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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Strong Votes to Protect Taxpayer Dollars, Defund Liberal Media

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Dale Strong (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON — Representative Dale W. Strong (AL-05) issued the following statement after voting to rescind $9.4 billion of wasteful government spending — which includes over $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds National Public Radio (NPR). 

    “NPR has strayed from its original mission of providing balanced, educational programming. Today, it is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded mouthpiece for the left—pushing narratives that don’t reflect the values or priorities of most Americans,” said Representative Dale Strong. 

    In addition to rescinding previously appropriated funding for NPR, H.R. 4 also rescinds funds for wasteful and politically-biased programs of the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. Examples of such taxpayer-funded projects include:  

    • $1.5 million to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities” 

    Representative Strong has championed efforts to defund NPR and ensure the responsible use of taxpayer dollars. In February of this year, Strong introduced the No More Funding for NPR Act of 2025. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Warren Gains Commitment from Hegseth to Follow Supreme Court Orders on Deploying Troops to American Cities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 20, 2025

    Trump has already ordered 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to L.A.

    Hegseth: “We’ve got contingencies and plans for any number of capabilities should governors be unable…to actually secure (their) own federal agents in their cities.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on her concerns with President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles despite state and local officials’ objections. 

    On June 7, President Trump announced he was deploying the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles (L.A.). As of April 2025, the Department of Defense reported there are about 167,951 Marines, 451,024 soldiers in the Army, and 433,000 members of the National Guard. About 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been sent to L.A., including about 500 National Guard troops who have been trained to accompany Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on immigration operations.

    Senator Warren questioned Secretary Hegseth on the deployment of troops to Los Angeles over state and local officials’ objections, citing President Trump’s threat to deploy ICE agents to other cities, and whether troops would be deployed to cities like Chicago and New York if the President ordered it. Secretary Hegseth refused to answer whether he would send more Marines to other cities if President Trump ordered it. Senator Warren also asked for an analysis of the number of troops that can be deployed domestically without undermining readiness internationally, but Secretary Hegseth avoided providing specific numbers.

    On June 12, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Guard deployment was illegal and violated the 10th Amendment, as the protests in LA “fall far short of a rebellion” that would authorize the President to call them up for federal service.

    Secretary Hegseth committed that he would follow Supreme Court orders if they ruled for troops to be removed from American cities, saying, “If the Supreme Court rules on a topic, we will abide by that.” 

    Last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made remarks during a press conference, saying, “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the society from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.” Senator Warren criticized Secretary Noem’s comments, highlighting that both the mayor and the governor were democratically elected by a majority of voters in the city. 

    “This is un-American, and it makes us unsafe. I wish our Republican colleagues would speak up,” concluded Senator Warren.

    Transcript: Hearings to examine the President’s proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 and the Future Years Defense Program for the Department of Defense
    Senate Armed Services Committee
    June 18, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, President Trump has deployed the National Guard and then the U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, over the objections of state and local officials, saying that the troops are needed to support immigration detention operations that are being carried out by ICE. On Sunday night, the president threatened to deploy ICE agents to other cities around the country that he sees as “the core of the Democrat power center,” specifically mentioning Chicago and New York. 

    Secretary Hegseth, if the President wanted to deploy Marines to Chicago and New York City like he did in Los Angeles, would you carry out that order, even if the local governors and mayors objected?

    Honorable Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense: Well, Senator, because Governor Newsom was unwilling to address protecting federal law enforcement agents in Los Angeles, President Trump had all the authorities, and the Defense Department happily supported defending our ICE agents in the conduct of their job. They have the right as Americans to be able to do their job without being attacked by mobs, and we will protect them in that process. And if others needed it, we would provide that.

    Senator Warren: I know that you heard my question, so you would be willing to send troops if the President ordered it to Chicago, New York City, is that right? 

    Secretary Hegseth: Well, thankfully, New York City, unlike California, unlike Gavin Newsom, is willing to step up and address the issue with their local law enforcement.

    Senator Warren: I will take that as a yes. How about if the President says he wants to send troops to 15 cities? Would you be willing to do that?

    Secretary Hegseth: Senator, I don’t accept your hypothetical, because it’s—

    Senator Warren: That’s a hypothetical. That’s the question. You’re the Secretary of Defense, would you send troops to 15 cities? If the President thought it, said, “Do it.” Would you do it? 15 cities?

    Secretary Hegseth: Again, Senator, it’s a complete hypothetical, lacking any context at all. 

    Senator Warren: Look, you’re the Secretary of Defense —

    Secretary Hegseth: I refuse to box myself in based on questioning, on a hypothetical.

    Senator Warren: Well, you can refuse, but you’re here asking for a trillion dollars, and I want to know how you’re going to spend it. And so my question is, if Donald Trump tells you to send troops to 15 American cities, are you going to spend the money and send the troops?

    Secretary Hegseth: Thankfully, we’re spending money on securing our southern border. A way the previous administration abandoned and allowed 21 million illegals to enter our country. So defending our homeland is a real, serious priority under this administration, and we’re doing it.

    Senator Warren: I understand the question about defense. Secretary Hegseth, about 4000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been sent to LA. Is there a number of troops deployed to American cities over the objections of governors and mayors, at which you would be concerned that we are undermining our national defense? 

    Secretary Hegseth: Senator, we’ve spent two decades guarding other people’s borders. We think at the Defense Department it’s about time we shore up ours. 

    Senator Warren: So, that’s my question. Is there a number at which sending those troops to Los Angeles or Chicago or New York starts to undermine our ability to defend ourselves around the globe? Is there a number?

    Secretary Hegseth: Senator, we look at capabilities and readiness around the globe all the time, and we’re quite satisfied with our capabilities to defend the homeland, and we’ll provide more if and when it’s necessary. 

    Senator Warren: So, you are satisfied with our capabilities? Let me just ask, have you actually done the analysis and figured out how many troops you can deploy domestically before you start to undermine readiness around the world? Have you done that analysis? 

    Secretary Hegseth: Yes, ma’am. 

    Senator Warren: Then would you let the rest of us in on it? We are the Senate Armed Services Committee, and you’re here to ask for a trillion dollars. What’s the number?

    Secretary Hegseth: We’ve got contingencies and plans for any number of capabilities should governors be unable, as Governor Gavin Newsom has been, to actually secure his own federal agents in their cities.

    Senator Warren: But can you give us a ballpark on what that number is? How many troops can you deploy domestically before you start to cut into our readiness internationally?

    Secretary Hegseth: As I said, previous administrations deployed our National Guard all around the globe in numbers far beyond what we were capable of supporting, so limited contingencies inside the United States to protect federal law enforcement is doable. 

    Senator Warren: You have a number, but you’re just not going to tell us? So, let me ask you one more question, if the Supreme Court orders you to remove troops from American city streets. Will you do so?

    Secretary Hegseth: Can you repeat the question, please? 

    Senator Warren: Yes. If the Supreme Court orders you to remove troops from American cities. Will you do so? 

    Secretary Hegseth: As I’ve said, Senator, I don’t believe district courts should determine national security policy, but if the Supreme Court rules on a topic, we will abide by that. 

    Senator Warren: Okay. You know, during her press conference last week, Secretary Noem said, “We are staying here to liberate the city from its mayor and its governor,” people who were elected by a majority of voters. Secretary Hegseth is saying he is ready to deploy more troops and won’t tell us what the implications are for our national defense. This is un-American, and it makes us unsafe. I wish our Republican colleagues would speak up.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Statement on Ninth Circuit Court Ruling Regarding Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Statement on Ninth Circuit Court Ruling Regarding Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed an emergency district court order and allowed President Trump to temporarily retain control of the federal guard in California, while rejecting the President’s assertion that he can take control of National Guard units without oversight or accountability to the courts.
    “Trump’s unnecessary and counterproductive deployment of the California National Guard over the will of the Governor and without coordination with local law enforcement only served to inflame tensions in Los Angeles. The court’s decision strongly reaffirms that the Guard can only be deployed in clearly defined circumstances — not as a political weapon against Californians at the sole discretion of Donald Trump.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement actions against former employee of Bank of Hawaii and former employee of Ally Bank and announces termination of enforcement actions with UniCredit, S.p.A. and China Construction Bank Corporation

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

    Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock (
    Lock
    Locked padlock icon

    ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Works to Block House-Passed Rescissions Package That Would Claw Back $9.4 billion for Humanitarian Aid, NPR, PBS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – After the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed the Trump Administration’s rescissions package to claw back $9.4 billion in previously enacted federal funding from humanitarian aid, international development, public health, NPR, and PBS last week, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is working in the U.S. Senate to try to halt these shortsighted cuts.  But Senator Reed says it will be a difficult path because rescission bills only require a simple majority and Senate Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority.

    Last Thursday, the House voted 214 to 212 to claw back the funds, with all but four House Republicans supporting the measure and all Democrats opposing.  Six Republicans initially opposed the package, endangering the bill’s passage since all Democrats present voted against it.  However, two Republican holdouts were pressured into flipping their votes at the last minute.

    The rescissions package eliminates all federal support — $1.1 billion — for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the next two years, targeting PBS, NPR, and small, local public radio and TV stations nationwide, threatening children’s educational programming, and jeopardizing emergency alert coverage.  The bill also seeks to cut $8.3 billion from international development, global democracy, and humanitarian programs which support America’s national security, promote global peace, and prevent global health crises from reaching our shores, including funds for peacekeeping and refugee assistance; the Democracy Fund; USAID global health programs; UNICEF; the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); and the UN Women and Child Fund.

    The package has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Senator Reed, a leading Democrat on the committee, stated:

    “These shortsighted cuts undermine U.S. national security and global leadership.  The soft power we project through lifesaving humanitarian aid, international peacekeeping, and public health funds makes America safer and helps us effectively counter adversaries and advance U.S. interests without having to engage militarily. 

    “Meanwhile, the cuts to PBS and NPR undermine efforts to ensure that all Americans have access to unbiased news, educational programs,  and diverse broadcasts that are not available through commercial media.

    “At a time when President Trump is raising prices on consumers with his costly tariffs and ripping away health care from millions of Americans to fund bigger tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, this rescissions package will do nothing to help average Americans, but it will make our country less secure and less connected.

    “In the Senate, it takes 60 votes to pass appropriations bills.  By definition, these bills are the product of bipartisan compromise and address the broad interests of the American people.  If Senate Republicans ram this recissions package through on a partisan basis, they will undermine this process and surrender to this administration’s desire for them to simply be a rubberstamp.  

    “I will continue working on a bipartisan basis to oppose these reckless cuts and I am hopeful we can build bipartisan consensus on a better way forward that puts American interests first.”

    Congress has the power to rescind funds that the federal government has not yet spent, and it routinely does so, on a bipartisan basis, during the regular appropriations process so these resources can be wisely reallocated.  The president may also formally recommend cuts (rescissions), which Congress, if it chooses to, can consider on an expedited basis with only a simple majority required to adopt them.  In order to make cuts under this process, Congress must act within 45 days of receiving the president’s formal recommendations.  Congress has the option not to act on the president’s request.  The president may also send more than one package of proposed rescissions, and this administration has vowed to do so if this first package passes.

    The White House’s official transmission of the rescission package on June 3 started a 45 day clock for Congress to act. 

    While the Senate Appropriations Committee has the opportunity to review and alter the President’s rescission proposal, any Senator may seek to bring all or part of the proposal to the Senate floor 25 days after referral to the Appropriations Committee.

    White House budget director Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is scheduled to testify about the rescissions package before the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 25. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government’s Fair Funding Review should benefit city residents, Cabinet member says

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Plymouth residents should see the benefits of Government proposals to create a fairer system of local government funding that will direct support to areas where it is most needed, Cabinet member for Finance Councillor Mark Lowry says.

    The shake-up of the funding system announced today aims to ensure those areas that have been overlooked get their fair share, while also cutting out bureaucracy in allocating funding and providing greater certainty for councils through multi-year settlements.

    “The proposals for consultation announced today show that at last we have a government that recognises the devastating impact 14 years of cuts by the previous government have had on councils, who are also struggling with the huge pressures in adult social care, children’s services and temporary accommodation,” Councillor Lowry said.

    “It recognises that areas with low historical tax bases from which to raise income also have high levels of need that drive up demand for services. This has put councils close to breaking point, so it is heartening to hear that we could be moving to a fairer system that at last begins to address the bureaucratic and opaque system of funding local government that has left the councils most in need starved of money.

    “In Plymouth we have worked hard to protect local services from the sort of devastating cuts seen elsewhere but we have been starved of funding for basic services and have a relatively low tax base compared to better off areas. A fairer funding system that addresses need, combined with a new approach to council tax, should in future bring tangible benefits in areas we know matter to people – keeping the streets clean, cutting grass and keeping roads well maintained.

    “While the proposals are very welcome, we need to be realistic. The scale of the challenges facing local government are massive and the demand and cost pressures in areas such as social care are systemic, so we know things won’t change overnight. We will need to continue be ruthless in driving greater efficiency in everything we do but at least now we can be confident that the long-awaited changes to local government finance will finally start to happen and that we have a government that is listening.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF and South Sudan Reach Staff-Level Agreement on a Nine-Month Staff-Monitored Program

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 20, 2025

    Staff-Monitored Programs (SMPs) are informal arrangements between national authorities and IMF staff to monitor the authorities’ economic program. As such, they do not entail endorsement by the IMF Executive Board. SMP Staff reports are issued to the Board for information.

    • IMF staff and the South Sudanese authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on a nine-month Staff-Monitored Program (SMP), which is expected to start in August 2025, pending approval from the IMF’s Management.
    • The SMP aims to support South Sudan in designing and implementing policies and key reforms to strengthen its economic resilience to shocks, enhance macroeconomic stability, restore sustainability, and improve governance and transparency.
    • The South Sudanese economy is projected to start recovering as oil production has resumed from the oil pipeline damaged in February 2024 due to the war in Sudan. This disruption had halted oil exports, fiscal revenues, and foreign exchange (FX) proceeds for over a year, leading to liquidity and financing constraints. The recovery is expected to be gradual and hinges on continued improvement in the security environment and political stability.

    Washington, DC: Upon request from the authorities, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team, led by Ms. Mame Astou Diouf, held meetings in Juba, South Sudan, from June 11 to 20, 2025 to negotiate a Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) in support of the authorities’ economic and financial reform program. This SMP request follows the conclusion of South Sudan’s Staff Monitored Program with Board Involvement (PMB) on November 15, 2024 (See Press Release No. 24/434).

    At the end of the mission, Ms. Diouf issued the following statement:

    “The South Sudanese authorities and the IMF team have reached a staff-level agreement on the economic and structural policies and reforms that will underpin a nine-month SMP, pending approval by the IMF’s Management.

    “Since early 2014, South Sudan has faced severe shocks that have exacerbated the country’s post-conflict fragility and humanitarian situation. Due to the war in Sudan, the country’s main oil pipeline was damaged in February 2024, halting related oil exports, fiscal revenues, and FX proceeds for over a year. The conflict also triggered a large influx of refugees, compounding an already-dire social and humanitarian situation caused by recurrent floodings, agricultural production losses, widespread food insecurity, and large-scale population displacement. The recent steep decline in international aid flows risks exacerbating the humanitarian challenges facing the country.

    “The short- and medium-term economic outlook is moderately favorable and improving, contingent on a continuously improving security environment and political stability. The resumption of oil exports through the main pipeline since April 2025 is promising. While real GDP growth is projected to have contracted during FY2024/25 due to the lower oil production, it is expected to recover in FY2025/2026 as oil exports gradually strengthen. The rebound in oil exports is expected to significantly improve the current account balance, helping rebuild external buffers. The parallel foreign exchange (FX) market premium stood at 30.8 percent on June 11, 2025.

    “While the budget execution of FY2024/2025 has been constrained by the financing constraints, non-oil domestic revenue collection was strong. This has allowed the resumption of government salary payments. However, structural bottlenecks partly hinder the effective distribution of salaries to civil servants due to cash shortages. For FY2025/2026, oil revenue is expected to recover substantially. Non-oil revenue will remain strong, benefiting from the continued implementation of tax policy reforms approved under the FY2024/2025 budget and broader revenue administration improvements. This will gradually ease liquidity constraints and provide some fiscal space for cautious repayment of salary arrears and a gradual increase of priority social spending and debt service repayments, while maintaining prudent fiscal management and cautious investment plans, given the continued risks to the outlook.

    “Inflation has remained high. Average inflation is projected at about 143 percent in FY2024/2025, and expected to slow down in FY2025/26, thanks to ongoing tight monetary policy and a reduction in monetary financing. The debt-to-GDP ratio is forecast at about 58 percent of GDP in FY2024/2025, with large debt vulnerabilities. With the easing liquidity constraints, debt sustainability is projected to strengthen.

    “Against this background, the South Sudanese authorities have requested a nine-month SMP to help strengthen economic resilience to shocks and foster macroeconomic stability through sound and prudent policies conducive to sustained growth. Key priorities under the SMP include:

    “Restoring fiscal and public debt sustainability in the near term and laying the groundwork for positive medium-term prospects through prudent debt management and improved domestic revenue mobilization to increase fiscal space for priority spending, including salary and social programs. Enhancing spending efficiency, including through public financial and investment management reforms, will support public service delivery against the backdrop of high spending needs and limited availability of domestic and external financing.

    “Maintaining a tight monetary policy stance to curb inflationary pressures and exchange rate depreciation. This includes containing monetary financing and continuing liquidity mop-up operations. While the official exchange rate has gradually decreased since August 2024 to narrow the parallel FX market premium, further policy adjustment is required to unify the official and parallel FX markets and increase FX reserves.

    “Steadfast implementation of the governance and accountability reform agenda will be critical to addressing the country’s sources of fragility and creating an environment conducive to strong, diversified, and sustained growth and improved living standards. This includes the governance and transparency of oil-related investment programs.

    “The mission met His Excellency, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, Vice President and Chairperson of the Economic Cluster, the Minister of Finance and Planning, Honorable Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater, the Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, Dr. Addis Ababa Othow, and other senior government officials, as well as representatives from civil society, private sector, and development partners.

    “The mission takes the opportunity to thank the authorities and stakeholders for their warm hospitality, strong cooperation, and for open and productive discussions.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Wafa Amr

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    @IMFSpokesperson

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/20/pr-25200-south-sudan-imf-and-south-sudan-reach-agreement-on-9-month-staff-monitored-program

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former Haitian Mayor and Human Rights Violator Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Lying about Past Involvement in Political Violence

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Former Haitian Mayor and Human Rights Violator Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Lying about Past Involvement in Political Violence

    Jean Morose Viliena, the former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, was sentenced today to nine years in prison followed by three years of supervised release by Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV for the District of Massachusetts for possessing and using a Permanent Resident Card he had fraudulently obtained by falsely stating that he had not ordered, carried out, or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Haitian Mayor and Human Rights Violator Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Lying about Past Involvement in Political Violence

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Note: See indictment here.

    Jean Morose Viliena, the former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, was sentenced today to nine years in prison followed by three years of supervised release by Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV for the District of Massachusetts for possessing and using a Permanent Resident Card he had fraudulently obtained by falsely stating that he had not ordered, carried out, or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people. A federal jury convicted Viliena in March 2025 of three counts of visa fraud.

    “In Haiti, Jean Morose Viliena was involved in the violent killings, beatings, and assaults of whomever he believed threatened his power as mayor,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His lies to U.S. immigration authorities allowed him to unlawfully enter this country and obtain lawful permanent resident status. Individuals who commit violent crimes in their home countries should take note: we do not tolerate human rights abusers who lie to take refuge here. We will find you, investigate you, and prosecute you to ensure that you are held accountable to the maximum extent of U.S. law for your heinous criminal conduct.”

    “Jean Morose Viliena built a life in the United States by burying the truth about his violent past – a past marked by political persecution, bloodshed and the silencing of dissent in Haiti,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “For more than a decade, he lived freely and comfortably in this country while the victims of his brutality lived in fear, exile and pain. Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for the lives he shattered and sends a clear message: the United States will not be a safe haven for human rights abusers. Lying to gain entry into this country and then lying again under oath to avoid accountability strikes at the heart of our immigration and legal systems. I commend the tremendous courage of the victims and witnesses who stood up and spoke the truth despite the risks and made this outcome possible.”

    “Today’s sentencing underscores the commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to ensuring that individuals who commit heinous acts of violence and fraud are held accountable, regardless of where those crimes were committed,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England. “Jean Morose Viliena’s actions were not only a gross violation of human rights but also a betrayal of the trust placed in him by his community. HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to bring justice to victims and protect the American people from foreign criminals seeking to escape justice in their home countries.”

    Viliena, 53, was the Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti, from December 2006 until February 2010. As a candidate and as mayor, Viliena was backed by Korega, a political machine that used armed violence to exert power throughout the southwestern region of Haiti. Viliena personally supervised his mayoral staff and other armed supporters aligned with Korega and directed them to engage in armed violence to quash opposition to his authority.

    According to evidence presented at trial, on July 27, 2007, Viliena violently retaliated against an activist who had previously spoken at a judicial proceeding on behalf of a neighbor whom Viliena had assaulted. In a brutal act of reprisal, that evening, Viliena led an armed group to the activist’s home, where Viliena and his associates shot and killed the activist’s younger brother and then smashed the brother’s skull with a large rock before a crowd of bystanders.

    Viliena committed another act of violent retribution in April 2008, when he and his associates attacked community members who had founded a radio station that Viliena opposed. According to multiple witnesses’ testimony, Viliena mobilized armed members of his staff and supporters to forcibly shut down the radio station and seize its broadcasting equipment. Viliena distributed firearms to his men, some of whom also carried machetes and picks. According to the evidence presented at trial, during this incident, Viliena beat one man and ordered an associate to shoot him when he tried to flee. As a result, the man’s leg was later amputated above the knee. Viliena also beat a student who was at the radio station; when the student tried to flee, a bullet struck his face, leaving him permanently blind in one eye.

    Less than two months after the radio station attack, Viliena presented himself at the U.S. Embassy Consular Office in Port au Prince, Haiti, where he applied for a visa to enter the United States. The visa application specifically requires an applicant to state whether they are a member of any class of individuals excluded from admission into the United States, including those who have “ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.” Viliena falsely responded “no,” indicating that this category did not apply to him. Viliena thereafter swore to and affirmed before a U.S. Consular Officer that the contents of the application were true and signed the application.

    Based on Viliena’s false representations, the United States approved his visa application and permitted him to enter the country. The United States later granted Viliena lawful permanent resident status and a Permanent Resident Card, also known as a “Green Card.” For years, through the use of his fraudulently obtained Green Card, Viliena enjoyed a job; sufficient income; a comfortable home; a safe community; the ability to visit his family in Les Irois at any time; and the privilege of raising and educating a son who is now a U.S. citizen by birth.

    The HSI Boston Field Office investigated the case, with coordination provided by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Invaluable assistance was also provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection from Boston Logan Airport.

    Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden.

    Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Largest Ever Seizure of Funds Related to Crypto Confidence Scams

    Source: US FBI

    United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $225 Million in Funds Involved in Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Money Laundering

                WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. According to the complaint, the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly referred to as cryptocurrency confidence scams.

                The civil action was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the San Francisco Field Office, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the San Francisco Field Office.

                The complaint alleges that the cryptocurrency addresses that held the over $225.3 million in cryptocurrency were part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network that executed hundreds of thousands of transactions and was used to conceal the nature, source, control, and ownership of proceeds derived from cryptocurrency investment fraud. The scam operators dispersed proceeds across an extensive group of cryptocurrency addresses and accounts on the blockchain to conceal the source of the illicitly obtained funds.

                As part of the investigation of the laundering network, dozens of victims across the country were confirmed to have lost funds through the belief that they were making legitimate cryptocurrency investments, with more than 400 suspected victims around the world. The complaint discussed millions of dollars in victim losses.

                “Under my leadership, with the support of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia is taking a leading role in the fight against crypto-confidence scams, partnering with law enforcement throughout the country to seize and forfeit stolen funds and rip them from the hands of foreign criminals, all with the eye toward making victims whole,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro.

                “Today’s civil forfeiture complaint is the latest action taken by the Department to protect the American public from fraudsters specializing in cryptocurrency-based scams, and it will not be the last,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes harm American victims, costing them billions of dollars every year, and undermine faith in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our investigators and prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing these scammers and their ill-gotten gains, and we will relentlessly pursue recovery of victim funds.”

                “This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office. “These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims. The U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and our private partners worked diligently to trace these illicit transactions, identify victims and seize these funds so that they can eventually be returned to their rightful owners.”

                “Cryptocurrency investment schemes can have devastating and long-lasting consequences for victims, far beyond just financial losses,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the San Francisco Field Office. “In this case, hundreds of victims lost millions of dollars to an elaborate scheme, and I commend the work of the FBI San Francisco investigative team and the United States Secret Service, San Francisco Office who worked tirelessly to return stolen assets to the victims. The FBI continues to aggressively pursue the criminals behind these heartless frauds, working alongside our federal partners and the private sector to disrupt malicious networks and recover funds for those targeted.”  

                According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone.

                This investigation is being handled by the U.S. Secret Service San Francisco Field Office and the FBI San Francisco Field Office. The Department of Justice thanks Tether for its proactive assistance in this investigation.

                This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Rick Blaylock, Jr., of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Stefanie Schwartz and Ethan Cantor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS).

                Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov. If you believe you may be a victim of one of the scams alleged in the government’s complaint, add the code “BT06182025” in the narrative of your complaint, and if you have previously filed a related complaint, make note of the prior complaint in the narrative.

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to California Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Park and Borel Fires

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in California of the July 21, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Park and Borel Fires occurring July 24–Aug. 26, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the California counties of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Plumas, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Ventura and Yuba.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs impacted by financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 21.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Nebraska Private Nonprofits Affected by July Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Nebraska of the July 21 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding occurring July 31, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the Nebraska counties of Cass, Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy and Saunders.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature who suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster. Examples of eligible non-critical PNPs include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 3.25% and terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.

    Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 21.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: GAD’s first Public Service Pensions conference

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    GAD’s first Public Service Pensions conference

    Pensions professionals from across the public sector networked, and contributed to discussions, at GAD’s first pensions conference.

    Credit: Crown copyright

    More than 100 professionals from across the sector attended the Government Actuary’s Department’s (GAD) first public service pensions conference on Thursday 19 June 2025. The event brought together representatives from the pension schemes for all 8 public service workforces, across all 4 nations.

    Reflect and Connect

    The theme of the conference was ‘Reflect and Connect’. Opening the event, the Government Actuary highlighted a key objective for the day was providing an opportunity for those working in public service schemes to meet others doing similar work, encourage knowledge sharing and greater collaboration.

    The conference included a keynote address from Siobhan Amutharasan (HM Treasury) and Jan Claisse (GAD) and inspiring plenaries on pensions dashboards and pension board governance.

    Delegates also attended discussions on a wide range of topics including the McCloud remedy, AI opportunities and the gender pensions gap. The Office for Budget Responsibility, The Pensions Ombudsman and The Pensions Regulator also provided engaging and thought-provoking sessions.

    Energising and interesting

    Greg Ceely from the Office for National Statistics presented a session on Healthy Life Expectancy and the State Pension age review. Commenting on the event, he said: “It’s been very energising and interesting to find out how various pension elements fit together. It has been refreshing to know that people are thinking about pensions in a multifaceted way.”

    Claire Neale, the Head of Police Pensions from the National Police Chiefs Council noted: “It’s been a fabulous networking opportunity, and a real pleasure to connect with new people.”

    Clair Alcock, Head of Pensions at the Local Government Association remarked: “It was brilliantly put together and all the topics were really relevant.”

    Phil Bassingham-Searle, the Head of Armed Forces remuneration at the Ministry of Defence also noted: “It has been thought provoking and has brought together a group of people who don’t normally come together, who’ve got shared interests.”

    It was an inspiring and energising day that captured the spirit of collaboration and shared purpose at the heart of public service pensions. #ReflectAndConnect

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    Published 20 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 21, 2025

  • PM Modi inaugurates projects worth ₹18,600 crore in Odisha to mark one year of BJP govt

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over ₹18,600 crore in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, commemorating the completion of one year of the state’s first BJP-led government. The projects span critical sectors such as drinking water, irrigation, agriculture, health infrastructure, rural roads and bridges, highways, and a new railway line.

    Addressing a state-level event marking the anniversary, PM Modi hailed June 20 as a historic day, celebrating not just a government’s milestone but the embodiment of good governance focused on public service and trust. He congratulated Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his team for their work, which he said has injected fresh momentum into Odisha’s development.

    Describing Odisha as a “shining star” of India’s cultural heritage, PM Modi highlighted the state’s historical contribution to Indian civilization. He noted that the combination of development and preservation of heritage has become the cornerstone of India’s growth, with Odisha playing an increasingly vital role.

    Coinciding with preparations for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, the Prime Minister said that spiritual reverence and development are progressing hand in hand. He praised the state government’s prompt action in opening all four gates of the Jagannath Temple and initiating access to the Ratna Bhandar, underscoring the act as a respectful gesture toward millions of devotees. PM Modi also revealed that he declined an invitation from the US President to visit the United States post the G7 Summit in Canada, opting instead to be present in Odisha on this spiritually significant day.

    In a sharp critique of previous governments, PM Modi said that earlier models of governance lacked transparency and development was often delayed, obstructed, or derailed. Contrasting that with the BJP’s approach, he stated that the past decade has seen states like Assam and Tripura—formerly riddled with instability and neglect—undergo social and economic transformation. He added that Odisha, too, had long struggled with corruption, poor infrastructure, and neglected rural areas, but is now on a promising developmental path.

    The Prime Minister emphasized the strength of a dual model of governance where both Union and state governments work in synergy. Citing the health sector, he noted that nearly 3 crore people in Odisha now benefit from the combined coverage of the Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojanas, making free treatment accessible even outside the state. Similarly, over 23 lakh senior citizens are now eligible for free treatment up to ₹5 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana.

    For farmers, he stated that Odisha’s agricultural community now receives dual benefits under both central and state schemes, including improved procurement prices for paddy. Earlier, many central government initiatives failed to reach the state’s population, but the current administration has ensured their successful implementation across various sectors.

    A key focus of PM Modi’s address was the empowerment of Odisha’s tribal population. He lamented that for decades, tribal communities were politically exploited, marginalized, and trapped in cycles of poverty and violence. He noted that in 2014, over 125 tribal-majority districts in the country were affected by Naxal violence, a number that has now dropped to fewer than 20. He credited this to strict action against violence and development initiatives in tribal regions.

    PM Modi outlined two major national schemes dedicated to tribal development. The Dharati Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan is bringing infrastructure and services to over 60,000 tribal villages nationwide, including the construction of 40 residential schools in 11 districts of Odisha. The second, the PM Janman Yojana, inspired by Odisha and guided by President Droupadi Murmu, targets the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs), funding development across remote tribal hamlets.

    The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s attention to Odisha’s fishing communities. For the first time, fishermen are benefiting from the Kisan Credit Card facility under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana. Additionally, a special ₹25,000 crore central fund will support coastal communities and youth entrepreneurship in the state.

    Calling this the era of Purvoday, PM Modi said Eastern India will power 21st-century India’s growth. He pointed to rapid industrial expansion from Paradip to Jharsuguda and large-scale infrastructure investments to boost Odisha’s mineral and port-led economy. Mega projects like a dual-feed cracker unit in Paradip, an oil storage facility in Chandikhole, and an LNG terminal in Gopalpur are turning Odisha into a future petrochemical hub. He noted that nearly ₹1.5 lakh crore has already been invested in these sectors.

    PM Modi emphasized the government’s long-term vision beyond five-year targets. He mentioned that a special “Vision 2036” plan has been drafted, marking 100 years of Odisha as India’s first linguistic state, alongside “Vision 2047” for India’s centenary of independence. He expressed confidence in the youth of Odisha to achieve these ambitious goals.

    Among the key announcements made during the event, the Prime Minister flagged off new train services connecting Boudh district to the national railway network for the first time and launched 100 electric buses under the CRUT urban transport system. He also released the Odisha Vision Document and launched the ‘Baraputra Aitihya Gram Yojana’ to preserve the heritage of iconic Odia personalities through living memorials.

    Modi also honored several women achievers from Odisha, celebrating more than 16.5 lakh “Lakhpati Didis” as symbols of prosperity and self-reliance.

    The event was attended by the Governor of Odisha, Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Ministers Jual Oram, Dharmendra Pradhan, and other dignitaries.

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE at SPIEF: Investments in Electric Power, the Role of Women in the Economy, and the “Russian Engineer”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    © Roman Kitashov / Roscongress Foundation

    Should we increase electricity generation and what should be the role of the state here? What economic effect does involving women in the economy provide? How can we train personnel to ensure technological leadership? HSE representatives, together with other experts, sought answers to these and other questions at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. In addition, HSE signed a number of cooperation agreements.

    Blood for the economy

    Investments in the electric power industry have a significant multiplier effect on the economy, they contribute to the development of regions and related industries, believes Ilya Dolmatov, Director Institute of Economics and Regulation of Infrastructure Industries HSE. However, against the backdrop of increased availability of electricity, the volume of investment in this area has decreased, he noted, speaking at the session “Investments in the Electric Power Industry on the Horizon up to 2050.”

    Meanwhile, today the economy is transforming, many industries are digitalizing and, in fact, deeper electrification is taking place. “In this sense, we can definitely say that if we do not provide investments for the growth of new capacities, we will face the fact that the economy will not grow. We already see that we have to introduce certain restrictions on electricity consumption, connecting new consumers,” says Ilya Dolmatov. At the same time, in the current macroeconomic realities, the expert believes, it is impossible to do without state support, especially in infrastructure. “The state must determine priority projects and, accordingly, measures to support them,” he believes.

    “Russia is currently one of the top four countries in terms of electricity consumption,” said Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Petr Konyushenko. The department expects electricity consumption to grow by about a third of the current level by 2050. To cover the projected growth, it is planned to increase generating capacity, and a number of large construction projects in the electric grid economy will be launched in the near future. These are global federal projects to connect the East with Siberia, to build a direct current line that will connect the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant with Moscow, and a power transmission line from Krasnoyarsk Krai to Buryatia.

    The tasks of industry, in turn, are to help power engineers solve their problems, noted Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mikhail Ivanov. Over the course of 10 years, demand for power engineering has grown threefold, and the capabilities of our production have grown fourfold, he shared the figures. But it is still necessary to correctly “balance the capabilities of engineering with the modernization of electric power facilities.”

    The head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, noted that “everyone needs energy, it is like lifeblood for the economy.” But, according to him, companies all unanimously say that without state support, it is simply impossible to implement energy investment projects as desired. “We also need support from development institutions, which are much talked about. This is preferential lending first and foremost, especially in our conditions. These are direct government investments, these are tax breaks, which have already been discussed today. Well, and balanced tariff regulation,” the speaker noted.

    The session was also attended by Pavel Snikkars, CEO of PJSC T Plus, Alexandra Panina, member of the board of PJSC Inter RAO, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy CEO, Director of the Development and International Business Block of Rosatom, Alexey Molsky, member of the board, Deputy CEO for Investments and Capital Construction of PJSC Rosseti, Eldar Muslimov, First Deputy CEO of MKOOO EN HOLDING, and bank representatives.

    Ilya Dolmatov signed an agreement between the HSE and Rosvodokanal at the SPIEF. The parties agreed to develop cooperation in the field of training and retraining of personnel, research and development, and technology implementation activities. On behalf of Rosvodokanal, the signature was made by the company’s CEO Sergey Krzhanovsky.

    International Women’s Cooperation

    Victoria Panova, Vice-Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Head of BRICS Expert Council – Russia, Russia’s Sherpa in the Women’s Twenty, took part in the session of the Eurasian Women’s Forum “International Cooperation of Women in the Interests of Economic Development” within the framework of the SPIEF.

    According to Victoria Panova, scientific research has shown that more active involvement of women in employment can add about 7 trillion dollars to the global GDP in the coming decades. More active participation of women in the economy and development of female education will also contribute to the growth of labor productivity by 35%. “Women are more likely to reinvest income from entrepreneurial activity in health care, food security and education, which increases the sustainability of the country’s development and ensures stability and overall prosperity,” said Victoria Panova.

    The Vice-Rector also stressed the importance of strengthening expert and scientific interaction among women researchers. She proposed creating a regularly updated depository of measures to expand the legal and economic opportunities of women in the association countries in BRICS.

    Priority is technological leadership

    HSE Vice-Rector Dmitry Zemtsov moderated the session “Training Personnel to Ensure Russia’s Technological Sovereignty” at the Ministry of Education and Science stand.

    Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, graduate of the Master’s program “Management in Higher Education» Olga Petrova of the Higher School of Economics spoke about synchronizing personnel training with business demands and solving the problem of achieving technological leadership. One of the key projects was the Advanced Engineering Schools project. “The project has become a powerful tool for synchronizing efforts so that the very “Russian engineer” in the broad sense emerges from the walls of the university,” said Olga Petrova. According to her, another flagship program for personnel training, Priority 2030, of which the HSE is a participant, has been reconfigured for technological leadership.

    The session featured the following speakers: Rector of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Andrey Rudskoy, Rector of MEPhI Vladimir Shevchenko and other speakers.

    The topic of what specialists will be in demand on the global market was also discussed at the session “Preparing Personnel for the International Market of the Future.” Its moderator was Irina Karelina, Vice President of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

    The Russian Ministry of Education and Science stand also hosted a session entitled “The Rights of Young Scientists to Their Developments: How Not to Drown in Bureaucracy?” The director of the Institute for Enterprise and Market Analysis HSE University Anton Kazun. In particular, he spoke about the experience of transforming the results of fundamental research into applied projects (using the example of the recommendation system for selecting lawyers “Zastupnik”) and the possibilities of developing a model of technology transfer centers in various universities of the Russian Federation (based on the experience of HSE University), including regular exchange of experience between universities (for example, within the framework of the “Priority-2030” program). Anton Kazun also took part in the discussion of the proposal to legislatively enshrine the exemption from VAT when implementing the rights to use all types of RIAs, exclusive rights to which are held by universities.

    Dmitry Zemtsov also signed a number of agreements concluded by the HSE within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

    An agreement was reached with the Russian State University for the Humanities on joint scientific research related to historical and cultural identity, traditional values, preservation of cultural heritage, as well as on holding scientific events and student expeditions within the framework of the project “Rediscovering Russia”. In addition, the plans include formulating proposals for socio-economic development that will be included in youth policy programs in Russia. The documents were signed by Rector of the Russian State University for the Humanities Andrey Loginov and Dmitry Zemtsov.

    Cooperation agreements were also signed between the ANO “University of Entrepreneurs” and universities participating in the program, including the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The parties agreed to create and develop entrepreneurial workshops, where more than 350 senior students will begin developing at least 50 business projects as early as 2025.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Commits to £4.5 Billion Financing for Électricité de France, Marking the Largest Sterling-Denominated Private Credit Transaction

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that Apollo-managed affiliates, funds, and strategic accounts have signed an agreement to invest up to £4.5 billion in fixed-rate callable notes issued by Électricité de France (“EDF”) pursuant to its €50 billion Euro Medium Term Note (“EMTN”) program. Proceeds from the financing will be used primarily to finance EDF projects in the United Kingdom, most notably the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. This transaction represents one of the largest sterling-denominated note issuances on record.

    Apollo Partner Jamshid Ehsani said, “Apollo is pleased to provide this bespoke, large-scale financing to EDF in support of its vital role in advancing European energy sovereignty and power infrastructure, including in the UK.”

    Ehsani continued, “This landmark transaction highlights our deepening partnership with the French government and EDF and reaffirms our commitment to being a premier capital provider to leading European companies. This is the largest-ever capital funding transaction executed by EDF and the largest private credit transaction in the sterling market.”

    This investment also builds on Apollo’s longstanding history of investing in French companies for nearly three decades. Notably, Apollo has provided €2.5 billion of High-Grade Capital Solutions across three transactions to Air France-KLM in recent years.

    Since 2020, under its High-Grade Capital Solutions strategy, Apollo has originated over $100 billion of bespoke capital solutions for leading companies such as Intel, Air France-KLM, BP, Sony, AB InBev, Vonovia, and more.

    Latham & Watkins, LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Apollo while Apollo Capital Solutions Europe B.V. is providing structuring and arrangement services in connection with the transaction. BNP Paribas and Hogan Lovells, LLP acted as financial and legal advisors, respectively, to EDF.

    About Apollo
    Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of March 31, 2025, Apollo had approximately $785 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

    Apollo Contacts

    Noah Gunn
    Global Head of Investor Relations
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    (212) 822-0540
    IR@apollo.com

    Joanna Rose
    Global Head of Corporate Communications
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    (212) 822-0491
    Communications@apollo.com / europeanmedia@apollo.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Commits to £4.5 Billion Financing for Électricité de France, Marking the Largest Sterling-Denominated Private Credit Transaction

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that Apollo-managed affiliates, funds, and strategic accounts have signed an agreement to invest up to £4.5 billion in fixed-rate callable notes issued by Électricité de France (“EDF”) pursuant to its €50 billion Euro Medium Term Note (“EMTN”) program. Proceeds from the financing will be used primarily to finance EDF projects in the United Kingdom, most notably the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. This transaction represents one of the largest sterling-denominated note issuances on record.

    Apollo Partner Jamshid Ehsani said, “Apollo is pleased to provide this bespoke, large-scale financing to EDF in support of its vital role in advancing European energy sovereignty and power infrastructure, including in the UK.”

    Ehsani continued, “This landmark transaction highlights our deepening partnership with the French government and EDF and reaffirms our commitment to being a premier capital provider to leading European companies. This is the largest-ever capital funding transaction executed by EDF and the largest private credit transaction in the sterling market.”

    This investment also builds on Apollo’s longstanding history of investing in French companies for nearly three decades. Notably, Apollo has provided €2.5 billion of High-Grade Capital Solutions across three transactions to Air France-KLM in recent years.

    Since 2020, under its High-Grade Capital Solutions strategy, Apollo has originated over $100 billion of bespoke capital solutions for leading companies such as Intel, Air France-KLM, BP, Sony, AB InBev, Vonovia, and more.

    Latham & Watkins, LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Apollo while Apollo Capital Solutions Europe B.V. is providing structuring and arrangement services in connection with the transaction. BNP Paribas and Hogan Lovells, LLP acted as financial and legal advisors, respectively, to EDF.

    About Apollo
    Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of March 31, 2025, Apollo had approximately $785 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

    Apollo Contacts

    Noah Gunn
    Global Head of Investor Relations
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    (212) 822-0540
    IR@apollo.com

    Joanna Rose
    Global Head of Corporate Communications
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    (212) 822-0491
    Communications@apollo.com / europeanmedia@apollo.com

    The MIL Network –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China remains committed to expanding market opening: Chinese Foreign Ministry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — China will continue to steadily expand the opening of its market to the world, accumulate new driving forces, provide new opportunities, and bring more benefits to the common development of all countries through its own stable development, giving it stronger momentum, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Friday.

    As a recent World Bank report shows, the Chinese economy is still growing at the beginning of 2025, and the Chinese government has taken appropriate monetary and fiscal measures to counteract the uncertainty in global trade. At the same time, international financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have also recently raised their growth forecasts for the Chinese economy.

    Answering a relevant question at a press briefing, Guo Jiakun noted that despite the complicated external environment, the Chinese economy has demonstrated sustainable development, maintained stability while moving forward, improved and renewed, and demonstrated strong resilience and development potential. China has become a “stabilizing foundation” for the world economy and a “center of attraction” for sharing development opportunities, the Chinese diplomat noted.

    According to Guo Jiakun, in the first five months of this year, China’s total import and export volumes of goods grew by 2.5 percent year-on-year, while retail sales of consumer goods increased by 5 percent. The growth in foreign consumption in China is particularly noticeable: in the first month of the new exit tax refund policy, the number of such refunds increased by 116 percent compared to the same period last year. In addition, visa-free travel to China is expected to be extremely popular during the summer tourist season, the diplomat added.

    “Facts have proven that the fundamental trend of the long-term sound development of the Chinese economy will not change, the advantages of a super-large domestic market and a complete industrial system will be maintained, and the focus on high-quality development and high-level opening up will remain unchanged,” Guo Jiakun said.

    This is the source of confidence of the international community in China, which encourages them to continue to bet on the Chinese market, to develop it and to take root in the country, the official representative concluded. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Ilie Bolojan appointed Prime Minister of Romania

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BUCHAREST, June 20 (Xinhua) — Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Friday appointed Senate (upper house of parliament) President Ilie Bolojan as the country’s new prime minister, following weeks of coalition talks among key political parties.

    “I appoint Mr. Ilie Bolojan as Prime Minister,” N. Dan announced at the Cotroceni Palace. “I want to thank the parties that make up the parliamentary majority for these weeks of discussions. It is in Romania’s interest for the government to enjoy the support of an overwhelming majority, and the parties understand this,” the president said.

    Describing I. Bolojan as “the most suitable person to carry out the necessary reforms in the state apparatus,” N. Dan noted his track record in public administration: “He knows how to reduce and optimize costs, and has a vision for development. He will have a partner in me,” said the head of the Romanian state.

    I. Bolojan, for his part, expressed gratitude for the appointment and acknowledged the full burden of responsibility on his shoulders in the context of economic tension.

    The prime minister stressed that his attention will be focused on restoring financial order, ensuring effective public administration and “showing due respect to the Romanian people” as he continues negotiations to finalize the cabinet and his government program.

    According to local media, the new government will be formed by a coalition of the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    June 21, 2025

  • Iran rejects nuclear talks as West Asia conflict enters second week

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    As the war between Israel and Iran enters its eighth day, European foreign ministers are meeting with Iranian officials in Geneva in a last-ditch effort to de-escalate tensions that have already begun to rattle global energy markets and regional stability. The E3 bloc—comprising France, Britain, and Germany—has resumed high-level negotiations with Iran, amid what diplomats are calling the most dangerous security crisis in the region in over a decade.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, addressing the United Nations in Geneva ahead of the talks, strongly condemned Israel’s recent missile attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. He labeled the strikes as “serious war crimes” and “an act of betrayal of diplomacy,” revealing that Iran had been on the verge of finalizing a nuclear agreement with the United States, originally scheduled for June 15. According to Araqchi, the Israeli raids derailed what he described as a “very promising agreement,” and he categorically ruled out any further nuclear discussions with Washington while Israeli attacks continue.

    “There is no room for negotiations under the shadow of missiles,” Araqchi declared, asserting that Iran will not return to the table unless Israeli aggression ceases.

    The latest surge in violence began when Iran launched missile strikes into northern, central, and southern Israel, including the port city of Haifa, early Friday morning. The attacks triggered air raid sirens across Israel, prompting widespread panic and sending civilians into bomb shelters. In retaliation, Israeli forces carried out overnight airstrikes on multiple Iranian military installations, including missile production centers and a nuclear warhead development site in Tehran.

    The conflict has rapidly expanded beyond a military confrontation. In Qatar, emergency meetings are being held with major energy companies after Israeli strikes targeted the South Pars/North Dome gas field—the largest known natural gas reserve, jointly shared by Iran and Qatar. The attacks have raised serious alarms over the stability of regional energy infrastructure, with global oil markets on edge over the possibility of further disruption to Gulf energy supplies.

    Qatar now finds itself in a precarious diplomatic position. While it maintains a close strategic partnership with the United States, it also shares vital economic interests with Iran. Balancing these competing pressures will be critical as tensions continue to escalate.

    International responses remain cautious but increasingly urgent. The United States has bolstered its military presence in the region, describing the move as a precautionary measure. A third U.S. Navy destroyer has entered the eastern Mediterranean, and the USS Nimitz carrier strike group is en route to the Arabian Sea.

    Russia has issued a stark warning, stating it would respond “very negatively” if Israel—particularly with U.S. support—attempts any strike against Iran’s supreme leader.

    Inside Iran, mass protests have erupted in Tehran and other cities. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets, condemning Israeli actions and carrying portraits of Iranian commanders killed in the fighting. The protests reflect mounting domestic pressure on Iranian leadership to respond decisively to Israeli attacks.

    The renewed European diplomatic push comes amid growing concern that the conflict could spiral further out of control. The E3 foreign ministers are urging Iran to return to the negotiating table, emphasizing that diplomacy remains the only viable path to de-escalation. However, with both sides entrenched in their positions, the window for diplomatic resolution is narrowing rapidly.

    The timing of the Geneva talks is also shaped by a two-week deadline set by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who remains a key political figure and has called for immediate diplomatic movement or face potential military escalation.

    With war threatening to destabilize not only the wider West Asian region but also international energy markets, the outcome of the current diplomatic effort may prove critical for global stability.

    June 21, 2025

  • Amit Shah inaugurates bew MACCIA headquarters in Mumbai; highlights Maharashtra’s role in India’s economic growth

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated the newly constructed headquarters of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) in Mumbai today. The event also featured a state-level cooperative industrial conference, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, and other dignitaries in attendance.

    Shah reflected on the enduring legacy of Seth Walchand, a pioneering industrialist whose contributions have continued to benefit Maharashtra and the nation. Shah emphasized that institutions celebrating a centenary must not only take pride in their legacy but also use the occasion for introspection and renewal.

    He remarked that in the century since MACCIA’s founding, the global and national economic landscape has undergone transformative changes. With globalization reshaping commerce, industry, and agriculture, Shah called on Chambers of Commerce across the country to adapt their methods and reassess their relevance. He urged them to engage professional institutions to align operations with the evolving economic and policymaking frameworks of both state and central governments.

    Highlighting India’s economic trajectory, Shah said that the country has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economy, overtaking former colonial powers. He credited policy reforms and their robust implementation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for this significant progress, including the rising global standing of the Indian passport.

    Shah said that Maharashtra has become a symbol of India’s industrial growth, hosting the country’s financial capital and contributing 39% of India’s total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He cited that the state also leads in startups, tourism, income tax filings by women, and infrastructure development — including the upcoming Vadhavan Port and the bullet train project.

    Addressing the development of Mumbai and its surrounding areas, Shah revealed that the central and state governments, operating under a “double-engine” governance model, are investing over ₹7 lakh crore in transformative projects. This effort, he said, is infusing Maharashtra with new energy and fostering long-term development.

    Drawing a comparison between two decades, Shah stated that Maharashtra received ₹1.91 lakh crore in central devolution and grants between 2004 and 2014, whereas this amount increased to ₹7.82 lakh crore during the Modi government’s tenure from 2014 to 2024.

    Emphasizing the importance of cooperative federalism, Shah said that Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “Team India” is central to the nation’s development. He added that the joint efforts of the Centre and the States, along with a constructive mindset, are driving the country’s rapid progress.

    MACCIA’s role, he added, remains crucial as it continues to raise demands for policy changes, infrastructure upgrades, and solutions for issues in trade, industry, and agriculture. Shah called upon all Chambers of Commerce to evolve with the times and continue contributing meaningfully to India’s economic journey.

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIH to Fund Long-Term Health Studies for East Palestine After Train Disaster

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    Friday, June 19, 2026

    Today, at the urging of Vice President JD Vance, under the leadership of U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a five-year, $10 million research initiative to assess and address the long-term health outcomes stemming from the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
    “Vice President Vance, thank you for your persistence on this issue,” Secretary Kennedy said. “You helped drive the first large-scale, coordinated, multi-year federal study dedicated to the long-term health effects of the East Palestine, Ohio disaster. The people of East Palestine have a right to clear, science-backed answers about the impact on their health.”
    “As a senator, it was incredibly frustrating watching the Biden administration refuse to examine the potentially dangerous health impacts on the people of East Palestine following the train derailment,” Vice President Vance said. “I’m proud that we finally have a new president that takes the concerns of everyday, working-class people seriously. This historic research initiative will finally result in answers that this community deserves, and I’m grateful for the work of Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya on these efforts.”
    On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment involving 38 cars carrying hazardous chemicals—including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol, and benzene residue—resulted in prolonged fires and controlled burns in East Palestine. Following the derailment, several railcars burned for more than two days, and emergency responders conducted controlled burns which raised concerns about the airborne release of hydrogen chloride and phosgene.
    Community members experienced and reported a range of initial health symptoms—including headaches as well as respiratory, skin, and eye irritations—prompting concern about broader long-term impacts on maternal and child health as well as psychological, immunological, respiratory, and cardiovascular effects.
    “NIH is working to ensure that the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities are listened to, cared for, and get the answers they deserve,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said. “This multi-disciplinary research program will focus on public health tracking and surveillance of the community’s health conditions to support health care decisions and preventive measures.”
    The multi-disciplinary, community-focused series of studies that will focus on:

    Longitudinal epidemiological research to understand the health impacts of exposures on short- and long-term health outcomes including relevant biological markers of risk.
    Public health tracking and surveillance of the community’s health conditions to support health care decisions and preventive measures.
    Extensive, well-coordinated, communications among researchers, study participants, community stakeholders, health care providers, government officials, and others to establish a comprehensive approach to address the affected communities’ health concerns.

    Technical details, application information, and other background material to the public were released today. It is expected that a series of grants will be issued to analyze various types of studies and community activities. The deadline to submit research proposals is July 21. Research projects to start this fall. Learn more here.
    “The announcement today of the funding for long-term health studies for the people of East Palestine is great news for the community,” Governor Mike DeWine said. “This funding will enable the people of East Palestine to have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that any potential for long-term health effects will be studied by the scientists at the National Institutes of Health. I thank President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary Kennedy for their commitment now and into the future.”
    “Let’s be clear, Joe Biden abandoned East Palestine and left a community of working Americans behind when they needed him most,” Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said. “I’m beyond grateful that President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary Kennedy are moving quickly to make the community whole again and help these Ohioans in need. This is a huge step toward finally getting justice for East Palestine.”
    “On its path to full recovery, East Palestine deserves the reassurance that comes with transparency, and, thanks to the Trump Administration, that’s what they’re getting,” Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) said. “My commitment to East Palestine means making sure that we have the facts necessary to respond effectively and compassionately—now and into the future. I’m thankful for the leadership of President Trump and Vice President Vance, as well as Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya, in fighting for East Palestine and ensuring all impacted get the support they need and deserve.”
    “Once again, this administration is showing the American people what true leadership looks like—putting Americans first,” Rep. Mike Rulli (OH-06) said. “Unlike the Biden Administration, which tried to sweep under the rug the catastrophic negligence and long-term health consequences of the East Palestine disaster, President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Director Bhattacharya are stepping up and putting Ohioans’ health first. I couldn’t be more pleased with this announcement and the meaningful support this administration is delivering to my constituents.”
    “I applaud the Trump/Vance Administration for not leaving the people of East Palestine behind,” Rep. Dave Joyce (OH-14) said. “Programs like these, in coordination with other federal, state, and local partners, are critical to ensuring the impacted communities can move forward with the essential tools and knowledge to safeguard their long-term well-being. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and my colleagues in Congress to enact my bill, the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act, and similar programs that advocate for the long-term recovery of the region.”
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

    Institute/Center

    National Institutes of Health (NIH)

    Contact

    NIH Office of Communications
    301-496-5787

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: $10 Million to Expand Food Access for All New Yorkers

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced $10 million through the State’s Food Access Expansion Grant Program to increase food access for New Yorkers living in areas with limited options for affordable, fresh food. The program provides funding to nine organizations across the state to support the development and expansion of supermarkets, food cooperatives, permanent farm stands, mobile markets, and other retail food stores in underserved regions while also increasing markets for New York farmers. This announcement follows Governor Hochul’s warning to New Yorkers regarding the impact of federal cuts to the SNAP program on New York’s agricultural industries and vulnerable families. Funding for the State’s Food Access Expansion Grant program was included in the 2024 Enacted Budget and builds on Governor Hochul’s goal to enhance affordability for New York families, boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York’s food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers have access to fresh, local foods.

    “I am committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers, especially those in underserved areas, have access to affordable, healthy, local foods,” Governor Hochul said. “I know that the projects awarded through our Food Access Expansion Grant Program will make a significant impact in this space and ensure that our families can put fresh, New York made foods on the table, while supporting our agricultural community at the same time.”

    Administered by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, funding through the Food Access Expansion Grant Program was available to eligible entities for projects aiming to increase the availability of food, whether through construction of a new retail store, the purchase of equipment to improve food and meals offered, the creation or expansion of mobile markets, and more. The program was developed following a Request for Interest (RFI), which gathered input from stakeholders to guide the Department on how best to shape the program.

    Below is a list of awarded projects:

    • The Adirondack North Country Association (North Country) – $468,576 to partner with The ADK Food Hub and Whitten Family Farm to increase the availability and distribution of food throughout the North Country. The project will construct a new processing kitchen and retail store in St. Lawrence County. This will help to expand a permanent farmstand, allowing for food processing and sale of processed products from other farms, including milk, yogurt, cheese, salads, frozen vegetables, baked foods, pickles, and jams. The Real Food Hub will result in a building that offers climate-controlled storage, a processing kitchen, loading dock, and retail storefront.
    • Broome County Council of Churches Inc. (Southern Tier) – $1,553,688 to partner with members of their task force including the City of Binghamton, Broome County, Eden Food for Changes, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and others to renovate an existing building to include a new commercial kitchen, and to purchase and customize a new Mobile Market Bus. The new kitchen will be used to produce SNAP-eligible prepared meals for retail sale at the Greater Good Grocery and in the Mobile Market Bus.
    • Buffalo Go Green Inc. (Western New York) – $809,932 to implement building renovations for a market, commercial kitchen, and juicery, including dry and cold storage and a loading dock to be used by their mobile market. The project will result in a commercial kitchen, juicery, food retail space, and 3,500 square feet of cold and dry storage on Buffalo’s Eastside to expand and support their mobile markets.
    • The City of Schenectady (Capital Region) – $2,100,000 to partner with Electric City Community Grocery, Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority, and National Co+op Grocers to open a new grocery store and co-op in downtown Schenectady. The project will result in the renovation of an existing building into a cooperative food store. The City of Schenectady is providing a $1 million grant toward project costs.
    • Foodlink Inc. (Finger Lakes) – $291,420 to expand its Curbside Market program in Monroe County through the construction of a commercial warehouse for loading and unloading Curbside Market vehicles with storage space for product. The project will additionally fund the purchase of a new Curbside Market vehicle.
    • The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (Western New York) – $265,973 to expand critical infrastructure for the UB Veggie Van mobile market by purchasing and customizing a new market vehicle and expanding cold and dry storage infrastructure. The project will result in shared infrastructure that addresses food insecurity across the University of Buffalo and Buffalo State campuses.
    • Riseboro Community Partnership Inc. (New York City) – $2,134,720 to partner with the Central Brooklyn Food Coop to lease 10,000 square feet of a new development project for grocery retail and food storage. Funds will be used for excavation costs and the retail fit-out of the co-op. Riseboro will partner with Brooklyn Packers to source food from New York farms.
    • Syracuse Economic Development Corporation (Central New York) – $1,719,000 to partner with the City of Syracuse, Ellicott Development Company, Super Imperial Market, and Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now to renovate and reopen the Valley Plaza Grocery Store on the Southside of Syracuse that has been vacant since 2018. The project will result in 22,000 square feet of retail food space bringing fresh produce, meats, and prepared foods to the neighborhood and grocery delivery for seniors.
    • Tri Corner Food Equity, Education & Distribution (Mid-Hudson) – $656,690 to purchase and renovate an existing building that includes walk-in refrigeration, refrigeration and freezer displays, and bakery display cases. The new Fair Food Grocery Store will result in 2,080 square feet of retail space, a commercial kitchen, and café space.

    New York State State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Connecting the dots between New Yorkers and our farmers, and addressing gaps in the food supply chain, are key priorities here at the Department. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s dedicated support, we’ve implemented a number of initiatives that aim to support our farmers, strengthen our food system, and get fresh, local foods to our families. The Food Access Expansion Grant Program is one more piece of that puzzle, and will make a tremendous impact on many of our underserved communities. I congratulate all the organizations receiving funding today and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”

    State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Every New Yorker deserves to eat healthy, locally-grown food, and the State’s Food Access Expansion Grant Program is a lifeline in our effort, especially in underserved areas where access to fresh food is scarce. By investing in new grocery stores and farm stands, we’re creating more demand for New York-grown products and connecting the dots between local food and local communities. I’m proud to have helped champion this funding and thrilled to see Tri-Corner FEED receive state support to open the Fair Food Grocery Store in Millerton—a project that will bring fresh food, a café, and a commercial kitchen into the village. Congratulations to Tri-Corner FEED and all the awardees working to expand food access across New York.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “I am thrilled that Broome County Council of Churches will be receiving such a sizable grant from our Food Access Expansion Program. The program was established to expand access to fresh and local food in underserved areas, while also increasing opportunities for NY’s farmers. Communities like mine, and so many across the state, are desperately in need of these resources, especially at a time when federal support is at risk. This is one of numerous initiatives we have advanced in the state budget connecting NY agriculture with NY consumers.”

    Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said, “SEDCO’s award from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is a huge win for Syracuse and the Southside neighborhood. Having access to fresh and healthy food is critical in every neighborhood in this city, and now an area with limited access will have a grocery store once again. I am thankful to our City staff, Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now, and other community advocates who are working diligently to address food desert concerns in our neighborhoods, and to Governor Hochul and New York State for this significant investment to help support these efforts.”

    Schenectady County Legislature Chair Gary Hughes, “We’re grateful to Governor Hochul and the Department of Agriculture and Markets for supporting efforts to expand access to healthy food. This funding moves us closer to opening a community-owned grocery store in Downtown Schenectady. Together with the $3 million committed by the County Legislature, it marks a significant step toward making this long-standing vision a reality.”

    Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy said, “We are very thankful to Governor Kathy Hochul for providing a huge boost to our efforts to launch the new food co-op by providing this State grant. This is a pivotal step forward for our efforts to establish a new grocery store downtown.”

    Foodlink President & CEO Julia Tedesco said, “The need for equitable food access in our community has never been greater. Rising costs of food and persistent barriers continue to make it difficult for too many families to access fresh, affordable food. This investment from Governor Hochul allows us to expand our Curbside Market with additional operating space and purchase a new vehicle. We can reach more neighborhoods, more efficiently, ensuring that nutritious food is not a privilege, but a right for all Monroe County residents.”

    The Food Access Expansion Grant Program is one initiative in an array of programs implemented by New York State to build a more resilient food system. New York continues to support several groundbreaking programs that focus on improving access to locally grown foods including through its 2026 Budget, including the Nourish NY program, the 30 Percent NYS Initiative for school meals, and the Farm-to-School program. Additionally, this year’s Budget included the third round of funding as part of the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which provides $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York State farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children.

    These investments build on the Governor’s commitment to boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York’s food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods. This includes the Governor’s Executive Order 32 directing State agencies to increase the percentage of food sourced from New York farmers and producers to 30 percent of their total purchases within five years. The Governor has also committed $25 million toward the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Development Grant Program to assist food producers, processors, distributors, and others using New York ingredients to bring innovative NYS Grown & Certified products to market.

    New York State continues to prioritize increasing access to food for all New Yorkers through a number of programs and initiatives, including the enhanced FreshConnect Fresh2You initiative, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grants Programs, and more. Governor Hochul recently announced $13.7 million in funding for 19 projects statewide through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program to provide capital and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses operating at the middle of the supply chain, helping to enhance coordination throughout the food system and improve access to markets for farmers. This investment will help connect the dots between our state’s food producers and retail operations.

    According to a report from the Office of the State Comptroller, between 2019 and 2021, approximately 10 percent of New Yorkers, or approximately 800,000 households, experienced food insecurity and struggled with food affordability.

    Earlier today, Governor Hochul sounded the alarm on how the Republican budget reconciliation bill will affect the Nation’s largest food assistance program, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), undermining a program that millions of New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table every single day. Estimates indicate the reconciliation bill would shift exorbitant costs to states across the country, including New York, where an additional $2.1 billion would be imposed on State and local county governments that administer the program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: $10 Million to Expand Food Access for All New Yorkers

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced $10 million through the State’s Food Access Expansion Grant Program to increase food access for New Yorkers living in areas with limited options for affordable, fresh food. The program provides funding to nine organizations across the state to support the development and expansion of supermarkets, food cooperatives, permanent farm stands, mobile markets, and other retail food stores in underserved regions while also increasing markets for New York farmers. This announcement follows Governor Hochul’s warning to New Yorkers regarding the impact of federal cuts to the SNAP program on New York’s agricultural industries and vulnerable families. Funding for the State’s Food Access Expansion Grant program was included in the 2024 Enacted Budget and builds on Governor Hochul’s goal to enhance affordability for New York families, boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York’s food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers have access to fresh, local foods.

    “I am committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers, especially those in underserved areas, have access to affordable, healthy, local foods,” Governor Hochul said. “I know that the projects awarded through our Food Access Expansion Grant Program will make a significant impact in this space and ensure that our families can put fresh, New York made foods on the table, while supporting our agricultural community at the same time.”

    Administered by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, funding through the Food Access Expansion Grant Program was available to eligible entities for projects aiming to increase the availability of food, whether through construction of a new retail store, the purchase of equipment to improve food and meals offered, the creation or expansion of mobile markets, and more. The program was developed following a Request for Interest (RFI), which gathered input from stakeholders to guide the Department on how best to shape the program.

    Below is a list of awarded projects:

    • The Adirondack North Country Association (North Country) – $468,576 to partner with The ADK Food Hub and Whitten Family Farm to increase the availability and distribution of food throughout the North Country. The project will construct a new processing kitchen and retail store in St. Lawrence County. This will help to expand a permanent farmstand, allowing for food processing and sale of processed products from other farms, including milk, yogurt, cheese, salads, frozen vegetables, baked foods, pickles, and jams. The Real Food Hub will result in a building that offers climate-controlled storage, a processing kitchen, loading dock, and retail storefront.
    • Broome County Council of Churches Inc. (Southern Tier) – $1,553,688 to partner with members of their task force including the City of Binghamton, Broome County, Eden Food for Changes, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and others to renovate an existing building to include a new commercial kitchen, and to purchase and customize a new Mobile Market Bus. The new kitchen will be used to produce SNAP-eligible prepared meals for retail sale at the Greater Good Grocery and in the Mobile Market Bus.
    • Buffalo Go Green Inc. (Western New York) – $809,932 to implement building renovations for a market, commercial kitchen, and juicery, including dry and cold storage and a loading dock to be used by their mobile market. The project will result in a commercial kitchen, juicery, food retail space, and 3,500 square feet of cold and dry storage on Buffalo’s Eastside to expand and support their mobile markets.
    • The City of Schenectady (Capital Region) – $2,100,000 to partner with Electric City Community Grocery, Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority, and National Co+op Grocers to open a new grocery store and co-op in downtown Schenectady. The project will result in the renovation of an existing building into a cooperative food store. The City of Schenectady is providing a $1 million grant toward project costs.
    • Foodlink Inc. (Finger Lakes) – $291,420 to expand its Curbside Market program in Monroe County through the construction of a commercial warehouse for loading and unloading Curbside Market vehicles with storage space for product. The project will additionally fund the purchase of a new Curbside Market vehicle.
    • The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (Western New York) – $265,973 to expand critical infrastructure for the UB Veggie Van mobile market by purchasing and customizing a new market vehicle and expanding cold and dry storage infrastructure. The project will result in shared infrastructure that addresses food insecurity across the University of Buffalo and Buffalo State campuses.
    • Riseboro Community Partnership Inc. (New York City) – $2,134,720 to partner with the Central Brooklyn Food Coop to lease 10,000 square feet of a new development project for grocery retail and food storage. Funds will be used for excavation costs and the retail fit-out of the co-op. Riseboro will partner with Brooklyn Packers to source food from New York farms.
    • Syracuse Economic Development Corporation (Central New York) – $1,719,000 to partner with the City of Syracuse, Ellicott Development Company, Super Imperial Market, and Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now to renovate and reopen the Valley Plaza Grocery Store on the Southside of Syracuse that has been vacant since 2018. The project will result in 22,000 square feet of retail food space bringing fresh produce, meats, and prepared foods to the neighborhood and grocery delivery for seniors.
    • Tri Corner Food Equity, Education & Distribution (Mid-Hudson) – $656,690 to purchase and renovate an existing building that includes walk-in refrigeration, refrigeration and freezer displays, and bakery display cases. The new Fair Food Grocery Store will result in 2,080 square feet of retail space, a commercial kitchen, and café space.

    New York State State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Connecting the dots between New Yorkers and our farmers, and addressing gaps in the food supply chain, are key priorities here at the Department. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s dedicated support, we’ve implemented a number of initiatives that aim to support our farmers, strengthen our food system, and get fresh, local foods to our families. The Food Access Expansion Grant Program is one more piece of that puzzle, and will make a tremendous impact on many of our underserved communities. I congratulate all the organizations receiving funding today and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”

    State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Every New Yorker deserves to eat healthy, locally-grown food, and the State’s Food Access Expansion Grant Program is a lifeline in our effort, especially in underserved areas where access to fresh food is scarce. By investing in new grocery stores and farm stands, we’re creating more demand for New York-grown products and connecting the dots between local food and local communities. I’m proud to have helped champion this funding and thrilled to see Tri-Corner FEED receive state support to open the Fair Food Grocery Store in Millerton—a project that will bring fresh food, a café, and a commercial kitchen into the village. Congratulations to Tri-Corner FEED and all the awardees working to expand food access across New York.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “I am thrilled that Broome County Council of Churches will be receiving such a sizable grant from our Food Access Expansion Program. The program was established to expand access to fresh and local food in underserved areas, while also increasing opportunities for NY’s farmers. Communities like mine, and so many across the state, are desperately in need of these resources, especially at a time when federal support is at risk. This is one of numerous initiatives we have advanced in the state budget connecting NY agriculture with NY consumers.”

    Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said, “SEDCO’s award from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is a huge win for Syracuse and the Southside neighborhood. Having access to fresh and healthy food is critical in every neighborhood in this city, and now an area with limited access will have a grocery store once again. I am thankful to our City staff, Food Access Healthy Neighborhoods Now, and other community advocates who are working diligently to address food desert concerns in our neighborhoods, and to Governor Hochul and New York State for this significant investment to help support these efforts.”

    Schenectady County Legislature Chair Gary Hughes, “We’re grateful to Governor Hochul and the Department of Agriculture and Markets for supporting efforts to expand access to healthy food. This funding moves us closer to opening a community-owned grocery store in Downtown Schenectady. Together with the $3 million committed by the County Legislature, it marks a significant step toward making this long-standing vision a reality.”

    Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy said, “We are very thankful to Governor Kathy Hochul for providing a huge boost to our efforts to launch the new food co-op by providing this State grant. This is a pivotal step forward for our efforts to establish a new grocery store downtown.”

    Foodlink President & CEO Julia Tedesco said, “The need for equitable food access in our community has never been greater. Rising costs of food and persistent barriers continue to make it difficult for too many families to access fresh, affordable food. This investment from Governor Hochul allows us to expand our Curbside Market with additional operating space and purchase a new vehicle. We can reach more neighborhoods, more efficiently, ensuring that nutritious food is not a privilege, but a right for all Monroe County residents.”

    The Food Access Expansion Grant Program is one initiative in an array of programs implemented by New York State to build a more resilient food system. New York continues to support several groundbreaking programs that focus on improving access to locally grown foods including through its 2026 Budget, including the Nourish NY program, the 30 Percent NYS Initiative for school meals, and the Farm-to-School program. Additionally, this year’s Budget included the third round of funding as part of the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which provides $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York State farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children.

    These investments build on the Governor’s commitment to boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York’s food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods. This includes the Governor’s Executive Order 32 directing State agencies to increase the percentage of food sourced from New York farmers and producers to 30 percent of their total purchases within five years. The Governor has also committed $25 million toward the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Development Grant Program to assist food producers, processors, distributors, and others using New York ingredients to bring innovative NYS Grown & Certified products to market.

    New York State continues to prioritize increasing access to food for all New Yorkers through a number of programs and initiatives, including the enhanced FreshConnect Fresh2You initiative, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grants Programs, and more. Governor Hochul recently announced $13.7 million in funding for 19 projects statewide through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program to provide capital and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses operating at the middle of the supply chain, helping to enhance coordination throughout the food system and improve access to markets for farmers. This investment will help connect the dots between our state’s food producers and retail operations.

    According to a report from the Office of the State Comptroller, between 2019 and 2021, approximately 10 percent of New Yorkers, or approximately 800,000 households, experienced food insecurity and struggled with food affordability.

    Earlier today, Governor Hochul sounded the alarm on how the Republican budget reconciliation bill will affect the Nation’s largest food assistance program, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), undermining a program that millions of New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table every single day. Estimates indicate the reconciliation bill would shift exorbitant costs to states across the country, including New York, where an additional $2.1 billion would be imposed on State and local county governments that administer the program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Who is Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sahar Maranlou, Lecturer in Law and Socio-legal Studies, Royal Holloway University of London

    Ali Khamenei was born in Mashhad, Iran, in 1939, as the second son of a local religious leader, Javad Khamenei, and he grew up in relative poverty.

    He learned to read the Qur’an in early childhood before attending a theological seminary school in Mashhad. At 18, he travelled to Najaf in central Iraq to study Shia jurisprudence, but was later asked by his father to return. He was a student of Ayatollah Hossein Borujerdi and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

    There is not much known about Khamenei’s family life, except that he is married and has six children. Khamenei’s interest in poetry is a well-known part of his public persona. He often cites poems in his speeches and hosts poetry gatherings where pro-government poets gather to read their poems to receive his comments. Khamenei’s interest in literature is quite rare among religious clerics. The same goes for his interest in gardening.

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

    In the 1960s and 1970s Khamenei was involved in protests against the US-backed monarchy (the shah), and was an ardent supporter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then living in exile, and against the “westernisation” of Iran. This led to his arrest by the shah’s secret police and intelligence operation, the Organisation of National Security and Information (Savak), which suppressed opposition to the shah.

    Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the monarch who ruled Iran until 1979, was backed by western powers including the US and the UK. After a decade of economic growth in Iran, mainly based on oil revenues, did not lead to an improvement in the standard of living for ordinary Iranians, a combination of students, intellectuals and clerics created combined support for a revolution.

    After the shah was overthrown in the 1979 revolution, Iran became an Islamic republic. Khamenei was appointed as a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Council, which was put in place to manage the revolution, and served as deputy defence minister and led Friday prayers in Tehran, which was considered highly prestigious.

    The new republic adopted an anti-western “imperialist” foreign policy. This is known as “global arrogance” (Estekbar Jahani) in Iranian post-revolutionary discourse.

    In 1982, he was elected president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, winning 95% of the vote, after the previous president, Mohammad Ali Rajai, was killed in a bomb attack in Tehran. Khamenei had been the target of an assassination attempt two months earlier, leaving him with serious injuries and paralysis in his right arm.

    Iran’s supreme leaders reacts to air strikes by Israel and US rhetoric.

    Iran’s war with neighbouring Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, lasted from 1980 to 1988 and is known in Iran as the “sacred defence”. The war began after an invasion by Iraqi troops on Iranian territory and resulted in around one million deaths across both countries.

    This was another significant period in Khamenei’s career. He was active in managing Iran’s defence as the chairman of the supreme council of war support during this period. The council was formed to make sure the country was as prepared as possible during the war and to take measures to mobilise forces and to meet the needs of the war at the battlefront.



    Read more:
    Why Israel’s air strikes signal a shifting relationship with the US and a weakening Iran

    He also commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite part of the Iranian armed forces, from 1981. At the end of the war, Khamenei claimed Iran had won a “luminous victory”.

    He praised Khomeini for his tactics in the war and said that the supreme leader had realised from the very beginning that it was not an ordinary conflict between two neighbours. “He recognised the enemy and realised that the main enemy is not present in the war, and he recognised that Saddam is just a tool.”

    He went on to suggest that this was a war about US regional power and that Saddam Hussein would continue to receive US support.

    Rising to supreme leadership

    Khamenei became supreme leader in 1989 after the death of Khomeini. He was designated as the new leader by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of Islamic clerics. He ruled in the same style, and with the same type of foreign policy, as his predecessor; looking for allies to offset US power in the region.

    The duties designated for the rahbar (supreme leader) are listed in Article 101 of the constitution and range from determining the political direction of the government (in consultation with an advisory committee) to commanding the armed forces to declaring war, peace, and the mobilisation of armed forces to pardoning or commuting sentences upon recommendation of the head of the judiciary.

    Khomeini’s conception of Islamic government was centred on the doctrine of the guardianship of “the jurist”, known as velayat-e faqih, and this continued at the heart of the government that followed under Khamenei. This gives the supreme leader extensive powers, including control over the military, judiciary and media.

    This doctrine plays a vital role in legitimising theocratic power in Iran, linking religious authority with the state. Discussion about velayat-e faqih continues within Iranian society as part of an ongoing dialogue between traditional religious authority and civil society.



    Read more:
    Trump’s unpredictable approach to Iran could seriously backfire

    The question of who might come to power after Khamenei was raised during the grassroots uprising and pro-democracy protests around Iran in 2022 and 2023. It was expected that any transition would take a considerable amount of time, especially if the aim was for a more democratic form of government.

    The current war might suggest a different outcome. Even though the Israeli attacks on Iran have again sparked discussion of a possible change of leader, the public is focused now on their own safety, and defending Iran, not on political change.

    Any external war or threats coming from outside Iran has historically united Iranians against aggressors. This means that the path to democratic change is not likely to be created, or helped, by Israeli air strikes or US threats.

    Sahar Maranlou 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. Who is Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? – https://theconversation.com/who-is-irans-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-259424

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: celebrating the wonderful slippery queerness of Penda’s Fen

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benedict Morrison, Senior lecturer in Film, Television, Literature, and Queer Studies, University of Exeter

    I was not around in 1974 to witness the first television outing of Alan Clarke’s Penda’s Fen. Broadcast only seven years after sex between men was partially decriminalised in England and Wales, this enigmatic film was beamed into the nation’s living rooms with an audacity that remains giddying today.

    Some commentators have suggested that the film “seems a world away” from the gritty social commentary of Clarke’s Scum (1977) and The Firm (1989). But Penda’s Fen recognises that unruly desire – manifested within the film in Blakean visions of angels, demons and the pagan King Penda – is political.

    Stephen, a classical music-loving, left-wing-despising rector’s son, lives among the green and pleasant Malvern Hills, where he plays at being an impeccably uniformed cadet and struggles to suppress his delirious sexual desire for other boys.

    This article is part of a series highlighting brilliant films that should be more widely known and firmly part of the canon of queer cinema .

    In his visions, the path of least resistance – that of being the young man everyone wants him to be – is championed by the sinister figures of the Mother and Father of England (modelled on conservative activist Mary Whitehouse and social critic Malcolm Muggeridge). This path would offer him “the right to inherit power”.

    But playing the role of the straight, conventional boy weighs heavily on Stephen, and he slips further from the narratives he longs to believe in. Haunted by a series of real and imagined encounters with angels, demons and England’s pagan past, Stephen begins to questions all he knows about himself – his religion, politics and sexuality.

    When I finally saw Penda’s Fen after its re-release by the BFI in 2016, it was uncannily familiar. Like Stephen, I grew up as the gay son of a rector in the rural West Midlands, torn between the lures and impossibilities of sexual convention.

    The political rhetoric of the LGBT+ community in the 1990s created social impact by speaking in very clear terms about non-straight identities. This rhetoric, for the sake of clarity, often offered narrow definitions of the characteristics and attributes that made someone definitively LGBT+.

    But it did lead to progress, featuring in campaigns for the repeal of section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which banned any affirmative presentation of homosexuality by local authorities, including schools. It also was used in campaigns that led to the lowering of the age of consent for gay sex to 16, in line with heterosexual sex.

    However, this narrow view left me with an uncomfortable sense that my inconsistencies and contradictions meant that I was never quite, never just, gay. Despite being a valuable term as I came out and claimed a social identity and a community, it failed to capture the complexities of my experience in a single word.

    These inconsistencies and complexities shine in queer theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s not-quite-definition of “queer”: “The open mesh of possibilities, gaps, overlaps, dissonances and resonances, lapses and excesses of meaning when the constituent elements of anyone’s gender, of anyone’s sexuality aren’t made (or can’t be made) to signify monolithically.”



    Read more:
    Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: Saving Face is a complicated romcom that tenderly depicts the experiences of queer Asians

    Sedgwick suggests that queerness is a kind of structural messiness; far from being a neat summing-up of someone’s identity, it is where the desires and behaviours which make up a person’s sexuality don’t quite add up, and so escape full understanding.

    Loving your own strangeness

    For me, the greatest queer films are not those which seek to confirm the myth of stable identity but, instead, open these meshes of possibility. I know of no film which does this better than Penda’s Fen.

    When the film begins, Stephen stamps out all his flickering desires. He clings to clear-cut notions of gender, sex and nation, the three pillars that will secure his power as a man in society.

    By the end, he has encountered the ghost of the composer Elgar, fantasised about schoolmates in homoerotic rugby scrums, and discovered that he is adopted and less English than he imagined. In this “Gnostic anarcho-punk anti-pastoral visionary work of English art”, as the writer Gary Budden calls it, all Stephen’s certainties shatter.

    As he ultimately stands in the hills’ high places, tempted by the Mother and Father of England to repress confusion and embrace their idea of normality in a folk-horror echo of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, his rejection becomes a radiant queer manifesto:

    “I am … nothing pure. My race is mixed. My sex is mixed. I am woman and man. Light with darkness … I am mud and flame!”

    Mud and flame is what I was as a teenager living in the shadow of those same hills: the earthy and the fiery, the tangible and the transcendent, the banal and the radical, the secure and the lost. This was – although I didn’t realise it at the time – queerness, a word theorist Lee Edelman writes “can never define an identity; it can only ever disturb one”.

    No film that I know captures this sense of slipping, sliding, desiring self so well as Penda’s Fen. Everyone who has ever felt the constituent parts of their own sexuality refusing to align should watch the film and fall in love with their own strangeness.

    Penda’s Fen, like queerness, resists specific interpretation. It is telling that the visionary commissioning editor David Rose, who oversaw the BBC Birmingham drama department and greenlit Penda’s Fen, confessed that he “didn’t understand it at all, but that’s as it should be”. This attitude is unimaginable in commissioners today.

    Clarke’s film is a blend of folk horror motifs, the politics of society and character-driven drama that cracks open meaning just as the church floor fractures when Stephen plays the organ discordantly.

    Viewers new to the film should experience its extraordinary final sequence without spoilers, but I will say that the closing images of Stephen – that
    “strange, dark, true, impure, and dissonant” protagonist – offer me the thrill of queerness’s unsettled, unsettle-able politics.

    Benedict Morrison 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. Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: celebrating the wonderful slippery queerness of Penda’s Fen – https://theconversation.com/hidden-gems-of-lgbtq-cinema-celebrating-the-wonderful-slippery-queerness-of-pendas-fen-257299

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Missouri Private Nonprofits Affected by March Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Missouri of the July 22 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms, straight‑line winds, tornadoes and wildfires occurring March 14–15.

    The disaster declaration covers the Missouri counties of Bollinger, Butler, Callaway, Carter, Dunklin, Franklin, Howell, Iron, Madison, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard and Wayne.

    Under this declaration, PNPs providing services of a governmental nature are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans. Eligible PNPs may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements might include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by any disaster. 

    “One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s mitigation loans.”

    PNPs are also eligible to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the PNP suffered any physical property damage. 

    Interest rates can be as low 3.62% with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible. 

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return applications for physical property damage is July 22, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 23, 2026.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Arkansas Private Nonprofits Affected by April Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Arkansas of the July 21 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding occurring April 2–22.

    The disaster declaration covers the Arkansas counties of Clark, Clay, Craighead, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Fulton, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Izard, Jackson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Little River, Lonoke, Marion, Miller, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Pike, Poinsett, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone and Woodruff.

    Under this declaration, PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature are eligible to apply for business physical damage loans. Eligible PNPs may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements might include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by any disaster. 

    “One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s mitigation loans.”

    PNPs are also eligible to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the PNP suffered any physical property damage. 

    Interest rates can be as low 3.62% with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is July 22, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 23, 2026.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Nebraska Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Spring Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Nebraska of the July 21, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding occurring May 20–June 3, 2024.

    The declaration covers Howard County in Nebraska.

    Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs impacted by financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 21.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta on U.S. Supreme Court Decision Regarding Challenge to California’s Clean Air Act Waiver

    Source: US State of California

    Friday, June 20, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reverse a lower court’s order dismissing a challenge to California’s 2013 Clean Air Act waiver governing the adoption of emission standards for new vehicles: 

    “While we are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow this case to go forward in the lower court, we will continue to vigorously defend California’s authority under the Clean Air Act,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Congress intended for California to be able to regulate emissions from new vehicles sold in our state, and we remain firmly committed to advancing and implementing strong standards that safeguard public health and reduce climate pollution. The fight for clean air is far from over.” 

    Background

    Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set emission standards for air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines that cause or contribute to air pollution and endanger public health or welfare. Under the Clean Air Act, California may adopt emission requirements independent from EPA’s regulations that are more stringent than federal standards, and EPA is required to waive preemption for those requirements absent certain, limited circumstances not present in this case.  

    Petitioners, who are in the oil and biofuel industries, did not challenge the waiver for California’s Advanced Clean Cars I emissions standards when the waiver was first issued in 2013. Instead, they filed their challenge nearly a decade later, after the federal waiver was reinstated in 2022 following an unlawful rescission in 2019. Petitioners argued that the reinstated waiver exceeded EPA’s authority under federal law. Attorney General Bonta, along with Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Air Resources Board, led a group of states and local governments in intervening in the case to defend against the challenge. In April 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the petitioners lacked legal standing because by the time the petitioners’ case began, automakers were producing large numbers of zero-emission vehicles due to consumer demand and the automakers past investments, and the petitioners failed to show that judicial relief would likely redress their asserted harm by increasing fuel sales.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 21, 2025
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