begin to get suspicious about the emotional truth too: is this really how it felt for them? Was it honestly a spiritual journey? And, in turn, this makes us more suspicious of the verifiable claims. By contrast, the novelist’s pact with the reader admits they fake emotional truth, which somehow makes it not fake at all: that’s one reason why novels are complicated.

    This is why defending a memoir’s “emotional truth” is a high-risk strategy. We know from our own lives that people who are unreliable in small (verifiable) things are often unreliable in large (emotional, meaningful) ones.

    So, for readers, the facts behind The Salt Path matter less in themselves and more because each question points to a larger issue about the book’s meaning. When you call someone “fake”, you don’t really mean that “their factual claims are inaccurate”, but that they are somehow inauthentic, hollow or – it’s a teenager’s word, but still – phoney. Once the “autobiographical pact” looks broken in enough small details, the reader no longer trusts the teller or the tale.

    In a lengthy statement published on her website in which she addresses the allegations in detail, Winn said that the suggestion that Moth’s illness was fabricated was an “utterly vile, unfair, and false suggestion” and added: “I can’t allow any more doubt to be cast on the validity of those memories, or the joy they have given so many.”

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

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

    – ref. The Salt Path scandal: defending a memoir’s ‘emotional truth’ is a high-risk strategy – https://theconversation.com/the-salt-path-scandal-defending-a-memoirs-emotional-truth-is-a-high-risk-strategy-260937

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Dyspraxia: why children with developmental coordination disorder in the UK are still being failed

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Charikleia Sinani, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, School of Science, Technology and Health, York St John University

    M-Production/Shutterstock

    When a child struggles to tie their shoelaces, write legibly or stay upright during PE, it can be dismissed as clumsiness or lack of effort. But for around 5% of UK children, these challenges stem from a neurodevelopmental condition known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia. And new findings reveal how deeply it’s impacting their lives – at home, in school and in their future.

    Alongside colleagues, we conducted a national survey of more than 240 UK parents. The findings reveal a stark reality for families of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

    Despite affecting around 5% of children – making it as common as ADHD – DCD remains underdiagnosed, misunderstood and insufficiently supported. Families reported an average wait of nearly three years for a diagnosis, with almost one in five children showing clear signs of DCD but not yet having begun the diagnostic process.

    The diagnosis, when it comes, is often welcomed: 93% of parents say it helped explain their child’s difficulties and offered clarity. But many also expressed frustration that this recognition didn’t change much in practical terms, particularly in schools. One parent summarised the prevailing sentiment: “It is helpful for us at home but not at school.”

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Our survey showed that the movement difficulties associated with DCD can ripple through everyday life, mental health and wellbeing.

    Children with DCD face daily physical struggles with eating, dressing, cutting with scissors and handwriting. These aren’t just inconveniences. They translate into fatigue, frustration and often social exclusion. Compared to national averages, children in this survey were less active, with only 36% meeting recommended physical activity levels. Many parents worry that early disengagement from sport is cultivating lifelong habits that will undermine their children’s health.

    The emotional impact is just as severe. A staggering 90% of parents expressed concern about their child’s mental health. Anxiety, low self-esteem and feelings of isolation are common. Children with DCD are significantly more likely than their peers to show signs of emotional and peer-related difficulties.

    One parent recalled their child asking, “Why do I even try when I’m never picked?” Others shared heartbreaking worries: a child who felt “he doesn’t belong here” or another who had internalised the idea that they are “stupid” or “terrible”.

    DCD is a lifelong condition: it doesn’t go away with age, and there’s currently no “cure.” However, with the right support, many children can develop strategies to manage their difficulties and thrive. Early intervention, tailored therapies, especially occupational therapy, and appropriate classroom accommodations can make a significant difference to a child’s confidence, independence and quality of life.

    Schools are often unprepared

    Despite 81% of teachers being aware of a child’s motor difficulties, fewer than 60% had individual learning plans in place. Support was inconsistent: some children benefited from teaching assistants or adaptive tools like laptops, while others found themselves struggling alone. Physical education posed particular challenges, with 43% of parents saying their child wasn’t supported in PE lessons, often facing teachers who didn’t understand DCD at all.

    The consequences are significant: 80% of parents felt that movement difficulties negatively impacted their child’s education, and the same number feared it would affect their future employment.

    Therapy helps but is hard to access. Most families had sought therapy, with occupational therapy proving transformative for some. Yet many faced long waits or had to pay out of pocket, with some families spending thousands annually. Even when therapy was available, 78% felt it wasn’t sufficient.

    And it’s not just the children who suffer – 68% of parents reported constant emotional concern, and nearly half said the condition restricted their ability to take part in normal family activities.

    What needs to change

    To improve outcomes for children with DCD, we need urgent, coordinated action across five key areas. Parents and experts involved in the report outlined clear recommendations:

    Awareness: A nationwide effort is needed to educate the public, schools and healthcare professionals about DCD as a common yet currently poorly understood condition.

    Diagnosis: GPs and frontline professionals need clear, step-by-step guidance and referral routes to help them identify early motor difficulties and connect families with the right support quickly.

    Education: All teachers should receive mandatory training in DCD and practical strategies for supporting affected pupils in the classroom.

    Mental health: Support systems must recognise the deep connection between movement challenges and emotional wellbeing, ensuring that physical and psychological needs are treated together.

    Support: Crucially, children shouldn’t have to wait for a formal diagnosis to get support. Early intervention is vital to preventing long-term harm – and must be available as soon as difficulties emerge.

    Children with DCD are bright, capable and full of potential. But as one parent warns, “If she can’t write her answers down quickly enough in exams, she won’t be able to show her knowledge.” The cost of neglect is high, not just in lost grades or missed goals, but in the wellbeing of a generation of children struggling in silence.

    Charikleia Sinani has received funding from The Waterloo Foundation.

    The Impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder in the UK study was conducted in collaboration with our colleagues Catherine Purcell, Judith Gentle, Melissa Licari, Jacqueline Williams, Mark Mierzwinski and Sam Hudson.

    Greg Wood has previously received funding from The Waterloo Foundation.

    Kate Wilmut has in the past received funding from ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council), The Leverhulme Trust and The Waterloo Foundation

    – ref. Dyspraxia: why children with developmental coordination disorder in the UK are still being failed – https://theconversation.com/dyspraxia-why-children-with-developmental-coordination-disorder-in-the-uk-are-still-being-failed-260853

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: England’s family hubs plan aims to build on Sure Start’s success – but may struggle to overcome today’s child poverty levels

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sally Pearse, Strategic Lead for Early Years and Director of the Early Years Community Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University

    Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

    The government has announced its strategy for “giving every child the best start in life”, laying out proposals covering early years care, education and support in England.

    The strategy builds on the current local family hub model of services, which offer a range of support aimed at babies and young children. Best Start family hubs will further bring together early years and family services in a similar way to the previous Sure Start programme. The government’s commitment includes £1.5 billion in investment to implement these reforms.

    The Best Start Hubs will be a one-stop shop to support families with their child’s early development, from breastfeeding advice to speech and language support and stay and play sessions. The hubs will also support families with wider challenges such as housing and benefits, and provide courses for parents.

    The attempt to bring services together to deliver local, holistic support to families is understandable given the impact of the original Sure Start initiative, introduced by Tony Blair’s Labour government.

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    The Sure Start Local Programmes that were established from 1999 onwards had a significant positive effect on those families who had access to them. From 2010, though, when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition came into power, funding was cut and many Sure Start centres closed.

    In May 2025 the Institute for Fiscal Studies published a summary report on the short- and medium-term effects of Sure Start on children’s lives.

    They found that the impact of the Sure Start services for under-fives was remarkably long-lasting, with improvements during their teenage years in educational attainment and behaviour in school, and reductions in hospital admissions. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that these long-term benefits significantly outweigh the cost of the Sure Start programme.

    Like Sure Start, the Best Start strategy has the potential to be transformational for young children and their families.

    However, the current range of challenges faced by families and the depth of child poverty in the country will make bringing about this transformation challenging. A 2023 report from charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that there are one million children growing up destitute in the UK, without the means to stay warm, dry, clean and fed.

    The challenge of poverty

    The day after the Best Start strategy was launched, the children’s commissioner for England published a research report on children’s experience of growing up in a low-income family. Based on interviews with 128 children, the report outlines the “almost-Dickensian” levels of poverty experienced by children whose basic needs are not being met. Children described poor housing conditions, mouldy food and lack of hot water.

    The significant impact that poverty has on children’s educational attainment, health and future lives will be difficult for the benefits that the Best Start programme may provide to negate.

    I have witnessed these financial challenges and the wider range of issues families are dealing with on a daily basis in my own role as the director of the Early Years Community Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, and through my wider research with families.

    In March 2024 I was part of a team of researchers who were commissioned by the Ministry for Housing, Community and Local Government to explore how multiple insecurities, such as financial difficulties, health problems, precarious work, poor housing and lack of support networks affected people’s lives.

    Parents described the difficulties of making ends meet. They talked about having to deal with many different national and local agencies, the stress this created within their family and the toll on their health and wellbeing.

    Even working full-time did not necessarily make families more secure. In one family, the working pattern the parents had to adopt to make ends meet meant that they only had one day a fortnight to be together.

    We have to do stupid hours. I mean my partner, she works nights. I work mainly days … we’re kind of like passing ships in the night.

    The places these families turned to were local community centres run by a range of organisations. The common themes about why they accessed these centres were the warm, welcoming, non-judgemental approach taken by staff, trusting relationships with staff and the range of services and support that were offered.

    This bodes well for the Best Start strategy – if it is able to deliver the full range of services the government has outlined in a local trusted space. However, this will be a significant challenge in communities that have lacked support over recent years, are suffering the hardships of poverty and that may have lost trust in government services.

    Sally Pearse received funding from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government

    – ref. England’s family hubs plan aims to build on Sure Start’s success – but may struggle to overcome today’s child poverty levels – https://theconversation.com/englands-family-hubs-plan-aims-to-build-on-sure-starts-success-but-may-struggle-to-overcome-todays-child-poverty-levels-260630

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Superman: James Gunn’s prolonged punch-fest falls flat

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Laura Crossley, Senior Lecturer in Film, Bournemouth University

    The first two superhero movies of the year examined the morality of power and politics (Captain America: Brave New World) and mental health and personal accountability (Thunderbolts*) in thoughtful and often nuanced ways. It is rather depressing, then, that the third act of Superman is largely a prolonged CGI punch-fest that lacks any narrative or visual vigour to make it interesting.

    There is a lot riding on the success of the DC Universe (DCU), now under the creative stewardship of director James Gunn and producer James Safran. After the varied fortunes of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), this iteration of Superman marks a reboot of DC properties and is the introductory instalment of the first phase, or “chapter” as they are being called, with the subtitle Gods and Monsters.

    The films also marks a shift from the “Snyderverse” – the series of interconnected films made under the oversight of director Zack Snyder – which were characterised by the darkness of both their themes and their aesthetics.

    This darkness, and the attendant moral ambiguity, of the Snyderverse has been replaced by a more optimistic tone. This new Superman film is more simplistic and clear-cut, with good versus bad and a bright, comic-book design.

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    Anyone familiar with Gunn’s previous superhero offerings (The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy; The Suicide Squad) will recognise much of the tone and the look. This is very much the Superman movie that Gunn wants to make. And therein lies part of the problem.

    As the opening film of chapter one, this effectively sets the tone for all that is to come across the DCU. But that raises the question of how Gunn’s overall approach will work with future properties that will have (or should have) very different styles, narrative themes and concerns.

    This film is deliberately not an origin story. We meet Superman (David Corenswet), bloodied and battered after having lost an off-screen fight. He’s already an established superhero in a world accustomed to them after approximately 300 years of “metahumans” – as the opening exposition dump helpfully informs us.

    Superman then returns to the icy Fortress of Solitude, complete with robot staff and adorable CGI super-dog, Krypto. We are, in effect, entering the middle of the story, with Superman’s dual identity as Clark Kent already known to his girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan).

    The pair have a fun, palpable chemistry. In an early stand-out scene, Lois, in journalist mode, grills Clark/Superman on the finer points of superhero accountability and responsibility after he single-handedly – and without any form of legal jurisdiction – stops a war between the fictitious countries of Boravia (eastern European, evil) and Jahanipur (a south-east Asian/Middle Eastern mash-up in which the people are impoverished and entirely agency-free), just before the movie begins. Sadly, these valid and deeply relevant questions remain unexplored for the rest of the film.

    The trailer for Superman.

    Brosnahan is a spiky, intelligent and self-assured Lois Lane who is not given enough to do, partly because this “starting in the middle” approach robs her relationship with Clark/Superman of any real tension and complexity. But also because the film is so overstuffed that there is little room for any meaningful character development.

    What we do have is incoherent plotting, clunky dialogue and exposition and too many characters who are too thinly drawn.

    The gang’s back together

    Corenswet is a fine Superman, commandingly heroic and believably vulnerable when required. However, there is not much opportunity for him to explore his Clark Kent alter-ego before he is in full superhero mode, thereby denying the character time to establish the humanity that is core to Superman’s personality.

    Lex Luthor (Nicholas Holt), the quintessential Superman villain, is supposed to be brilliant but here is rendered more as an Elon Musk-like figure with hints of Trump. He’s a megalomaniac with a populist touch with motivations that are so unclear as to be nonsensical.

    We also get members of the Justice Gang, including a horribly bewigged Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).

    Gathegi steals almost the entire movie with a charismatic, laid-back turn that is crying out for his own standalone entry. Mister Terrific gets the movie’s most fun set piece: a single-handed fight against multiple goons choreographed to an upbeat pop soundtrack that is straight out of the James Gunn playbook.

    As is the Justice Gang’s fight against an inter dimensional giant squid, which plays out as the comedic backdrop visible through a window during a pivotal scene with Lois Lane, and in which a depressed Superman takes no part. Any moments of seriousness are immediately undercut by on the nose and often cheap jokes.

    The lack of narrative focus and character development results in a story that does not give us any tangible reasons to care about these characters beyond the fact that they are already well-established cultural icons. The lack of scaffolding means that when we reach what should be the emotional turning points, there is no heft to these moments.

    The phoney war between Boravia and Jahanipur also provides problematic optics. The people of Jahanipur are an anonymous mass of peasants armed only with sticks who get a single word of dialogue shared between them (“Superman!”). They are at the mercy of their warlike neighbours in Boravia, whose evil is made evident through the grotesque physicality of their leader (Zlatko Buric).

    This plot device seems to be making a passing reference to both the war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, without having anything of value to say about either. The situation is resolved by the arrival of the American Justice Gang (because all metahumans are exclusively based in America, apparently) and then we’re on to the next joke.

    In this Superman reboot, the humanity of the character is largely lost, something we are told about rather than see. This is ironic given that truth, justice and humanity are supposed to be the guiding principles of the Superman story.

    Laura Crossley 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. Superman: James Gunn’s prolonged punch-fest falls flat – https://theconversation.com/superman-james-gunns-prolonged-punch-fest-falls-flat-260940

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Wimbledon’s electronic line-calling system shows we still can’t replace human judgment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Feng Li, Chair of Information Management, Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, Bayes Business School, City St George’s, University of London

    The Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2025 has brought us familiar doses of scorching sunshine and pouring rain, British hopes and despair, and the usual queues, strawberries and on-court stardust. One major difference with this year’s tournament, however, has been the notable absence of human line judges for the first time in 147 years.

    In a bid to modernise, organisers have replaced all 300 line judges with the Hawk-Eye electronic line-calling (ELC) system powered by 18 high-speed cameras and supported by around 80 on-court assistants.

    It has been sold as a leap forward but has already caused widespread controversy. In her fourth-round match against Britain’s Sonay Kartal, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was forced to replay a point she had clearly won, because ELC had failed to register that a ball had landed out. Furious, Pavlyuchenkova told the umpire: “You took the game away from me … they stole the game from me.”

    British players Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper have also voiced concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the technology.

    We have seen this before in business, government and elite sport (think VAR in football). Promising technologies fail, not necessarily because the systems are flawed – though some are – but because the institutions around them have not kept up. The belief that technology can neatly replace human judgement is seductive. It’s also deeply flawed.

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    Systems like Hawk-Eye at Wimbledon offer measurable gains in accuracy, but accuracy is not the same as legitimacy. People don’t just want correct decisions, they also want understandable and fair ones. When human line judges made mistakes, they were visible and open to appeal. When a machine fails, with no explanation and no route for redress, it breeds confusion and frustration.

    Consider Formula 1. At the 2025 British Grand Prix in Silverstone, driver Oscar Piastri was handed a 10-second penalty by race stewards for erratic braking during a safety car restart. He called it inconsistent and harsh, and many fans agreed.

    The key difference? We knew who made the call. There was someone to question, and a process to scrutinise. With machines, however, there’s no one to challenge. You can’t argue with a black box, or hold it to account.

    Beyond performance

    Technology is usually introduced to improve performance or reduce costs, but the full story is rarely made explicit. Wimbledon’s adoption of the new system was framed as a move towards greater accuracy and consistency, but it was also likely driven by the desire to speed up matches, cut costs, and reduce reliance on human labour.

    Yet sport is not just about accuracy. It is entertainment. It thrives on emotion, tradition and theatre. For 147 years, line judges were part of Wimbledon’s identity. Their posture, uniforms, gestures, indeed even the drama of a close call, added to the spectacle. Removing them may have improved accuracy (and cut costs), but the atmosphere was also changed.

    Tradition is often dismissed as nostalgia, but in institutions like Wimbledon, tradition is part of what makes the experience legitimate and enjoyable. When it’s stripped away with only a token explanation, players and audiences can lose trust, not just in the change, but in the institution itself. It is a cultural change, which is never easy.

    One common solution is to combine human judgement with the technology especially during the transition period, but hybrids rarely work well in practice as responsibilities get blurred.

    In business, this is known as the “hybrid trap”: bolting new technologies onto old systems without rethinking or redesigning either. Instead of the best of both worlds, the result is often confusion, duplication and failure.

    Wimbledon did not seem to offer a formal challenge system or human override during matches. Although 80 former line judges were retained as on-court assistants, their role was not adjudicative. This might speed up play, but it leaves the system brittle. When something breaks, there is no immediate redress. We have seen this elsewhere.

    What this tells us about AI

    Wimbledon’s failure was a textbook case of poor tech adoption. Hawk-Eye did what it was designed to do, but the institution wasn’t ready, least of all the players, umpires and spectators.

    The same pattern is playing out with artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, from customer service bots to healthcare triage systems. These tools are being rolled out at speed, often with minimal oversight. When they hallucinate, embed bias or produce erratic results, there is rarely a clear route to appeal, and often no one to hold accountable.

    The real problem is not just technical but institutional. Most organisations aren’t ready for what they’re adopting. Instead of transforming themselves to harness new technologies, they bolt them onto legacy systems and carry on as before. Key questions go unanswered: Who decides? Who benefits? Who is accountable when things go wrong? Without clear answers, new technologies don’t solve dysfunction, they entrench it. Sometimes, they hardwire it.

    If we want technology to improve how the world works, we can’t just automate tasks, processes or jobs. We need to rethink and redesign the institutions these systems are meant to serve, using new capabilities these technologies make possible. Until then, even the best systems will continue to fall short, both quietly and occasionally spectacularly.

    Feng Li 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. Wimbledon’s electronic line-calling system shows we still can’t replace human judgment – https://theconversation.com/wimbledons-electronic-line-calling-system-shows-we-still-cant-replace-human-judgment-260845

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The Bangladesh delta is under a dangerous level of strain, analysis reveals

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Md Sarwar Hossain, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science & Sustainability, University of Glasgow

    The Ganges delta in Bangladesh. Emre Akkoyun/Shutterstock

    Bangladesh is known as the land of rivers and flooding, despite almost all of its water originating outside the territory. The fact that 80% of rivers that flow through Bangladesh have their sources in a neighbouring country, can make access to freshwater in Bangladesh fraught. And the country’s fast-growing cities and farms – and the warming global climate – are turning up the pressure.

    In a recent analysis, my colleagues and I found that four out of the ten rivers that flow through Bangladesh have failed to meet a set of conditions known as their “safe operating space”, meaning that the flow of water in these rivers is below the minimum necessary to sustain the social-ecological systems that rely on them. These rivers included the Ganges and Old Brahmaputra, as well as Gorai and Halda.

    This puts a safe and reliable food and water supply not to mention the livelihoods of millions of fishers, farmers and other people in the region, at risk.

    Water flow on the remaining six rivers may be close to a dangerous state too, due to the construction of hydropower dams and reservoirs, as well as booming irrigated agriculture.

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    The concept of a safe operating space was devised by Stockholm University researchers in 2009 and typically assesses the Earth’s health as a whole by defining boundaries such as climate warming, water use and biodiversity loss which become dangerous to humanity once exceeded. A 2023 update to this research found that six of the nine defined planetary boundaries have been transgressed.

    Since the Bangladesh delta is one of the world’s largest and most densely populated (home to around 170 million people), we thought it prudent to apply this thinking to the rivers here. We found that food, fisheries and the world’s largest intertidal mangrove forest, a haven for rich biodiversity, are all under strain from water demand in growing cities such as Dhaka.

    The knock-on effects

    During all seasons but winter, river flows in the Bangladesh delta have fallen over the past three decades.

    No river in the Bangladesh delta is within its safe operating space.
    Kabir et al. (2024)

    Our analysis highlights the limits of existing political solutions. The ability of the Ganges river to support life and society is severely strained, despite the Ganges water sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh, which was signed in 1996.

    Rivers in Bangladesh have shaped the economy, environment and culture of South Asia since the dawn of human civilisation here. And humans are not the only species suffering. Hilsha (Tenualosa ilisha), related to the herring, is a fish popular for its flavour and delicate texture. It contributes 12% to national fish production in Bangladesh but has become extinct in the upper reaches of the Ganges due to the reduction of water flow.

    Excessive water extraction upstream, primarily through the Farakka barrage, a dam just over the border in the Indian state of West Bengal, has also raised the salinity of the Gorai river. A healthy river flow maintains a liveable balance of salt and freshwater. As river flows have been restricted, salinity has crept up, particularly in coastal regions that are also beset by sea level rise. This damages freshwater fisheries, farm yields and threatens a population of freshwater dolphins in the Ganges.

    Low river flows and increasing salinisation now threaten the destruction of the world’s largest mangrove forest, the loss of which would disrupt the regional climate of Bangladesh, India and Nepal. It would also release a lot of stored carbon to the atmosphere, accelerating climate change and the melting of snow and ice in the Himalayan mountain chain.

    Resilience to climate change

    Solving this problem is no simple task. It will require cooperation across national boundaries and international support to ensure fair treaties capable of managing the rivers sustainably, restoring their associated ecosystems and maintaining river flows within their safe operating spaces.

    The mighty Ganges is running dry in some parts of Bangladesh during the hotter months.
    Md Sarwar Hossain

    This is particularly challenging in the Bangladesh delta, which contains rivers that drain many countries, including China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The political regimes in each country might oppose transboundary negotiations, which could nevertheless resolve conflict over water which is needed to sustain nearly 700 million people.

    There have been success stories, however. The Mekong river commission between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam is a useful template for bilateral and multilateral treaties with India and Nepal for the Ganges, and China and Bhutan for the Jamuna river.

    Tax-based water sharing can help resolve conflicts and decide water allocation between countries in the river basin. The countries using more water would pay more tax and the revenue would be redistributed among the other countries who share rivers in the treaty. Additionally, water sharing should be based on the historical river flow disregarding existing infrastructure and projections of future changes.

    Reducing deforestation, alternating land use and restoring wetlands could enhance resilience to flooding and drought and ensure water security in the Bangladesh delta. Ultimately, to secure a safe operating space for the rivers here is to secure a safe future for society too.

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

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

    – ref. The Bangladesh delta is under a dangerous level of strain, analysis reveals – https://theconversation.com/the-bangladesh-delta-is-under-a-dangerous-level-of-strain-analysis-reveals-241097

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