NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sly Stone: influential funk pioneer who embodied the contradictions at the heart of American life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Behr, Senior Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle University

    There’s immense variety in popular music careers, even beyond the extremes of one-hit wonders and the long-haulers touring stadiums into their dotage. There are those who embody a specific era, burning briefly and brightly, and those whose legacy spans decades.

    Straddling both of those, and occupying a distinctive space in popular music history, is Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone, who died at the age of 82 on Monday June 9.

    A pioneer of funk whose sound spread far beyond the genre, his band Sly and the Family Stone synthesised disparate strands of American popular music into a unique melange, tracking the musical and social shifts as the 1960s wore into the 1970s.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    A musical prodigy and multi-instrumentalist from a young age, Stone was born in Texas in 1943 and raised in California, in a religious Pentecostal family. He had put out his first single aged 13 – a locally released gospel song with three of his siblings, who would later join him in Sly and the Family Stone.

    A record producer and DJ by his early twenties, he imbibed the music of British acts like The Beatles and Rolling Stones, and applied his eclectic tastes and musical versatility to producing local psychedelic and garage rock acts in the emergent San Francisco scene.

    By the time commercial popular culture had flowered into a more exploratory “counterculture” in 1967’s Summer of Love, the ebb and flow of personnel across local bands had coalesced into a line-up including the Stone siblings – Sly, Freddie, and their sister Vaetta, with their other sister Rose joining in 1968. Pioneering socially, as well as aesthetically, Sly and the Family Stone had diversity at its core – a mixed sex, multi-racial and musically varied band.

    This was notable for a mainstream act in an America still emerging from the depths of segregation, and riven with strife over the struggle for civil rights. While their first album in 1967 A Whole New Thing enjoyed comparatively little traction, 1968‘s Dance to the Music presaged a run of hits.

    Their sonic collision of sounds from across the commercial and social divide – psychedelic rock, soul, gospel and pop – struck a chord with audiences simultaneously looking forward with hope to changing times, and mindful of the injustice that was still prevalent.

    Singles like Everyday People, Stand, and I Want to Take You Higher, melded a party atmosphere with social statements. They were calls for action, but also for unity: celebratory, but pushing the musical envelope.

    While the band wore its innovations lightly at first, their reach was long. Bassist Larry Graham was a pioneer of the percussive slap bass that became a staple of funk and fusion. And their overall sound brought a looser, pop feel to the funk groove, in comparison to the almost militaristic tightness of that other funk pioneer, James Brown.

    Where Brown’s leadership of his group was overt, exemplified by his staccato musical directions in the songs, and the call and response structure, Stone’s band had more of an ensemble feel. Musical lines and solos were overlaid upon one another, often interweaving – more textured rather than in lock-step. It was a sound that would reach an almost chaotic apogée with George Clinton’s Funkadelic later in the 1970s.

    The party couldn’t last. As the optimism of the 1960s gave way to division in the 1970s, Stone’s music took a darker turn, even if the funk remained central. The album There’s A Riot Going On (1971), and its lead single It’s Family Affair contained lyrics depicting social ills more explicitly. The music – mostly recorded by Sly himself – was sparser, the vocals more melancholic.

    The unity of the band itself was also fracturing, under pressure from Stone’s growing cocaine dependency. The album Fresh (1973) featured classics like In Time and If You Want Me To Stay, but they were running out of commercial road by 1974’s Small Talk, and broke up soon after.

    Periodic comebacks were punctuated by a troubled personal life, including, at its nadir, reports of Stone living out of a van in Los Angeles, and arrests for drug possession. By the time he achieved a degree of stability, his star may have faded, but his legacy was secure.

    Stone embodied the contradictions of American popular music – arguably even America itself: brash and light-hearted on the one hand, with a streak of darkness and self-destructiveness on the other.

    The handclaps and joyous shouts harked back to his gospel roots, but his embrace of electric instruments aligned soul with rock and pop. He was a funk artist who played at the archetypal hippie festival, Woodstock, and a social commentator whose party sounds were shot through with urgency.

    He paved the way for the likes of Prince and Outkast, but also informed jazz and fusion. Jazz pioneer Miles Davis acknowledged Stone’s influence on his own turn towards electric and funk sounds in the late 1960s and early 1970s on landmark albums like Bitches Brew.

    Sly Stone’s joyful provocations may not have lasted at the commercial centre, but his mark was indelible. His struggles were both personal and social, but his sense of groove, and of a collective voice, demonstrated the value of aligning traditions with new ideas – a musical America that was fractious, but still a family affair.

    Adam Behr has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council

    – ref. Sly Stone: influential funk pioneer who embodied the contradictions at the heart of American life – https://theconversation.com/sly-stone-influential-funk-pioneer-who-embodied-the-contradictions-at-the-heart-of-american-life-258616

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The political opportunism behind Reform UK’s support for abolition of the two-child limit on benefits

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chris Grover, Professor in Social Policy, Lancaster University

    The leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, recently announced that if in government, his party would abolish the two-child limit on benefits. This social security policy restricts the payment of means-tested benefits to the first two children of a family.

    Farage explained the announcement as being pro-natalist – intended to encourage a higher birth rate – as well as being “pro-worker”. Farage said that the abolition of the two-child limit “makes having children just a little bit easier” for “lower paid workers”.

    He noted that Reform wanted “to encourage people to have children”. Such arguments are familiar in the European political right, although the UK’s Conservative opposition criticised Reform’s proposal.

    To be in government, Reform has two possible routes: to build a coalition of voters for it, or to split left-leaning voters. Its proposal to abolish the two-child limit may be aimed at both.

    On the one hand, it might be supported by left-leaning voters who are able to accept Reform’s broader policy agenda. On the other hand, it might be aimed at encouraging left-leaning voters who find Reform’s agenda problematic to move to parties (such as the Greens and Liberal Democrats) who are less equivocal in their commitment to abolishing the two-child limit than the Labour government.

    Social security policies winning votes

    Social security policies have long been used as part of political strategising. The situation with the two-child limit is complicated, though, because both anti- and pro-natalist views of social security (and it predecessors) have been popular at particular moments.

    Political and popular arguments have long been made that supporting the poorest families leads to them having too many children. This, so the argument goes, reproduces, rather than addresses, the poverty they face. Examples can be found, for instance, in the 1834 poor law commission report in relation to “bastardy” and large families, Sir Keith Joseph’s 1970s focus upon the “cycle of deprivation”, as well as “underclass” arguments in the 1980s and 1990s.

    The two-child limit was announced in the 2015 budget and introduced in 2017 with the reasoning that “those in receipt of tax credits should face the same financial choices about having children as those supporting themselves solely through work.”

    The two-child limit on benefits restricts welfare payments for children to the first two children in a family.
    Len44ik/Shutterstock

    In contrast, the architect of the British welfare state, William Beveridge, noted in 1942 that children’s allowances (now child benefit) would help “housewives as mothers” in their “vital work in ensuring the adequate continuance of the British race and of British ideals in the world.” The 1945 Labour election victory in support of the welfare state suggests pro-natalist policies can contribute to electoral success.

    The expansion of tax credits in the 1990s and 2000s were partly explained in pro-natalist terms. Tony Blair, for instance, noted: “The working tax credit enables half a million mothers to choose to stay at home.” That, in other words, tax credits enabled women to choose having and raising children over paid work.

    Recent polling, however, suggests that the anti-natalist two-child limit polls well among voters, especially Reform voters. In 2024, for example, YouGov found 60% of Britons thought the two-child limit should be kept. The figure was 84% for Reform voters.

    Targeting voters

    The abolition of the two-child limit may have been adopted to increase Reform’s appeal to left-leaning voters. Providing additional support for families through social security may be attractive to voters concerned with social injustice. The two-child limit increases child poverty. Affected families are unable to provide even the most basic needs, such as food, clothing and heating.

    Nevertheless, Reform’s proposal is also embedded in caveats and would be paid for through means appealing to its existing voters. So, for example, Farage emphasised that the abolition of the two-child limit would be restricted to only British families. It would not be extended to families “who come into the country and suddenly decide to have a lot of children”.

    By keeping the two-child limit for migrant families, Reform’s proposals are consistent with existing immigration and asylum policies. It has been observed in an inquiry by All Party Parliamentary Groups on poverty and on migration that policies like this are, at least in part, “designed to push people into poverty in the hope that it will deter others from moving to the UK.” And, therefore, the abolition of the two-child limit can be seen as part of Reform’s pledge to severely curtail immigration.

    Farage also argued that the abolition of the two-child limit would be paid for by other policies that are central to Reform’s electoral agenda. These include stopping asylum seekers being housed in hotels and the abolition of net zero policies. It is also consistent with Reform’s view that jobs in Britain should be filled by British people. This, it believes, will help reduce reliance on migrant labour from overseas.

    There is little evidence that the introduction of the two-child limit had the desired impact on lowering poorer households’ birth rates. And it is unclear whether the proposed abolition of the two-child limit rooted in a British-only, pro-natalist agenda is enough to attract left-leaning voters.

    These voters might, for example, be more concerned with Reform’s position on immigration and asylum seeking, as well as the social injustice of the undoubted poverty in which families subjected to the two child limit on benefits live.

    Reform’s strategy then may be to further encourage those voters to turn from its closest rival – the Labour party – to other political parties. Whichever is the case, the situation will undoubtedly shift if the Labour government does take the step of abolishing the two-child limit.

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

    – ref. The political opportunism behind Reform UK’s support for abolition of the two-child limit on benefits – https://theconversation.com/the-political-opportunism-behind-reform-uks-support-for-abolition-of-the-two-child-limit-on-benefits-258042

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Spending review: Rachel Reeves is about to make a £600 billion gamble on growth

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Steve Schifferes, Honorary Research Fellow, City Political Economy Research Centre, City St George’s, University of London

    UK chancellor Rachel Reeves faces her biggest test with the government’s departmental spending plans for the three years from next April until the general election. With nearly £600 billion a year to spend, her decisions will impact on every aspect of public life and shape the political weather for years to come.

    She believes the key to reviving Labour’s fortunes as its poll ratings tumble lies in boosting economic growth.

    So the government has promised that its policies will increase the UK’s anaemic growth rate and enhance productivity. Reeves is looking to capital spending on big projects that will boost the economy, such as the £14.2 billion government investment in a new nuclear power plant at Sizewell in Suffolk.

    Last year she revised the government’s fiscal rules to give herself the space to borrow an extra £113 billion over three years to transform Britain’s ageing infrastructure. She has already made it clear that she wants to boost transport investment outside of London, as well as invest in research and development, including green energy.

    But there are challenges ahead. In the first place, the effect of infrastructure investment takes a long time to feed through. This is partly because of the lag between planning the projects and when they come on-stream.

    It will take time before the full effect will be felt on productivity, which has been growing more slowly than expected. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggested in March that the latest government plans for planning reform might increase productivity by just 0.2% in the longer term.

    There are also some real trade-offs as to where the increased capital investment will go – and which sectors will benefit most. The chancellor has emphasised her commitment to putting more money into projects outside London and south-east England that have had less public investment in the past.

    But London and the south-east is where productivity is highest and where further investment might have a bigger effect on economic growth.

    It appears that there may be less funding for social housing, which may threaten the government’s ambitious target of building 1.5 million homes over the parliament. There may also be less available to repair schools and hospitals.

    And the plans to boost defence spending on expensive military equipment – such as frigates and fighter planes – will also count as capital spending. As such, it could further reduce the amount available for infrastructure investment.

    The departmental trade-offs

    Despite the relative abundance of cash for infrastructure, the tighter fiscal rules on day-to-day spending mean that many departments are facing a squeeze on their budgets. The government plans to allow total day-to-day departmental spending on average to rise by just 1.2% per year in real terms during the next three years. This probably spells a real-terms cut for some “unprotected” departments.

    This is because the money will not be distributed equally. The Department of Health and Social Care gets 40% of all departmental spending and is likely to be the big winner.

    It has already received a big increase in the last spending round, with an 11% increase in capital spending is likely to get even more to realise an ambitious ten-year plan for improving services in the NHS in England.

    If health spending were to go up by 2.5% (well under its historic average), this could mean very little increase for many other government departments. And if it is increased by 3.5% this will imply real-terms cuts for other areas.

    The situation is made more difficult by the government’s decision to prioritise two other areas: defence and schools. For defence, it is committed to raising spending to 2.5% by 2027 and to 3% in the next parliament.

    And for education, Reeves has pledged an extra £4.5 billion per year for more teachers, childcare places and free school meals. The decisions have a strong political dimension, as health and education tend to be the most popular spending priorities among the public.

    Boosting the education spend tends to play well with the UK public.
    Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

    The spending review, however, only covers half of total government spending. The more unpredictable part is annually managed expenditure, mainly on benefits and interest payments on government debt.

    The Treasury sets an overall target (known as the spending envelope) on how much will be spent in these areas. But it now faces a crunch point over the unpopular decisions to cut disability benefits and keep the two-child benefit cap.

    Reeves’ partial U-turn on the winter fuel payment, which will now be paid to 9 million pensioners, will cost an additional £1.25 billion a year but may have been a political necessity.

    But a full U-turn on the two other issues will be much more expensive. Taken together, such a change might breach the fiscal rules, which give only £10 billion of “headroom” in a total government budget of more than £1.2 trillion. So while there will be some rowing back, the finances suggest any more major U-turns are unlikely.

    To make matters worse, these spending plans are based on an economic forecast made by the OBR in March. This did not include the effect of US president Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Since then, both the IMF and the OECD downgraded their UK growth forecasts for both 2025 and 2026, and despite a recent small upgrade by the IMF, growth is still significantly lower than previously expected.

    Even though Britain seems to have secured a deal with the US, the effect of tariffs on global growth will still damage the UK’s prospects as a trading nation.

    This will make it harder for the government to meet its fiscal targets in the autumn budget while sticking to the departmental spending plans. The chancellor will then have three options. She can look for more cuts in benefits spending.

    She could try to find other sources of tax revenue, for example by tweaking the rules on taxing pensions or extending the freeze on upgrading tax bands. Or, more radically, she could modify the fiscal rules to give herself more flexibility – for example by having only one economic forecast a year, as the IMF has suggested.

    Ultimately Labour’s electoral prospects will depend on whether it has succeeded in boosting living standards. While the productivity drive could work, the UK economy remains at the mercy of wider global economic forces.

    Steve Schifferes 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. Spending review: Rachel Reeves is about to make a £600 billion gamble on growth – https://theconversation.com/spending-review-rachel-reeves-is-about-to-make-a-600-billion-gamble-on-growth-258526

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why ultra wealthy donors like Elon Musk and Zia Yusuf may just be fundamentally incompatible with the politics of the radical right

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sam Power, Lecturer in Politics, University of Bristol

    Former chairman Zia Yusuf has rejoined Reform after quitting days previously. Yusuf had said he no longer wanted to work to get the party into government when new MP Sarah Pochin called for a ban on burqas in the UK. However, he seems to have had a change of heart and will return, ostensibly to lead the party’s “department of government efficiency”.

    Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s bromance, however, is on much rockier ground. There’s no sign of the world’s richest man reconciling with the US president, his former employer.

    These spats, at first glance, might seem like little more than, put politely, teething problems in (relatively) new political operations. Or, a little less politely, the unedifying spectacle of people in or seeking power being completely unable to act like adults.

    However, it also points to something more akin to a canary in the coalmine for radical right parties around the world. Their increasing reliance on an ultra-wealthy donor class presents an ideological puzzle that may not be solvable.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    Reform currently operates on what has been described as vibes alone. That is to say, there’s very little meaningful common ground between the people who vote for Reform and the party elite. The only continuity is their sense of anger at the current political system.

    This, as we are seeing in election after election, is an incredibly powerful (and compelling) force. The problem is, of course, that you can’t oppose forever. You often end up having to actually do something. All boxers, Mike Tyson will be glad to tell you, have a plan – until they get punched in the face.

    And what makes them such a powerful force at the moment, is precisely that which may cause challenges further down the line. At least for me, given it’s my bread and butter research-wise, I see this when I follow the money.

    And I’m increasingly asked a lot of questions about the kind of people who are either giving money to Reform – or who Reform are courting (and at the moment it is decidedly the latter which is the case).

    My position is that they very broadly fit into three categories. First are disaffected traditional Conservatives who are increasingly seeing a party – in the words of Farage – “worth investing in”. In the donations figures released on June 10, these are represented by bussinessmen Bassim Haidar and Mohammed Amersi.

    Then you have a Silicon Valley-reared tech-bro libertarian. This group already runs on a “move fast and break things” philosophy so the idea of an insurgent party which proclaims, on entering parliament, that “the fox is in the henhouse” naturally appeals.

    The final pot of money is filled via small donations, ballooning membership and a whole chunk of votes from a disaffected white working-class population to whom the language of economic and cultural grievances resonates.

    There are some places where the interests of these groups align – most notably a distaste for government interference and red tape (though not necessarily a smaller state in terms spending on public services). They also share a sense that progressive politics, broadly defined, ought to be pegged back a bit (but with an emphasis on a bit).

    They differ on a great deal else, to the extent that you can only really please two out of the three, but never everybody. And, unfortunately, without all three the project starts collapsing. This is what we have been seeing in the fractious relationships between Trump and Musk and Farage and Yusuf.

    Two out of three ain’t bad – but it’s not enough

    Yusuf (and Musk) are very much representative of the new tech-bro class. And, when Yusuf called questions about banning the burqa “dumb” he was speaking at both an ideological and organisational level.

    At the ideological level it is, frankly, a bit rich for his blood, because “philosophically I am always a bit uneasy about banning things which, for example, would be unconstitutional in the United States”.

    Organisationally, it pushes Reform much closer to what journalist Fraser Nelson calls “a tactic more akin to the old BNP”. Indeed, Reform started “just asking questions” about burqas at the same time as it started twisting footage to claim that Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, wants to prioritise the needs of Pakistanis.

    This kind of dog-whistle politics appeals to some, but puts off a lot more, including, I think, some of the (saner) tech-bro right.

    Indeed, Ian Ward at Politico perceptively notes that if we want to explain the current Musk-Trump meltdown we should look back to Christmas 2024, when cracks first started appearing over immigration policy.

    The tech-bro right are, generally speaking, much less hardline on the flow of people than the Maga-populist right (think Steve Bannon and Tommy Robinson). In fact, they are pro-high skilled immigration as it tends to benefit them and their business interests.

    Tech-bros also like the idea of moving fast and breaking things in theory. But when things start moving fast and actually breaking in practice (or Tesla stocks start to plummet), they tend to get a bit freaked out.

    In other words, it’s not just that they don’t like government, they don’t like governing and the inevitable compromise that comes with it. When they say move fast and break things, I get the sense what they really mean is “leave me alone so I can make billions in peace”.

    This, of course, is quite appealing to traditional hedge-fund conservatives, but is also the politics that literally built the economic grievances that much of the white-working class support for the populist radical right is, in turn, built on.

    Two out of three ain’t bad, but you do need all three. So, don’t be surprised if despite Farage’s seemingly genuine affection for Yusuf, it all falls apart again before long.

    Ultimately, Reform will need to decide how they are going to spin these plates. The good news is that it might well be that they can, indeed, get by on vibes alone until the next general election. The bad news, unfortunately, is that winning an election is the easy bit. Just ask Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer. After all, everyone has a plan.

    Sam Power receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

    – ref. Why ultra wealthy donors like Elon Musk and Zia Yusuf may just be fundamentally incompatible with the politics of the radical right – https://theconversation.com/why-ultra-wealthy-donors-like-elon-musk-and-zia-yusuf-may-just-be-fundamentally-incompatible-with-the-politics-of-the-radical-right-258512

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What the new British zoo standards mean for animal welfare

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Samantha Ward, Associate Professor of Zoo Animal Welfare, Nottingham Trent University

    Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko/Shutterstock

    If you visit a zoo, you might be captivated by the animals you see — majestic lions, curious meerkats, soaring birds of prey. But this is not always the case. Some zoos don’t always give us that impression of “happy animals” where they can behave naturally and be left alone by visitors if they wish.

    The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments recently released new zoo standards for Great Britain. So what does this mean for the future of zoos?

    I have been working in and with zoos for over 20 years. I am a bit of a zoo-nerd but that doesn’t mean that I like them all. I am an advocate for good animal welfare in zoos and so I can recognise the ones that are good and not so good.

    Britain is one of a few countries such as Belgium, South Korea and New Zealand that have specific zoo legislation. The new British standards will be enforced in 2027, giving below-par zoos two years to up their game.

    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.

    I speak here in my role as associate professor of zoo animal welfare at Nottingham Trent University, but I also sit on the UK Zoos Expert Committee and helped to write the new standards. One of the biggest changes is the replacement of the word “should” with “must”. The standards now say: “Zoos must provide appropriate accomodation”. This makes all elements of the guidance much more enforceable.

    One of the most common complaints I hear when I say I work with zoos is that the animals don’t have as much space as they do in the wild. That is correct: zoos cannot provide the same amount of space for a lot of species. But good quality space can allow these animals to behave like they would in wild habitats.

    One of the most controversial animals when talking about space is elephants. In 2017 the UK government issued updated requirements for them which brought in enclosure-size requirements, something that had never happened for any species in British zoos before.

    Under the new standards, zoos will have until 2040 to increase their elephant provisions. Indoor space allocation for a herd of up to four females has been doubled to 600m². This then increases by 100m² for each additional elephant (compared to 80m² in the 2017 requirements).

    Bull facilities – zoos that house individual male elephants – need to provide 320m² of indoor space per bull. Outdoor areas for bull and cow elephants must provide a minimum shared space of 20,000m² (or 2.8 UK sized football pitches) for up to five group-living adults. This must be increased by at least 2,500m² for each additional animal over two years old. This is over 30 times larger than the current standards.

    The new standards stipulate that zoos must provide more natural habitats that better replicate how elephants live in the wild. There are also requirements for more detailed behavioural monitoring and things that help keep elephants active and engaged in their environment.

    Howver, animal welfare charity the RSPCA still feels that these updates are not good enough. It believes that elephants (and some other species) are not suitable for captivity as they have complex cognitive needs and space requirements.

    From my perspective, Britain has the most specific (and now) welfare-driven standards for elephants in the world. If Britain were to ban the housing of elephants, we would be shipping them to lower quality habitats, care and monitoring. Is this really what we want for the elephants in British zoos?

    What else is changing

    Another area where there has been much criticism in the past relates to providing animals from specific climates or environments with the correct conditions, such as reptiles, amphibians, tropical birds and primates. While a high number of animals seem to cope well in the UK’s colder climate, there is research to show that some animals need specialised environments, without which they can suffer from severe health problems, low welfare and even death.

    The new standards require zoos to develop detailed environmental management plans for species that rely on artificial life-support systems such as aquariums, vivariums, tropical houses or desert habitats. Animals also cannot be removed from their enclosures for interactions or talks with the public.

    These environmental management plans outline the environmental parameters required for that animal to thrive and behave naturally, and they need to be monitored to ensure that provisions do not slip.

    Birds of prey have new welfare protections in British zoos.
    chrisdorney/Shutterstock

    There are also extra requirements for birds of prey. Although controversial, tethering is currently a recognised management practice for birds of prey, including owls, hawks and falcons. You don’t need to be a welfare scientist to understand how a bird might feel about being tethered to a post for long periods of time.

    The 2012 standards stipulated that tethered birds should be flown at least four times per week, though there were no time restrictions on how long they could be tethered. The new standards emphasise that birds can only be tethered for a maximum of four hours in a 24 hour period and only as a management tool that benefits the bird (such as training for flight displays, transportation or veterinary treatment).

    There is new emphasis on what is known as behavioural enrichment. Whether it’s puzzle feeders for primates, scent trails for big cats or novel objects for parrots, enrichment helps prevent boredom, reduce stress and promote natural behaviour.

    Enrichment can be resource intensive and therefore difficult to implement, but the new standards make it a core requirement. Enrichment activities must aim to replicate natural behaviour such as foraging, climbing or problem solving. Zoos are required to document and evaluate these activities, track how animals respond and adjust strategies accordingly.

    These updates reflect a deeper understanding of what animals need to thrive, not just survive. As a zoo welfare scientist, I feel there is always more that can be done to improve the welfare of animals in zoos (such as banning touch pools and tethering altogether).

    But it is important that zoos and aquariums evaluate the costs (to the animals) and benefits (to the visitors) to make ethical and welfare-based decisions themselves.

    These new standards will improve the conditions for animals in zoos, as well as help zoos to make the right decisions about the animals they house and care for.

    Samantha Ward is the welfare specialist on the Zoo Experts Committee, part of DEFRA, who helped write the new zoo standards.

    – ref. What the new British zoo standards mean for animal welfare – https://theconversation.com/what-the-new-british-zoo-standards-mean-for-animal-welfare-258001

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Rosebank oilfield: why more UK oil means more global emissions

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Fergus Green, Associate Professor in Political Theory and Public Policy, UCL

    Frode Koppang / shutterstock

    The UK government will soon face a momentous decision over whether to approve production in the Rosebank oilfield off the coast of Shetland.

    Rosebank is the UK’s biggest undeveloped field. Its proponents – the largest of which is Norwegian state-owned petroleum company, Equinor – estimate that it will produce the equivalent of up to 500 million barrels of oil between 2026 and 2051. When burned, this oil will generate up to 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is more than the combined annual emissions of 28 low-income countries.

    Thanks to recent court cases, the climate effects of those “combustion emissions” will need to be taken into account by the government when it decides whether to approve production at Rosebank. In a new report, two colleagues and I reviewed the evidence concerning the implications of new oil and gas fields in the UK.

    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.

    There is a rapidly dwindling global carbon budget for holding temperature increases to below 1.5°C of warming (the more conservative end of the Paris agreement’s temperature goal).

    Globally, the emissions from burning the fossil fuels in oil and gas fields and coalmines that are already operating or under development far exceed that budget. In this context, Rosebank’s combustion emissions are highly significant, as they add considerably to that excess.

    We also found that the projected production from existing fields is sufficient to meet or exceed global oil and gas demand in modelled economic scenarios in which climate warming is restrained to within 1.5°C. This is further evidence that new fields are not consistent with achieving globally agreed temperature goals.

    However, it is often asserted by supporters of new fields that keeping UK oil in the ground won’t reduce global emissions, because another producer will supply the demand and reap the benefits. This is a gross and dangerous oversimplification which, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, “defies basic economics of supply and demand”.

    Allowing a new field like Rosebank would increase the supply of oil globally, resulting in a fall in its price which, though small, would cause more oil to be consumed. As UK government advisers at the Climate Change Committee have acknowledged, new petroleum projects “support a larger global market overall” for petroleum. Stopping Rosebank would have the opposite effect, and lead to less oil consumed.

    Rosebank is found about 80 miles west of Shetland and its puffins.
    Philippe Clement / shutterstock

    The oil industry likes to trumpet the UK’s relatively low upstream emissions – that is, from the process of extracting oil – compared with those of competitors overseas. But this is a distraction from the bigger issue: the additional greenhouse gases emitted from consuming the extra oil that new fields produce.

    A recent peer-reviewed study by economists and experts in the emissions-intensity of oil and gas production concluded that limiting oil supply will almost always lead to lower overall emissions, regardless of the intensity of upstream emissions from different fields. It is highly likely that leaving Rosebank’s oil in the ground will result in lower global greenhouse gases than would occur if the field were developed.

    However, this focus on Rosebank’s aggregate emissions ignores two further reasons the field’s development consent should be refused on climate grounds.

    A litmus test of climate leadership

    First, exploiting new sources of oil supply like Rosebank locks in future oil and gas production, ultimately making it economically, politically and legally harder to wind the industry down.

    Second, as the Climate Change Committee also stated, decisions by the UK government concerning petroleum production have an important “signalling effect” internationally and at home.

    Internationally, the UK government has rightly acknowledged that climate action “must be accelerated drastically” to keep the average global temperature rise “below 1.5°C”.

    The UK has a proud reputation for climate leadership. It was the first country to enact a legally binding framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it rapidly phased out coal-fired power generation, and in 2019 it became the first country to adopt a net zero emissions target.

    Building on this legacy, the foreign secretary David Lammy has vowed to “push for the ambition needed to keep 1.5 degrees alive”. But approving Rosebank would signal to the world that the UK government is not sincere about keeping the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C goal “alive”, after all.

    Some might think that aspirations to climate leadership are futile given the Trump administration’s “drill, baby, drill” approach to fossil fuels. But Trump’s recklessness at a critical time for global climate efforts makes UK climate leadership more important than ever.

    The UK already chairs a suite of international energy transition alliances focused on the international phase-out of coal-fired power, the scale-up of renewables, and the financing of these transitions. It could plug a gap in its influence by rejecting Rosebank and joining the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance, a “club” of (currently) 25 national and sub-national governments that are working to phase-out oil and gas production and persuade other countries to follow suit.

    And it could deepen cooperation with the EU to drive down oil and gas demand and scale up clean energy throughout the region, yielding benefits that will outlive the Trump administration.

    Domestically, rejecting Rosebank would send a powerful signal to investors about the sincerity of the government’s commitment to achieve economic growth by becoming a “clean energy superpower”, as the governing Labour party pledged to do at the last election.

    But the benefits of clean prosperity must extend to the people and communities caught up in the transition, too. The UK’s North Sea oil and gas reserves, along with the jobs their production supports, are in terminal decline.

    Oil and gas workers and the communities in which they are based already face a volatile future. New fields like Rosebank would create some additional jobs in this declining industry. But they cannot arrest its long-term decline.

    The government recognises that this transition is already taking place and will continue. With targeted regional and industrial investment, support for workers and their families, and careful planning that meaningfully involves affected communities, the UK has an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how to achieve a just transition away from oil and gas.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Fergus Green has received consulting fees from and provided expert evidence on behalf of an environmental nongovernmental organisation engaged in climate-related litigation against a fossil fuel company. He informally consults with a number of environmental nongovernmental organisations in relation to fossil fuel production issues in the UK and elsewhere. He is a member of the Just Transition Expert Group of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (the role is unremunerated).

    – ref. Rosebank oilfield: why more UK oil means more global emissions – https://theconversation.com/rosebank-oilfield-why-more-uk-oil-means-more-global-emissions-253055

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Beards and microbes: what the evidence shows

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester

    Bernardo Emanuelle/Shutterstock.com

    Beards have long attracted suspicion, sometimes seen as stylish, sometimes as unsanitary. But how dirty are they, really?

    Human skin is home to billions of microorganisms – mainly bacteria, but also fungi and viruses – and facial hair provides a unique environment for them to thrive. Research shows that beards, in particular, support a dense and diverse microbial population, which has fuelled a persistent belief that they are inherently unhygienic. The Washington Post recently reported that some toilets contain fewer germs than the average beard.

    But are beards truly a hygiene risk? A closer look at the evidence reveals a nuanced picture.

    The microbial population on skin varies by location and is influenced by factors such as temperature, pH, humidity and nutrient availability. Beards create a warm, often moist environment where food debris and oils can accumulate – ideal conditions for microbial growth.

    These microbes thrive not just because of the warm, moist conditions beards provide, but also because of constant exposure to new contaminants and microbes, especially from hands that frequently touch surfaces and the face.

    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.

    Concerns among scientists about beard hygiene date back over 50 years. Early studies showed that facial hair could retain bacteria and bacterial toxins even after washing. This led to the enduring idea that beards act as bacterial reservoirs and could pose an infection risk to others.

    For healthcare workers, this has made beards a point of controversy, especially in hospitals where pathogen transmission is a concern. However, hospital-based research has shown mixed results. One study found that bearded healthcare workers had higher bacterial loads on their faces than clean-shaven colleagues.

    Another investigation, looking at whether it would be hygienic to evaluate dogs and humans in the same MRI scanner, found that most men’s beards contained significantly more microbes than dog fur, including a greater presence of harmful bacteria. The researchers concluded: “Dogs are no risk to humans if they use the same MRI.”

    Dogs and humans can share the same MRI scanner.
    Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock.com

    However, other studies have challenged the idea that beards increase infection risk. For example, one investigation found no significant difference in bacterial colonisation between bearded and clean-shaven healthcare workers.

    The same study also reported that bearded doctors were less likely to carry Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of hospital infections, and that there was no increase in infection rates among patients treated by bearded surgeons wearing surgical masks.

    Beards can sometimes spread skin infections, such as impetigo — a contagious rash often caused by S aureus, which is commonly found in facial hair.

    In rare cases, parasites like pubic lice – which usually live in the groin area – can also show up in beards, eyebrows or eyelashes, particularly in cases of poor hygiene or close contact with an infected person.

    The case for good beard hygiene

    Neglected beards can foster irritation, inflammation and infection. The skin beneath a beard – rich in blood vessels, nerve endings and immune cells – is highly sensitive to microbial and environmental stressors. When sebum, dead skin, food debris and pollutants accumulate, they can irritate the skin and provide fuel for fungal and bacterial growth.

    Experts strongly recommend washing your beard and face every day. Doing so removes dirt, oils, allergens and dead skin, helping prevent microbial buildup.

    Dermatologists also advise moisturising to prevent dryness, using a beard comb to clear debris, and trimming to control loose hairs and reduce shedding. These steps help maintain not only hygiene but also beard health and appearance.

    So, are beards dirty? Like most things, it depends on how well you care for them. With daily hygiene and proper grooming, beards pose little risk and may even be healthier than we once thought.

    Primrose Freestone 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. Beards and microbes: what the evidence shows – https://theconversation.com/beards-and-microbes-what-the-evidence-shows-256917

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The National Gallery at 200: is this rehang a bold relaunch or rinse and repeat?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Conlin, Professor of Modern History, University of Southampton

    The National Gallery has recently rehung its entire collection. Taking hundreds of paintings off the wall and replacing them in a new arrangement requires considerable mental and physical labour on the part of curators, conservators and technicians.

    A rehang tends to elicit strong reactions from anyone with a stake in the collection – and in the case of a public gallery, “anyone” means “everyone”.
    Unsurprisingly then, it has only been done twice at the National Gallery since the second world war.

    Last month, I attended a launch party for the gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing entrance. It marked the end of NG200, a year-long programme of events celebrating the gallery’s 200th birthday. As the author of the gallery’s authorised bicentenary history, I had written about the refurbishment, albeit with only computer-generated impressions of what it would look like. Now I could see for myself.

    Inside the launch party for the gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing entrance.
    Jonathan Conlin, CC BY-SA

    Back in 1946, the director of the National Gallery was eager to offer both reassurance about his rehang and the promise of striking new juxtapositions. “The traditional grouping by schools has been largely maintained,” Sir Philip Hendy noted, “but a good many exceptions have been made, partly for the sake of a more harmonious and stimulating ensemble and partly for the sake of historical truth.”

    The rehang, Hendy argued, would show how “the spirit of the time is usually more important than national boundaries, and that ideas can transcend both”. A striking example was Hendy hanging Bronzino’s An Allegory With Venus and Cupid (1545) next to Holbein’s The Ambassadors, painted just 12 years earlier.

    “I enjoyed the intellectual shocks provided, lavishly, in the juxtaposition of unexpected artists,” wrote one regular visitor from Godalming in Surrey. But she soon found herself wondering if there was “some subtle plan” behind “having the Botticellis all in different rooms, the Venetians just anywhere, and the Rembrandts torn asunder?”

    Evacuation of paintings from the National Gallery during the second world war, shortly before the last rehang.
    Imperial War Museum

    The Bronzino and the Holbein were split up fairly quickly, perhaps in response to criticism from other confused visitors. While they have not been reunited on the same wall, as I stood back from The Ambassadors in room four, I could turn my head to the left and see Venus and Cupid neatly framed by the door to neighbouring room two.

    At least, I could have seen it, had Neil MacGregor not been standing in front of it. The National Gallery’s director from 1987 to 2002, MacGregor oversaw the last complete rehang as well as the construction of the Sainsbury Wing, which opened in 1991.

    This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

    At that time, the gallery’s then-head of exhibitions, Michael Wilson, replaced the traditional grouping by schools with the wing system, which organised the hang around three broad pan-European epochs. It was a profound shift, perhaps linked to broader pan-European political visions that would lead to the introduction of a common European currency in 1999.

    Former National Gallery trustee Robert Benson (as drawn by John Singer Sargent) believed art should be hung chronologically.
    Wiki Commons

    This was a world away from the previous arrangement. “Pictures must be hung in historical sequence,” trustee Robert Benson noted in 1914. “A salon carré, or a Tribuna, of masterpieces of all schools is an objective far ahead.”

    For Benson, it was clear that the collection could only be understood “school by school”. Each painter “must be appreciated and judged in relation to the chef d’école of whose artistic lineage, or entourage, he forms part”. Collecting works from the “period of eclecticism and decadence” that followed each chef d’école (the initiator or leader of a school of painting) was of secondary importance.

    But as a result, in the National Gallery that Benson (a wannabe gallery director) helped create and that MacGregor inherited, there were shocks aplenty as the visitor jumped from one school to another.

    Having followed the French school through from Corneille de Lyon’s Man in a Black Biretta (c. 1538-61) through Jacques-Louis David’s Jacobus Blauw (1795) to Cézanne’s Hillside in Provence (c. 1890-1912), you then jumped four or more centuries back to start over again with the Dutch or the Italians.

    The redesigned wing

    These shocks were compounded by gestures towards period interiors: terrazzo tile for the Italians, dark wood panelling for the Dutch. Opened in 1975, the northern extension’s carpet, suspended ceilings and floating walls were hailed as “a model of discretion and reticence in comparison to the grandeur of the Victorian interiors”.

    Under MacGregor’s wing system, “the spirit of the time” came first – nowhere more so than in the Sainsbury Wing, designed to set up a conversation between the artists of the Northern Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance. The system recognised that the Alps had not been a barrier to the exchange of artistic ideas, and had been criss-crossed by many Renaissance artists, including Albrecht Dürer.

    The postmodern American architects chosen to design the Sainsbury Wing, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, larded their design with a series of knowing, sometimes mannered quotations from much older buildings.

    The redesign of this Grade I-listed building by the American architect Annabelle Selldorf has now opened up Venturi and Scott Brown’s dark, crypt-like ground floor foyer. Squat columns originally intended to create a sense of anticipation have been thinned and in some cases removed. As the Twentieth Century Society noted in its planning objection, “the key sense of compression” (released upon climbing the stair) has been lost.

    Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria has not been hung in a specific women artists room.
    National Gallery

    A ‘tamer’ rehang

    Upstairs in the galleries, theme rooms have been introduced, scattered among the otherwise chronological hang. The choice of themes is tamer than the 2023 rehang of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, where some of the themes feel forced – such as “Tiepolo and multiracial Europe”.

    The National Gallery has resisted the temptation to devote a gallery to women artists: Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (c. 1615-17) hangs between Caravaggios in room three, not next to Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun’s Self Portrait in a Straw Hat (1782) in room 15.

    Those who admired the way in which MacGregor invited non-believers to engage with Christian art on an emotional level may nonetheless feel that an opportunity has been lost. This is a rehang that could have shocked more than it did.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Jonathan Conlin is the author of the National Gallery’s authorised bicentenary history, The National Gallery: A History.

    – ref. The National Gallery at 200: is this rehang a bold relaunch or rinse and repeat? – https://theconversation.com/the-national-gallery-at-200-is-this-rehang-a-bold-relaunch-or-rinse-and-repeat-258334

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sharon E. Straus, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto

    As climate change and disrupted weather patterns impact countries around the world, leaders must act to mitigate the negative effects on public health.

    Leaders from six western countries and Japan will soon gather in Kananaskis, Alta., for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting from June 15 to 17, 2025. In the lead-up to this meeting, the Royal Society of Canada hosted the Science 7 (S7). This is an engagement meeting of the leading academies of the G7 member countries.

    Following discussion and deliberation, three statements aimed at advancing science for society were published, entitled Advanced Technologies and Data Security, Sustainable Migration and Climate Action and Health Resilience.

    One of us (Sharon Straus) oversaw the S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience. This statement draws attention to the health impacts of climate change and recommends several mitigation strategies.

    Wide-ranging health impacts

    Experts on health and climate change have outlined the growing impact of delayed climate action. The data are clear. Extreme weather events such as heat, floods, droughts and wildfires are having wide-ranging health impacts.

    In the 10 years between 2014-2023, there was a 167 per cent increase in heat-related deaths in those aged 65 years and older compared with the 10 years between 1990-99. Extreme weather events also directly impact food and water security, as well as infectious diseases and chronic diseases.

    The health consequences of climate change are not only the result of environmental factors. Of equal importance are recent decisions eliminating funding for programs that mitigate the risks of climate change.

    Consider for example, the multiple threats to recent progress in eliminating malaria. The World Malaria Report published in December 2024 by the World Health Organization estimated that 2.2 billion malaria cases and 12.7 million malaria deaths were averted between 2000 and 2023.

    Now, many countries anticipate a malaria resurgence. Antimalarial drug resistance, mosquito resistance to insecticides, changes in temperature and humidity affecting mosquito survival and the emergence of new mosquito species linked to climate change — combined with the recent abrupt funding freeze from the United States — are leading to a perfect storm.

    Economic impact of climate change

    The economic burden of climate change, which includes more health-care use, lost productivity, adaptation and mitigation expenses — to say nothing of the costs of rebuilding — is massive.

    Much of that burden is borne by those who live in low- and middle-income countries (80 per cent of the world’s population) and who are the lowest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

    To put this in perspective, in 2021, the United Nations Environment Program estimated the costs of annual adaptation for vulnerable countries at US$70 billion and predicted this would increase to US$140-300 billion by 2030.

    In addition to the costs of adaptation aimed at reducing vulnerability to climate change, there are the costs associated with losses resulting from climate change. The 2024 Lancet Countdown estimated that the average annual economic losses due to extreme weather-related events reached US$227 billion between 2019-2023. This value exceeds the gross domestic product of approximately 60 per cent of the world’s economies.

    What about Canada?

    In Canada, warming is happening at twice the global rate with resulting heat, wildfires and floods. There is also evidence of significant impacts on mental health and chronic diseases, leading to an increased need for health care.

    Indigenous communities, older adults and those who have experienced homelessness are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Indigenous Peoples, especially those living in remote and northern areas, are particularly vulnerable.

    Currently there are 37 long-term and 40 short-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada. The lack of safe, clean drinking water can exacerbate climate-related food and water insecurity and lead to infectious disease transmission.

    The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing and many of these individuals are over 50 years old. These older adults are physiologically 15-20 years older than their housed counterparts and are at higher risk of chronic diseases, including those exacerbated by climate change.

    Similarly, frail older adults are at higher risk of health effects of climate change. It is worth remembering the impact of poor air quality and lack of air conditioning during the COVID-19 pandemic on those living in long-term care homes.

    Climate change costs health-care systems more each year. The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices recently estimated that health-related hospitalizations will increase by 21 per cent by mid-century. Our health systems are not prepared for this.

    In addition, the costs of death and reduced quality of life from heat-related climate change is estimated to rise between $3 billion and $3.9 billion by the middle of this century. Factoring in other impacts such as those from air pollution, flooding and wildfires, the total estimated costs are in the tens to hundreds of billions.

    S7’s recommendations

    The S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience includes seven recommendations. Addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on populations who are particularly vulnerable and investing in innovative solutions are among them. Particularly critical are societal and political innovations that involve affected communities, including Indigenous communities.

    The S7’s climate and health resilience recommendations include:

    • Developing and optimizing climate change mitigation strategies to transform health and social services (such as early warning infectious disease systems and biomonitoring).

    • Developing new regulations nationally and internationally to transform health, public health and social services, increasing their readiness and safeguarding health from climate change impact.

    • Providing economic and regulatory incentives to foster adaptation and resiliency of health systems.

    • Investing in innovative solutions (including vaccine development for emerging diseases, wastewater surveillance) to mitigate climate change and its health risks.

    The G7 summit is an opportunity to centre climate change discussions and act on the S7 recommendations. Bold investment in innovations that address the health challenges resulting from climate change will benefit us all and drive new economic activity and resilience.

    Climate change is a health issue, a social justice issue and an economic issue, and the time to act is now. Scientists, policymakers, clinicians and the public must work together.

    Sharon E. Straus receives research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

    Françoise Baylis is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

    – ref. The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit – https://theconversation.com/the-world-needs-bold-equitable-climate-action-at-the-2025-g7-summit-256876

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senior Congressional Intelligence & Defense Leaders Press DNI Gabbard Over Illegal Interference with Independence of the ICIG

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Jim Himes (D-CT-04), and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard expressing “grave concern” about her recent interference in the independence of the Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG).

    In the letter, the lawmakers strongly objected to Director Gabbard’s decision to unilaterally terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG and to appoint a “Senior Advisor” to work within the ICIG’s office while reporting directly to the Director herself. The letter notes that these actions were taken without the approval of the Acting ICIG, in direct contravention of federal statues designed to protect the independence of the Inspector General’s office. Director Gabbard’s actions were brought to Congress’s attention in a letter the Acting Inspector General sent to lawmakers on May 28.

    “Your actions violate both the letter and the spirit of the law,” the lawmakers wrote. “Despite your obligation to keep the congressional oversight committees fully and currently informed, our committees were notified of your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel, not by your office, but by the Acting ICIG.”

    The lawmakers underscored that Director Gabbard’s appointment of a Senior Advisor inside the ICIG’s office compromised the ability to carry out its statutory mission of identifying and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in the intelligence community.

    “[The Acting ICIG’s] letter also disclosed that you have appointed a ‘Senior Advisor’ within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces, which presents significant concerns not only for the independence of the ICIG but also the ability of the ICIG to protect confidential whistleblower information,” the lawmakers stated. “Our understanding is that your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel was made 48 hours after she made inquiries regarding the legal basis for the appointment of the Senior Advisor.”

    “Your recent actions undermine this independence and are contrary to commitments you made during your confirmation process,” the lawmakers wrote.

    The lawmakers called on Director Gabbard to immediately cease “illegal interference into the ICIG’s operations” and to provide a detailed accounting of the personnel actions and communications that led to these decisions.

    The letter concludes with a clear warning: “The ICIG must remain independent of political influence, and we will continue to oppose any attempt to interfere with its work, or silence its conclusions.”

    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

    Director Gabbard:

    We are writing to express our grave concern with your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG) and to appoint a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG without the approval of the Acting ICIG. 

    The Office of the ICIG was established by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 with a stated purpose of creating “an objective and effective office, appropriately accountable to Congress, to initiate and conduct independent investigations, inspections, audits, and reviews on programs and activities within the responsibility and authority of the Director of National Intelligence.”  To protect the independence of the Office, the law provides that the ICIG has “final approval of . . . personnel decisions concerning personnel permanently assigned to the Office of the Inspector General” and “shall . . . appoint a Counsel to the Inspector General who shall report to the Inspector General.”

    Your actions violate both the letter and the spirit of the law.  Despite your obligation to keep the congressional oversight committees fully and currently informed, our committees were notified of your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel, not by your office, but by the Acting ICIG.  Her letter also disclosed that you have appointed a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces, which presents significant concerns not only for the independence of the ICIG but also the ability of the ICIG to protect confidential whistleblower information.  Our understanding is that your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel was made 48 hours after she made inquiries regarding the legal basis for the appointment of the Senior Advisor. 

    The Acting ICIG disputes your assertion that she “agreed” to terminate the Acting Counsel and described your actions as “contrary to law” and “never sufficiently explained.”  As you testified at your confirmation hearing, the ICIG’s independence is “essential to ensure oversight and accountability.”  Your recent actions undermine this independence and are contrary to commitments you made during your confirmation process.  Therefore, we ask that you immediately provide our committees with the following information:

    The justification for your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG.

    The justification and legal basis for your decision to appoint a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces.

    The identity of the “Senior Advisor” described in the Acting ICIG’s letter.

    The names and positions of all ODNI personnel who participated in meetings regarding the decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG or appoint a “Senior Advisor” to work within the Office of the ICIG.

    All correspondence you have had with the Office of the ICIG since February 12, 2025.

    A description of, along with the justification and legal basis for any other personnel actions you have taken with regard to the Office of the ICIG.

    The ICIG must remain independent of political influence, and we will continue to oppose any attempt to interfere with its work, or silence its conclusions.

    We request that you immediately cease your illegal interference into the ICIG’s operations, and look forward to your prompt reply to the information we are requesting.

    Sincerely,

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: EIA expects low crude oil prices and declining rig count to affect U.S. crude oil production trends through 2026

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
    WASHINGTON DC 20585

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 10, 2025

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the Brent crude oil price to fall to near $60 per barrel by the end of the year and to average about $59 per barrel in 2026. EIA expects the low price of crude oil to affect both U.S. crude oil production and retail gasoline prices in the short term.

    In its June Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA forecasts U.S. crude oil production to average about 13.4 million barrels per day this year, just below the record highs earlier this year. For 2026, the forecast is slightly lower than 2025 levels. EIA expects U.S. retail gasoline prices to average below $3.10 per gallon through the end of 2026, which is about 6% lower than the 2024 average price.

    U.S. energy market indicators 2024 2025 2026
    Brent crude oil spot price (dollars per barrel) $81 $66 $59
    Retail gasoline price (dollars per gallon) $3.30 $3.10 $3.10
    U.S. crude oil production (million barrels per day) 13.2 13.4 13.4
    Natural gas price at Henry Hub (dollars per million British thermal units) $2.20 $4.00 $4.90
    U.S. liquefied natural gas gross exports (billion cubic feet per day) 12 15 16
    Shares of U.S. electricity generation       
    Natural gas 42% 40% 40%
    Coal 16% 16% 15%
    Renewables 23% 25% 27%
    Nuclear 19% 19% 18%
    U.S. GDP (percentage change) 2.8% 1.4% 1.7%
    U.S. CO2 emissions (billion metric tons) 4.8 4.8 4.8
    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, June 2025

    Some key highlights from the June STEO include:

    • Global oil supply, demand, and prices: EIA revised its 2025 global oil production forecast slightly upward and its global petroleum products consumption forecast slightly downward for both 2025 and 2026, leading to an expectation of growing global oil inventories. EIA expects oil inventories to grow by about 800,000 barrels per day in 2025 and 600,000 barrels per day in 2026. EIA’s expectations for inventory growth are the primary reason it expects oil prices to decline through this year and next year.
    • U.S. crude oil production: Domestic crude oil production reached an all-time high of 13.5 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2025. EIA expects U.S. crude oil production to decline from that high through the end of 2026 as oil producers respond to lower prices. Data from Baker Hughes shows the number of active drilling rigs declined last month by much more than EIA had expected. Fewer active rigs affect EIA’s forecast for how many wells U.S. operators will drill and complete throughout 2026. EIA expects U.S. crude oil production to average about 13.4 million barrels per day this year and just below that amount in 2026.
    • U.S. gasoline prices: Another effect of lower oil prices is that EIA expects lower average U.S. gasoline prices through 2026. Regular-grade retail gasoline prices average $3.10 per gallon in the third quarter of 2025 in EIA’s forecast, down 7% from the same period last year. EIA expects retail gasoline prices in the eastern part of the country to be below $3.00 per gallon for most of the next year and a half. On the West Coast, EIA expects refinery capacity reductions to cause a 4% annual price increase next year.
    • Natural gas prices: EIA expects the Henry Hub natural gas spot price to average about $4.00 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025 and $4.90/MMBtu in 2026, compared with $2.20/MMBtu in 2024.
    • Electricity demand: EIA revised its forecast for electricity demand growth in 2025 upward by about 1% to reflect greater expected demand growth in the commercial and industrial sectors, particularly from data centers and manufacturing operations. This growth in power demand is especially notable in regions managed by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas and PJM independent system operators. EIA expects that U.S. commercial sector electricity consumption will grow by 3% in 2025 and by 5% in 2026.
    • Electricity generation: EIA expects total U.S. electricity generation this summer will be about 1% greater than last summer. EIA expects higher natural gas prices this summer to result in less generation from natural gas-fired power plants compared with last summer, which is expected to be offset by more generation from coal, solar, and hydro.
    • Trade policy assumptions: The U.S. macroeconomic outlook we use in the STEO is based on S&P Global’s macroeconomic model. S&P Global’s most recent model reflects the tariffs announced in April and includes the 90-day temporary suspension of tariffs granted to certain countries. However, the model was finalized before the ruling by the Court of International Trade on May 28th that temporarily halted all reciprocal tariffs. As a result, our macroeconomic forecast assumes lower tariffs on China’s products compared with last month’s STEO and 10% tariffs on countries subject to the 90-day temporary suspension. These differences in tariff rates likely have offsetting effects on the macroeconomic forecast.

    The full June 2025 Short-Term Energy Outlook is available on the EIA website.

    The product described in this press release was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIA’s data, analysis, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. government. The views in the product and this press release therefore should not be construed as representing those of the U.S. Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

    EIA Program Contact: Tim Hess, STEO@eia.gov
    EIA Press Contact: Chris Higginbotham, EIAMedia@eia.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Youth Fund empowers Eastern Cape youth 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has made strides in empowering young entrepreneurs, through the Isiqalo Youth Fund, an initiative that is aimed to support legally registered, youth-owned businesses across the province.

    The fund is part of a broader strategy to foster youth development, promote entrepreneurship, and create sustainable employment opportunities in the province.

    Launched in June 2019, the fund forms part of a broader provincial strategy aimed at fostering youth development, promoting entrepreneurship, and creating sustainable employment opportunities.

    The fund provides both financial and non-financial support to businesses that are still in the early stages of growth.

    To ensure accessibility, the Office of the Premier opens an annual application window, allowing young entrepreneurs to submit their proposals via a dedicated online portal. The call for applications is widely publicised through official websites, social media platforms, and municipal public notice boards across the province.

    According to the provincial government, the initiative has already yielded tangible impact, with a total of 82 youth-owned businesses having been approved for support through the Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme during the previous term.

    Of these, 22 enterprises have received funding, with over R12 million disbursed. The remaining 60 entrepreneurs have been identified in the programme pipeline and are scheduled to receive financial support during the current financial year.

    “In addition to financial support, the initiative will offer business development training, mentorship, and market linkage facilitation to help improve the sustainability and growth potential of the supported enterprises,” the provincial government said.

    Efforts are also underway to strengthen monitoring and evaluation mechanism to better track the impact of the fund and enhance accountability.

    Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, highlighted the province’s commitment to expand the reach and impact of the programme through deeper collaboration with financial institutions and private sector partners.

    He added that public awareness campaigns will be intensified to ensure that more young people are informed about the fund and can benefit from the initiative.

    “Isiqalo Youth Fund is not just about disbursing money, it is about building a new generation of confident, capable entrepreneurs who can transform their communities.

    “Young business owners across the Eastern Cape are urged to stay informed about future application windows, by following updates on official government platforms,” Mabuyane said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Presidential Youth Initiative continues to empower SA’s most excluded youth

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) is not only curbing youth unemployment but reshaping labour market access for South Africa’s most excluded youth, with government now working to elevate the programme to new heights.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa witnessed the impact of the programme on Tuesday when he visited the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Tshwane, to interact directly with beneficiaries, educators and learners. 

    “I’m glad to be here and to see you all. When I made the announcement a little while ago that we will be having up to 200 000 of you in all our schools, I did expect that you would all be coming through, and now I can see that you are real people, that you exist. 

    “We are so delighted to have you as our teacher assistants, you are assisting in our schools [and] a very important area of our nation’s lives, education. You are the ones who are going to be preparing these young people for the future of our country that we all desire,” the President told the young teacher assistants. 

    The President acknowledged the difficult socio-economic challenges young people face and highlighted government’s efforts to expand opportunities.

    “I’m delighted that it is through you, young people, that we are doing this. Yes, I know that your own situation is not the most ideal. We are working very hard to create more permanent positions for you in many, many ways in the economy. 

    “When government is dealing with these problems, it also initiates programmes like this one. We have up to now brought in almost two million of you as young people into this type of programme. 

    “I am proud to be working with Ministers and Deputy Ministers in departments, who have taken this whole process of creating job opportunities very seriously,” the President said. 

    He told the teacher assistants that what they are doing is very important to the country and government continues to invest money in youth initiatives meant to benefit young South Africans.

    “We devote a lot of money and effort to education, and you are the products of that. We now need to take you to the next level, and we will work very hard to take you to the next level, where you will get more permanent jobs and better livelihoods, so you can support your own families,” the President said. 

    He lauded the BEEI as a phenomenal programme, which has been able to employ more than two million young people since its inception. It is an overarching programme that covers over 25 000 schools across the country. 

    According to President Ramaphosa, the initiative also develops discipline, management, and interpersonal skills among participants. These skills are essential for success in future employment. 

    “That, to me, is hugely empowering for these young people, and we’ve had more than two million of them, and of course, we would want it to be much longer than what it is now. It’s a question of not having sufficient resources to be able to extend it beyond [that]. 

    “But those who participate are then empowered and beyond this, they are then able to get other jobs, get other opportunities. They are now job ready, as it were, and that is a great benefit of what we are doing here. 

    The President added that the programme is becoming a world-renowned programme.

    “Many other countries are looking at what we are doing here and some of them are going to copycat what we are doing… So, we are trailblazers in many ways,” he said. 

    President Ramaphosa praised the integrity of the programme, saying it has been “flawlessly executed” with the dedicated leadership within the Presidency and Departments of Basic Education and Employment and Labour.

    Two young teacher assistants, who are currently benefiting from the programme, shared the same sentiments with the President, confirming that the initiative has made a huge difference in their lives. 

    Joshua Given Machete told SAnews that he was grateful for the opportunity to become part of the labour market through the Basic Education Employment Initiative. 

    “I have benefited by getting employed as a curriculum assistant and I really appreciate the opportunity by our President, as well and the Department of Basic Education for initiating this. 

    “I work in the classroom, doing basic classroom management while the teachers focus on teaching. 

    “This programme contributes to human dignity in a sense that you are now able to look after yourself and buy the things you need. Economically, it has made a difference in my life and I’m going to use some of the stipend to further my studies. 

    “I encourage unemployed young people not to lose hope and keep on applying for programmes such as these. The President has promised that there will be more opportunities,” he said. 

    Valria Ndleve told SAnews that she is employed as an education assistant at WF Nkomo, helping teachers and learners. 

    “My job is to assist the teachers and learners in the classroom. This initiative is going to assist me personally and professionally. I am now financially stable and gaining experience at the same time,” she said.

    The BEEI is a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES), designed to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and support, for the basic education system by placing young people in roles within public schools as education and general school assistant. 

    The programme is implemented by the Department of Basic Education and administrated by the Industrial Development Corporation.

    This visit is part of President Ramaphosa’s programme to engage with youth beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) flagship programmes in Pretoria.

    He began the visit at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville. He then proceeded to South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACCI) in Eersterust and ended at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in Pretoria East. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President reaffirms commitment to global diplomacy 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to global diplomacy, describing the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit as a critical opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and promote the country’s leadership within the G20.

    Speaking to members of the media during a visit to Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Pretoria, the President confirmed that South Africa had been officially invited to attend the G7 by Canada, this year’s chair of the summit.

    “Yes, we are going to the G7. We’ve been invited by Canada, who are the conveners, who are the head of the G7 this time around. I’m hoping that when we meet the various leaders of the G7, we’ll be able to interact meaningfully with them,” President Ramaphosa said.

    The President outlined a number of key bilateral engagements scheduled on the sidelines of the summit, including meetings with the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

    “The G7 gives us an opportunity to go and propagate our message, the message about the presidency of South Africa’s G20 and how we want to see great outcomes of the G20. We’re going to use it as a platform to begin to consolidate what we want to have in November when the leaders’ summit takes place here,” the President said on Tuesday.

    President Ramaphosa is set to jet off to Canada, Kananaskis from 14-17 June to attend and participate in the G7 Leaders’ Summit. 

    READ | President Ramaphosa to attend G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada

    Reflecting on the US working visit

    Reflecting on his recent visit to the White House in Washington DC, President Ramaphosa dismissed criticism of the trip, saying it was a strategic move to reset relations with one of South Africa’s key trading partners.

    “We do confirm that our visit to the White House in the United States was a moment where South Africa set out to reset the relationship with the United States, and I do believe that we have achieved that. 

    “Many people were very critical of our going there…and some were even suggesting that we were summoned. We were not summoned. In my telephone conversation with President Trump two weeks earlier, I said, I want to come and see you. And immediately conceded to that, and later they gave us a date. So that is not summoning, it is us taking the initiative that we want to go and see him,” the President said. 

    He said there was engagement that was taking place between the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition and the Department of International Relations. “So, we’ve opened the way for us to engage seriously with the United States. And on the other hand, we were also going to talk about trade matters, and that is now underway,” the President said. 

    He added that the White House meeting was also used to underscore the importance of President Trump attending the upcoming G20 Summit, which South Africa will host in November. 

    The President added that President Trump had “immediately conceded” that the G20 is not fully effective without the participation of the United States. 

    “For us, it’s important as a nation to reposition ourselves in the very turbulent geopolitical architecture or situation that we have, and that is why it was important to go to the United States, as we will go to many other countries, both on our own continent, in the Middle East and in Asia and in Europe as well. 

    “We are a country that is exposed and has relations with many countries around the world, and where the challenges and problems, we should immediately take action to correct those,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Coons statement on deployment of Marines in Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement after the Department of Defense announced that approximately 700 Marines with the 2nd Battalion will be deployed to the Los Angeles area over the objections of state and local leaders:
    “Our warfighters are not political tools meant to patrol the streets of our own cities or to suppress the political views of their fellow Americans. Men and women put on the uniform of the United States to defend Americans and American values. Today, they’re being called on to police American citizens on American soil.
    “I trust local law enforcement, Mayor Bass, and Governor Newsom when they say that violence won’t be tolerated and that they are able to handle these protests without the military. What President Trump is doing is not only unneeded, it has made the situation much worse. 
    “President Trump is working to change the subject from his unpopular tax bill which will take away healthcare and food assistance from millions of American families while exploding the deficit. His attempt to do so, however, is an unconstitutional power grab that is putting American civilians and servicemembers in danger. Secretary Hegseth is scheduled to testify before our subcommittee tomorrow, and I expect him to have answers for the American people about this weaponization of our troops.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZ places travel ban on extremist Israeli politicians

    Source: New Zealand Government

    New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.

     The bans will prevent Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from travelling to New Zealand.

     “Our action today is not against the Israeli people, who suffered immeasurably on October 7 and who have continued to suffer through Hamas’ ongoing refusal to release all hostages.  Nor is it designed to sanction the wider Israeli government.

     “Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution.

     “New Zealand is a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution. Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have severely and deliberately undermined that by personally advocating for the annexation of Palestinian land and the expansion of illegal settlements, while inciting violence and forced displacement.

    “New Zealand’s consistent and historic position has been that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law. Settlements and associated violence undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution.”

     Today’s targeted sanctions are consistent with New Zealand’s approach to other foreign policy issues, Mr Peters says.

     “New Zealand has also targeted travel bans on politicians and military leaders advocating violence or undermining democracy in other countries in the past, including Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.”

     The international community is overwhelmingly in favour of a future Palestinian state as part of a negotiated two-state solution, Mr Peters says.

     “The crisis in Gaza has made returning to a meaningful political process all the more urgent. New Zealand will continue to advocate for an end to the current conflict and an urgent restart of the Middle East Peace Process.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister Lightbound in response to the Auditor General’s report on her performance audit of real property management

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec               

    Today, the Auditor General of Canada presented her report on the performance audit of real property management, which examined the management of the government’s office space portfolio, as well as the management of the Federal Lands Initiative.

    I welcome the findings of the Auditor General’s report and thank her for her important work on this file. Our government remains fully committed to fairness, openness and transparency in the management of federal real property.

    In general, the report found that the government has encountered delays in achieving the target of reducing its office space portfolio by 50%, and that a lack of information from some federal tenants is impeding this work.

    The report also found that the Federal Lands Initiative, under the leadership of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), is on target to meet its housing affordability, energy efficiency and accessibility targets.

    The Auditor General makes recommendations for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). Our government accepts all of the recommendations.

    In particular, I welcome the recommendation that PSPC improve its public reporting on progress toward achieving the 50% reduction of its office portfolio by 2034. The department recently shared an update on its website and will provide updates on results annually going forward.

    My department also remains committed to working with federal departments and agencies to improve data collection so that we can better achieve our office space portfolio targets.

    The report recommends that TBS assess its capacity to resume the work of the former Centre of Expertise for Real Property. While the funding for this centre has concluded, TBS will continue to support departments in the management of real property and, based on available capacity, will seek opportunities to address outstanding priorities from the Horizontal Fixed Asset Review.

    Finally, the report recommends that HICC improve its reporting mechanisms and review its current tools and measures to ensure alignment with the goals of the Federal Lands Initiative. HICC will continue to work in collaboration with CMHC to report results on a quarterly basis through the National Housing Strategy Progress Report. HICC and CMHC will also work together to explore measures to ensure projects support housing that is affordable in communities that need it.

    I am committed to working closely with TBS and HICC to implement the Auditor General’s recommendations in an open and transparent way and will provide updates on our government’s progress toward reducing the federal office footprint.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Minister Lightbound in Response to the Auditor General’s Report on its Performance Audit of Professional Services Contracts

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Gatineau, Quebec             

    Today, the Auditor General of Canada released her report on the Performance Audit of Professional Services Contracts, which included all professional services contracts awarded, and payments made by federal organizations to GC Strategies and other companies incorporated by its co-founders.

    I welcome the findings of the Auditor General, and the Government of Canada remains committed to maintaining fairness, openness and transparency in federal procurement.

    In March 2024, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) suspended the security status of GC Strategies Inc., which precluded it from participating in all federal procurements with security requirements. In addition, PSPC also suspended the company from all professional services contracts and contract vehicles administered by the department. Last week, GC Strategies was determined to be ineligible from entering into contracts or real property agreements with the Government of Canada for 7 years under the Ineligibility and Suspension Policy.

    The results of this report are in line with previous internal and external audits and reviews relating to professional services contracts and other procurements. While the report did not make any new recommendations, the Government of Canada has taken significant actions on past recommendations and continues to take strong steps to improve oversight and management of federal procurement.

    PSPC is transforming and modernizing how the department procures professional services by simplifying existing mandatory procurement tools, while addressing the audits and reviews completed between 2023 and 2025. This includes measures to mitigate procurement risks, improve contract management practices and encourage the use of business approaches that focus on comprehensive solutions to achieve best value from the private sector.

    To date, the department has taken the following actions on previous recommendations from the Auditor General, including:

    • improving evaluation requirements to ensure resources are appropriately qualified
    • requiring increased transparency from suppliers around their pricing and use of subcontractors
    • improving documentation when awarding contracts and issuing task authorizations
    • clarifying work requirements and activities, and specifying which initiatives and projects are being worked on by contractors

    Our new government remains committed to strengthening federal procurement practices. We also expect public servants and departments to operate with the highest standards of integrity when procuring professional services to support their program delivery. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom on measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 10, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    Today, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions and other measures targeting Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

    Settler violence is incited by extremist rhetoric which calls for Palestinians to be driven from their homes, encourages violence and human rights abuses and fundamentally rejects the two-state solution. Settler violence has led to the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the displacement of whole communities.

    We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperilled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.

    Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable. We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric.

    The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas.  Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world. We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future.

    Today’s measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. We will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two-state solution.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada imposes fourth round of sanctions on facilitators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    June 10, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Extremist Settler Violence) Regulations.

    This round of sanctions lists two individuals for their crucial role in facilitating the significant expansion of settlements and outposts in the West Bank, offering political cover to perpetrators of settler violence, and actively contributing to a more permissive environment for higher levels of harassment and violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians.

    Extremist settler violence is leading to greater destabilization in the West Bank, resulting in the forced displacement of Palestinian communities, and increasingly threatening the viability of a two-state solution, as well as regional peace and security.

    Today’s sanctions are in coordination with the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, and are in response to the recent escalation of violence by Israeli extremist settlers and affiliates against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, contributing to insecurity for both Palestinians and Israelis.

    The two individuals are the following:

    • Itamar Ben-Gvir
    • Bezalel Smotrich

    The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas. Canada continues to oppose the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and is committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

    These measures focus on the West Bank, but of course this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza. Canada continues to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid. There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Canada will continue to work with the Israeli Government and a range of partners. Canada will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food. Canada wants to see a reconstructed Gaza, where Hamas can play no part, and ultimately a political pathway to a two-state solution.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2025 Article IV Consultation with Peru

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 10, 2025

    • After a strong recovery in 2024, growth is expected to moderate in 2025, amid global and election-related uncertainty, and thereafter to remain close to potential. Inflation is expected to remain close to the midpoint of the target band. The financial system is sound. Risks are tilted to the downside given elevated external uncertainty, but Peru has ample buffers to cope with shocks.
    • Meeting the 2025 fiscal deficit target would require additional efforts in a pre-election year. In the medium term, further fiscal consolidation measures should be identified to comply with the fiscal rule deficit targets and debt ceiling. Introducing both spending and revenue measures would make the consolidation more balanced and credible.
    • Structural reforms are urgently required to lift potential growth, including updating the fiscal decentralization framework to help boost investments in the critical mineral sector. Enhanced efforts are needed to curb the low but rising level of insecurity, reform labor and tax regulations that impose excessive costs for formalizing or growing a business, enhance the independence and integrity of judicial bodies and tools to combat corruption impunity, build resilience to natural disasters, and embrace the opportunities of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

    Washington, DC: On June 5, 2025, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the 2025 Article IV consultation[1] with Peru and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting on a lapse-of-time basis.[2]

    The economy has recovered from consecutive natural disaster shocks and social turmoil. Inflation is firmly within the target band, owing to the central bank’s early and decisive monetary tightening followed by cautious easing. The financial sector remained sound and profitable. The current account surplus further improved, underpinned by strong terms of trade. However, the fiscal position weakened. A relative political stability persists but pre-election tensions are rising. Lingering political uncertainty weighs on economic prospects and dents the appetite for structural reforms to boost potential growth.

    Growth is expected to moderate to 2.8 percent in 2025. A favorable momentum in private consumption and elevated public investment would support continued growth, but pre-election tensions would weigh on the private investment recovery while the impact of the first-round effects of the tariffs and global growth slowdown would be negative, although relatively moderate. Inflation is expected to remain within the target band of 1-3 percent. The current account balance is envisaged to remain in a surplus of 1.7 percent of GDP in 2025, with low external financing and debt rollover risks.

    Evolving risks are dominated by the potential for larger adverse impacts on global growth and commodity prices, due to prolonged trade policy uncertainty and financial market volatility, but Peru has ample buffers to cope with shocks. In the short term, key domestic risks include an intensification of political uncertainty, social unrest over security concerns, and weather-related shocks. Key external risks include trade policy uncertainty, tighter financial conditions, and commodity price volatility. Recent government initiatives to accelerate private sector involvement in public investment projects and streamline burdensome regulations could help revive private investment. Peru’s macroeconomic resilience is reinforced by very strong buffers including low public debt, abundant international reserves, and access to international capital markets on favorable terms.

    Executive Board Assessment

    After a strong recovery, growth is expected to moderate, amid global policy uncertainty and pre-election tensions, and thereafter to remain close to potential. With a closed output gap and firmly anchored inflation expectations, headline inflation would remain within the target band. The current account balance is envisaged to remain in a surplus, only gradually returning to a deficit in the medium term—stabilizing at its norm, of about 1.5 percent of GDP—as private investment recovers and terms of trade normalize. The external position in 2024 was stronger than the level implied by medium-term fundamentals and desirable policies, due to strong terms of trade and a recovery in traditional exports. Risks are tilted to the downside given elevated external uncertainty, but Peru has ample buffers to cope with shocks. Very strong macroeconomic policies and institutional policy frameworks remain in place.

    A broadly neutral monetary policy stance is appropriate. Inflation expectations are approaching 2 percent, and the output gap is closed. However, given heightened external uncertainty, monetary policy should remain data dependent. Continued exchange rate flexibility should be allowed to help cushion the impact of external shocks.

    Meeting the 2025 fiscal deficit target will require additional efforts in a pre-election year. The 2025 budget envisages a deficit of 2.2 percent of GDP, consistent with the revised fiscal rule target. A tax revenue rebound from the economic recovery and one-off factors will help reduce the deficit in 2025, but additional efforts of about 0.4 percent of GDP will be needed to secure fiscal rule compliance. Additional spending control measures would make this year’s consolidation plans more credible and balanced. In May 2025, the authorities announced initiatives to improve spending efficiency, but further efforts will be needed to comply with this year’s target.

    A combination of spending restraint and revenue-raising measures would be needed to comply with the medium-term fiscal targets. To comply with the fiscal rule deficit target of 1 percent of GDP by 2028 and the debt ceiling of 30 percent of GDP by 2035, the authorities’ medium-term consolidation plan envisages a reduction of current spending by about 0.4 percent of GDP per year between 2026 and 2028. Identifying both revenue and spending measures—including efforts to streamline tax expenditures; strengthen tax administration; and control wages, discretionary transfers, and inefficient public investment—would secure a balanced and gradual consolidation. In the absence of measures, public debt would gradually rise over the medium term, while remaining relatively low compared to peers. Legislative initiatives bearing fiscal costs, proposals that erode the tax base, and excessive reliance on private participation schemes would complicate the attainment of fiscal targets. Reforms to significantly reduce Petroperú’s costs and enhance its transparency and governance are also needed to safeguard fiscal credibility.

    Systemic risks are limited, but authorities should continue to proactively contain financial vulnerabilities. Banks are profitable, with ample liquidity and capital buffers. While elevated for small- and medium-sized firms, NPLs are expected to continue improving and would support the growth of credit. The authorities should continue to be vigilant of pockets of vulnerability, particularly in corporate loans.

    Focused macroprudential policies could reduce financial vulnerabilities from remaining dollarized credit. While the aggregate value of unhedged dollar credit is low, unhedged dollar credit tends to be riskier and concentrated in large- and medium-sized companies in the construction, commerce, and manufacturing sectors. The authorities’ regulation to introduce higher risk weighting in 2026 will help alleviate vulnerabilities from unhedged dollar credit. To ensure the stability of dollar funding for financial institutions, the authorities could consider introducing currency-specific NSFR requirements to complement the existing currency-specific LCR limits.

    Policy efforts are needed to revive the domestic capital market. It is critical to maintain the prohibition of future pension withdrawals, as approved in the recent pension reform, to protect the functioning of the domestic capital market, decrease financing costs, and lower the risks of old-age poverty. Measures to broaden the investor base through retail investment products could play a significant role in attracting funds back into the securities market.

    Financial resilience would be strengthened by addressing remaining regulatory gaps. The revised Basel III risk-weight framework and improving the activation criteria for the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) will help enhance the effectiveness of the entire regulatory framework. Completing the evaluation of recovery plans for domestic systemically important banks and expanding to the financial group level and their resolution planning will eliminate uncertainty under potential systemic events by facilitating orderly crisis management.

    Updating the fiscal decentralization framework, along other needed structural reforms, could help boost investments in the critical mineral sector and increase potential growth. A US$64 billion pipeline of mining investment projects has been mostly stalled for many years due to bureaucratic complexity and social conflicts. Unlocking these projects and channeling the additional fiscal revenues could permanently boost potential growth. Updating the fiscal decentralization framework, including redesigning natural resource revenue-sharing formulas, to improve public spending efficiency and generate high-impact public investments could help ensure that mining dividends translate into greater development. Enhanced efforts are also needed to curb the low but rising level of insecurity, reform labor and tax regulations that impose excessive costs for formalizing or growing a business, enhance the independence and integrity of judicial bodies and tools to combat corruption impunity, build resilience to natural disasters, and embrace the opportunities of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The OECD accession process provides a clear roadmap for other critical reforms to boost the business climate, reduce informality, and reform the civil service.

     

    Peru: Selected Economic Indicators

    2020

    2021

    2022

    2023

    2024

    Proj.

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    Social Indicators

    Poverty rate (total) 1/

    30.1

    25.9

    27.5

    29

    27.6

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Unemployment rate for Metropolitan Lima (average)

    13

    10.7

    7.8

    6.8

    6.4

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    (Annual percentage change; unless otherwise indicated)

    Production and Prices

    Real GDP

    -10.9

    13.4

    2.8

    -0.4

    3.3

    2.8

    2.6

    2.5

    2.5

    2.5

    2.5

    Output gap (percent of potential GDP)

    -5.5

    0.8

    0.7

    -1.3

    -0.4

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Consumer prices (end of period)

    2

    6.4

    8.5

    3.2

    2

    2

    2

    2

    2

    2

    2

    Consumer prices (period average)

    1.8

    4

    7.9

    6.3

    2.4

    1.7

    1.9

    2

    2

    2

    2

    Money and Credit 2/ 3/

    Broad money

    29.2

    2.7

    -0.7

    2.2

    11.6

    1.7

    5.6

    5.6

    5.6

    5.6

    5.6

    Net credit to the private sector

    14

    6.5

    3.3

    0.7

    0.9

    4.7

    5.7

    6

    6

    6

    6

    Credit-to-private-sector/GDP ratio (%)

    52.4

    45.9

    44.4

    41.8

    38.9

    38.9

    39.3

    39.8

    40.4

    40.9

    41.5

    External Sector

    		                    

    Exports

    -10.7

    47.4

    4.8

    2

    12.4

    5.8

    3.1

    1.9

    3.2

    3.2

    2.7

    Imports

    -15.5

    38.2

    16.7

    -11

    4.5

    4.1

    3.1

    4.1

    4.4

    4.6

    4.6

    External current account balance (percent of GDP)

    0.9

    -2.1

    -4.1

    0.7

    2.2

    1.7

    1.3

    0.4

    -0.1

    -0.8

    -1.5

    Gross reserves In billions of U.S. dollars

    74.9

    78.5

    72.2

    71.3

    79.2

    84.2

    88.7

    92.7

    96.4

    100.4

    104.9

      Percent of short-term external debt 4/

    491

    578

    509

    404

    435

    477

    505

    517

    606

    641

    635

      Percent of foreign currency deposits at    banks

    222

    229

    209

    204

    213

    220

    219

    217

    213

    210

    208

    (In percent of GDP; unless otherwise indicated)

    Public Sector

    		                      

    NFPS revenue

    21.8

    25.5

    27

    23.9

    22.7

    23.6

    23.1

    23.1

    23.2

    23.3

    23.4

    NFPS primary expenditure

    29.1

    26.5

    27.1

    25.1

    24.5

    24.4

    23.9

    23.5

    23.3

    23.2

    23.2

    NFPS primary balance

    -7.3

    -1

    -0.1

    -1.2

    -1.8

    -0.7

    -0.8

    -0.4

    -0.1

    0.1

    0.2

    NFPS overall balance

    -8.9

    -2.5

    -1.7

    -2.8

    -3.5

    -2.6

    -2.5

    -2.2

    -2

    -1.8

    -1.7

    NFPS structural balance 5/

    -7

    -3.9

    -2.2

    -2.6

    -3.7

    -2.9

    -2.9

    -2.5

    -2.2

    -1.9

    -1.8

    NFPS structural primary balance 5/

    -5.4

    -2.4

    -0.6

    -0.9

    -1.9

    -1.1

    -1.1

    -0.6

    -0.3

    0

    0.1

    Debt

    		                    

    Total external debt 6/

    43.7

    46.3

    42.7

    40.3

    38.5

    35.7

    33.8

    31.6

    30.1

    28.8

    27.4

    Gross non-financial public sector debt 7/

    34.9

    36.1

    34

    33

    32.8

    33.7

    34.7

    35.5

    35.9

    35.9

    36

    External

    14.8

    19.4

    17.6

    15.8

    15.5

    15.1

    14.8

    13.7

    13

    12.3

    11.3

    Domestic

    20

    16.7

    16.4

    17.1

    17.3

    18.5

    19.9

    21.8

    23

    23.6

    24.6

    Savings and Investment

    		                    

    Gross domestic investment

    18.3

    20.8

    21

    17.7

    18.1

    17.9

    18.1

    18.7

    19.1

    19.5

    19.8

    Public sector (incl. repayment certificates)

    4.3

    4.7

    5

    5

    5.3

    5.2

    4.9

    4.9

    4.9

    4.9

    4.9

    Private sector

    16.7

    20.4

    20.2

    17.9

    17.2

    17.1

    16.9

    16.7

    16.6

    16.5

    16.4

    National savings

    19.2

    18.8

    16.9

    18.4

    20.3

    19.6

    19.4

    19.1

    19

    18.7

    18.3

    Public sector

    -3.9

    2.8

    4.3

    3

    2.4

    3.6

    3.2

    3.5

    3.7

    3.9

    4

    Private sector

    23.2

    15.9

    12.6

    15.4

    17.9

    16

    16.2

    15.6

    15.3

    14.8

    14.3

    Memorandum Items

    		                    

    Nominal GDP (S/. billion)

    722

    878

    937

    1,001

    1,085

    1,136

    1,188

    1,242

    1,299

    1,360

    1,423

    GDP per capita (in US$)

    6,328

    6,849

    7,319

    7,930

    8,485

    8,814

    9,182

    9,505

    9,825

    10,168

    10,529

    Sources: National authorities; UNDP Human Development Indicators; and IMF staff estimates/projections.  

    1/ Defined as the percentage of households with total spending below the cost of a basic consumption basket. 

    2/ Corresponds to depository corporations. 

    3/ Foreign currency stocks are valued at end-of-period exchange rates. 

    4/ Short-term debt is defined on a residual maturity basis and includes amortization of medium and long-term debt. 

    5/ Adjusted by the economic cycle and commodity prices, and for non-structural commodity revenue. The latter uses as equilibrium commodity prices, a moving average estimate that takes 5 years of historical prices and 3 years of forward prices according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook.  

    6/ Includes local currency debt held by non-residents and excludes global bonds held by residents. 

    7/ Includes repayment certificates and government guaranteed debt. 

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis of discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Jose De Haro

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/09/pr-25186-peru-imf-concludes-2025-art-iv-consultation

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lamont Celebrates Historic Legislative Session Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today joined with educators, parents, and advocates at a news conference to celebrate the accomplishments achieved during the recently adjourned legislative session in passing legislation that will implement the largest expansion of access to early childhood education in Connecticut history.

    At the urging of Governor Lamont, the Connecticut General Assembly approved a suite of bills (Senate Bill 1, House Bill 5003, and House Bill 7288) that will enable thousands of additional children to enroll in high-quality, early childhood education services, which have been unattainable for families.

    “This legislative session was a victory for the many parents, families, and early childhood educators who have been advocating for Connecticut to make early childhood education affordable and accessible for all of our kids,” Governor Lamont said. “Access to early childhood education is massively important to any state’s success, not only because these programs provide valuable tools for children that will lead them to professional achievements in the future, but also because being able to enroll your child in care right now means that parents can join the workforce and earn an income that supports their family. The bills that the General Assembly approved this session represent the largest expansion of early childhood education access in Connecticut history, and I thank them for making this a priority and recognizing that this issue is a major part of what will create a stronger, safer, and resilient state.”

    A significant amount of the legislation that was approved came from the recommendations of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care, which brought together voices from across child care providers, businesses, government, and parents to provide a roadmap on the future of early childhood education in Connecticut.

    “With this legislation, Connecticut provides an early childhood education model for the nation,” Connecticut Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said. “It will make child care free or affordable for tens of thousands of families, and provide a portal where parents can find affordable child care in their community. And as the endowment grows, it will reach more communities and more families. Connecticut’s model is different from other states with its focus on affordability for families, equitable wages for early childhood educators, and local community planning for expansion. The passage of this bill is an achievement shared by many here today who worked for this change this year and for decades – from families, to advocates, to businesses, to providers – all share in this success.”

    “Connecticut is now a national leader in creating a child care system that truly supports working families and boosts our state’s economy,” Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, director of Child Care for CT, said. “We applaud Governor Lamont and his fellow leaders in government for hearing the voices of parents, providers, and business leaders who advocated fiercely to make child care a top priority in the halls of the capitol. This is transformative legislation for Connecticut, and we are so proud to help make it a reality.”

    “The Endowment bill is the most significant piece of early childhood legislation to pass the General Assembly in my lifetime,” Merrill Gay, executive director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, said. “Thank you, Governor Lamont, for proposing this approach to fix the problem that has plagued early care and education from its inception. Most parents can’t afford what it costs to provide high quality care, and early educators shouldn’t have to subsidize the system by working for poverty wages.”

    Establishment of the Early Childhood Education Endowment

    Senate Bill 1 establishes a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment fund starting on July 1, 2025, that will initially be funded with up to $300 million in unappropriated surplus funding from the fiscal year 2025 budget. This fund will be used to:

    • Support the expansion of early childhood education providers by adding tens of thousands of slots in Connecticut’s state-funded system available to enroll additional children;
    • Expand opportunities that make early childhood education available at no cost to families enrolled in Early Start CT who earn up to $100,000 per year, and a sliding scale of no more than 7% for families earning more than $100,000 per year.

    In future years, the fund will continue to grow with annual funding from budget surpluses and investments.

    Finally, in fiscal year 2027 the legislation requires that the state launch a health insurance subsidy pilot program for early childhood educators in partnership with Access Health CT. There will be $10 million available for this subsidy.

    Simplifying the ability of families to access early childhood education

    To address concerns from families that Connecticut’s current system of early childhood education services is fragmented and challenging to navigate, House Bill 5003 creates the Early Care and Education Program Portal to provide families with a means of accessing real-time information about slot availability. Available for all Connecticut providers and families, the portal will:

    • Allow families to submit information for resource and referral and enrollment purposes in early childhood programs;
    • Provide the ability for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to manage payments to early childhood programs;
    • House information on the availability of free or subsidized slots in each town and on a regional and statewide basis;
    • Allow early childhood providers to enter slot availability and enrollment information into the portal;
    • Be access through a mobile app or internet website; and
    • Allow families to apply for child care subsidies or other assistance, including Care 4 Kids.

    Supporting construction and renovation of child care facilities

    House Bill 7288 – the annual state bond bill – enables the State Bond Commission to authorize up to $80 million in bonds that will be used to support the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood in establishment of the Child Care Facilities Grant Program for Construction and Renovation. This grant program will offer financial assistance for facility improvements for licensed child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes.

    All three bills are currently undergoing engrossing and final printing in the legislature’s nonpartisan offices. Once that process has been completed, the bills will be transmitted to the Office of the Governor for the governor’s signature. The governor will sign the bills shortly after they have been transmitted to his office.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: 5 benefits Africa’s new space agency can deliver

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Scott Firsing, Senior Research Associate, University of South Africa

    The African Space Agency was officially inaugurated in Cairo’s Space City in April 2025. The event marked a milestone in a process that had been in the works since the early 2000s. Drawing inspiration from the European Space Agency, it unites African Union (AU) member states to harness space technology for development. This is in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063, aimed at advancing Africa into a prosperous future.

    Read more: Africa has ambitious goals for 2063: plans for outer space hold the key to success

    The agency’s goal is to:

    • coordinate and implement Africa’s space ambitions by promoting collaboration among the AU’s 55 member states

    • harness space technologies for sustainable development, climate resilience and socio-economic growth

    • oversee the African Space Policy and Strategy to enhance access to space-derived data

    • foster partnerships with international space agencies like the European Space Agency and others.

    Over 20 African countries operate space programmes and more than 65 African satellites have been launched. It is my view as a global space diplomacy expert that the agency can help ensure that Africa isn’t a bystander in the space economy. This sector is projected to be worth US$1.8 trillion by 2035.

    The space agency positions Africa to address pressing challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the global space economy. These include using satellite data, boosting connectivity, driving economic growth, fostering global partnerships and training future leaders.

    Five benefits

    Valuable eyes in the sky

    Space assets, particularly Earth observation satellites, offer a number of advantages. The continent faces significant climate risks like droughts, fires and floods. This is particularly problematic as the agricultural sector is approximately 35% of Africa’s GDP and employs about half of its people across over 1 billion hectares of arable land.

    Satellite data optimises crop yields, supports climate-resilient farming, and enhances sustainable fisheries and port modernisation. Nigeria’s National Space Research and Deveopment Agency, for example, has used satellites like the NigSat-2 to monitor crop health and predict yields.

    Beyond agriculture, satellites assist in project planning in cities across Africa. Kenya uses a satellite to track urban development trends and enhance municipal urban planning capacities.

    Satellites also keep an eye on Africa’s resource-abundant territories while tackling problems like armed conflict, deforestation, and illegal migration and mining.

    The African Space Agency will help provide access to AI-enhanced satellite data. This will enable even nations with constrained resources to tackle local needs. For instance, Côte d’Ivoire’s first locally made satellite, launched in 2024, shows how African nations are building their own capabilities.

    Read more: Côte d’Ivoire is launching its first satellite for Earth observation – and it’s locally made

    By making it easier to share data, the African Space Agency also positions the continent to generate revenue in the global space data market. That fuels innovation.

    Enhancing connectivity and enabling cutting-edge technology

    Africa’s digital divide is stark. Only 38% of its population was online in 2024, compared to the global average of 68%. The African Space Agency aims to bridge this gap through satellite-based communications. This technology can deliver broadband to remote regions where cell towers and undersea cables are impractical.

    Connectivity enables education, e-commerce and telemedicine.

    Satellite services, like those provided by SpaceX’s Starlink in 21 African countries, will drive digital inclusion. In turn this promises to reduce unemployment and help entrepreneurs.

    The African Space Agency is also positioning Africa to embrace new space technologies. Examples include Japan’s 2025 demonstration of beaming solar power from space, following a US achievement in 2023.

    This could revolutionise energy access. Space-based solar power captures solar energy in orbit via satellite and transmits it as microwaves to Earth. This offers a solution to Africa’s energy poverty. It could provide reliable power to remote areas without extensive grid infrastructure.

    The African Space Agency’s role in coordinating satellite launches and data sharing will make these technologies more accessible and cost-effective.

    Driving economic growth and innovation

    Africa’s space sector, now worth over US$20 billion, is growing rapidly. The industry has seen an increase of private companies and investor support, moving beyond sole dependence on government funding. Investment is being fuelled by 327 NewSpace firms, a term used for the new emerging commercial space industry in nations such as Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. These firms often excel in satellite communication, Earth observation and component manufacturing.

    But many African nations lack resources. The agency will lower barriers by fostering collaboration, coordinating national space programmes, and reducing duplication.For example, the African Space Agency’s efforts to streamline satellite development and launches will spur local manufacturing and tech hubs.

    This means that smaller economies will be able to participate.

    Strengthening regional and global connections

    Africa’s space sector relies on partnerships with space agencies and commercial space companies based in the “space powers”. These include the US, Russia, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. These institutions provide launch services, satellite development and ground stations.

    An example is Senegal’s GaindeSAT-1A, a CubeSat launched in 2024 via America’s SpaceX with French collaboration.

    Meanwhile, countries like South Africa are exploring local rocket programmes to enhance the agency’s self-reliance. Africa’s space ground stations are already located across the continent, supporting the European Space Agency and commercial missions. They will soon host a deep space ground station for America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

    Funding remains a challenge. African nations allocated just US$426 million to space programmes in 2025. That’s less than 1% of global spending. The European Space Agency has an US$8 billion budget.

    However, initiatives like the €100 million Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme (2025–2028) aim to boost Africa’s space sovereignty and innovation.

    The agency’s vision extends beyond Earth, with an eye on the Moon. Some members, notably Angola, Nigeria and Rwanda, have already signed the US-led Artemis Accords for lunar exploration. For their part Egypt and South Africa are collaborating with China and Russia on the International Lunar Research Station.

    Read more: Outer space: Rwanda and Nigeria sign an accord for more responsible exploration – why this matters

    Training the next generation

    A skilled workforce is critical to Africa’s space industry. The Africa Space Agency Space City plans to host a training academy. It will build on Egypt’s programmes in space project management, satellite design, and orbital simulation.

    Partnerships like the Africa-EU programme offer scholarships, while private initiatives, such as the Pathways to Space programme by Boeing and the Future African Space Explorers STEM Academy, engage students in 63 schools in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania.

    – 5 benefits Africa’s new space agency can deliver
    – https://theconversation.com/5-benefits-africas-new-space-agency-can-deliver-258098

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 5 benefits Africa’s new space agency can deliver

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Scott Firsing, Senior Research Associate, University of South Africa

    The African Space Agency was officially inaugurated in Cairo’s Space City in April 2025. The event marked a milestone in a process that had been in the works since the early 2000s. Drawing inspiration from the European Space Agency, it unites African Union (AU) member states to harness space technology for development. This is in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063, aimed at advancing Africa into a prosperous future.



    Read more:
    Africa has ambitious goals for 2063: plans for outer space hold the key to success

    The agency’s goal is to:

    • coordinate and implement Africa’s space ambitions by promoting collaboration among the AU’s 55 member states

    • harness space technologies for sustainable development, climate resilience and socio-economic growth

    • oversee the African Space Policy and Strategy to enhance access to space-derived data

    • foster partnerships with international space agencies like the European Space Agency and others.

    Over 20 African countries operate space programmes and more than 65 African satellites have been launched. It is my view as a global space diplomacy expert that the agency can help ensure that Africa isn’t a bystander in the space economy. This sector is projected to be worth US$1.8 trillion by 2035.

    The space agency positions Africa to address pressing challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the global space economy. These include using satellite data, boosting connectivity, driving economic growth, fostering global partnerships and training future leaders.

    Five benefits

    Valuable eyes in the sky

    Space assets, particularly Earth observation satellites, offer a number of advantages. The continent faces significant climate risks like droughts, fires and floods. This is particularly problematic as the agricultural sector is approximately 35% of Africa’s GDP and employs about half of its people across over 1 billion hectares of arable land.

    Satellite data optimises crop yields, supports climate-resilient farming, and enhances sustainable fisheries and port modernisation. Nigeria’s National Space Research and Deveopment Agency, for example, has used satellites like the NigSat-2 to monitor crop health and predict yields.

    Beyond agriculture, satellites assist in project planning in cities across Africa. Kenya uses a satellite to track urban development trends and enhance municipal urban planning capacities.

    Satellites also keep an eye on Africa’s resource-abundant territories while tackling problems like armed conflict, deforestation, and illegal migration and mining.

    The African Space Agency will help provide access to AI-enhanced satellite data. This will enable even nations with constrained resources to tackle local needs. For instance, Côte d’Ivoire’s first locally made satellite, launched in 2024, shows how African nations are building their own capabilities.



    Read more:
    Côte d’Ivoire is launching its first satellite for Earth observation – and it’s locally made

    By making it easier to share data, the African Space Agency also positions the continent to generate revenue in the global space data market. That fuels innovation.

    Enhancing connectivity and enabling cutting-edge technology

    Africa’s digital divide is stark. Only 38% of its population was online in 2024, compared to the global average of 68%. The African Space Agency aims to bridge this gap through satellite-based communications. This technology can deliver broadband to remote regions where cell towers and undersea cables are impractical.

    Connectivity enables education, e-commerce and telemedicine.

    Satellite services, like those provided by SpaceX’s Starlink in 21 African countries, will drive digital inclusion. In turn this promises to reduce unemployment and help entrepreneurs.

    The African Space Agency is also positioning Africa to embrace new space technologies. Examples include Japan’s 2025 demonstration of beaming solar power from space, following a US achievement in 2023.

    This could revolutionise energy access. Space-based solar power captures solar energy in orbit via satellite and transmits it as microwaves to Earth. This offers a solution to Africa’s energy poverty. It could provide reliable power to remote areas without extensive grid infrastructure.

    The African Space Agency’s role in coordinating satellite launches and data sharing will make these technologies more accessible and cost-effective.

    Driving economic growth and innovation

    Africa’s space sector, now worth over US$20 billion, is growing rapidly. The industry has seen an increase of private companies and investor support, moving beyond sole dependence on government funding. Investment is being fuelled by 327 NewSpace firms, a term used for the new emerging commercial space industry in nations such as Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. These firms often excel in satellite communication, Earth observation and component manufacturing.

    But many African nations lack resources. The agency will lower barriers by fostering collaboration, coordinating national space programmes, and reducing duplication.For example, the African Space Agency’s efforts to streamline satellite development and launches will spur local manufacturing and tech hubs.

    This means that smaller economies will be able to participate.

    Strengthening regional and global connections

    Africa’s space sector relies on partnerships with space agencies and commercial space companies based in the “space powers”. These include the US, Russia, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. These institutions provide launch services, satellite development and ground stations.

    An example is Senegal’s GaindeSAT-1A, a CubeSat launched in 2024 via America’s SpaceX with French collaboration.

    Meanwhile, countries like South Africa are exploring local rocket programmes to enhance the agency’s self-reliance. Africa’s space ground stations are already located across the continent, supporting the European Space Agency and commercial missions. They will soon host a deep space ground station for America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

    Funding remains a challenge. African nations allocated just US$426 million to space programmes in 2025. That’s less than 1% of global spending. The European Space Agency has an US$8 billion budget.

    However, initiatives like the €100 million Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme (2025–2028) aim to boost Africa’s space sovereignty and innovation.

    The agency’s vision extends beyond Earth, with an eye on the Moon. Some members, notably Angola, Nigeria and Rwanda, have already signed the US-led Artemis Accords for lunar exploration. For their part Egypt and South Africa are collaborating with China and Russia on the International Lunar Research Station.



    Read more:
    Outer space: Rwanda and Nigeria sign an accord for more responsible exploration – why this matters

    Training the next generation

    A skilled workforce is critical to Africa’s space industry. The Africa Space Agency Space City plans to host a training academy. It will build on Egypt’s programmes in space project management, satellite design, and orbital simulation.

    Partnerships like the Africa-EU programme offer scholarships, while private initiatives, such as the Pathways to Space programme by Boeing and the Future African Space Explorers STEM Academy, engage students in 63 schools in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania.

    Scott Firsing 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. 5 benefits Africa’s new space agency can deliver – https://theconversation.com/5-benefits-africas-new-space-agency-can-deliver-258098

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Energy Minister asks NDA to explore clean energy at Moorside

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    Energy Minister asks NDA to explore clean energy at Moorside

    Energy Minister Michael Shanks asks the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to explore clean energy at Moorside.

    • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Cumberland Council to explore clean energy development in Cumbria – protecting billpayers and supporting new jobs as part of government’s Plan for Change
    • Moorside land could be used for range of clean energy projects, from nuclear to solar to wind
    • Builds on Cumbria’s strong nuclear history and decommissioning work at Sellafield – making the region a clean energy powerhouse

    People in Cumbria could benefit from a new jobs and economic growth in Moorside, after Energy Minister Michael Shanks asked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Cumberland Council to explore the potential for clean energy development on the land.

    The government’s nuclear decommissioning arm, which owns the site adjacent to Sellafield, will work with the local council to explore using the land for clean energy projects – opening up market discussions on privately-backed new nuclear, solar or wind as part of government’s Plan for Change.

    Cumbria has a strong nuclear history and the decommissioning work at Sellafield is a national priority. Any plans for development will consider the requirements of existing major programmes at Sellafield, including plutonium disposition, which will support thousands of skilled jobs and inject billions into Cumbria over the coming decades.

    A new clean energy project could lead to new jobs in the region, while protecting billpayers and boosting the UK’s energy security.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

    Unlocking the potential of Moorside for clean energy is a significant step forward in our Plan for Change, supporting skilled jobs, economic growth and energy security in Cumbria and across the UK.

    By working closely with local partners, we can ensure that this historic region continues to lead the way in clean energy innovation, delivering real benefits for communities and protecting billpayers for years to come.

    Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:

    Cumbria has a fantastic nuclear legacy, and opening up this land for development will build on the region’s energy expertise.

    This could lead to new jobs and economic growth in Cumbria, while boosting the nation’s energy security and protecting family finances.

    NDA Group CEO, David Peattie, said:

    Our priority will always be the delivery of our nationally important mission, to safely and securely decommission the UK’s earliest nuclear sites.

    We have unique expertise, resources and assets and we are committed to exploring how we can best utilise these to support wider energy security ambitions and low carbon energy generation.

    That includes looking to identify land not required for our mission, which could be freed up for other uses to deliver benefits to the local community and wider economy.

    Councillor Mark Fryer, Leader of Cumberland Council, said:

    This is great news for West Cumbria, a clean energy development will help grow and diversify our future economy.  

    The council are fully committed to working with the NDA together to understand how we can deliver maximum value and benefit from the land at Moorside for the local community.

    Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, said:

    Unlocking this land gives us our best chance at new nuclear since the collapse of NuGen. Now we have the government behind us and an agreement on use of the land we can motor ahead to deliver Pioneer Park at pace.

    I will do everything in my power, working with national government and local partners, to secure West Cumbria’s nuclear future.

    Notes to editors

    There are no plans for waste disposal at Moorside, some land is required for Sellafield’s mission delivery including to enable plutonium disposition. 

    Moorside is one of several sites that has the potential to host future civil nuclear projects, though no decisions have yet been made.

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Faculty of Architecture took part in the VIII All-Russian Festival “Architectural Heritage”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Participants of the round table “Preservation and restoration of military memorial complexes and military burials”: Head of the Department for the restoration of cultural heritage sites of the Leningrad Region State Autonomous Cultural Institution “International Restoration Center” Tatyana Afanasyeva; Director of the Leningrad Region State Budgetary Cultural Institution “International Restoration Center “Road of Life” Olga Asanidze; Deputy Chairman of the Leningrad Region Government – Chairman of the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Vladimir Tsoi; Nadezhda Akulova; Head of the Directorate for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Leningrad Region Oleg Stepanov

    From June 5 to 7, the VIII All-Russian Festival “Architectural Heritage” was held in Ryazan. The festival is an annual national event with foreign participation, a review of achievements in the field of preserving the architectural and urban heritage of our country.

    SPbGASU was represented by the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Head of the Department of Architectural and Urban Heritage Ekaterina Voznyak, Associate Professors of the Department Nadezhda Akulova, Nina Petukhova, Evgeniya Shuvaeva, Alexander Gorshkov, Senior Lecturer of the Department Maria Kolesova. Our teachers acted as moderators, speakers, and active participants in the dialogue.

    The theme of the festival this year was: “The architectural heritage of ancient cities – the cultural code of memory and its role in preserving the spiritual integrity of Russian historical settlements.” Representatives of government bodies, cultural heritage protection bodies, restoration, design and research organizations, experts in the field of architecture, urban planning, restoration took part in the discussion.

    Participants of the round table “Preservation and restoration of military memorial complexes and military burials”: Head of the Department for the restoration of cultural heritage sites of the State Autonomous Cultural Institution of the Leningrad Region “International Restoration Center” Tatyana Afanasyeva; Director of the State Budgetary Cultural Institution of the Leningrad Region “International Restoration Center “Road of Life” Olga Asanidze; Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Leningrad Region – Chairman of the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Vladimir Tsoi; Nadezhda Akulova; Head of the Directorate for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Leningrad Region Oleg Stepanov

    Nadezhda Akulova became a speaker at a round table on the topic of “Preservation and restoration of military memorial complexes and military burials”, which is especially relevant in the year of the eightieth anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    “We talked about the importance of preserving the intangible in the tangible. I informed about the final qualification works of the students of our department, in which the concepts of development and preservation of the historical territories of a number of memorial complexes are deeply worked out. I shared the experience of involving students in a team of architects-restorers to prepare design documentation, which was implemented, using the example of the memorial complex “In Memory of Shot Childhood” in the village of Kirkovo, Tosnensky District, Leningrad Region,” said Nadezhda Akulova.

    Another round table in which Nadezhda Aleksandrovna took part was “Recreation of Lost Architectural Monuments: Experience of Recent Years and Prospects.” The teacher introduced the participants of the meeting to the experience of final qualification works on temple architecture and preservation of historical heritage in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

    “I presented to my colleagues an object that was a shrine and a stronghold of Orthodoxy on the border with Swedish lands – the Makaryevskaya Pustyn monastery, located in the Tosnensky district of the Leningrad region. Currently, comprehensive work is being carried out on the monastery with both students and professionals. In 2030, the monastery will turn 500 years old, it is very important for the return and strengthening of Orthodoxy on this land and the preservation of the spiritual and historical heritage of these territories,” said Nadezhda Akulova.

    Ekaterina Voznyak, as a moderator, conducted a discussion on “Features of the educational process within the framework of the specialty “Reconstruction and restoration of architectural heritage”.

    Evgeniya Shuvaeva held a round table “Preservation of wooden architecture objects. Theoretical recommendations and practical experience”. Experts and teachers discussed theoretical and regulatory aspects of restoration and adaptation of wooden objects, as well as the features of their use.

    Participants of the round table “Preservation of wooden architecture objects”: head of the architectural workshop ARM2 OOO “NIiPI Spetsrestoratsiya” Maria Shapchenko; chief architect for restoration of the architectural bureau “Studio 44” Ilya Sabantsev; deputy director for restoration of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve Yulia Alipova; chief architect of the project of the Project Group “Rieder” Maya Rieder; Evgeniya Shuvaeva

    The Silver Diploma in the nomination “Best Textbook on Architectural Heritage” was awarded to the work “History of Protection and Restoration of Cultural Heritage Sites”, published by SPbGASU. The authors of the textbook are the chief architect of the State Museum-Reserve “Tsarskoye Selo”, a graduate of SPbGASU Maria Ryadova, the first deputy chairperson of KGIOP of St. Petersburg Ekaterina Kozyreva and Evgeniya Shuvaeva.

    According to Nadezhda Akulova, important issues of further development of SPbGASU in the field of architectural restoration were discussed outside the round tables. Together with representatives of the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, the Union of Restorers of Russia, the Union of Restorers of St. Petersburg, the Russian Association of Restorers, and the chief architect of the Central Scientific Restoration Design Workshops Sergei Kulikov, plans were outlined for the development of professional and federal state educational standards in restoration areas.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: The Largest Tax Cut in History for Working and Middle-Class Americans

    Source: US Whitehouse

    Even Democrats admit the tax policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill are needed and popular — but they still oppose the bill.

    To be clear, that means they’re opposing:

    • The largest tax cut in history for working and middle-class Americans.
    • A 15% tax cut for Americans making between $30,000 and $80,000 per year.
    • NO TAX ON TIPS and NO TAX ON OVERTIME.
    • Boosting the Child Tax Credit to $2,500 for 40 million families.
    • Historic tax cuts for seniors.
    • No tax on car loan interest for American-made cars.
    • Preserving the doubled standard deduction for 91% of taxpayers.
    • Expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to give Americans greater choice and flexibility in how they spend their money on their health.
    • Investment savings accounts to set all newborn American kids on the path to financial security from the very beginning.
    • Increasing the Death Tax exemption for two million family farms. 

    Failing to extend the Trump Tax Cuts alone would stick Americans with the largest tax hike in history.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province Strikes Engagement Table to Address Gender-Based Violence

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The government is taking further action to prevent gender-based violence across Nova Scotia and better support those affected with the establishment of an engagement table led by Attorney General and Justice Minister Becky Druhan.

    The table, which will have up to 25 members, will include representatives of front-line service providers and community organizations, survivors, family members and academic experts.

    “Nova Scotians have told us that gender-based violence supports and services need to be more connected, more responsive and easier to access,” said Minister Druhan. “We need to work together with the people providing support and the survivors who access those services. It’s about understanding needs as they evolve, getting help to people faster and working together to stop violence before it starts.”

    A call for applications to join the table, which will also include people from equity-deserving communities, will be issued in the coming weeks. The group will meet at least every three months.

    Taking a whole-of-government approach, the engagement table will be supported by the Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women as well as the ministers of Opportunities and Social Development, Health and Wellness, Addictions and Mental Health, Education and Early Childhood Development, L’nu Affairs and African Nova Scotian Affairs.

    Quotes:

    “We are incredibly fortunate to have a strong sector working on the front lines to support those impacted by violence. They are passionate, committed and have a deep understanding of what is needed in the communities they serve. Gender-based violence is a complex issue, but it’s one I know we can solve if we listen to the experts and find solutions, together.”
    — Leah Martin, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women

    Quick Facts:

    • in September 2024, the government declared intimate partner violence an epidemic in Nova Scotia
    • the 2025–26 provincial budget allocates more than $100 million across various departments to address gender-based and intimate partner violence, including $17.8 million in core funding for transition houses and women’s centres, the largest increase in two decades
    • the Province has introduced domestic violence court programs in Halifax and Sydney, and legal changes that allow victims of domestic violence to take leave from work without fear of losing their jobs

    Additional Resources:

    News release – Funding to Support Gender-Based Violence Initiatives: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/04/03/funding-support-gender-based-violence-initiatives

    Domestic violence resources: https://women.novascotia.ca/domestic-violence-resource-centre

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Civil Nuclear Constabulary welcomes new barring list legislation

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Civil Nuclear Constabulary welcomes new barring list legislation

    The CNC has welcomed new legislation which will prevent disgraced officers from re-joining the police service.

    The Civil Nuclear Constabulary has welcomed new legislation which will introduce measures preventing CNC officers dismissed for gross misconduct from being employed again elsewhere in law enforcement agencies and local police forces.

    The Home Office has today (10 June) tabled amendments to the flagship Crime and Policing Bill which will establish new barred and advisory lists for the National Crime Agency (NCA) and also for specialist police forces including the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), British Transport Police (BTP) and the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP).

    This new measure will ensure that individuals dismissed for gross misconduct are prevented from re-entering policing or any other law enforcement role.

    Where an individual is on the barred list, law enforcement agencies will not be able to employ them, and where an individual is named on the advisory list, the employer will be obligated to take this into consideration as part of the recruitment.

    Each force’s list will be maintained by its respective authority, and law enforcement employers across England and Wales will be required to check these lists before hiring.

     Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said: “The public deserve to know that those tasked with protecting them meet the highest standards.

     “Under our Safer Streets mission, we are restoring confidence in policing by removing those who undermine it.

     “This new measure ensures that officers who abuse their position in the CNC cannot resurface in other areas of policing — we will continue taking every possible step to protect the integrity of our law enforcement agencies.”

    Assistant Chief Constable Kerry Smith, lead for Professionalism, said: “We welcome the Government’s move to close this legislative loop-hole. It will prevent those officers who fail to uphold our rigorous standards from being employed again within policing and law enforcement.

    “We maintain robust vetting and professional standards, but in the rare instance of one of our officers being dismissed for gross misconduct, these measures will ensure that there is a process to ensure the public are protected and we can maintain trust and confidence in policing.”

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The policy of blockade and pressure is not capable of stopping the scientific and technological development of China – Consul General of the PRC in Yekaterinburg

    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

    Moscow, June 10 /Xinhua/ — The success of the Chinese language model DeepSeek proves that the American policy of blockade and pressure is not able to stop the scientific and technological development of China. This is stated in an article by the Consul General of the PRC in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg Luo Shixiong, published on Tuesday in the “Oblastnaya Gazeta” of the Sverdlovsk Region.

    As a breakthrough technology based on the Transformer architecture, DeepSeek not only provides a leap in algorithm efficiency and application scope, “but also promotes a paradigm shift in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) from ‘instrument support’ to ‘cognitive synergy’,” writes Luo Shixiong.

    According to him, DeepSeek’s success was made possible by China’s institutional advantages and large-scale talent training. “In China, technological innovation is regarded as a key driving force for high-quality development and is enshrined in the national development strategy. In recent years, China has consistently issued and steadily implemented such policy documents as the “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan”, “Three-Year Action Plan to Promote the Development of the Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Industry /2018-2020/”, “National Guidelines for the Establishment of a Comprehensive Standardization System for the Artificial Intelligence Industry”, etc.,” the Chinese diplomat noted.

    The US government has already tightened export controls on semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China four times, and in January 2025, it introduced global restrictions on AI chip exports, seeking to increase pressure, cut off China’s access to high-performance chips and advanced computing power, and limit the development of Chinese AI technologies, Luo Shixiong recalls.

    In response, Chinese companies were forced to find alternative ways to train AI models. It was DeepSeek that developed a highly efficient AI model based on limited-performance chips, proving that the US technological blockade only encouraged China to breakthrough in independent innovation.

    DeepSeek’s success has become a powerful impetus for achieving global “tech equality,” the article says. DeepSeek has broken the US scientific and technological monopoly in this area, making AI accessible and applicable to all countries.

    The policy of blockade and containment will not only fail to reduce any threats, but, on the contrary, will undermine the global competitiveness of the United States, writes Luo Shixiong.

    “The US must realize that by setting a ceiling for other countries’ development, they are ultimately sealing their own growth space. If they really want to maintain their leading position in high-tech industries, they should accept and respect the principles of fair competition,” the Chinese diplomat emphasizes. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –