NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Aliyev’s speech at various international events and the EU’s subsequent silence – E-001686/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001686/2024/rev.1
    to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
    Rule 144
    Loucas Fourlas (PPE)

    After the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh perpetrated by Azerbaijan, the Aliyev regime has not ceased to use warmongering and maximalist rhetoric. For example, on 24 April 2024, the President of Azerbaijan not only bragged about the mass exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh but also suggested that EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) observers should be grateful to him for not harming them.

    On July 22, at the second so-called ‘Global Media Forum’ in Shusha, Aliyev again asserted territorial claims against the sovereign territory of Armenia and strongly condemned the decision of the Council of the European Union to provide the first assistance measure in support of the Armenian armed forces under the European Peace Facility and open up dialogue on visa liberalisation with Armenia.

    • 1.Why is the EU hesitant to condemn the Aliyev regime for threatening to kill the EU civilian mission observers – European citizens – deployed in Armenia?
    • 2.When is the EU going to react to such unacceptable behaviour and distance itself from a policy of appeasement towards a dictatorial state such as Azerbaijan?
    • 3.When will the EU impose sanctions against the leadership of Azerbaijan, particularly Mr Aliyev’s entourage, for the ethnic cleansing perpetrated against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, systematic violations of basic human rights, unlawful arrest and the imprisonment of prominent politicians, activists and journalists?

    Submitted: 12.9.2024

    Last updated: 23 September 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Report on press and media freedom in Italy – E-001455/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission is committed to safeguarding pluralistic and independent media, essential for democracy and the rule of law, and to the functioning of the internal market for media.

    As part of its annual Rule of Law Report, the Commission assesses the situation on media freedom and pluralism in the Member States[1].

    The EU support for the action entitled ‘Defending media freedom and pluralism — Rapid response mechanism’ is up to EUR 3 100 000 for the 24-month period between 16 July 2023 and 15 July 2025[2].

    It is financed through the Creative Europe programme[3] and encompasses fact-finding, advocacy, monitoring, awareness raising and providing practical help to journalists under threat in Member States and candidate countries, without specific budget allocation per country.

    The action is carried out in an independent manner, without the Commission intervening in operational aspects, such as earmarking funds for the preparation of a particular report or selection of contributors to a particular report.

    • [1] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rule-law/rule-law/annual-rule-law-cycle_en
    • [2] https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/how-to-participate/org-details/999999999/project/101112154/program/43251814/details
    • [3] https://culture.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe
    Last updated: 23 September 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Turkey – an unreliable acceding country – E-001429/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Türkiye is a candidate country, a key regional player and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has highlighted Türkiye’s relevance as a regional actor, especially in the Black Sea.

    Türkiye has supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, voting in favour of the relevant resolutions at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, engaged politically, economically and diplomatically, facilitating the export of Ukrainian grain and prisoner exchanges.

    In August 2024, Türkiye ratified the free trade agreement with Ukraine[1]. While a strategic partner for Ukraine in the defence sector, Türkiye maintains strong trade, economic and political relations with Russia.

    Türkiye has refrained from aligning with the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia, keeping its position of not supporting those adopted outside the UN framework.

    As the EU and Türkiye share a customs union, the EU has called consistently on Türkiye to implement additional measures to effectively prevent the circumvention of EU restrictive measures and this has led to some progress.

    Türkiye took some measures throughout 2023 to prevent the transit and re-export of sanctioned goods to Russia notably what concerns the items in the common high priority (CHP/battlefield) list of 50 harmonised system (HS) codes.

    The Commission continues to actively monitor the trade data and exchanging with Türkiye. The EU Sanctions Envoy leads the cooperation efforts, latest discussed with Türkiye at the High-Level Dialogue on Trade (8 July 2024)[2].

    In its 2023 enlargement report[3], the EU called on Türkiye, as a candidate country, to align with the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia.

    • [1] https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2024/08/20240802.pdf (Türkiye’s Official Gazette, Law no. 7523).
    • [2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_24_3684
    • [3] https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/eb90aefd-897b-43e9-8373-bf59c239217f_en?filename=SWD_2023_696%20T%C3%BCrkiye%20report.pdf

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Dispute panel established to review certain tax credits under US Inflation Reduction Act

    Source: World Trade Organization

    DS623: United States — Certain Tax Credits Under the Inflation Reduction Act

    China submitted its second request to establish a panel to determine whether certain tax credits under the United States Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are in line with WTO rules. The United States said it was not in a position to agree to China’s first request in July, justifying its actions as necessary to combat climate change. China stated that the IRA’s subsidies favour US goods over imports, violating WTO rules prohibiting such discrimination.

    The United States expressed disappointment over China’s decision to pursue a panel request and reiterated that the IRA is its most significant step toward clean energy, aimed at ensuring secure and sustainable supply chains for a global clean energy future.

    The DSB agreed to the establishment of the panel. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the European Union, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and Venezuela reserved their third party rights to participate in the panel proceedings.

    DS597: United States – Origin Marking Requirement (Hong Kong, China)

    For the 12th time, the United States raised the matter of the panel ruling in DS597 at a DSB meeting. The US said it was raising the matter again as a result of recent developments in Hong Kong, China regarding free speech and human rights. The US referred back to its previous statements regarding its position on essential security and its reasons for placing this item on the DSB agenda.

    Hong Kong, China criticized the US for once again raising this matter at the DSB. It referred to previous WTO panels that dismissed US claims that invoking national security in defense of a trade-restrictive measure is entirely self-judging.  Any objections should be heard by the WTO’s Appellate Body, which remains blocked due to the US refusal to allow appointment of new Appellate Body members, said Hong Kong, China.

    China reiterated its firm belief that a restored appeal mechanism is the proper place to address claims of panel error made by the US and rejected in the strongest terms what it said was US interference in the internal affairs of another WTO member.

    Appellate Body appointments

    Speaking on behalf of 130 members, Colombia introduced for the 79th time the group’s proposal to start the selection processes for filling vacancies on the Appellate Body. The extensive number of members submitting the proposal reflects a common interest in the functioning of the Appellate Body and, more generally, in the functioning of the WTO’s dispute settlement system, Colombia said.

    The United States repeated that it does not support the proposed decision to commence the appointment of Appellate Body members as its longstanding concerns with WTO dispute settlement remain unaddressed.

    Twenty members then took the floor to comment. Many of these members referred to their previous statements made on this matter at earlier DSB meetings and underlined the urgent need to meet the mandates set out at the 12th and 13th Ministerial Conferences in 2022 and early 2024 respectively to conduct discussions with the view to having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all members by 2024.

    Several members welcomed the progress being made in the formal dispute settlement reform process now underway and the need to accelerate discussions to achieve the 2024 goal.

    Colombia, speaking on behalf of the 130 members, said it regretted that for the 79th occasion members have not been able to launch the selection processes. Ongoing conversations about reform of the dispute settlement system should not prevent the Appellate Body from continuing to operate fully, and members shall comply with their obligation under the DSU to fill the vacancies as they arise, Colombia said for the group.

    The DSB chair, Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel (Saudi Arabia), concluded by expressing his full support for the facilitator in the dispute settlement reform discussions, Ambassador Usha Dwarka-Canabady of Mauritius, in her efforts towards achieving a positive outcome within the mandated time frame.

    Other business

    Surveillance of implementation

    The United States presented status reports with regard to DS184, “US — Anti-Dumping Measures on Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Products from Japan”,  DS160, “United States — Section 110(5) of US Copyright Act”, DS464, “United States — Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Measures on Large Residential Washers from Korea”, and DS471, “United States — Certain Methodologies and their Application to Anti-Dumping Proceedings Involving China.”

    The European Union presented a status report with regard to DS291, “EC — Measures Affecting the Approval and Marketing of Biotech Products.”

    Indonesia presented its status reports in DS477 and DS478, “Indonesia — Importation of Horticultural Products, Animals and Animal Products.” 

    Next meeting

    The next regular DSB meeting will take place on 28 October.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illinois Bank President Sentenced to Jail for Falsifying Records

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

    BENTON, Ill. – The former president of a bank in southern Illinois was sentenced Thursday for his role in falsifying bank records to facilitate real estate loans.

    Steven Cook was fined $6,000 and sentenced to 50 hours of community service and two weekends in the Jackson County jail. 

    He will also likely be banned from the banking industry for life.

    Cook fraudulently facilitated three different sales of commercial real estate to Lawler and Maze Properties LLC in 2022. Cook was the president of SouthernTrust Bank at the time, and was also on the bank’s board of trustees and was a member of its loan committee. The bank has branches in Marion, Vienna and Goreville, Illinois.

    Cook approved one loan that funded the sale of seven commercial rental properties in Williamson and Franklin counties from Results Home Buyers 2 to Lawler and Maze. The transaction was a new purchase of real estate, not a refinance, and the buyers were not using any cash to fund the purchase.  But during an April 6, 2022, meeting with the seller and buyer, Cook and the others agreed to fraudulently make it appear as if the loan was a refinancing. Cook also agreed that the bank would supply the cash for the purchase. They agreed to backdate documents to falsely indicate the buyer purchased the properties on Feb. 1, 2022, for a falsely inflated price of $545,152. The documents also falsely indicated that the bank was refinancing 80% of that loan, with the buyers bringing 20% in cash to the sale. The bank’s loan to the buyers was approved by the bank’s loan committee based upon the false information.

    Results Home Buyers 2 is partially owned by former Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti.

    In August of 2022, Cook facilitated a second real estate transaction for the purchase of four properties by Lawler and Maze. Cook, the seller and Lawler and Maze agreed that the real estate contract would falsely list a sales price of $413,000 instead of the actual price of $330,400, and falsely state that the buyer would supply $82,600 in cash.

    In November of 2022, Cook facilitated an additional loan to Lawler and Maze for the purchase of a property in Marion. Bank documents falsely stated that the borrowers would supply $21,500 cash.

    Cook pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Benton in June to three felony counts of aiding and abetting the making of a false bank entry. Zanotti pleaded guilty in March to one count of the same crime. He was sentenced in May to two years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 20 hours of community service.  His conduct we reported to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

    Lawler and Maze, LLC is owned by Justin Maze and David Lawler, who each entered into a pretrial diversion program in which they acknowledged their involvement in the criminal conduct by aiding and abetting Zanotti and Cook. As a condition of pretrial diversion, Maze was required to resign from his position as Williamson County Circuit Clerk and agreed not to seek re-election to any public office. Lawler’s conduct was reported to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

    “The FBI works daily to disrupt fraudulent activity and we recognize the impact it has on banking institutions,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “FBI Springfield will continue to dedicate investigative resources for targeting fraud in its many forms to protect the integrity of the banking process.”

    “FHFA-OIG will continue to relentlessly investigate and pursue the prosecution of mortgage-related fraud, no matter who commits the crimes. Officers of financial institutions who have a duty to conduct honest business must be held accountable. We are proud to have partnered with our FBI colleagues and with Special Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith,” said Korey Brinkman, Special-Agent-in-Charge of FHFA OIG’s Midwest Regional Office.

    The FBI Springfield Field Office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case. The prosecution was handled by Special Attorney Hal Goldsmith from the Eastern District of Missouri. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois was recused from the case.

    Anyone with information about mortgage-related fraud can report it by contacting the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General Hotline at 800-793-7724 or via the web at https://www.fhfaoig.gov/ReportFraud#hotlineform

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Piero Cipollone: From dependency to autonomy: the role of a digital euro in the European payment landscape

    Source: European Central Bank

    Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament

    Brussels, 23 September 2024

    It is a pleasure to be here today to meet the new members of this Committee and to update you on the status of the digital euro project. Let me also congratulate Madame Lalucq on her election as ECON Chair.

    The ECB appreciates the open and valuable exchanges we have had with the ECON Committee on the digital euro since the beginning of the project. I am fully committed to continuing these exchanges and look forward to our future discussions.

    Today I will focus on three key areas. First, Europe’s dependency on foreign players for retail payments. Second, the benefits of a digital euro for everyone, including consumers, merchants and banks. And third, the progress we have made on the digital euro project so far.

    Foreign dominance in the European payment landscape

    Fast-forward to the year 2030. Imagine you are at the football World Cup in Spain. You want to buy a drink, but you can only pay with Alipay. This scenario is not as far-fetched as it may seem: this summer, buying tickets for the European Football Championships in Germany was only possible with Chinese or American means of payment.

    Could you imagine this happening in the United States? Going to the finals of the American football league, for example, and having no American means of payment available? I certainly cannot.

    The Eurosystem will of course continue to ensure that people in Europe can pay with cash.[1] However, cash is becoming less and less popular as digital payments and online shopping grow.[2]

    For example, more and more people are buying their groceries online. But you can’t use cash to pay for these. More often than not, the only option is PayPal or an international card scheme like Visa or Mastercard.

    And more and more people are using digital wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay on their mobile phones. By 2027 these platforms are expected to handle 40% of e-commerce and 27% of in-store payments in Europe.[3]

    At the same time, the share of companies in the euro area not accepting cash has been increasing significantly.[4]

    These developments are contributing to the marginalisation of elderly and less tech-savvy people. They also make us dependent on non-European companies, which is risky.

    Imagine what would happen if you could not pay digitally. For example, two weeks ago significant parts of the European card payments market were shut down for almost an entire day.[5] Just like with electricity, gas or water, we don’t think about payments until they stop working. For energy, we had to learn this the hard way following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For payments, we owe it to Europeans to do better.

    We need our own strong digital payments system.[6] We can achieve this by bringing central bank money into the digital era with the introduction of a digital euro: a digital form of cash, issued by the central bank and available to everyone in the euro area.[7]

    A digital euro would strengthen Europe’s financial sovereignty and resilience because it would be built with European technology and infrastructure. It would empower Europe to independently develop and manage digital payment solutions, supporting the further deepening of the Single Market.[8]

    But most importantly, the digital euro would offer tangible benefits to all stakeholders – consumers, merchants and banks.

    Benefits for European citizens

    We strongly support the Single Currency Package[9], which will ensure that cash remains widely accessible and accepted. At the same time, it will pave the way for a digital euro, which would take the advantages of cash into the digital world.

    Consumers could use a digital euro for all payments, everywhere in the euro area, also when shopping online. With a digital euro, making or receiving payments would be free of charge and as easy as using cash today. Consumers would need to use only one device and remember just one password. In addition, having a single means of payment for all circumstances would make it easier for users to have an overview of their expenditure.

    Importantly, a digital euro would seek to promote digital financial inclusion by ensuring that no one is left behind.[10] It would be accessible to everyone across the euro area, via a mobile app or a physical card, so everyone can choose the technology that they are most comfortable with, no matter how old or tech-savvy they are.

    Finally, a digital euro would offer the best possible privacy and data protection afforded by the current technology used in large payment systems.[11] From the outset, ensuring user privacy has been a central focus of the digital euro project.

    A digital euro would be available both online and offline.[12] With the offline functionality, users would enjoy cash-like privacy. The details of your offline payments would only be known to you and the recipient. For online payments, too, we would ensure that your personal data remain your own. The Eurosystem will not be able to identify you, nor directly link you to your payments.[13]

    New opportunities for merchants

    A digital euro would also bring new opportunities for European merchants.

    Right now, merchants in Europe are largely dependent on a handful of dominant online or card payment methods, often relying on non-European providers. International card schemes currently account for 64% of card transactions in the euro area.[14]

    This costs European merchants a lot of money. They collectively pay a significant amount each year to international card schemes like Visa or Mastercard. And the cost is mostly borne by smaller merchants, who incur charges three to four times higher than those of their larger competitors.[15]

    A digital euro would include safeguards for merchants by capping the fees they pay to banks for processing payments.[16] A digital euro would thus narrow the gap between what smaller and larger merchants are charged for digital payments.

    By providing a true alternative to existing payment solutions, a digital euro would also put all merchants, large and small, in a stronger position to negotiate better conditions with other providers. Finally, it could provide a safety net for merchants in case of network or power outages, thanks to its offline functionality.[17]

    Benefits for banks

    Banks would benefit too, particularly in our rapidly evolving payment landscape, in which new players – especially big tech companies from outside Europe – are increasingly entering the market. The banks would be remunerated for the services they offer, while the Eurosystem would cover the costs of the digital euro scheme and infrastructure.

    When you compare a digital euro with services like PayPal or Apple Pay, the benefits for banks become even clearer. For instance, banks do not earn anything if people top up their PayPal wallet via direct debit. And with Apple Pay, banks actually have to pay a fee just to let their cards be used in Apple Wallet.

    A digital euro would also open up a new source of revenue by allowing banks to provide value-added services to their customers.[18]

    We are working closely with the market to ensure that a digital euro leverages the existing standards as much as possible, which would keep costs down and support Europe’s competitive payment landscape.[19]

    Moreover, cards and applications currently available in only one or a handful of Member States could use these standards to reach customers across the euro area without the need to invest in new acceptance infrastructure. Therefore, a digital euro would mean that European payment service providers could offer their customers the convenience of using their product everywhere in the euro area – just like international card companies. It would also strengthen banks’ negotiating positions vis-à-vis these companies.

    Finally, banks and other payment service providers would be responsible for distributing a digital euro, thus serving as the sole point of contact for digital euro users. So a digital euro could help banks retain their customers in the face of growing payments competition.

    Project preparation phase at full speed

    Let me now give you a brief update on where we stand with the project.[20]

    We started the investigation phase back in 2021 and are now at the midpoint of the preparation phase, with roughly one more year to go.

    One of our key focus areas during this phase is to develop a methodology for determining the maximum amount of digital euro a person could hold at any time.[21] The holding limits are important to ensure financial stability and prevent large-scale transfers from bank deposits to digital euro, especially during crises.

    These limits would be high enough to avoid negatively affecting the digital euro user experience.[22]

    Experts from the ECB, the national central banks in the Eurosystem and national competent authorities, building on their unique know-how, have started to identify the factors that could influence the holding limit calibration, on the basis of three key areas defined in the draft Regulation: usability, monetary policy and financial stability.[23]

    While the exact holding limits would be defined closer to the potential launch and on the basis of a well-defined governance process enshrined in the draft Regulation,[the ECB’s Governing Council will decide whether to move to the next phase of the project. But the Governing Council will not take any decision about the issuance of a digital euro before the legislative act has been adopted.

    Conclusion

    To conclude, introducing a digital euro across the euro area would take time, but it is key for Europe’s future. Countries across the world are exploring retail central bank digital currencies. If we want to be standard-setters and keep our position among the frontrunners, we need to move swiftly.

    A digital euro is a common European project, which is why we are talking to all the relevant stakeholders and carefully listening to their views and concerns. I also remain committed to engaging regularly with the European Parliament.

    Introducing a digital euro that all banks and other providers make available to their customers and that all merchants accept, everywhere in the euro area, would take several years. Market participants need certainty to invest in the digital euro and this requires coordination between co-legislators and the central bank.

    I appreciate all the work that the ECON Committee has done on the digital euro so far. The legislative discussions are now in your hands. The ECB is of course ready to engage with the negotiating team and to provide continued technical support when needed.

    It is important that the legislative and technical work advance in parallel, swiftly and in close cooperation. Together, we can ensure that the digital euro strengthens Europe’s financial sovereignty and serves all its citizens.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces appointments to the Quebec judiciary

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Government of Canada – in French

    September 23, 2024– Ottawa (Ontario) – Department of Justice Canada

    The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

    Mathieu Piché-Messier, partner and national leader in commercial litigation at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Montreal, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montreal. Justice Piché-Messier replaces Justice PH Bélanger (Montreal), who resigned effective May 24, 2024.

    Lysane Cree, an administrative judge at the Tribunal administratif de déontologie policière in Montreal, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montreal. Justice Cree replaces Justice M. Lachance (Montreal), who was appointed to the Court of Appeal effective June 17, 2024.

    Horia Bundaru, a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP in Montreal, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montreal. Justice Bundaru replaces Justice K. Kear-Jodoin (Montreal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective July 16, 2024.

    Quote

    “I wish Judges Piché-Messier, Cree and Bundaru every success in their new roles. I am confident that they will serve the people of Quebec well as members of the Superior Court of Quebec.”

    – The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

    Biographies

    Judge Mathieu Piché-Messier was born and raised in Montreal. He received his Bachelor of Civil Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Sherbrooke in 1997. He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1998.

    Since 2000, Justice Piché-Messier has practiced commercial litigation at Borden Ladner Gervais where, after being named partner in 2006, he held the position of Head of the Commercial Litigation Group in Montreal for seven years and was then appointed National Business Leader – Commercial Litigation. His practice focused on the areas of extraordinary remedies and commercial litigation in the areas of anti-fraud, high technology, industrial espionage, privacy and identity theft, international arbitration, aeronautics, defamation and intellectual property. A litigator, author and speaker, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2018, a Fellow of Litigation Counsels of America in 2021, and was named Advocatus Emeritus (Ad. E.) of the Barreau du Québec in 2022. He has also been recognized by his peers to appear in the editions of Chambers, The Best Lawyers and Benchmark Litigation as one of the 50 best litigators in Canada.

    Justice Piché-Messier has been a member of the boards of the Barreau du Québec, the Barreau de Montréal and the Canadian Bar, Québec Division. He has also been president of the Centre d’accès à l’Information juridique du Québec (CAIJ) and the Young Bar Association of Montreal. Involved in the Montreal community, he has sat on the boards of Cirque Éloize, Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Enfants-retour and Make-a-Wish.

    Judge Piché-Messier and his partner, Me Natacha Lavoie, are the happy parents of Vincent and Victoria.

    Justice Lysane Cree is originally from the Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) Nation and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Northern Studies from McGill University in 1996, before earning a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Common Law from McGill University in 2000. She was called to the Quebec Bar in 2003, the New York State Bar in 2012 and the Ontario Bar in 2020.

    Justice Cree began her practice with Hutchins Legal Inc. and focused on Indigenous law issues and working with First Nations governments in several provinces and occasionally in New York State for sixteen years. While still in private practice, she began working part-time in the area of police ethics with the Police Ethics Committee (now the Tribunal), hearing cases involving Indigenous police services in the province of Quebec. She then worked as a decision-maker with the Discipline Committee of the Chambre de la sécurité financière from 2019 to 2021 before becoming a full-time administrative judge with the Tribunal administratif de déontologie policière. During this time, she was involved with the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals, serving as a member of the Tribunal’s Excellence Committee and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee.

    Judge Cree is an avid equestrian and enjoys spending time with her horses.

    Justice Horia Bundaru immigrated to Canada at the age of eleven with his parents and younger sister. He received a BCL/LL.B. from McGill University’s Faculty of Law in 2005 and was called to the Quebec Bar in 2006.

    Justice Bundaru spent his entire career at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, where he became a partner in 2016 and where, at the time of his appointment, he was a director of the Litigation Group in Montreal. A well-known litigator, his practice focused on commercial litigation, construction law and energy law. Since 2016, he has taught civil procedure and drafting at the École du Barreau.

    Justice Bundaru has chaired the Quebec Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, the Liaison Committee of the Montreal Bar with the Superior Court (Civil Division) and the Salon VISEZ DROIT. At the time of his appointment, he was chair of the Liaison Committee with the Court of Appeal and a member of the Conseil de la magistrature du Québec. He is listed in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Benchmark Litigation Canada as a “litigation star”, Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers, The Legal 500 Canada and Best Lawyers in Canada. In 2022, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers.

    Judge Bundaru is passionate about literature and is an avid cross-country skier and tennis player. With his partner Maya, also a lawyer, he has two daughters, Ariane and Éloïse.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: 23/09/2024 Varsovia Help for flood victims and the tourism industry

    MIL ASI Translation. Region: Polish/Europe –

    Fuente: Gobierno de Polonia en poleco.

    During Monday’s meeting of the crisis team in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that members of the Council of Ministers are working intensively on statutory changes that are to help flood victims. The government will provide information on the actions taken during the next session of the Sejm. Donald Tusk also presented an optimal solution to provide temporary shelter for the victims – some of them will live in nearby hotels and holiday resorts. The next meeting of the crisis team with the participation of the Prime Minister will take place on Tuesday evening in Wrocław. Intensive práctica of the Council of Ministers El primer minister Donald Tusk took part in another meeting of the crisis team. This time, the meeting was held in the form of a video conference at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. The head of government announced that on Tuesday, September 24, during the meeting of the team in Wrocław, he will provide important information. “Tomorrow evening in Wrocław, we will present statutory changes. On Wednesday late afternoon, we will be giving information in the Sejm on the flood situation,” announced the Prime Minister. Individual ministers are currently working on statutory changes that will facilitate the process of rebuilding areas destroyed by the flood. Donald Tusk also confirmed that he had signed a nomination for Minister Marcin Kierwiński, who will be a member of the Council of Ministers responsible for coordinating the reconstruction effort. Temporary shelters in local hotels and holiday resorts Flood victims who cannot return to their homes will be able to stay in nearby hotels and holiday resorts. “We must rationalize our actions wherever replacement housing is needed and where there are hotels available nearby,” explained Donald Tusk. The state will pay for the stay of people who need shelter. “We will find funds so that hotels and holiday resorts that have not been damaged can serve as temporary places of residence for all those who have lost their homes,” assured the Prime Minister. The advantage of this solution is that it will also provide support for the owners of resorts and hotels who have to deal with cancellations by tourists. The costs of paying for the stay of flood victims in these places should not be higher than those resulting from the installation of so-called container apartments. Appeal to provide only verified and reliable information False information is still being spread in the public sphere, the purpose of which is to introduce chaos and disinformation. The Prime Minister reminded that the provision of data regarding the victims of the element requires particular reliability. All media reports should be based on information confirmed by the police, which states that 7 people died as a result of the flood, and one person is considered missing. “Spreading panic is a truly grave sin and it is very damaging to the aid operation, building trust in the services and generally the atmosphere, which is already difficult there, where these tragedies occurred,” emphasized Donald Tusk. The head of government also asked to refrain from speculations concerning the work of Polish Waters and the maintenance of the reservoirs, which are not supported by reliable analysis. “We will examine every minute of the operation in detail. It will be in the interest of the Polish state and all of us to investigate whether something has failed somewhere. But we have to leave it to the experts,” appealed the Prime Minister. The process of checking whether all procedures have been followed and where any negligence has been committed will be transparent. Access to drinking water As part of the aid campaign, the services also organized the transport of drinking water to flood areas. “We must be 100% sure that this water is available everywhere,” emphasized Donald Tusk. El prime minister expressed the expectation that the services will inform in the most effective way possible what water can be drunk. We appeal to residents to listen carefully to the announcements of the sanitary and epidemiological services.

    MILES AXIS

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: 23/09/2024 Meeting of the Minister of Finance with the EU Commissioner for Economy

    MIL ASI Translation. Region: Polish/Europe –

    Fuente: Gobierno de Polonia en poleco.

    Meeting of the Minister of Finance with the EU Commissioner for Economy23.09.2024

    On September 23, 2024, Finance Minister Andrzej Domański met with Paolo Gentiloni, EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs. The discussion focused on the current economic situation in the European Union and Poland, including the potential impact of flooding. Undersecretary of State Paweł Karbownik also participated in the meeting. During the conversation, issues related to Poland’s preparation of a medium-term budgetary and structural plan, which will define the framework for fiscal policy for 2025-2028, were raised. In accordance with the new rules of economic governance in the EU, Member States are required to submit such plans to the European Commission by mid-October. Minister Domański presented Poland’s strategy for exiting the excessive deficit procedure, which Poland was subject to this year, paying particular attention to military expenditure, which is responsible for a part of the deficit of the general government sector.

    MILES AXIS

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

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

    Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    September 23, 2024

    Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    September 23, 2024

    Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    September 23, 2024

    Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    September 23, 2024

    Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    September 23, 2024

    Previous news Next news

    Valery Falkov and Gennady Krasnikov discussed the future of microelectronics with young scientists at Sirius

    A dialogue about the future of microelectronics in Russia took place between the head of the Ministry of Education and Science Valery Falkov, the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov and participants of the 6th School of Young Scientists, which this year is working within the framework of the forum “Microelectronics-2024”.

    The School of Young Scientists is a unique project, the participants of which are aspiring and established microelectronics specialists from more than 80 universities and scientific organizations.

    One of the main topics of the conversation was the training of highly qualified personnel for the industry. The head of the Ministry of Education and Science noted that cooperation between universities and industrial partners plays an important role in solving this problem. This allows students to be involved in solving practical problems for the industry already at the training stage, offering them to work on equipment that is currently used in the real sector.

    This task can be solved by such measures as, for example, the creation of basic departments of universities at enterprises, the Advanced Engineering Schools project, the Priority 2030 program, the program for the creation of youth laboratories, of which 940 have already been created, 60 of which are in electronics.

    It is also necessary to increase the interest of young specialists in the microelectronics industry – so far, not all graduates of the relevant educational programs go to work in their profession. In addition to the systematic work of interested government bodies, it is important that each potential employer creates attractive working conditions for a young specialist.

    “Our task is to bring the industry as close as possible to universities, and for this purpose, a whole range of state support programs for universities and research organizations is in place. In turn, it is important for the employer to think about the quality characteristics of the workplace – the salary of a young specialist, his career growth, social package, mentoring in a new workplace – all this together makes the industry itself attractive,” the minister emphasized.

    At the meeting with young specialists, special attention was paid to popularizing the profession. President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov emphasized that today there are enough events aimed at building communication between young scientists, including the Congress of Young Scientists, which will be held in November on the federal territory of Sirius. At the same time, scientific councils and other conferences with the participation of young specialists are held at the RAS site.

    As an example of a good support measure for young scientists, the meeting cited the Kamil Valiev scholarship, established last year. It is available to students and postgraduates who have achieved significant success in the electronics industry. The amount of the payment for students is 55 thousand rubles, and for postgraduates – 75 thousand rubles.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/nevs/52781/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nine Individuals Indicted in $28 Million Illegal Opioid Distribution Conspiracy Three Doctors and a Clinic Owner Among Those Indicted

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

    An indictment was unsealed today charging nine individuals with conspiracy to illegally distribute prescription drugs, announced U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

    U.S. Attorney Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto, of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
    Charged in the indictment are:
    Dr. Charles Wasson, 70, Orchard Lake, MI Dr. Maurice Potts, 65, Detroit, MI
    Dr. Bruce Kaplan, 83, Commerce Township, MI
    Sharlene Dawson (aka Sharlene Crawford), 55, Detroit, MI Desiree King, 41, Sterling Heights, MI
    Lanise Gortman, 53, Warren, MI Aaron Thomas, 42, Southfield, MI Valecia Logan, 33, Detroit, MI and Antoine Arnold, 38, Mt. Clemens, MI

    The indictment alleges that from June 2021 through September 2024, Sharlene Dawson (aka Sharlene Crawford), owner of P&A Aftercare, located in Southfield, Michigan, hired Drs. Charles Wasson, Maurice Potts, and Bruce Kaplan to issue controlled substance prescriptions for a cadre of “fake” patients, without medical necessity and outside the usual course of professional medical practice, in exchange for cash payments. According to the indictment, the “fake” patients were recruited by Lanise Gortman, Aaron Thomas, Valecia Logan, and Antoine Arnold. These recruiters would fill the prescription at area pharmacies and sell the controlled substances on the street. The indictment further alleges that Desiree King ran the front office at P&A Aftercare and worked closely with the recruiters to facilitate the issuance of the controlled substance prescriptions.
    The primary prescription controlled substances illegally prescribed by the doctors named in the indictment included Schedule II controlled substances Oxycodone, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen (Percocet), and Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Norco). While most of the unlawful controlled substance prescriptions were paid for in cash, both controlled and non-controlled

    “maintenance” medications were billed to health care benefit programs by pharmacies. It is also alleged that billings to the Medicare and Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary prescription drug medications and maintenance medications during this conspiracy exceeded
    $20 million.

    The case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lisandra Fernandez-Silber and Regina R. McCullough. The Eastern District of Michigan is one of the twelve districts included in the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit, a Department of Justice initiative to combat the opioid epidemic.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill  Biden at an Event to Launch Partnership for a Lead-Free  Future

    Source: The White House

    New York City, New York

    Thank you.

    It’s great to be with so many world leaders, your Excellencies from Malawi, the Dominican Republic, and Nepal.

    Director General of the World Health Organization and President Banga of the World Bank, I’m glad to see you both again. And I appreciate your support of this new coalition.

    I’m also grateful to Open Philanthropy, which has been at the forefront of the fight against lead poisoning in children for many years.

    To Cathy Russell and Administrator Power: thank you for inviting me to join you today.

    Cathy and I have known each other for decades. Beyond the causes we both care so deeply about—from expanding opportunities for women to protecting and lifting up children—I’m grateful for our friendship. You and the team at UNICEF take on some of the world’s toughest challenges and you make a difference in every life you touch. Thank you.

    And Samantha Power, Joe’s intrepid Administrator of USAID, I am inspired by all that you do. The only thing greater than your determination to tackle humanitarian challenges around the world is your optimism for creating a healthier, safer, brighter future for people everywhere.

    Several years ago, I traveled to Jordan.

    There, I met Ms. Maha, a principal of an all-girls’ school.

    More and more families were arriving to her community from Syria after fleeing violence. And Ms. Maha’s school was already at capacity.

    One day, a mother showed up, desperate to enroll her daughter.

    The mother had tried and been turned away at so many other schools.

    So, with tears in her eyes, she pleaded with Ms. Maha to find a place for her daughter.

    Ms. Maha loves her students. And she said, “I think love is giving as much as you can.”

    So she made a promise.

    Send your daughter to class with a chair, and she can enroll.

    In the days that followed, more and more young girls showed up—carrying any chair they could find—so they could go to school and learn.

    As educators, we don’t sit with problems.

    We solve them.

    I saw this in the classrooms I visited in rural Malawi.

    The teachers found inventive ways for their students to learn through songs, rhythm, and repetition.

    Even from my own experience, like four years ago, when the pandemic hit and schools in the United States went silent.

    Overnight, educators had to learn how to use Zoom and reimagine lesson plans so we could reach our students.

    Our world is full of complexities and conflicts.

    But for the problems we can solve we can’t hesitate.

    In Principal Maha’s words: We must give as much as we can.

    Every year, the United Nations General Assembly meets to recognize our shared challenges and to find ways to overcome them.

    Right now, around the world, parents give their children toys so they can learn and play.

    They prepare meals with everyday cookware to keep their family fed.

    All the while, dangerous amounts of lead seep into their lives.

    And the consequences are irreversible.

    These children will never reach the full potential they were born with because lead poisoning is so pervasive.

    But it’s a problem we can solve.

    I’m proud that this new partnership is committing more than $150 million, which will jumpstart efforts to end childhood lead exposure in developing countries.

    This funding is 10 times more than what’s been spent annually on this problem to date.

    And it has a coalition behind it: Partners—from governments to industry to advocates—who will phase out lead from everyday products, enforce safe standards, and create a lead-free future for every child.

    Through the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, UNICEF and USAID believe we can end childhood lead poisoning by 2040.

    Education is my life’s work.

    And I often think of what leaders might learn from teachers, who know that the future isn’t some far off place.

    It’s right before them, in their students who are striving to learn and grow. 

    Teachers who don’t stop at problems, they push through.

    Teachers who love what they do. And love is giving as much as you can.

    Children will reach for the promise that resides within them—if we do our part, everything we can, to break down the barriers in their way.

    It’s going to take all of us, pulling up chairs and joining this coalition to end lead poisoning.

    That future is within our grasp.

    Let’s reach for it, together.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: U.S.-UAE Joint Leaders’ Statement Dynamic Strategic  Partners

    Source: The White House

    His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met today at the White House during an official visit of His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to the United States.  The visit is the first-ever by a President of the United Arab Emirates to Washington and marks the leaders’ fourth bilateral meeting in the Biden-Harris Administration.  The leaders affirmed the enduring U.S.-UAE strategic and defense partnership, bolstered areas of deepening cooperation in advanced technology and investments, and discussed global and regional matters.  The leaders pledged to pursue new opportunities to strengthen their economic and defense partnership; promote peace and stability across the Middle East and wider region; and deliver global leadership on issues of shared importance.  The five decades of U.S.-UAE ties and friendship are rooted in a strong foundation of close collaboration that has underpinned our countries’ prosperity and security. 

    The leaders welcomed the significant progress between the United Arab Emirates and the United States during their tenure through cooperation in building trusted technology ecosystems, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), the U.S.-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, and the Economic Policy Dialogue (EPD), all of which serve to uplift economic and trade ties between the two countries. 

    On particular issues of discussion:

    Dynamic Strategic Partnership: Trade and Advanced Technology

    Our countries’ strong foundation of partnership is reflected in our close alignment on key economic objectives and in the excellence of our private sectors that generate more than $40 billion of bilateral trade annually and an access of $26 billion of U.S. exports to the UAE.  The Leaders charted an ambitious course for the United Arab Emirates and the United States to lead global efforts to develop and expand new fields central to the global economy, particularly in advanced technologies and the clean energy required to power Artificial Intelligence.

    They welcomed the partnership between Microsoft and UAE’s Group 42 (G42) through Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in April 2024.  This investment is accelerating joint AI development to bring advanced AI and digital infrastructure to countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.

    The leaders further welcomed Microsoft and G42’s ongoing digital transformation in Kenya, which will leverage 1GW of geothermal energy to power data-centers to enable the deployment of cloud infrastructure and AI services for the public sector and regulated industries as well as enterprises.  Further, the partnership will support the development of local Large Language Models and the establishment of an East African Innovation Lab.  Additionally, the partnership hopes to encourage international and local connectivity investments, and collaboration with the government of Kenya to enable digital transformation programs across East Africa.

    These initiatives mark the beginning of our partnership and investments in the responsible deployment of advanced technologies, clean energy, and frontier technologies that will be the engine that powers our interconnected world.

    To meet the promise of this transformational moment and harness the potential of leading-edge technologies to improve human welfare globally, President Biden and His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed the Common Principles for Cooperation on AI, endorsed today by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoon bin Zayed, and through which the United States and the United Arab Emirates aim to further strengthen cooperation, develop regulatory frameworks, promote the safe and trusted deployment of critical and emerging technologies, and enable enhanced support for joint private-public sector research and academic exchanges.  

    Building on our collaboration in the field of advanced technology, this partnership incorporates safeguards to protect the national security of both countries, enable trusted investments and entrepreneurship, and facilitate cross-border innovation, while creating jobs and facilitating the protection of advanced U.S. technologies and respect for international principles, best practices, and human rights.  Moving forward, the leaders decided to promote the expansion of relationships among scientific, academic, and research and development communities. 

    Strengthening Critical Infrastructure and Supply Chain Resiliencies

    The leaders reviewed progress on efforts to build a more interconnected, integrated world in committing to secure and resilient supply chains through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI). 

    His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Biden discussed progress on the landmark India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) launched at the 2023 G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi together with the leaders of India, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union.  The leaders reaffirmed that the corridor – connecting India to Europe by ship-to-rail connections through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Europe through Greece – will generate economic growth, incentivize new investments, increase efficiencies and reduce costs, enhance economic unity, generate jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enable the transformative integration of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 

    They underscored that this transformative partnership has the potential to usher in a new era of international connectivity to facilitate global trade, expand reliable access to electricity, facilitate clean energy distribution, and strengthen telecommunication. The two leaders emphasized the importance of joint initiatives to promote a circular economy, reduce waste, facilitate recycling, and advance sustainable practices, underscoring their commitment to innovation for resource efficiency and environmentally responsible growth.

    The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to continue their efforts with international partners and the private sector to connect the continents to commercial hubs and facilitate the development and export of clean energy; support existing trade and manufacturing synergies; strengthen food security and supply chains; and link energy grids and tele-communication lines through undersea cables to expand access to electricity, enable innovation of advanced clean energy technology, and connect communities to secure and stable internet.

    The leaders additionally discussed the importance of ongoing efforts to cooperate on strategic investments in hard infrastructure and critical minerals-supply chains in Africa and emerging markets globally.  These investments aim to diversify sourcing of critical minerals that are essential components to clean energy and advanced technologies, including batteries, wind turbines, semiconductors, and electric vehicles.  President Biden recognized the United Arab Emirates’ leadership in strategic investments globally to ensure reliable access to critical infrastructure including, ports, mines, and logistics hubs through the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, Abu Dhabi Ports, and DP World. 

    Both leaders committed to remain in close touch on future investment opportunities and maintain cooperation on strategic investments.  

    The leaders additionally highlighted that the U.S.–UAE 123 Agreement, which provides a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, is the “gold standard” for securing and propelling the next generation of technologies.

    Partnering to Protect our Planet Through the Clean Energy Transition

    The leaders underscored the importance of U.S.-UAE leadership at COP28, which galvanized world leaders to take action and address the climate crisis.  President Biden thanked His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his extraordinary commitment that was central to the groundbreaking outcomes at COP28 in Dubai resulting in the UAE Consensus. 

    The two leaders recognized that this moment represents a unique opportunity to create sustainable and clean energy jobs, revitalize communities, improve quality of life, and power digital infrastructure with renewable energy across both countries and around the globe.  In this context, the two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to protecting our precious planet and securing a sustainable future for humanity through united leadership across various platforms, including the upcoming COP29 and beyond, which will serve to advance climate action and strengthen global partnerships.

    The two leaders expressed their determination to leverage visionary initiatives, including the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE), the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), the First Movers Coalition, the Net Zero Producers Forum, the Global Methane Pledge, Carbon Management Challenge, the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA), the Global Biofuels Alliance, and Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Trust Fund; and encourage commercial partnerships to decarbonize our energy systems, reduce emissions in pursuit of a net zero economy, and deliver prosperity to future generations. 

    President Biden and His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reaffirmed their strong commitment to collaborate on sustainability and climate resilience, emphasizing their commitment to addressing global challenges through innovative solutions. The two leaders underscored their joint efforts in advancing agri-tech and vertical farming innovations, key drivers in enhancing food security for future generations. They highlighted ongoing cooperation in humanitarian initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity in vulnerable regions, particularly through agricultural development and capacity building in climate affected areas. Recognizing the impact of climate change on public health, the leaders emphasized the need to integrate health resilience into comprehensive climate action strategies.

    President Biden also congratulated the United Arab Emirates on its many successes in its two Years of Sustainability (2023-2024), including the recent announcement on co-hosting the next UN Water Conference in 2026 with Senegal, noting the critical importance of accessible and affordable clean water to all; and its significance within various sectors in the clean energy transition, addressing climate change, and the sustainable development agenda.

    Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE)

    Under the U.S.-UAE Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, the United States and the UAE are announcing several initiatives that will continue our efforts to ensure a swift and smooth transition towards clean energy. The United States and United Arab Emirates remain committed to investing together in Africa and working to end energy poverty across sub-Saharan Africa.  Today, the UAE-based Averi Finance and AMEA Power are both private sector partners under the U.S.-led Power Africa Initiative, joining an existing partnership with UAE-based company Phanes. As private sector partners, these firms will be offered tailored assistance from transaction advisors and technical experts and can benefit from services offered by participating U.S. government departments and agencies.

    To support the Power Africa initiative, Averi Finance intends to facilitate $5 billion in investments, build 3GW of power generation projects, construct over 3,000 kilometers of transmission or distribution lines, establish over 500,000 new home and business connections, and aim for a CO2 equivalent reduction or avoidance of 90 million tons.  AMEA Power and Power Africa have recently entered into a partnership to accelerate power projects.  AMEA Power is targeting 5GW of renewable energy capacity in Africa by 2030, and to realize this target, intends to mobilize $5 billion in capital. 

    Additionally, under PACE, ADNOC has announced a 35 percent stake in ExxonMobil’s proposed low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production facility in Baytown, Texas.  This facility aims to produce up to approximately 900,000 tons of low-carbon ammonia per year, enabling the transition to cleaner fuels in hard-to-abate sectors.  Plynth Energy – a recently established Abu Dhabi government-owned early-stage fund focused on fusion technologies and supply chains – invested in the U.S. company Zap Energy, which plans to build scalable and commercially-viable fusion energy.  This investment will help fund the further development of Zap Energy’s small-format commercial fusion technology. Zap Energy is a participant in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, and will receive DOE funding based on reaching development milestones to support the design of a fusion pilot plant.

    Lastly, as two of over 155 participants in the Global Methane Pledge, the U.S. and the UAE will accelerate their respective domestic methane reductions, work together to support countries undertaking methane abatement, and call on others to do the same by advancing methane reduction projects, strengthening methane standards and regulations, addressing methane super emitter events, and identifying appropriate financing for methane reduction.

    Partners in Space Exploration

    As founding nation members of the Artemis Accords, His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Biden reinforced the U.S. and UAE’s groundbreaking cooperation in space, the future of human exploration, and our shared interest in deepening our understanding of the universe. 

    The leaders recalled the role of this partnership in the historic launch of the first Arab probe to Mars, the Hope Probe in 2021, and the resulting and ongoing global scientific collaboration and contribution to the study of Mars’ atmosphere.  This strategic partnership in deep space missions is further exemplified by the UAE Space Agency’s announcement of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, the first multi-asteroid tour and landing mission to the main belt, with the partner, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder.

    The leaders highlighted the January 2024 Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center agreement with NASA for the Center to provide an airlock for Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon supported by NASA’s missions for long-term Moon exploration under the Artemis Program.  The airlock will allow crew and equipment transfers to-and-from the habitable environment of Gateway’s pressurized modules to the vacuum of space.  This agreement will also enable the first Emirati astronaut to fly to the Gateway for joint exploration of the Moon. 

    This cooperation builds on NASA and the UAE’s previous human spaceflight collaboration.  In 2019, Hazaa Al Mansouri became the first Emirati astronaut to fly to space during a visit to the International Space Station (ISS), where he worked with NASA to perform experiments and educational outreach.  A second Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi, launched to the ISS in 2023, where he participated in the floating laboratory’s scientific research to advance human knowledge and improve life on Earth.  The leaders welcomed continued training of astronauts, including two Emirati astronaut candidates in training at the Johnson Space Center, as well as ongoing work on Mars research and scientific studies to support mutual exploration goals.

    Sharing the common spirit and ambition of humanity’s journey in space, the leaders reaffirmed the principles of the Artemis Accords to explore and use outer space for peaceful purposes and usher in a new era of exploration, as well as obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, including the requirement that countries not place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kind of weapons of mass destruction.

    Partners in Security and Defense

    His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed and President Biden praised the strong security and defense partnership with the UAE.  President Biden strongly affirmed the United States’ commitment to the United Arab Emirates’ security and territorial defense, and to facilitating its ability to obtain necessary capabilities to defend its people and territory against external threats.  The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a strong bilateral security and defense relationship and to expanding defense and security cooperation to bolster joint defense capabilities against external threats, including through the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program.

    The leaders affirmed a shared vision of an interconnected, peaceful, tolerant, and prosperous region as outlined by President Biden during the GCC+3 Summit Meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022.  They reviewed the proud legacy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, in peace and in conflict, including the UAE’s support for American-led counterterrorism missions since the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington on September 11, 2001, to deter threats, de-escalate conflicts, and reduce tensions globally.  Specifically, the leaders recalled the United States and the United Arab Emirates standing alongside each other in the global coalition against Da’esh, and prior conflicts: Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

    The leaders reviewed ongoing initiatives and investments in advanced systems that have made the United Arab Emirates one of the most capable U.S. military partners in the region, in addition to a robust schedule of bilateral and multilateral exercises.  They underscored the importance of strengthening efforts to combat regional threats, advance counterterrorism initiatives, reinforce maritime security and counter-piracy efforts, increase security cooperation, and intercept illicit shipments of weaponry and technology. 

    The leaders discussed deepening investment in U.S. defense systems and acknowledged that military-to-military cooperation with the United Arab Emirates’ armed services helps ensure interoperability with the United States through the provision of advanced defense articles and services.  They further decided to explore potential investment in our most advanced defense systems and to maintain regular exchanges to deepen partnership in research and development. 

    The leaders reaffirmed the 2017 Defense Cooperation Agreement, an important step for both countries that underscored their vital and longstanding collaboration in defeating terrorist groups, such as Da’esh and al-Qaida, securing regional stability, and combatting threats against their common interests including terrorist financing.  They underscored the importance of the annual Joint Military Dialogue as the foremost bilateral defense forum for advancing the U.S.-UAE defense partnership, including reviewing shared security interests, as well as discussing strategic objectives for the relationship and challenges in the region, such as maritime security, counter-piracy, counterterrorism cooperation, and domain awareness in the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, and East Africa.  They further noted the recognition by the Security Council in Resolution 2686 that hate speech, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, related forms of intolerance, gender discrimination and acts of extremism can contribute to driving the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict.   

    Designation as a Major Defense Partner of the United States

    Acknowledging the U.S. and UAE’s deepening security partnership and cooperation in advanced technology and acquisition, shared interest in preventing conflict and de-escalation, President Biden today recognized the United Arab Emirates as a Major Defense Partner of the United States, joined by only India, to further enhance defense cooperation and security in the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean regions.  This unique designation as a Major Defense Partner will allow for unprecedented cooperation through joint training, exercises, and military-to-military collaboration, between the military forces of the United States, the UAE, and India, as well as other common military partners, in furtherance of regional stability.

    Both leaders committed to close and sustained cooperation among our militaries. 

    Partners in a Stable, Integrated, and Prosperous Middle East and Wider Region

    The leaders stressed the importance of reaching a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter.

    The leaders discussed persisting and emerging threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider region.  They renewed their commitment to upholding international law, particularly international humanitarian law, work with parties to resolve conflicts and protect civilians, and to provide urgently needed aid to alleviate human suffering.  They reiterated the importance of sustainable and enduring solutions to the security threats in the region, including those posed by non-state terrorist actors.  They discussed the enduring importance of the Abraham Accords and continuing on the path of peace, integration, and prosperity in the region.

    The leaders discussed the war in Gaza. They underscored their commitment to continue working together towards ending the conflict, calling for a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2735, and affirmed that all sides to the conflict must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law. President Biden commended the UAE’s extraordinary humanitarian efforts in Gaza, which have been critical in addressing the humanitarian crisis, including through the launch of a maritime corridor for movement of aid, opening a field hospital in Gaza, and supporting evacuations of wounded civilians and cancer patients.

    The two leaders emphasized the ongoing need for the urgent, unhindered, and sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, at a scale commensurate with the growing needs among the civilian population throughout Gaza.  They called on all parties to ensure the safety, security, and sustained access of aid workers to all those in need, and to create the conditions needed to facilitate an effective humanitarian response in Gaza.

    His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed commended the mediation efforts by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, to reach a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and hostage release deal to help end the war in Gaza.  His Highness also echoed the principles laid out by President Biden on May 31, 2024, and stressed the importance of building on this proposal in order to create a serious political horizon for negotiation.  To that end, the leaders discussed a path to stabilization and recovery that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, and lays the groundwork for responsible governance.  The leaders expressed their commitment to the two-State solution, wherein a sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state lives side-by-side in peace and security with Israel, as the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in accordance with the internationally-recognized parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative.  They stressed the need to refrain from all unilateral measures that undermine the two-State solution, and to preserve the historic status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites, recognizing the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in this regard.

    On the conflict in Sudan, the leaders expressed their deep concern over the tragic impact the violence has had on the Sudanese people and on neighboring countries.  Both leaders expressed alarm at the millions of individuals who have been displaced by the war, the hundreds of thousands experiencing famine, and the atrocities committed by the belligerents against the civilian population.  They stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan and underscored their firm and unwavering position on the imperative for concrete and immediate action to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities, the return to the political process, and transition to civilian-led governance.

    Both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to de-escalate the conflict, alleviate the suffering of the people of Sudan, ensure humanitarian assistance reaches the Sudanese people, and prevent Sudan from attracting transnational terrorist networks once again. Noting their shared concern about the risk of imminent atrocities, particularly as fighting continues in Darfur, they underscored that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, and all individuals and groups that commit war crimes must be held accountable.  The leaders emphasized that the priority right now must be the protection of civilians, particularly women, children and the elderly, securing humanitarian pauses in order to scale up and facilitate the movement of humanitarian assistance into the country and across conflict lines, and ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need, especially to the most vulnerable.

    Partners in Cyberspace

    The leaders emphasized that safety and stability in cyberspace is critical for digital economic growth and development, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable internet, underpinned by the multistakeholder model of internet governance. 

    They committed to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and to enhance cyber collaboration to protect critical infrastructure, counter malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors, and noted that the UAE’s significant contributions to the International Counter Ransomware Initiative reflects the strength of our cooperation.  The leaders committed to promote stability in cyberspace based on the applicability of international law including the United Nations Charter, the promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behavior during peacetime, and the development and implementation of confidence building measures between states. 

    Looking Forward

    The United States and the United Arab Emirates are both entrepreneurial nations, joined together by a relentless focus on the future.  Our aspirations are rooted in a common resolve to pursue innovative partnerships in new fields, including AI, food security, infrastructure investment, and supply chain resilience, even as we continue to strengthen the foundational element of our partnership: our longstanding people-to-people ties.  These connections between our countries drive progress and expand horizons, from clean energy technologies, to AI, defense cooperation, space exploration, and ongoing coordination across priority areas of science, education, and culture.  This first-ever official visit by a President of the United Arab Emirates to the United States sets a new foundation for our countries’ cooperation for decades to come

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: English Translation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s remarks at the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future’

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 10:12PM by PIB Delhi

    Excellencies,

    On behalf of India, the world’s largest democracy, and 1.4 billion Indians, Greetings to all of you. In the largest elections in human history held recently in June, the people of India have given me the opportunity to serve them, for a third consecutive term. And today I bring the voice of this one sixth of humanity to you. ,

    Friends,

    When we are discussing Global Future, we must accord the highest priority to a Human centric approach. While prioritizing sustainable development, we must also ensure human welfare, food and health security. By lifting 250 million people out of poverty in India, we have demonstrated that Sustainable Development can be Successful. And we are ready to share this experience of our success with the entire Global South. ,

    Friends,

    Success of Humanity lies in our collective strength, not in the battlefield. And for global peace and development, reforms in global institutions are essential. Reform is the key to relevance! Permanent membership of the G20 to the African Union at the New Delhi Summit, was an important step in this direction. While on the one hand, terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security, on the other hand, areas such as cyber, maritime and space, are emerging as new theaters of conflict. On all these issues, I will stress, that, Global Action must match Global Ambition!,

    Friends,

    There is a need for balanced regulation for the safe and responsible use of Technology. We need global digital governance, which ensures that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld. Digital Public Infrastructure should be a Bridge, not a Barrier! For Global Good, India is ready to share its digital public infrastructure with the entire world.,

    Friends,

    For India, “One Earth, One Family, One Future” is a commitment. This commitment is also reflected in our initiatives such as “One Earth, One Health”, and “One Sun, One World, One Grid”. India will continue to work in thought, words and deeds to protect the rights of all humanity and for global prosperity.

    Thank you very much.

    DISCLAIMER – This is the approximate translation of Prime Minister’s remarks. Original remarks were delivered

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Van Hollen, Shaheen, Colleagues Urge FHFA to Implement Stronger Energy Efficiency Standards for New Federally-Backed Homes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen
    September 23, 2024
    Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) were joined by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in writing to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Sandra Thompson urging the Agency to set a minimum energy efficiency standard for new homes built using loans backed by government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. In response to a question from Senator Van Hollen during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing earlier this spring, Director Thompson suggested that FHFA would do so this summer – but it has not yet taken such action. In their letter, the Senators ask Director Thompson for an updated timeline for a decision, while calling on FHFA to act swiftly in order to improve home energy efficiency and ultimately save money for American homeowners and renters.
    “We are writing to urge the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to phase in a minimum energy efficiency standard for Enterprise-backed mortgages on new homes. Such a standard would save homeowners and renters money and make the housing market more consistent and stable,” the Senators began. “When asked at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs last April, you indicated an intention to make a decision about this potential action on or about the end of the second quarter. As we are now rapidly approaching the end of the third quarter, we respectfully request an update on your intended timeline for a decision and for the Enterprises to begin implementation.”
    Outlining the benefits of a minimum energy standard, they wrote, “Aligning new home energy standards with updated model codes will save money for homeowners and renters across the country. HUD and USDA found that the increased initial costs of construction are more than made up for by lower monthly energy costs. […] Beyond these financial benefits, updated codes help save lives by protecting families from the impacts of extreme weather events, particularly utility outages during heat waves and cold snaps. Updated energy codes can also yield better indoor air quality and reduce exposure to pollutants that can have negative health impacts including asthma, heart disease and lung cancer.”
    “This year is an ideal time for FHFA to make these changes. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act provided over $1.2 billion of federal funding to help states and localities update their building codes. Already, multiple state and local governments, as well as HUD and USDA have adopted the updated building codes,” they Senators continued.
    They concluded, “We urge you to move quickly to adopt modern energy standards for new homes utilizing Enterprise-backed mortgages to align with other federally backed housing construction, and ask you for an update on your timeline for taking this action. These standards will support a stable, efficient housing market by reducing wasted energy, improving health outcomes, and lowering costs for both renters and homeowners across the country.”
    This letter is supported by Americans for Financial Reform, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
    The full text of the letter is available here and below.
    Dear Director Thompson:
    We are writing to urge the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to phase in a minimum energy efficiency standard for Enterprise-backed mortgages on new homes. Such a standard would save homeowners and renters money and make the housing market more consistent and stable. When asked at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs last April, you indicated an intention to make a decision about this potential action on or about the end of the second quarter. As we are now rapidly approaching the end of the third quarter, we respectfully request an update on your intended timeline for a decision and for the Enterprises to begin implementation.
    FHFA has the opportunity to match or exceed the standards recently adopted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their residential mortgage programs. This action would support consistency and further the expansion of resilient, energy-saving construction practices across the housing market.
    Your authority to take this action is clear from Public Law 110-289, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, as well as from other actions FHFA and the government-sponsored enterprises have undertaken in alignment with their missions and obligations. Freddie Mac’s research has found that energy efficiency improvements can reduce risks associated with mortgage-backed securities, in part due to better resale values. Research also suggests that during major economic disruptions, energy efficiency may reduce mortgage defaults.
    Aligning new home energy standards with updated model codes will save money for homeowners and renters across the country. HUD and USDA found that the increased initial costs of construction are more than made up for by lower monthly energy costs. For a typical home purchased with a 30-year mortgage, energy bill savings more than make up for small increases to down payments and monthly mortgage payments. High-performance homebuilders and multifamily property developers in diverse markets have found the incremental up-front costs of at- or above-code performance to be closer to 1% or, in some cases, negative.
    Beyond these financial benefits, updated codes help save lives by protecting families from the impacts of extreme weather events, particularly utility outages during heat waves and cold snaps. Updated energy codes can also yield better indoor air quality and reduce exposure to pollutants that can have negative health impacts including asthma, heart disease and lung cancer.
    This year is an ideal time for FHFA to make these changes. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act provided over $1.2 billion of federal funding to help states and localities update their building codes. Already, multiple state and local governments, as well as HUD and USDA have adopted the updated building codes.
    When energy codes raise the floor on building performance, 45L tax incentives for builders to achieve certifications – such as ENERGY STAR® for Residential New Construction and Zero-Energy Ready Homes (ZERH) – frequently mean that the smartest path for developers is to build to these higher standards. ZERH homes use about 40% less energy than a typical home, opening the door to Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund financing, green MBS opportunities, and – most importantly – even cleaner air, lower bills, and more secure housing for households nationwide. If FHFA also requires updated building codes, it will reduce or eliminate the need for developers to understand numerous different codes.
    In summary, we urge you to move quickly to adopt modern energy standards for new homes utilizing Enterprise-backed mortgages to align with other federally backed housing construction, and ask you for an update on your timeline for taking this action. These standards will support a stable, efficient housing market by reducing wasted energy, improving health outcomes, and lowering costs for both renters and homeowners across the country.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses a press conference in New Delhi today on the significant achievements of the first 100 days of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses a press conference in New Delhi today on the significant achievements of the first 100 days of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

    Increase of around 314% in expenditure from ₹24819 Cr in FY 2014-15 to ₹1,02,749.46 Cr in FY 2023-24 by 54 Central Ministries to NER

    Increase of Around 152% In Budget Allocation for DoNER Ministry From ₹2,332 Cr  (FY 2014-15) To ₹5,892 Cr (FY 2023-24)

    In Comparison To Period 2009-2014, A 384% Increase in Average Annual Budget Allocation  under Railways Totaling ₹9,970 Cr (FY 2023-24). 1,909 Km Increase in Railway Tracks

    In 100 days 6 Projects worth ₹419.13 Cr have been sanctioned including  for establishing  a State Cancer Institute at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh under PM-DevINE

    Policy reforms for simplification of Scheme Guidelines and Streaming of release of funds

    Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 9:44PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region  Shri JyotiradityaScindia addressed a press conference in New Delhi today on the important initiatives, decisions and achievements of the last ten years and first 100 days  of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

    On this occasion,  Union Minister Shri JyotiradityaScindia launched the ‘EkPedMaaKeNaam’ mobile application along with Union MoS for Department of Telecommunications, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar. This campaign, launched on World Environment Day, 2024, encourages citizens to plant trees to honour their mothers, promoting nationwide environmental awareness and action. By leveraging technology, this  app empowers individuals to contribute to a greener India, fostering a culture of sustainability and community engagement.

     

     

    Addressing the media persons, Union Minister highlighted   the development activities in North Eastern Region by various Ministries/Department of Government of India. He informed that more than ₹5 lakh Cr  has been allocated in NER under 10% Gross Budgetary Support by 54 Ministries. The expenditure in NER has increased from ₹24819 Cr in FY 2014-15 to ₹1,02,749.46 Cr in FY 2023-24.  There is also 152% increase in Budget allocation of MDoNER from ₹2332 Cr in 2014-25 to Rs.5892 Cr in 2023-24.

     

    He said that during the  first ten years of Modi Government, there is 384% of increase in average Annual Budget Allocation of Railways  totaling ₹9970 Cr in 2023-24.  The Annual commissioning was 66.6 KM/year during 2009-2014 which has increased by 170% to   179.78 Km/Year (2014-23). There is 1,909 Km increase in Railway Tracks.19 Railway projects worth ₹81941 Cr are in different stages of execution.

    Talking about the revolutionary work done by the government in the last 10 years, he also highlighted completion of 46,296 Km Rural Roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) with an expenditure of ₹47,279 Cr. He made a mention of laying foundation stone and inauguration of many projects in NER  by Hon’ble PM  on 9th March, 2024 including inauguration of Sela Tunnel  for all weather connectivity to Tawang. Increase in number of airports from 9 to 17 (including operationalization of 72 routes under Udan Scheme), increase in Number of National  Waterways from 1 to 20 and an expenditure of ₹21,151 Cr on education  and establishment of 843 new Schools in NER during last ten years was also mentioned by Hon’ble Minister.

    100 Days Achievements:

    • Union Minister said that the during first 100 days of Modi 3.0, MDoNER has sanctioned 6 Projects worth ₹ 419.13 Cr under PM-DevINE, including establishment of State Cancer Institute at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, 3 Projects worth ₹152.6 Cr. under NESIDS (OTRI)including augmentation of Water Supply System at Namsai Township in Arunachal Pradesh and 5 Projects worth ₹ 370.16 Cr under NESIDS (Roads).

    • Union Minister has informed that guidelines of various Schemes of MDoNER have been simplified to jointly consider concept note and DPR of project proposals in one go to reduce the lead time in conceptualization and sanction of projects substantially. Financial and sectoral demarcation among the schemes of MDoNER have been rationalized and issued on 21.08.2024, to prevent duplication of sanction of projects. Funds flow process for projects sanctioned under Schemes of MDoNER/NEC  has been simplified to enable the release of funds for projects in 4 installments only.

    • MDoNER  has empanelled the Third Party Technical Inspection (TPTI) Agencies and Project Quality Monitors (PQMs) through NEDFi for inspection of ongoing projects to  strengthen the monitoring and inspection mechanism of ongoing projects sanctioned under various schemes of MDoNER.

    • Union Minister informed that  for supporting new Start-ups, Manipur Strart-up Venture Fund  with an initial corpus of Rs. 30 Crhas been initiated and two Start-ups  have received in-principle investment commitments from this fund.

    • The Ministry is organizing Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav-2024 from 6th to 8th December, 2024 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi to promote rich heritage, handicrafts, handloom, agri-produce and craft tourism of the North Eastern States.

    • North East Science and Technology (NEST) Cluster for innovation ecosystem: The Ministry of DoNER approved NEST on 13.8.2024, North east Science & Technology Cluster (NEST cluster) ecosystem exclusively for the North eastern Region similar to the S&T Cluster of the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor. 4 Verticals have been approved viz. (i) Innovation Hub on Grassroots Technologies,  (ii) Technology Hub for Artificial Intelligence & Semiconductor (iii) CoE for Innovation in Bamboo based Technology, Entrepreneurial promotion & skill development and Skill Development and (iv) Innovation Centre on Biodegradable, eco-friendly Plastics & Solid-Waste Management. The objective of the NEST cluster is to identify and address the issues and challenges of the people of NER through the technological interventions for the holistic development of North Eastern Region.

    • Launch of North Eastern Region Agri-Commodity e-Connect (NE-RACE) Portal: It is a transformative step for the agricultural sector in North East, aligning with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Vocal for Local’ and opening global markets to our farmers.The North Eastern Council (NEC) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) in collaboration with North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi) launched on 12th July 2024  a digital initiative called North Eastern Region Agri-Commodity E-Connect (NE-RACE) to provide market linkage for agricultural and horticultural products from the North Eastern Region (NER) in both fresh and processed forms. The NE-RACE digital platform is funded by NEC and is developed and managed by the NEDFi.

    • Development of various Portals – On 22nd July, 2024, a portal was launched for robust monitoring and evaluation of the projects being implemented under various scheme of Government of India’s 54 Ministries/Departments (non-exempted under 10% GBS). The said portal has been developed. All the Ministries have been sensitized through a live demo on 6th September, 2024. This portal will help in robust monitoring and evaluation of the projects being implemented under various scheme of Government of India’s Ministries/Departments. Similarly, a portal has been developed to capture the expenditure being made under the 10% GBS of the 54 non-exempted Ministries/Departments. The expenditure details monitored will be State- wise and scheme-wise by respective Ministries/Departments. The portal will capture expenditure details State wise and scheme wise therefore ensuring effective evaluation and monitoring.

    ***

    MG/PD

    (Release ID: 2058063) Visitor Counter : 31

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United  States and United Arab Emirates Cooperation on Artificial  Intelligence

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Building on the common vision of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to advance safe, secure, and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI), U.S. Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan and UAE National Security Advisor H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed the shared intention of the United States (U.S.) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to promote cooperation in AI and related technologies. This statement also signals our shared commitment to develop a government-to-government memorandum of understanding on AI between the U.S. and the UAE.
    Common Principles for Cooperation
    We recognize the tremendous potential of AI for good, including to accelerate economic growth, transform education and healthcare, create jobs, and drive environmental sustainability. At the same time, we acknowledge the challenges and risks of this emerging technology and the vital importance of safeguards and protections with respect to the most advanced technologies.
    Recognizing the importance for each of our nations to pursue their own national AI and advanced technologies strategies, and in order to fully realize the benefits of AI and technology, the U.S. and the UAE affirm the importance of deepening bilateral ties and strengthening cooperation between our governments, companies, and workforces.
    In particular, we intend to closely collaborate to:
    Advance Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI: Foster acceptance of international AI frameworks, principles, and standards to help ensure the responsible and reliable development and use of AI technologies that are explainable and equitable, that safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms, that promote international norms, best practices, and the interoperability in AI governance.
    Align Regulatory Frameworks to Strengthen Innovation Ecosystems: Further the alignment of regulatory frameworks and rules for AI and related technologies to safeguard national security interests, enable trusted investments and entrepreneurship, and facilitate cross-border innovation, while facilitating protection of advanced technologies and respect for international principles and best practices
    Promote Ethical AI Research and Development: Conduct ethical AI research and development by prioritizing research addressing bias, discrimination, and ensuring fairness in AI algorithms.
    Broadening and Deepening Cooperation in AI Protection and Cybersecurity: Promote an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable cybersecurity environment and cyber incident response strategies that foster efficiency and resilience of critical infrastructure, whilst managing related emerging technology risks.
    Facilitate Opportunities for Trusted Trade and Investment: Support and facilitate bilateral investment and efficient licensing to seize opportunities for developing robust and secure AI infrastructure.
    Talent Development and Exchange: Foster talent development to facilitate knowledge exchange and development between the nations through joint training programs and workshops for AI researchers, engineers and policymakers.
    Promote Clean Energy for the AI Future: Build on our ongoing bilateral cooperation through the U.S.-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) to meet the energy demands of AI systems with clean energy sources, consistent with our shared commitment to combatting climate change.
    Support AI for Sustainable Development in Developing Countries: Foster inclusive, responsible, and sustainable capacity building with respect to AI and AI infrastructure to address the world’s greatest challenges, and close digital divides, globally, and in particular across the Middle East and North Africa.
    Conclusion
    President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan directed relevant officials to develop a U.S.-UAE government-to-government memorandum of understanding to build upon this shared vision overseen by a High-Level Mechanism which includes the appropriate talents and experience to accomplish the task.
    The U.S. and the UAE look forward to deepening collaboration across AI and related technologies to propel their strategic partnership forward, delivering a more prosperous, secure future for their peoples, underpinned by a shared commitment to safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.
    Jake Sullivan                                                                                   U.S. Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs                        
    Tahnoon bin Zayed Al NahyanUAE National Security Advisor

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Exercise Caution with Crypto Asset Securities: Investor Alert

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    TLDR:  The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy continues to urge investors to be cautious if considering an investment involving crypto asset securities.  Investments in crypto asset securities can be exceptionally volatile and speculative, and the platforms where investors buy, sell, borrow, or lend these securities may lack important protections for investors.  The risk of loss for individual investors who participate in transactions involving crypto assets, including crypto asset securities, remains significant.  The only money you should put at risk with any speculative investment is money you can afford to lose entirely.  Investors should understand that:

    1. Those offering crypto asset investments or services may not be complying with applicable law, including federal securities laws.  Under the federal securities laws, a company may not offer or sell securities unless the offering is registered with the SEC or an exemption to registration is available.  Similarly, the law requires parties such as securities broker-dealers, investment advisers, alternative trading systems (ATS), and exchanges to register with the SEC, a state regulator, and/or a self-regulatory organization (SRO), such as FINRA.  Moreover, entities and platforms involved in lending or staking crypto assets may be subject to the federal securities laws. 

    Registration of a securities offering requires the issuer to disclose important information about the company, the offering, and the securities offered to the public.  Unregistered offerings in crypto asset securities may not provide key information that investors need to make informed decisions.  For example, registration typically requires an issuer to include financial statements audited by an independent public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).  Audited financial statements play an important role in making sure investors are provided the information they need to understand the securities in which they want to invest.  Issuers of unregistered crypto asset securities offerings might not provide audited financial statements, depriving investors of this key information.

    Proof of Reserves is a term crypto asset entities, including trading platforms and/or entities that issue crypto assets securities, use to describe a voluntary method for offering evidence that in the aggregate an entity has sufficient reserve assets to cover what is held for customers and/or accounts at a given point in time. Crypto asset entities may be offering these types of assessments as a way to satisfy customers that their funds are safe and available upon demand.  However, these types of services may not provide any meaningful assurance that these entities hold adequate assets to back their customers’ balances.  Further, crypto asset entities might use these in lieu of audited financial statements in order to obscure and confuse customers about the safety of their assets.  For example, a proof of reserves typically:

    • may only provide a snapshot of what is, for example, held by an entity in certain wallets or accounts, or backing customer assets as of a point-in-time;
    • may not disclose management’s activities during the period between the snapshots (for example, use of customer crypto assets in crypto asset lending or other activities); 
    • does not tell customers the whole story about the entity’s liabilities and, for example, whether the customer has to “stand in line” behind other creditors if the entity fails; and
    • may not offer protection against the entity moving customer assets shortly after a proof of reserves is completed.

    In addition, a proof of reserves is not as rigorous, or as comprehensive, as a financial statement audit and may not provide any level of assurance.  For example, audited financial statements typically require audits of a complete set of financial statements performed by a registered public accounting firm in accordance with PCAOB auditing standards.  With so-called proof of reserves, there are no specific audit requirements for the engagement or the information reported, allowing an entity full discretion to manage the terms of the engagement.  For example:

    • the extent and frequency of assessments performed around customer assets;
    • the determination of the reserves (for example, which wallets and accounts are examined as part of the assessment);
    • the level of assurance provided (for example, reasonable, limited, or no assurance) and the standards applied;  
    • the type of third-party assurance provider engaged (i.e., accountant or non-accountant assurance providers, affiliated or independent); and 
    • whether the results are made public, including the extent and format of the information shared. 

    Investors should be aware that this level of management discretion undermines any suggestion that a proof of reserves offers protections similar to a financial statement audit.  In sum, investors should exercise extreme caution when relying on proof of reserves to conclude that a crypto asset entity has sufficient reserve assets to meet customer liabilities.

    Similarly, registration with the SEC by an entity as a “broker-dealer” and/or “investment adviser” provides important protections for investors.  Some of those benefits include rules around custody of assets, fees, conflicts of interest, standards of conduct, and minimal capital requirements for broker-dealers.  For example, a broker-dealer must comply with custody requirements such as the customer protection rule, which requires broker-dealers to safeguard customer assets and to keep customer assets separate from the firm’s assets – increasing the likelihood that customers’ securities and cash can be returned to them in the event of the broker-dealer’s failure.  In addition, a broker-dealer making recommendations of securities or investment strategies involving securities (including crypto asset securities) to retail customers is subject to Regulation Best Interest, which requires broker-dealers to make recommendations in the retail customers’ best interest, and requires compliance with specific disclosure, care, conflict of interest, and compliance obligations. 

    Recordkeeping and reporting rules require a broker-dealer to make and keep current ledgers reflecting all assets and liabilities.  Moreover, financial responsibility rules require that broker-dealers routinely prepare financial statements.  These books, records, and financial reporting requirements assist securities regulators in examining for compliance with the federal securities laws.  Crypto asset entities not offering these types of protections put investors at risk.  

    ATSs, which are marketplaces for securities, must be registered broker-dealers and members of an SRO, such as FINRA.  In addition to complying with federal securities laws and its SRO’s rules, an ATS must comply with Regulation ATS, which includes filing disclosures with the SEC about the ATS’s operations and securities trading and protecting its users’ trading information.       

    SEC-registered investment advisers that hold or have the ability to obtain possession of their clients’ funds or securities are required to maintain those assets with a qualified custodian, like a bank or broker-dealer.  SEC-registered investment advisers that have “custody” of client funds and securities are also generally required to undergo an annual “surprise examination” in which an independent public accountant verifies the existence of these assets and to make and keep records showing all purchases and sales for each client.  

    Also, unlike SEC-registered entities, crypto asset securities trading platforms or other intermediaries (such as so-called “crypto exchanges”) may offer a combination of services that are typically performed by separate firms that may each be required to be separately registered with the SEC, a state regulator, or a SRO.  The commingling of these functions, exchange, broker-dealer and custodial functions, for example, creates conflicts of interest and risks for investors.  SEC-registered entities are subject to a number of rules to minimize these risks and conflicts of interests, in some cases by separating the functions into legally separate and unaffiliated entities.  Registered broker-dealers, ATSs, and investment advisers are also subject to examination by regulators.  None of the major crypto asset entities is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer, exchange, or investment adviser—so investors may not get the protections afforded by the rules applicable to these entities.  

    In particular, no crypto asset entity is registered with the SEC as a national securities exchange (like, for example, the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market).  And no existing national securities exchange currently trades crypto asset securities.  As a result, investors in crypto asset securities may not benefit from rules that protect against fraud, manipulation, front-running, wash sales, and other misconduct when intermediaries for those products do not comply with the federal securities laws that apply to registered exchanges.

    Investors who hold registered securities with registered broker-dealers also generally benefit from protections offered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).  Similarly, people who place deposits in banks enjoy insurance, up to a defined limit, provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).  The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) insures deposits in federal credit unions.  There are no such protections for accounts that you place with crypto asset entities.    

    In sum, investors in crypto asset securities should understand they may be deprived of key information and other important protections in connection with their investment.  

    2.  Investments in crypto asset securities can be exceptionally risky, and are often volatile.  Over the last year, the crypto asset space has been exceptionally volatile – and a number of major platforms and crypto assets have become insolvent and/or lost value.  Investments in crypto asset securities continue to be subject to significant risk, including:

    • volatility and illiquidity in the crypto asset markets;
    • the potential for the company holding your crypto assets to fail or go bankrupt;
       

      Investors who deposit funds or crypto assets with a crypto asset securities entity might cease to have legal ownership of those assets and might not be able to get those assets back when they want to.  Over the past year, a number of crypto asset entities have faced severe financial difficulties, sometimes resulting in suspending customers’ ability to withdraw their assets.  Some crypto asset entities have entered bankruptcy proceedings, and it is unclear how much of their holdings (if any) customers might be able to recover.  Investors need to be wary of claims that “you always retain ownership of your crypto assets” and “you can withdraw your assets whenever you like.”

    • unpredictability, including that the market for a particular crypto asset security may disappear altogether or the crypto asset security may no longer be tradable anywhere;
    • sometimes highly concentrated and opaque ownership and control structures;
    • enforcement of laws and regulations by federal, state, or foreign governments that may restrict the use and exchange of crypto assets;
    • unauthorized lending or transfers of customers’ crypto asset securities, or halting of customer withdrawals;
    • the inability for an investor to be made whole should fraud, default, or a mistake occur; 
    • technical glitches, hacking, or malware; and
    • lack of investor protections due to crypto asset securities entities not acting in compliance with applicable law.

    3. Fraudsters continue to exploit the rising popularity of crypto assets to lure retail investors into scams, often leading to devastating losses.  Crypto asset securities-related investments continue to be replete with fraud, including bogus coin offerings, Ponzi and pyramid schemes, and outright theft where the project promoter simply disappears with investors’ money.  

    Some promoters use social media to find and entice new investors with testimonials about returns made on deposits and investments, but what is not mentioned is that the promoter is often paying investor withdrawals out of new investor funds – a Ponzi scheme.  Moreover, recovering money from the wrongdoers can be nearly impossible.  In part, that can be because of the anonymity or pseudonymity associated with crypto assets.  However, the SEC and state regulators continue to bring enforcement actions in this space.

    Celebrity endorsements:  It is never a good idea to make an investment decision just because someone famous says a product or service is a good investment.  A celebrity endorsement does not mean that an investment is appropriate for all investors, or even that it is legitimate.  Often, a celebrity is getting paid to promote the investment opportunity, including those involving crypto assets.  Even if a celebrity endorses an investment opportunity, you should consider the potential risks and opportunities to determine whether it is right for you.

    Learn more about investment fraud, including how to spot “red flags” of a scam, in our Investor Bulletin, What You Can Do to Avoid Investment Fraud.
     
    4.    Having an investing plan, as well as understanding your risk tolerance and time horizon, can be critical to your investing success.

    What are the best saving and investment products for you? The answer depends on when you will need the money, your goals, and whether you will be able to sleep at night if you purchase a risky investment (one where you could lose your entire principal). Before making any investment, consider these tips:

    • Create and follow an investment plan.  Do not let short-term emotions about investments disrupt your long-term investment objectives.  If you are considering short-term investments, think about how much of your overall portfolio you should allocate to these types of investments.
    • Pay off credit cards or other high interest debt first.  No investment strategy pays off as well as, or with less risk than, eliminating high interest debt.  
    • Consider the importance of asset allocation and diversification.  Asset allocation involves dividing your investments among different assets, such as stocks, bonds, and cash.  The allocation that works best for you changes at different times in your life, depending on how long you have to invest and your ability to tolerate risk.
    • Understand risk.  All investments have risk.  While some regulated institutions may offer retail investors ways to gain exposure to crypto asset securities, even when using a regulated entity, investors should ask questions and make sure they understand the terms of the investment.  Never invest if you do not understand the product – including the risks involved.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: State launches new initiative to mobilize one million Californians for climate action

    Source: US State of California 2

    Sep 23, 2024

    What you need to know: California is launching a campaign to empower one million Californians to take climate action in their communities. 

    SACRAMENTO – During Climate Week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new state initiative to mobilize one million Californians to take climate action at home and in their neighborhoods to help build resilient communities.

    California’s Climate Action Counts initiative aims to educate and inspire people to reimagine the power of volunteerism by taking impactful, everyday actions in their communities.

    “Every day, Californians are taking small actions that collectively are helping us create a better world for our kids and grandkids. From saving water and planting trees to taking public transit and being disaster ready – we’re all in this together.

    The Climate Action Counts campaign will empower Californians to be a part of something big and impactful – making all of our climate action truly count.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The campaign highlights 10 priority actions and encourages participants to take the pledge to action. Those taking the pledge join hundreds of California Climate Action Corps fellows in efforts to combat the effects of climate change.

    👗 Reduce waste: Donate, upcycle and thrift.

    🍎 Compost food scraps: Toss in your green bin or compost in your yard. 

    🛒 Support local farmers: Shop at local farmers markets or join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). 

    🚲 Green your ride: Walk, bike, use public transit, carpool whenever you can – or consider a zero-emission vehicle.

    🌱 Get planting: Plant trees and native plants or start a community garden. 

    🔥 Be disaster ready: Be prepared for wildfire and extreme heat.

    💡 Save energy, water and money: Use a smart thermostat, conserve water and capture savings. 

    🌄 Discover nature: Enjoy nature at your local parks and trails.

    📣 Tell a friend: Encourage your friends and family to take part in Climate Action Counts.

    💚 Get connected: Sign up to serve or volunteer in your community!

    Campaign partners span cities, colleges and universities, state agencies, community-based organizations, business and climate leaders, including the cities of Long Beach, Riverside and Sacramento, California Community Colleges, University of California, California State University, California Natural Resources Agency, CalRecycle, California ReLeaf, Sierra Club, Jane Goodall Institute and Patagonia.

    “This campaign will inspire hope – showing when it comes to the climate crisis, we are not powerless,” said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “We are calling on one million Californians to take simple, everyday actions for collective impact.”

    “The best solutions to the climate crisis come from the grassroots,” said Corley Kenna, Vice President of Communications and Public Policy at Patagonia. “We’re partnering with the Climate Action Counts campaign to help one million Californians build thriving communities while protecting the natural world. Everyone has a role to play in this movement.”

    As a part of California’s comprehensive strategy to address the climate crisis, Governor Gavin Newsom created the California Climate Action Corps in 2020 – the nation’s first state-level service and volunteer program focused on combating climate change. Since then, numerous states have adopted California’s model to establish their own Climate Corps. 

    Recent news

    Sep 22, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed the following bills: AB 262 by Assemblymember Chris R. Holden (D-Pasadena) – Children’s camps: safety and regulation.AB 460 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) – State Water…

    Sep 21, 2024

    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to provide more safety, care, and accountability for services that help older adults and their families thrive, as more Californians live longer lives. This action further advances California’s…

    Sep 20, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Moving to protect the health and well-being of youth on digital platforms, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed SB 976 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), which prohibits online platforms from knowingly providing an addictive feed to a minor without…

    Sep 23, 2024

    What you need to know: The passage of Proposition 1 by California voters adds rocket fuel to Governor Gavin Newsom’s transformational overhaul of the state’s behavioral health system. These reforms refocus existing funds to prioritize Californians with the most serious mental health and substance use issues, who are too often experiencing homelessness. They also fund more than 11,150 new behavioral health beds and supportive housing units and 26,700 outpatient treatment slots.

    Los Angeles, California – California took a major step forward in correcting the damage from 50 years of neglect to the state’s mental health system with the passage of Proposition 1. This historic measure — a signature priority of Governor Gavin Newsom — adds rocket fuel to California’s overhaul of the state’s behavioral health systems. It provides a full range of mental health and substance abuse care, with new accountability metrics to ensure local governments deliver for their communities.

    This is the biggest reform of the California mental health system in decades and will finally equip partners to deliver the results all Californians need and deserve. Treatment centers will prioritize mental health and substance use support in the community like never before. Now, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and begin implementing this critical reform – working closely with city and county leaders to ensure we see results.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

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    What they’re saying: 

    • Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, original author of the Mental Health Services Act: “Twenty years ago, I never could have dreamed that we would have the strong leadership we have today, committing billions and making courageous policy changes that question the conventional wisdom on mental health. Now, with the passage of Proposition 1. California is delivering on decades old promises to help people living with brain-based illnesses, to live better lives, to live independently and to live with dignity in our communities. This is a historic moment and the hard work is ahead of us.“
    • Senator Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), author of Senate Bill 326: “Today marks a day of hope for thousands of Californians who are struggling with mental illness – many of whom are living unhoused. I am tremendously grateful to my fellow Californian’s for passing this important measure.  And I am very appreciative of this Governor’s leadership to transform our behavioral health care system!”
    • Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), author of Assembly Bill 531: “This started as an audacious proposal to address the root cause of homelessness and today, Californians can be proud to know that they did the right thing by passing Proposition 1. Now, it’s time for all of us to get to work, and make sure these reforms are implemented and that we see results.”

    Bigger picture: Transforming the Mental Health Services Act into the Behavioral Health Services Act and building more community mental health treatment sites and supportive housing is the last main pillar of Governor Newsom’s Mental Health Movement – pulling together significant recent reforms like 988 crisis line, CalHOPE, CARE Court, conservatorship reform, CalAIM behavioral health expansion (including mobile crisis care and telehealth), Medi-Cal expansion to all low-income Californians, Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (including expanding services in schools and on-line), Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative, Veterans Mental Health Initiative, Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Program, Behavioral Health Bridge Housing, Health Care Workforce for All and more.

    More details on next step here

    Recent news

    Sep 22, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed the following bills: AB 262 by Assemblymember Chris R. Holden (D-Pasadena) – Children’s camps: safety and regulation.AB 460 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) – State Water…

    Sep 21, 2024

    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to provide more safety, care, and accountability for services that help older adults and their families thrive, as more Californians live longer lives. This action further advances California’s…

    Sep 20, 2024

    News SACRAMENTO – Moving to protect the health and well-being of youth on digital platforms, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed SB 976 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), which prohibits online platforms from knowingly providing an addictive feed to a minor without…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: James B. Nutter & Company to Pay $2.4M for Allegedly Causing False Claims for Federal Mortgage Insurance

    Source: US State of Vermont

    James B. Nutter & Company, a former mortgage lender located in Kansas City, Missouri, has agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 by knowingly underwriting Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet program eligibility requirements.

    “The HECM program helps support our nation’s senior citizens by providing an additional source of funds to supplement their income,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Together with our partners at HUD, we are committed to protecting the financial integrity of this critical program and to pursuing those who seek to abuse it.”

    The FHA offers numerous mortgage insurance programs intended to help build and sustain strong communities across America. The HECM program is a reverse mortgage program specifically for senior homeowners aged 62 and older. The program allows seniors to access the equity in their residences, and thereby age in place in their family home, through a mortgage agreement with a lender that is insured against loss by the FHA.

    Lenders who participate in the FHA’s HECM program are authorized to underwrite mortgages without first having the government review the loans for compliance with the agency’s underwriting and origination requirements. If an FHA-insured loan defaults, the holder of the loan can then recover from the United States for certain losses. Lenders commit to following FHA rules to ensure that only eligible mortgages are insured by the government.

    The settlement announced today resolves the United States’ allegations in a lawsuit filed in 2020 that James B. Nutter & Company knowingly violated FHA underwriting requirements when it allowed inexperienced temporary staff to underwrite FHA-insured loans, and submitted loans for FHA insurance with underwriter signatures that were falsified and/or affixed before all the documentation the underwriter should have reviewed was complete.

    “This case sought to redress serious violations of FHA requirements that posed a risk to the HECM program,” said HUD General Counsel Damon Smith. “HUD will continue to protect the integrity of this important mortgage program that serves the interests of our nation’s senior citizens.”

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to seeking recovery from mortgage lenders who take advantage of FHA programs and ignore essential program requirements,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “The integrity and resources of those important programs must not be put at risk by mortgage lenders who put their own financial interests first.”

    “Our office continues its diligent pursuit of mortgage originators that do not play by the rules,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. “If a lender is asking the government to insure its loans, the government expects that lender to employ qualified underwriters to ensure the loans present acceptable credit risks and are supported by sound appraisals of the homes used to secure them.”

    “This case and the resulting $2.4 million settlement demonstrate the HUD Office of Inspector General’s commitment to holding lenders accountable when they commit fraud against FHA mortgage programs designed to provide financial assistance to senior homeowners,” said Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis of HUD. “No one is above the law. Our office will continue to work with our partners at the Justice Department to investigate mortgage lenders who jeopardize the integrity of FHA mortgage programs.”

    The investigation, litigation and settlement were the result of a coordinated effort among the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Columbia, HUD and HUD’s Office of Inspector General.

    Trial Attorneys Christopher Reimer, Kelly Phipps, Yifan Wang and Wilma Metcalf of the Commercial Litigation Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cindi Woolery for the Western District of Missouri and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Hudak and Benton Peterson for the District of Columbia handled the matter. The litigation resolved by the settlement was captioned United States v. James B. Nutter & Co., Case No. 4:20-cv-874-RK (WDMO).

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    Settlement

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Peters Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Reform FEMA Individual Assistance Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 09.23.2024

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance program. This bill would improve how FEMA provides assistance to individuals to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 22 in 2020, and with a price tag of at least $92.9 billion in recovery costs.   
    “Severe weather and natural disasters are becoming more frequent, more catastrophic and more costly, leaving people across the country in need of swift federal resources to help assist their recovery,” said Senator Peters. “My commonsense bipartisan legislation would reform the FEMA disaster assistance process and improve how the agency provides assistance to individuals for home repairs, disaster housing, and mitigation activities.”  
    The bipartisan Disaster Survivors Fairness Act would reform individual federal disaster assistance programs to best support survivors. The bill would provide FEMA with new authorities to increase its ability to fund disaster mitigation projects and expand support to homeowners. The bill would also enable FEMA to reimburse states that implement their own innovative post-disaster housing solutions and bolster development of post-disaster solutions for renters. The bill requires FEMA and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete a series of reports and studies that would identify additional challenges regarding the administration of post-disaster assistance for survivors and boost transparency. 
    As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters has led several efforts to strengthen our federal disaster preparedness and response. Earlier this year, Peters’ bipartisan bill to create one deadline to apply for two FEMA disaster assistance programs was signed into law. Peters’ bipartisan bill to simplify the federal application process by creating a universal FEMA application across federal agencies passed in the Senate. Peters secured $500 million in funding as part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill for a program he created to help states establish revolving loan programs for local governments to carry out mitigation projects that reduce the risk of shoreline erosion, extreme flooding, and other natural disasters. Peters’ bipartisan legislation to protect FEMA Reservists from losing their full-time employment when they are called up to assist communities with disaster response was also signed into law. Finally, Peters’ bill to help protect pets and other animals during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and emergencies was also signed into law. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: What You Need to Know About the End of LIBOR – Investor Bulletin

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    You may have recently read in the financial press about the phase-out of LIBOR.  You may be affected by the transition away from LIBOR if you hold securities, financial instruments or financial products that have exposure to LIBOR.  The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) wants to help you understand how the transition away from LIBOR could impact your investments and financial situation, and where you can go for additional information.

    What’s LIBOR?

    U.S.-dollar LIBOR is a benchmark interest rate set by input from a panel of banks.  It has been used to set the interest rate in floating rate, adjustable rate or variable rate instruments or loans, in which the interest rate periodically resets (such as every three months or every year) over the life of the instrument or loan.  LIBOR was used once in over $200 trillion of financial instruments, ranging from sophisticated financial and investment derivatives to bonds, bank loans and consumer products, like adjustable rate mortgages and student loans.

    Replacing LIBOR

    In recent years, however, U.S.-dollar LIBOR is being phased out in response to concerns that the benchmark was being manipulated.  The publication for one-week and two-month U.S.-dollar LIBOR ceased at the end of 2021.  The remaining tenors of U.S.-dollar LIBOR are scheduled to cease publication after June 30, 2023. 

    The end of LIBOR has precipitated the need for an alternative benchmark rate.  In March 2022, Congress enacted the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act.  This Act provides a process and protections for transitioning to an alternative rate in contracts with terms that do not provide for a clear transition.  The Federal Reserve Board adopted a final rule in December 2022 implementing the LIBOR Act and specified benchmarks based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) as the replacement rates.

    Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR).  SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities.  It is based on observable transactions in the repurchase market.  The Alternative Reference Rate Committee (ARRC), an industry-led group in which the SEC and other departments and agencies of the U.S. government participate, recommended SOFR as the LIBOR replacement rate.

    What do I need to know?

    Some investments you own, such as mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds, business development companies (BDCs), municipal and corporate bonds, and individual stocks, may either be LIBOR-based financial instruments or have exposure to such instruments. 

    For instruments that are subject to the LIBOR Act, the replacement rate will be a SOFR-based rate.  Other LIBOR-based financial instruments that already provide for a clear transition from LIBOR may have other non-SOFR-designated replacement rates, such as the U.S. prime rate. 

    Synthetic U.S.-dollar LIBOR.  The Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, LIBOR’s regulator, recently required the continued publishing of “synthetic” U.S.-dollar LIBOR for a period of 15 months after June 30, 2023 for use in certain cases to aid in the transition.

    How may I be affected?

    You may be affected by the transition away from LIBOR if you hold securities, financial instruments or financial products that have exposure to LIBOR.

    Municipal, corporate and FHLB bonds.  If you are directly invested in a variable or floating rate municipal, corporate or FHLB bond that relies on LIBOR as a component for the periodic variable rate adjustment, then the cessation of LIBOR will have direct implications for you.  Review any disclosures provided by the issuer of the bond.  You can utilize our EDGAR database to review disclosures by issuers of corporate bonds.  For municipal bonds, you may access information at the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) website.  You can find offering disclosure regarding FHLB bonds on their website.  In addition, it may be worthwhile to have a discussion with your broker or investment adviser about your specific exposure and how the LIBOR transition may affect your specific bond holdings.

    Individual stocks.  Many companies use sophisticated financial and investment instruments and derivatives as a means to manage the company’s financial situation and risk profile.  Many of these instruments and derivatives may incorporate a variable interest rate based on LIBOR. 

    To further understand how a company may be affected by the LIBOR transition, you may review the company’s periodic disclosure in our EDGAR database.  Companies that have material risk exposure to the LIBOR transition should discuss such risks in their annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  A search for the term “LIBOR” in the document can be a quick way to find the relevant discussions.  The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance has encouraged public companies and asset-backed securities issuers to keep investors informed about the progress toward risk identification and mitigation, and the anticipated impact on the company, if material, and expects disclosures to evolve as companies provide updates to reflect transition efforts and the broader market and regulatory landscape.    

    Asset-backed securities.  Asset-backed securities are securities whose income payments come from a pool of specific debt obligations, such as mortgages, credit card obligations or car loans.  Mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae are types of asset-backed securities.  New LIBOR-based securities are no longer being issued by these entities, except for certain re-securitizations, which will cease on June 30, 2023.  If you invest in asset-backed securities, then you may want to have a conversation with your broker or investment adviser about how the LIBOR transition may affect your specific holdings of asset-backed securities.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have also prepared frequently asked questions relating to the LIBOR transition that you may want to review.   

    Mutual funds and ETFs.  Mutual funds and ETFs that you own may have invested in individual stocks, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, bank loans and/or securitizations that have risks related to the LIBOR transition.  You along with your broker or investment adviser may want to assess the nature and character of the mutual funds and ETFs you are invested in to determine how much exposure to LIBOR transition risk you have.  Certain types of a mutual funds or ETFs may merit closer review, particularly those investing in companies in the real estate, banking, or insurance industries or specific municipal and corporate bonds, including floating rate debt, and bank loans. 

    You can review a fund’s principal strategies and risk disclosure in its prospectus.  The SEC’s Division of Investment Management has encouraged funds affected by the LIBOR transition to provide investors with tailored risk disclosures that specifically describe the impact of the transition on their holdings.

    Adjustable rate mortgages.  Many adjustable rate mortgages—a mortgage where the interest rate adjusts to the then prevailing market rate after a period of time—are tied to LIBOR as the reference rate.  In 2016, there was an estimated $1.2 trillion in residential mortgages with an interest rate based on LIBOR. 

    If you have an adjustable rate mortgage based on LIBOR, consider consulting with your lender or loan servicer or read the documentation to understand how you may be affected by the LIBOR transition. Read this blog from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for more information. 

    Student loans.  Similar to adjustable rate mortgages, student loans can have variable rates based on LIBOR.  If you have a variable rate student loan, consult with your lender or loan servicer or read the documentation to understand how you may be affected by the LIBOR transition.  If you are planning on obtaining a new student loan or refinancing an existing one, consider the LIBOR transition in your decision making.

    Other consumer products.  Other consumer credit products such as credit cards, auto loans and personal loans and lines of credit can also have variable rates based on LIBOR.  You should review the financial products that you hold, particularly those that operate with a variable interest rate, in light of the LIBOR transition.

    Additional Resources

    To learn how the SEC is addressing the LIBOR transition, see the Staff Statement on LIBOR Transition, the Office of Municipal Securities Staff Statement on LIBOR Transition In The Municipal Securities Market, and the Staff Statement on LIBOR Transition—Key Considerations for Market Participants.

    To learn more about adjustable rate mortgages, see the CFPB’s Consumer Handbook on Adjustable Rate Mortgages (CHARM) booklet.

    For additional investor educational information, see the SEC’s website for individual investors, Investor.gov.

    Call OIEA at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email us at Help@SEC.gov.

    Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins from OIEA email or RSS feed.  Follow OIEA on Twitter.  Like OIEA on Facebook.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call for bids: Promoting sustainable mining in Peru

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The British Embassy in Lima is seeking bids for a practical action research project that will build insights to push forward mining and human rights in Peru.

    The British Embassy in Lima is seeking bids for a practical action research project that will build insights on how to push forward mining and human rights in Peru. Results from the project should inform partner interventions and policymaking and strengthen the UK’s reputation as an ally to sustainable growth in Peru.

    1.       Background

    The UK is a global promoter of responsible business practices: it aims to ensure that companies abide by human rights standards in all their activities, as it benefits business and communities, and contributes to the goal of building democratic societies and sustainable development. The UK was the first country to produce a National Action Plan based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and is a member of a cross-government Working Group on Business and Human Rights. As such, the FCDO supports countries in adhering to the UNGPs and other voluntary commitments.

    Globally, the past years have seen an explosion of mandatory and voluntary regulation regarding responsible business practices, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, the ILO’s Tripartite declaration of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy. Similarly, the OECD has adopted Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and a Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.

    These regulations play a role in Peru’s business ecosystem. During a 2017 visit by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the government committed to creating a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. The final 2021-2025 Plan was published in June 2021 -the second in the region- after multistakeholder consultations. While it is currently in its implementation phase, the Mesa Multiactor has had limited activity. In 2020, the OECD recommended that Peru effectively implement existing laws and policies regarding responsible business practices. Further, CSOs have proposed a bill that would regulate human rights due diligence.

    In this context, a critical area of impact for business and human rights is Peru’s mining sector. Mining activity concentrates significant, long-term foreign investment, and is increasingly affected by human rights standards. Despite continued efforts from mining companies, in an environment that is still adapting to responsible mining practices it remains difficult to mitigate the negative externalities of business operations and reduce barriers. These difficulties are compounded by the growth of illegal and informal mining, which represents a significant portion of resource extraction.

    Across the region, valuable efforts have been made to map existing National Action Plans, policies, legislation, and best practices (see, for example, Danish Institute of Human Rights, 2019; KAS, 2023; UNHCHR, 2022; Global NAPS; SNMPE, 2023). However, there is space to move research into action to ensure the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, UN Guiding Principles and similar voluntary documents become a reality. As such, the British Embassy would like to support an action research project that would push forward mining and human rights in Peru. This falls in line with Priority Theme 3 (Business and Human Rights) of our country Human Rights and Gender Equality Strategy 2023-2025.

    2.       Objective and scope of work

    The objective of the work is to support the UK’s commitment to sustainable growth and human rights in Peru. Projects should adopt a practical action research approach, with clear research and programmatic components. Successful bidders will demonstrate a creative, impactful approach to ensure that voluntary standards in business and human rights are clear for Peruvian stakeholders and move the field forward towards effective implementation.

    Bids should look to demonstrate their ability to deliver a project that includes:

    a) Research and analysis.

    • A comprehensive assessment of the current state of formal and informal mining and human rights in Peru, referencing existing national and international voluntary. commitments, with emphasis on OECD guidelines.
    • Map the existing mining and human rights ecosystem in Peru, with emphasis on barriers and facilitators action. Proposals that include informal mining in their mapping will be especially welcome.

    b) Technical assistance

    • Provide technical assistance to relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to government agencies, mining companies and civil society organizations, to support the implementation of voluntary commitments on business and human rights.
    • Monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of technical assistance.

    3.       Project Budget

    Project proposals of up to £60,000 = S/274,800 / $72,000. We are looking for projects that can begin in October 2024 and be completed by March 2025. Implementers should spend 100% of their allocation by March 2025.

    4.       Assessment

    Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

    • strategic fit – alignment with stated objectives and scope of work expected.
    • project viability – including a realistic description of methodology and activities to deliver the outcome and deliverables (outputs) within the project duration and sustainability after the project ends.
    • stakeholder management – including the capacity of the implementing organisation to engage with key stakeholders, including diverse business, government and civil society stakeholders present in Peru, and involve local/international expertise to deliver expected outcomes.
    • project design – including clear achievable objectives and outputs
    • value for money
    • risk management
    • experience and understanding of the current mining and human rights context in Peru.

    5.       How to Bid

    Please complete the attached “Project Proposal Form” and “Activity Based Budget” using the guidance provided.

    Completed forms should be sent in standard document and spreadsheet formats in English or Spanish to BEProjectsPeru@fcdo.gov.uk by 11:59pm September 26, with “Call for bids Mining and Human Rights” in the subject line of your email.

    Bids submitted after this date will not be considered. Bids can be submitted at any time up to the indicated deadline.

    Bidders will be notified via email of the outcome of assessments in early October. Due to the volume of bids expected, we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.

    Organisations can submit up to a maximum of 2 proposals; bids for projects that include engagement with stakeholders outside of Lima are particularly welcome.

    Please also familiarise yourself at an early stage with the standard ‘Grant Agreement Template’ attached.

    What to Include in the Bid Form?

    • Overview of project or activity.
    • How it fits with the UK’s approach to the relevant priority; and why the UK should fund the project or activity.
    • How the project or activity will create an impact and lead to change.
    • Rationale– including why the project or activity should take place now.
    • Where relevant, evidence of support from Peruvian government actors for the project or activity and that it complements their own strategy.
    • Information about how the impact will be sustained after the project or activity has been completed.

    Proposals must be submitted on the authorised forms and include an activity-based budget (ABB) in soles/US dollars. Value for money is an important selection criterion and if you do not submit a detailed ABB then your proposal will not be considered. 

    6.       Key documents

    7.       Contacts

    Please contact BEProjectsPeru@fcdo.gov.uk. with any questions or queries.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 September 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Announces $279.9 million in Grant Funding for the Fiscal Year 2024 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    First-of-Its-Kind Cybersecurity Grant Program Enters Third Year 

    WASHINGTON- Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced the availability of $279.9 million in grant funding for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP). Now in its third year, this program provides funding to state, local, and territorial (SLT) governments to help reduce cyber risk and build resilience against evolving cybersecurity threats. Established by the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act, and part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the SLCGP provides approximately $1 billion in funding over four years to support SLT governments as they develop capabilities to detect, protect against, and respond to cyber threats.

    “In the modern threat landscape, every community can – and too often does – face sophisticated cyberattacks on vital systems like hospitals, schools, and electrical grids,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The Department of Homeland Security’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program empowers key intergovernmental partners with the tools and support necessary to increase resilience and better secure critical infrastructure. Our message to communities everywhere is simple: do not underestimate the reach or ruthlessness of nefarious cyber actors. Through initiatives like the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program we can confront these threats together.”

    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) jointly administer this program. CISA provides expertise and guidance on cybersecurity issues while FEMA manages the grant award and allocation process. Award recipients may use funding for a wide range of cybersecurity improvements and capabilities, including cybersecurity planning and exercising, hiring cyber personnel, and improving the services that citizens rely on daily.

    “These cyber grants are an investment in the security of our nation’s infrastructure, helping to ensure that communities across the country have the tools they need to defend against cyberattacks,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly. “CISA is proud to offer the SLCGP, helping governments lay a solid foundation for building a sustainable and resilient cybersecurity program for the future.” 

    “FEMA is committed to helping our partners address and withstand cybersecurity threats to both infrastructure and systems,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Thanks to funding from the Biden-Harris Administration, state, local, tribal and territorial governments will be able to build their capacity to better protect themselves from evolving cyber threats.”

    Eligible entities have from September 23 until Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 5 pm ET to apply for funds, via FEMA GO. For more information and helpful resources on the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, visit CISA’s webpage: cisa.gov/cybergrants. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In the rare event of a vaccine injury, Australians should be compensated

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wood, Professor, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney

    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    Vaccination is one of the most effective methods to protect individuals and the broader public from disease. Vaccines are typically given to healthy people to prevent disease, so the bar for safety is set high.

    People benefit from vaccination at an individual level because they’re protected from disease. But for some vaccines, strong community uptake leads to “herd immunity”. This means people who are unable to be vaccinated can be protected by the “herd”.

    As with any prescribed medicine, vaccines can cause side effects. In the rare case that COVID vaccines did cause a specified serious injury (the scheme listed certain conditions that a person could claim for), Australians have been able to claim compensation. But this ends at the end of this month.

    From then, Australians won’t be able to access no-fault compensation for any vaccine injury – from COVID or any others.

    Why compensate people for vaccine injuries?

    Fortunately, serious vaccine injuries are rare. Most are not a result of error in vaccine design, manufacturing or delivery, but are a product of a small but inherent risk.

    As a result, people who suffer serious vaccine injuries cannot get compensation through legal mechanisms. This is because they can’t demonstrate the injury was caused through negligence.

    Vaccine injury compensation schemes compensate people who have a serious vaccine injury following administration of properly manufactured vaccines.

    The COVID vaccine claims scheme

    In 2021, in recognition of the rare risk of a serious vaccine injury, and in support of the roll out of the COVID vaccine program, the Australian government introduced a COVID vaccine claims scheme.

    The aim was to provide a simple, streamlined process to compensate people who suffered a moderate to severe vaccine injury, without the need for complex legal proceedings. It was limited to TGA-approved COVID vaccines, and to specific reactions.

    The Australian government has said the scheme will close this month and claims need to be lodged before September 30 2024.

    Following its closure, Australia will not have a vaccine injury compensation scheme.

    Australia is lagging internationally

    Australia lags behind 25 other countries including the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand which have comprehensive no-fault vaccine injury compensation schemes. These cover both COVID and non-COVID vaccines.

    The schemes are based on the ethical principle of “reciprocal justice”. This acknowledges that people acting to benefit not just themselves but also the community (for the benefit of the “herd”) should be compensated by the same community if it has resulted in harm.

    The US, UK and New Zealand all have vaccine injury compensation schemes.
    Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

    So what happens in Australia now?

    In Australia, people with non-COVID vaccine injuries or COVID vaccine injuries not covered by the current claims scheme must bear the costs associated with their injury by themselves or access publicly funded health care. They will not receive any compensation for their injury and suffering.

    Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding support to access therapies for people with a permanent and significant disability. However, it does not cover temporary vaccine-related injuries.

    Participants with vaccine injuries as a result of taking part in a clinical vaccine trial are compensated. This typically includes income-replacement, personal assistance expenses and reimbursement of expenses resulting from the incident, including medical expenses.

    In Australia, we also have strong compulsion for people to receive routine vaccines through legislative requirements such as No Jab No Pay (which requires children to be immunised to receive some government payments) and, in some states, No Jab No Play (which requires children be fully immunised to attend childcare).

    Countries such as ours that mandate vaccination without providing no-fault injury compensation schemes for rare vaccine injury could be abrogating the social contract by not protecting the individual and community.

    It’s time to set up an Australian scheme

    The Australian immunisation system is among the most comprehensive in the world. Our government-funded national immunisation program provides free vaccines for infants, children and adults for at least 15 diseases.

    We also have a whole-of-life immunisation register and comprehensive vaccine safety surveillance system.

    Australia’s immunisation program provides vaccines for at least 15 different diseases.
    sergey kolesnikov/Shutterstock

    A recent Senate committee recommended:

    the Australian government consider the design and compensation arrangements of a no-fault compensation scheme for Commonwealth-funded vaccines in response to a future pandemic event.

    Vaccines are designed to be very safe and effective. But the “insurance policy” of an injury compensation scheme, if designed and communicated appropriately, should build trust and give confidence to health workers and the general public to support our national vaccine program. This is particularly important given the reductions in uptake of routine vaccines.

    How should it work?

    A no-fault vaccine injury compensation scheme could be funded via a vaccine levy system, as is done in the US, where an excise tax is imposed on each dose of vaccine.

    An effective vaccine injury compensation scheme needs to be:

    • accessible, with low legal and financial barriers
    • transparent, with clear decision-making processes, compensation frameworks and funding responsibilities
    • timely, with short, clear timeframes for decision-making
    • fair, with people compensated adequately for the harm they’ve suffered.

    Legislation to introduce and allocate funds to support an Australian injury compensation scheme for all vaccines is overdue. The draft National Immunisation Strategy 2025–2030 hinted at the opportunity to explore the feasibility of a no fault compensation scheme for all vaccines the Australian government funds, without committing to such a program.

    An Australian vaccine injury scheme, covering all national immunisation program vaccines, not just pandemic use vaccines, should be seen as a crucial component of our public health system and a social responsibility commitment to all Australians.

    Nicholas Wood previously received funding from the NHMRC for a Career Development Fellowship and is a Churchill Fellow.

    Sophie Wen receives funding from Queensland Government for an Advancing Clinical Research Fellowship and is a Mary McConnel career boost program recipient from Children’s Hospital Foundation. Sophie Wen is an investigator for several industry-sponsored clinical vaccine trials but does not receive any direct funding.

    Tim Ford 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. In the rare event of a vaccine injury, Australians should be compensated – https://theconversation.com/in-the-rare-event-of-a-vaccine-injury-australians-should-be-compensated-232396

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Politicians know defamation laws can silence women, but they won’t do anything about it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Ailwood, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, University of Wollongong

    Shutterstock

    This piece is the second in a series on Australia’s defamation laws. You can read the first article here.

    Over recent years, forces like the #MeToo movement have shone a light on how Australia’s defamation laws play out for women. These laws influence whether and how women speak about their experiences of violence and harassment.

    Multiple high-profile cases have highlighted the gender dynamics at play. Both Geoffrey Rush’s successful defamation claim against the Daily Telegraph in 2018 and Bruce Lehrmann’s ongoing litigation against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson attracted much media attention. This included commentary about how defamation can silence women.

    But these laws don’t only affect women speaking out publicly and through the media. They also affect women seeking to report sexual violence to the police and sexual harassment in the workplace.

    Defamation law is weaponised against women in a variety of settings across the country. Our politicians have acknowledged this, but there’s been little appetite for fixing it.

    The difficulty of truth

    To bring a defamation claim under Australian law, a plaintiff must prove a number of things. But one thing the plaintiff does not have to prove is that the publication is false.

    Many defendants rely on the “truth defence”, which requires them to prove the substantial truth of the publication. If it’s successful, that wins them the case.

    But with allegations of sexual violence, establishing the truth is notoriously difficult. That’s even with a lower standard of proof (the balance of probabilities) than in criminal courts (beyond reasonable doubt).

    Look no further than in Lehrmann’s case against Ten. The quality and quantity of the evidence brought by the defence, including extensive audio-visual recordings and the testimony of multiple third parties, shows what’s needed to meet this very high standard.

    This means it is relatively easy for an alleged perpetrator to bring a defamation claim against a person who reports sexual violence or harassment, and relatively difficult for a victim-survivor to defend the claim.

    Discouraging coming forward

    The weaponisation of defamation law by perpetrators against women reporting sexual violence and harassment is well documented.

    In the Respect@Work Report, the Australian Human Rights Commission heard evidence that women reporting workplace sexual harassment were being threatened with and sued for defamation. The report found Australia’s defamation laws “discourage sexual harassment victims from making a complaint”.

    Recent research has revealed that threatening or commencing defamation proceedings is a widely used tactic by alleged perpetrators to silence victim-survivors and pressure them to withdraw complaints.



    Read more:
    Non-disclosure agreements are commonplace in sexual harassment cases, but they’re being misused to silence people

    The destructive effects of defamation litigation for victim-survivors are evident in a 2022 Queensland case called Sherman vs Lamb.

    A victim-survivor of coercive control in a relationship that had recently ended reported the violence to a police officer. She was then successfully sued for defamation by the perpetrator at trial.

    The judge also found the victim-survivor’s report was malicious. He found “police have no interest in or a duty to receive gossip or adverse commentary”.

    Both of these findings were overturned on appeal, but by then, the costs of the defamation litigation had forced the victim-survivor to declare bankruptcy.

    Reluctance to change

    The impact of perpetrators weaponising defamation law is both individual and structural.

    On an individual level, it targets victim-survivors reporting and complaining of sexual harassment and violence.

    Structurally, it contributes to a culture of fear of speaking out, contributing to the ongoing silencing of violence against women.

    Yet the Standing Council of Attorneys-General (the federal attorney-general and those from every state and territory) has chosen not to act to protect women reporting sexual violence and harassment from defamation claims in the workplace.

    The council did agree that absolute privilege should be extended to reporting to police. Absolute privilege means a person can’t be help liable for defamation, like in parliament.

    So far, attorneys-general in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT have brought in legal protections for women reporting violence to police. That’s a good thing, though other state and territories are yet to follow.

    But it obscures the group’s refusal to extend those protections to the workplace, where much of this abuse occurs.

    In its review of defamation laws, the council considered how these laws affect workplace sexual harassment. In particular, it considered whether absolute privilege should apply to sexual harassment and violence in particular contexts, like work.

    The council found victim-survivors and witnesses of sexual violence, sexual harassment and other forms of unlawful personal conduct are being threatened with and sued for defamation. It found this causes victim-survivors to withdraw reports and complaints, and that it deters them from making reports and complaints in the first place.

    A key advantage of extending absolute privilege is that many defamation claim would likely be summarily dismissed without the need for a costly and lengthy trial, which is usually required. This would likely reduce the weaponisation of defamation law by perpetrators.

    The council decided not to do this in workplaces. It blamed a division of stakeholder opinion within the consultation process. It also said there weren’t enough protections for alleged perpetrators, like penalties for false reporting.

    Reinforcing myths

    The rationale appears to be that employers implementing Respect@Work and eliminating sexual harassment from their workplaces will also eliminate the need to report it, in turn removing the threat presented by defamation law.

    But the council’s decision also reinforces how important the idea of reputation is within Australian defamation law.

    Protecting the reputation of alleged perpetrators of violence is of greater value to Australia’s attorneys-general than protecting the speech of victim-survivors of sexual violence and harassment.

    It also reinforces myths about workplace sexual harassment: that men are at significant risk from women making false reports, and that sexual harassment is an individual, interpersonal problem rather than a structural issue that should be addressed by law reform.

    Australian women remain at risk of being threatened with or sued for defamation for reporting sexual harassment and violence in the workplace.

    This is yet another instance of a law reform process failing to listen and act in response to violence against women. Our chief legal officers have acknowledged the weaponisation of defamation law to silence women in the workplace and refused to do anything to prevent it.

    Sarah Ailwood 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. Politicians know defamation laws can silence women, but they won’t do anything about it – https://theconversation.com/politicians-know-defamation-laws-can-silence-women-but-they-wont-do-anything-about-it-238079

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Representative Doggett and Senator Warren Lead Members Urging Biden Administration to Lower Price of Popular Weight-Loss Drugs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

    Contact: Alexis.Torres@mail.house.gov

    Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led an effort to urge the Biden Administration to improve American health and well-being by lowering the cost of vital weight-loss drugs. Specifically, the members are calling for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to use existing legal authority to issue generic licenses for semaglutide, a prescription drug commonly used to treat obesity and diabetes and is sold under the brand names of Ozempic and Wegovy. Similarly, a coalition of more than 20 organizations has also called on Secretary Becerra to take such action.

    “With a sticker price of up to $1,400 per month, patients can rarely afford Wegovy or Ozempic out-of-pocket and few insurance plans offer complete coverage due to the prohibitive cost,” the members wrote. “One study has found that covering these drugs for just 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with obesity would cost taxpayers $27 billion a year. Coverage for all Americans would cost nearly $1 trillion. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the cost to cover these drugs would outweigh any savings from reduced utilization of associated health services and treatments.” 

    “Manufacturers will frequently cite the cost of innovation and the need to recoup research and development costs as the reason for charging sky-high prices.  Yet, time and again, this is debunked,” the members continued. “In the case of Ozempic and Wegovy, the manufacturer has earned over $38 billion in revenue from these two drugs and Goldman Sachs Research predicts revenue will reach $100 billion within this decade.  Meanwhile, last year, the manufacturer spent nearly twice as much on enriching its shareholders with stock buybacks and dividends ($8.95 billion) than on research and development ($4.71 billion).

    Under Section 1498, a more than a century-old statutory authority, the Biden Administration may lower prices by permitting generic competitors to license patented inventions in exchange for reasonable compensation to the brand-name manufacturer. By exercising this existing authority, HHS could help stabilize the health care market while meeting high consumer demands at more affordable prices.

    Additional signers include Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Cori Bush (MO-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Mark Takano (CA-39), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Greg Casar (TX-35) and Barbara Lee (CA-12).  

    The letter in full can be found here and below. 

    Dear Secretary Becerra:  

    We write to strongly urge you to use your existing legal authority under 28 U.S.C. § 1498 to protect the public’s health and safety to ensure reasonable prices on semaglutide, a prescription drug sold under the brand names of Ozempic and Wegovy and commonly used to treat diabetes and obesity.  By utilizing your competitive licensing authority to permit generic competitors to Wegovy and Ozempic, you can stabilize supplies at a time of enormous demand and lower outrageous prices that have severely limited access to these life-changing drugs.  

    Approximately 38 million, or one in ten, Americans has diabetes, and an additional 100 million American adults have prediabetes. Nearly one-third of adults are overweight and 42% are obese.  Diabetes and obesity are associated with heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and more.  Yet, the federal government has failed to restrain Big Pharma price gouging to ensure patients can afford the newest treatments.   

    With a sticker price of up to $1,400 per month, patients can rarely afford Wegovy or Ozempic out-of-pocket and few insurance plans offer complete coverage due to the prohibitive cost.  One study has found that covering these drugs for just 10% of Medicare beneficiaries with obesity would cost taxpayers $27 billion a year.  Coverage for all Americans would cost nearly $1 trillion. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the cost to cover these drugs would outweigh any savings from reduced utilization of associated health services and treatments. 

    Due to budget-busting prices, only 16 states offer state employee or Medicaid coverage for these drugs.  About 34% of employer plans offer coverage and only about 1% of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans do the same.  Put another way, 99% of consumers with Marketplace plans have no access to these drugs, while 66% of workers with private employer plans and 68% of state employees and Medicaid recipients are denied access.  The few insurers that offer coverage for Ozempic and Wegovy often include several restrictions to limit the financial impact.  For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs requires patients with diabetes to try and fail with two or more medications before the VA will cover Ozempic.    

    We do not condemn the states and insurers that have limited access to these drugs under such difficult circumstances.  It would be irresponsible to offer unlimited coverage when prices are also unlimited.  The North Carolina State Health Plan ended coverage after spending $100 million in a single year on these drugs—spending that would have required insurance premiums to double to offset the cost. If half of all Americans with obesity could access these drugs, it would cost an estimated $411 billion a year, more than all existing prescription drug spending in the U.S. 

    We do not need to waste taxpayer dollars, bankrupt health systems, or deny patients access to effective treatments.  We can save consumers’ health and be fiscally responsible by stopping Big Pharma monopoly abuse.  These drugs cost Americans up to 15 times more than patients in peer countries like Canada, Japan, Germany, the UK, and Denmark. There is no reason for Americans to pay the world’s highest prices, substantially more than other wealthy Nations, for the exact same medicines.  

    Manufacturers will frequently cite the cost of innovation and the need to recoup research and development costs as the reason for charging sky-high prices.  Yet, time and again, this is debunked.  In the case of Ozempic and Wegovy, the manufacturer has earned over $38 billion in revenue from these two drugs and Goldman Sachs Research predicts revenue will reach $100 billion within this decade. Meanwhile, last year, the manufacturer spent nearly twice as much on enriching its shareholders with stock buybacks and dividends ($8.95 billion) than on research and development ($4.71 billion).   

    The exorbitant prices paid by Americans are financing corporate greed, not innovation.  While we recognize the important role of the private sector in research and development and support the ability to make a reasonable profit, industry interests should not outweigh meeting health and safety needs for all consumers and providing accountability to taxpayers.  When manufacturers use their monopoly power to extract unfair and unjustified prices at the expense of consumers, the federal government must restrain such abuse.   

    Under Section 1498, the Administration has the clear authority to license generic competition on any patented invention “used or manufactured by or for the United States.”  Rightly, patentholders are entitled to reasonable compensation set by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.  This law ensures Americans may access important goods while protecting the rights of inventors and providing fair compensation.  For over a century, this authority has been used across technologies, ranging from fraud detection banking software and electronic passports to methods of removing hazardous waste.  Section 1498 has also been used to authorize generic, lower cost drugs, and just the threat of this authority, has incentivized brand-name manufacturers to voluntarily cut prices.   

    You have the opportunity and responsibility to dramatically improve health care access and achieve substantial taxpayer savings by using Section 1498 to authorize generic competitors to Ozempic and Wegovy.  We strongly urge you to use your clear statutory authority and stand ready to assist in your efforts to deliver long overdue relief to American taxpayers and consumers. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson: Congress Has an Obligation to the American People to Secure American Elections

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    WASHINGTON — This morning, ahead of the House vote on a six month spending measure to avoid a government shutdown and protect American elections from noncitizen voting, Speaker Johnson joined Fox News’ Fox and Friends and CNBC’s Squawk Box to implore Congressional Democrats to protect American elections, highlight the 2025 GOP economic agenda, and detail plans to expand the investigative scope of the Task Force to Investigate the Assassination of President Trump.

    Click here to watch the full “Fox and Friends” interview

    Click here to watch the full “Squawk Box” interview

    On Congress’s responsibility to protect elections and fund the government:

    Listen, Congress has an immediate obligation to do two very important things. We have to keep the government funded, and we need to make sure that our elections are secure. And we have a vehicle today to do both things, because we owe that to the American people and because they demand it. We’re moving legislation today to have a continuing resolution to keep the government going for six months and to make sure that illegals cannot vote, noncitizens cannot vote in the upcoming election. It’s a number one issue around the country.

    On the GOP plan for economic growth:

    We implement the principles and the policies that we’ve always espoused, and that is less regulation and lower taxes. It’s a pretty simple formula, and it has a great result. So, we want to expand upon the Trump era tax cuts, and we want to do massive regulatory reform. One of the problems we have right now across the free market is that the federal government has been, these agencies have been weaponized against the industries they’re supposed to be assisting and regulating in a meaningful way. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, they have almost smothered the free market. I mean, it’s like the boot of government is on the neck of job creators and entrepreneurs and risk takers who are just trying to do their jobs, and they’ve made it almost impossible. So, we’re going to reverse that.

    If you get Republican leadership in the White House, the Senate and the House, unified government, we will put this thing on turbo. You will see massive regulatory reform. We have a great opportunity. The Supreme Court has overturned a Chevron doctrine. We have all the talk about political tailwinds in a moment of opportunity. That’s what we’ll see in the first quarter of next year, and you’re going to see a lot of change that I think will really incentivize more opportunity, more investment, more American manufacturing, detangle from China, get the border under control and stop the illegal immigration and stop the maddening government spending that’s been out of control for the last four years.

    On expanding the Task Force Investigating the Assassination of Donald Trump:

    I had that conversation with the White House yesterday. I called and demanded that President Trump receive the same level of protection that the sitting president does, because he is under such great threat. I mean, clearly, he’s the most threatened figure in American public life, and the Secret Service has an obligation to protect him, so they need to make every available asset assigned to him right now.

    President Trump and I have talked about this, and now I’ve talked about it with the White House. Now, they say they’re going to be cooperative, but they also say there’s a manpower issue. So, Congress is looking at every aspect of this. If we need to add additional funding, we will, but it’s difficult to go hire 2,500 new secret service agents in the next 48 days, right? So, they’re going to have to rely upon, in some cases, to fill the gaps local and state law enforcement. And so, we’re looking at every aspect. This job must be done. President Trump must be protected. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Arrington Holds “Cost of the Biden-Harris Energy Crisis” Hearing

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19)

     WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) delivered opening remarks at the hearing “The Cost of the Biden-Harris Energy Crisis.”

     

    Opening Statement as Delivered:

    “Our hearing today focuses on the fiscal cost and economic consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration’s failed economic and energy policies. Those costs have been significant and measurable, and the consequences have been manifold and dire.

    The whole government regulatory attack on conventional fuels, the increased taxes on oil and gas, and massive market-distorting green energy subsidies have choked the lifeblood of the greatest economy in the world. It’s also crushed our working families with a cost-of-living crisis, and it has compromised our national security by making the United States more reliant on foreign adversaries.

    The Biden-Harris Administration has issued 250 executive actions against one industry, an industry that employs 10 million people with high wage jobs and represents almost 10 percent of our total economy, and has had, no doubt, a positive impact on every facet of our daily lives by producing the most reliable, affordable, and abundant source of energy as a result of our God-given blessed resources and the most innovative and efficient energy industry operators.

    We have the strongest and most dynamic economy in the world. It’s why we have the greatest fighting force in the world, and it’s why we are the world’s superpower. But today, the failed energy policy is driven by what I believe is an extreme climate agenda that has undermined all of the above. It’s resulted in higher gas prices at the pump, as high as over $5 dollars, the highest we’ve ever seen and experienced in this country, on average, it’s been $1 dollar more per gallon in cost than the previous Administration.

    The cost of electricity has gone up now 25- 30 percent for families. The total consumption cost for average-income families is almost twice what it was in the previous administration. Policies have consequences, and that consequence for families is a whopping $1,700 per family per year. These costs on the economy and our consumers, the American people, are a direct result of the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration.

    On his first day in office, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have saved us in transportation cost and safety, $50 billion but it didn’t stop there. It was all critical infrastructure in the links of the supply chain, from export terminals to permitting refineries and other pipelines. Biden-Harris’s moratorium on drilling on public lands will cost $33 billion in lost GDP and roughly 60,000 jobs. There have been overreaching and overburdening emission regulations coming out of the EPA. Think about the methane gas rule. We’ve seen a 66 percent reduction by the industry over the last several years in methane gas emissions.

    The EV mandate alone, the tailpipe emissions, cost $870 billion over roughly 20 years. They’ve depleted our strategic petroleum reserves to smooth off the edge of the spike in prices, and we’re now down with the strategic petroleum reserve at a 40-year low. On the subsidy side, there are $800 billion in tax subsidies for green energy corporations, and some studies say that 70 percent of that value will be accrued to China because of their rare earth mineral mining and parts to the renewable energy industry. The EV tax credit is, in many ways, going to upper-middle and upper-income individuals, and I want to dig into that with you. The impact on middle-class families and our minority communities here in the United States is hard. 

    The fiscal health of our country is in decline. I think we all agree with that. You can’t look at the balance sheet, you can’t look at CBO’s projections, you can’t look at the debt to GDP, which is higher than it’s been since World War II and more. We have to rein-in spending and we have to grow this economy. We must have policies that encourage and foster growth, and central to that are good energy policies. If we can grow 1 percent, we can save $3 trillion to put against the deficit. If we grow 1 percent, we can add $10,000 over 10 years and hardworking Americans’ pocketbooks. We can bring the debt to GDP down by at least 20 percentage points.

    Growth is key, and the lifeblood of that growth is energy policies. We’ve seen the opposite of it, disastrous energy policies and disastrous results. We must make a change if we’re going to get our country on a good fiscal path and hand it to our children in the manner that gives them the opportunities and prosperity that we’ve all enjoyed.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huffman Highlights Threats of Trump’s Project 2025

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

    September 19, 2024

    Today, Founder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force Jared Huffman joined House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse and leaders from across the Democratic Caucus for a press conference focused on House Democrats’ resolution opposing Project 2025. The lawmakers were joined by DPCC Co-Chair Lauren Underwood, and Reps. Kathy Castor, Lizzie Fletcher, and Chris Deluzio. 

    Find a full video of the press conference HERE, as well as highlights below. 

    Task Force Chair Jared Huffman: “House Republicans, though, are not waiting for a second Trump presidency to get started on this agenda. Everywhere you turn in this Congress, extreme MAGA Republicans are working straight out of the pages of Project 2025. We’re seeing it in Committees, at roundtables, every single day we see it on the House Floor. Climate action, protections for the middle class, social safety nets, and abortion rights have all been on the chopping block in this Republican majority, and it’s like they have lifted their entire legislative agenda right out of the pages of Project 2025. So – sunlight, we know, is the best disinfectant. That’s why our task force, along with the DPCC and many of our House Democratic colleagues, have been focused on doing something very simple but critically important, showing people what’s actually in Project 2025, helping them just understand it, bringing it out of the shadows.” 

    Assistant Leader Joe Neguse: “While Americans across the country look to leaders here in Washington, D.C. to solve problems – issues of critical importance facing our country, facing families across our land. Our colleagues, regrettably, across the aisle, are charging forward in lockstep with the agenda outlined in Project 2025 by former President Trump. For anyone who’s looking for proof of that. Look no further than the actions of House Republicans over just the past few months and their attempts to provide huge new tax breaks to billionaires, their attacks on education and health care, environmental programs – as you’ll hear from my colleagues – and of course, their efforts to strip Americans of fundamental freedoms. These actions, in my view, are grossly out of step with the needs and the wants of the American public. And so really, the question is, one for House Republicans. It’s time for them to make a choice Project 2025 or the American people.” 

    Co-Chair Lauren Underwood: “To put it simply, Donald Trump’s Project 2025 will make more Americans sick and without the coverage they need to take care of themselves. When people tell you who they are, when people tell you who they are, we must believe them. This document is not an abstract, rough draft collection of ideas. This document is a radical, detailed plan to seize power, to take over our government, and to completely change our way of life. It is 920 pages that outline exactly who Donald Trump is and where Republican priorities lie. It is dangerous for America. It is dangerous for our families, and it is dangerous for our communities.” 

    Rep. Kathy Castor: “I’m here to talk about what is in this radical Project 2025 plan when it comes to our public health, climate, and clean energy. But let me start by saying I’m so proud to stand here with my colleagues who have been working day in and day out here in the Democratic caucus to to lower costs, to grow the middle class and build a safer, healthier America…My message: hold on to your wallet, Americans, because if Project 2025 is enacted, you’re going to be paying more. And let’s talk about that. What that means when it comes to our environment. Project 2025 contains these very, very outlandish, and expensive proposals, things that are going to raise costs and they’re going to increase pollution. They want to make it easier to pollute in America. Now, I think Americans value clean air, clean water cleaner, cheaper energy.” 

    Rep. Lizzie Fletcher: “[Project 2025] would criminalize abortion nationwide. Doesn’t matter where you would live, where you live. It would criminalize abortion nationwide. It would block access to abortion pills and to medical equipment. It would restrict access to birth control. That’s right. We’re not talking about abortion. We’re talking about birth control, contraception, whatever you call it. It would restrict access to birth control, and it would even ban fertility services that help families that are struggling, that are trying to get pregnant, like in vitro fertilization or IVF. It would even allow the government to monitor pregnancies and their outcomes. That really bears repeating. I know of no one who wants the government monitoring their pregnancies and their outcomes with the possibility, of course, of prosecuting women who have miscarriages, which is a very, very common and often devastating outcome of a pregnancy.” 

    Rep. Chris Deluzio: “Project 2025 really puts at risk our country’s ability to care for veterans. It proposes to slash care and benefits for disabled veterans. It looks to cut costs on the backs of future disability rating awards and adjust those standards for existing claims. It continues this trend of outsourcing and privatizing care, where we know our government pays more for worse outcomes relative to what my fellow veterans often receive at VA. It could lead to disenrolling millions of veterans who don’t have a service connection designation for care they want to seek within the VA. That could really hurt a lot of veterans. That is one of the main components of what Project 2025 seeks to do around veterans’ care.” 

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    MIL OSI USA News –