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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • A new building has opened at the Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard, Odesa Oblast, expanding emergency services for over 36 000 residents in the settlement and neighbouring communities.
    • Equipped to handle wartime challenges, the new facility will strengthen rescue operations, allow for on-site staff training, and provide shelter for civilians and emergency teams during air raids.
    • The facility’s construction was supported through the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme, which helps rebuild essential social infrastructure in Ukrainian communities.

    A second building has been added to the Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard, Odesa Oblast, increasing the emergency response capacity in a region regularly targeted by Russian shelling and located on key transport routes. The centre plays a vital role in firefighting, emergency response and public awareness – not only for Avangard, but for other nearby communities as well. Supported by the European Union and its financial arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), this new building significantly increases the centre’s ability to respond to emergencies and support local residents.

    The new building will improve emergency response times by enabling faster deployment of rescue teams and equipment, thanks to indoor storage, better administrative space and increased operational capacity. It will also be a safe shelter for staff and residents during air raids, and offer social support services, including basic humanitarian assistance and information for internally displaced persons. The building features modern training facilities to support the skills development and operational readiness of emergency personnel.

    The expansion project has a total investment value of €484 000, and comes under the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme, a joint initiative of the European Union and its bank, EIB. The programme is being implemented in partnership with Ukraine’s Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories and Ministry of Finance, Odesa Oblast Military Administration and Avangard Village Council, with technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine.

    In Odesa Oblast alone, 28 projects under EIB-backed recovery programmes are ongoing or complete, with a total investment value of €48.7 million. These include the reconstruction of 15 educational institutions, seven medical facilities, three administrative buildings, two sewage treatment facilities and a heating plant – all of which will improve services and lead to better quality of life for local residents and displaced communities.

    EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska, who is responsible for the Bank’s operations in Ukraine, said, “This new facility at the Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard is a meaningful investment in the safety and resilience of Odesa Oblast. Supporting infrastructure like this is exactly what the EIB, as the bank of the European Union, is here for: to help Ukrainian communities stay strong, respond quickly and move forward with recovery.”

    Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Rémi Duflot said, “Today’s opening of the expanded and refurbished Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard marks an important step towards strengthening local resilience and emergency response services in Odesa Oblast. Together with the EIB, we are continuing to restore essential social infrastructure across Ukraine to help communities recover in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression.”

    Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba said, “Each new facility opened under the EIB’s recovery programmes, like today’s Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard, makes our communities stronger, more prepared and better equipped with modern solutions. Thanks to EU support, we are not only responding to today’s challenges, but also building the foundations for the longer-term recovery, development and resilience of Ukraine.”

    Head of the Odesa Oblast Military Administration Oleh Kiper said, “The expansion of the Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard is part of a broader effort to strengthen essential services and improve the daily lives of people across Odesa Oblast. With support from the EU and the EIB, 28 recovery projects are already making a real difference – from schools and hospitals to heating and water infrastructure. These investments help our communities stay resilient and move forward despite the war.”

    Head of Avangard Village Council Serhii Khrustovskyy said, “This centre stands for protection and rapid response – exactly what Odesa Oblast needs under the constant threat. I’m proud that the Avangard community is setting an example of how, with the right support, local leadership can deliver real impact.”

    UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Jaco Cilliers said, “Ukraine’s recovery is already underway, and we at UNDP are proud to support it through the EIB’s recovery programmes. Together, we are delivering tangible results to communities like Avangard, which can now better serve and support their residents – even under the most challenging conditions.”

    Background information

    The EIB in Ukraine 

    The EIB Group has supported Ukraine’s resilience, economy and recovery efforts since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with €2.2 billion already disbursed since 2022. The Bank continues to focus on securing Ukraine’s energy supply, restoring damaged infrastructure and maintaining essential public services across the country. Under a guarantee agreement signed with the European Commission, the EIB is set to invest at least €2 billion more in urgent recovery and reconstruction. This funding is part of the European Union’s €50 billion Ukraine Facility for 2024-2027 and is fully aligned with the priorities of the Ukrainian government.

    EIB recovery programmes in Ukraine

    Construction of the second building of the Citizen Safety Centre in Avangard, Odesa Oblast was carried out under the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme, a €200 million multisectoral framework loan from the EIB. The Bank finances three recovery programmes in all, totalling €640 million, which are provided as framework loans to the government of Ukraine. Through these programmes, Ukrainian communities gain access to financial resources to restore essential social infrastructure, including schools, kindergartens, hospitals, housing, and heating and water systems. These EIB-backed programmes are further supported by €15 million in EU grants to facilitate implementation. The Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, coordinates and oversees the programme implementation, while local government bodies are responsible for managing recovery sub-projects. The UNDP in Ukraine provides technical assistance to local communities, supporting project implementation and ensuring independent monitoring for transparency and accountability. More information about these programmes is available here.

    Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support
    Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support
    ©EIB
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    Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support
    Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support
    ©EIB
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    Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support
    Ukraine: Odesa Oblast improves emergency services with safety centre expansion, thanks to EU bank support
    ©EIB
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Use of EU funds by the Regional Government of Galicia in heritage protection areas incompatible with other local authority projects – E-000337/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    According to the information provided by the national authorities, the project has not been financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

    Based on public information, there are indications that the project referred to by the Honourable Member may be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

    However, the Commission has no prior knowledge regarding the specific case at hand and its status. It works closely with the Member States to implement the recovery and resilience plans, and the implementation of specific projects resulting from the plans lies first with the relevant Member States.

    Therefore, we encourage the Honourable Member to also contact the relevant national administration to enquire about this specific project.

    Should the nature and the RRF funding of this project be confirmed, it should be noted that the RRF is a performance-based instrument.

    Therefore, disbursements are made only if the milestones and targets established in the annex of the Council Implementing Decision[1] approving the plan are satisfactorily fulfilled. Member States are primarily responsible to ensure that RRF investments are implemented in line with EU and national law.

    Article 18 of the Recovery and Resilience Facility Regulation[2] also generally provides that the Commission and the Member States should ensure effective coordination between the RRF and other EU programmes and ensure complementarity, synergy, coherence and consistency among different instruments at EU, national and, where appropriate, regional levels.

    • [1] https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10150-2021-ADD-1-REV-1/en/pdf
    • [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/241/oj/eng
    Last updated: 16 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Financial ties between the European Partnership for Democracy and the controversial, globalist Open Society Foundations of George Soros – E-001442/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001442/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Petr Bystron (ESN)

    The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), an organisation founded in 2008 and heavily co-financed by the Commission, is a network of multiple organisations which, according to its website, ‘advocates and acts for democratic values around the world’.

    According to the information available in the ‘Our sources of funding’ section, the EPD also receives funds from the controversial Open Society Foundations (OSF), the organisation founded and financed by George Soros, which is known for manipulating public opinion and democratic institutions, undermining national sovereignty and promoting a globalist liberal agenda in the Member States of the EU.

    This connection raises concerns over external influence on domestic politics.

    Given this information, we would like to ask:

    • 1.What is the Commission’s position on the involvement of the OSF in funding organisations such as the EPD?
    • 2.What steps is the Commission taking to ensure that the activities of organisations such as the EPD do not interfere with the democratic processes of sovereign nations?
    • 3.Given the controversial nature of the OSF, how does the Commission justify its support for organisations receiving funding from them, and what safeguards are in place?

    Submitted: 9.4.2025

    Last updated: 16 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Selection criteria for the funding of NGO projects through the LIFE programme – E-000925/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The EU programme for the environment and climate action (LIFE), under Article 11(6) of the LIFE Regulation[1] provides for ‘operating grants that support the functioning of non-profit making entities which are involved in the development, implementation and enforcement of Union legislation and policy, and which are primarily active in the area of the environment or climate action, including energy transition’. The management of these grants complies with the Financial Regulation[2].

    Operating grants are awarded competitively through calls for proposals[3], based on transparent award criteria published in the Call. Applicants submit proposals that include the description of their work programmes of activities in areas indicated in the LIFE Regulation; their proposals are assessed towards the published award criteria.

    All the members of the evaluation committee, including Commission or Executive Agency staff, sign declarations on absence of conflict of interest before engaging with the assessment of the submitted proposals.

    The grants are awarded to the proposals scoring highest towards the award criteria. The grants do not support political campaigns, as the eligibility criteria specify that the organisations supported must be  independent, in particular from government, other public authorities, and from political or commercial interests[4].

    • [1] Regulation (EU) 2021/783 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2021 establishing a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013.
    • [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L_202402509
    • [3] https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life/life-operating-grants_en and https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life/life-calls-proposals-2024_en#life-calls-for-proposals-2024
    • [4] https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life/life-operating-grants_en#application-for-operating-grants–eligibility-criteria
    Last updated: 16 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Great Falls woman sentenced to 20 years in prison on meth charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls woman who conspired to distribute significant amounts of methamphetamine was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The government also forfeited nearly $75,000 in cash, a gun, a BMW, and a motorhome.

    Melissa Ann Barone, 55, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that in 2020, law enforcement discovered Melissa Barone and her co-defendant were involved in distributing pounds of methamphetamine in and around Great Falls. Between 2020 and 2024, numerous drug associates advised law enforcement

    of the pair’s drug distribution activities and travels to Colorado, Washington and Arizona to obtain methamphetamine to redistribute in Montana. Sources identified purchasing one-pound quantities of methamphetamine totaling over six to eight pounds within a 10-month period from 2020 to 2021.

    In 2022 and 2023, sources reported Barone was trafficking half or full eightballs of methamphetamine for her co-defendant. It was discovered her codefendant was purchasing 50 to 100 pounds of methamphetamine at a time and spending over $100,000 delivered in bulk amounts. Barone and her co-defendant were purchasing vehicles and RVs at auto auctions for cash.

    In February 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by the defendants as they were traveling back to Montana from Texas. A K-9 detection dog alerted on the vehicle, and $17,000 in United States currency was found rubber banded to a seatbelt inside the vehicle.

    On May 5, 2024, law enforcement executed a warrant and arrested Barone in Great Falls. A search of her purse revealed approximately 444.4 grams of methamphetamine, a scale, and paraphernalia. Her vehicle contained $7,911 in United States currency, 46.3 grams of methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. During the seizure of a BMW owned by her co-defendant, law enforcement located $5,000 in United States currency in a vacuum-sealed bag concealed under the back seat.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the Russell Country Drug Task Force.

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Berkeley County Woman Admits to COVID 19 Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Beverly Ashbaugh, age 51, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to wire fraud involving COVID 19 funding. 

    According to court documents, Ashbaugh filed claims seeking Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) when the pandemic impacted her employment in March 2020. Ashbaugh went back to work but continued to file PEUC claims. Ashbaugh collected nearly $30,000 in fraudulent benefits.

    Ashbaugh is facing up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Salem is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

    Workforce West Virginia investigated.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Boulder man sentenced to over 6 years in prison on gun charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Boulder man who possessed a firearm while being a prohibited person was sentenced today to 78 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Paul Anthony LaFournaise, 59, was found guilty of prohibited person in possession of a firearm  in December 2024.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

    At trial, the government presented evidence that LaFournaise has multiple previous felony convictions, and as a result is prohibited from using, owning, possessing, transferring, or controlling any firearms or ammunition. LaFournaise was aware of this prohibition. On May 11, 2024, a relative of LaFournaise reported to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office that he was threatening family members at their home. LaFournaise was ultimately arrested for partner or family member assault, and his relative then revealed the cause of his agitation: he had returned from work to discover that his bag—which contained a handgun and drug paraphernalia—was missing. A family member had found the bag earlier that day and had hidden it from LaFournaise upon discovering the gun inside of it. The gun was identified as a Kel-Tec 9 mm pistol.

    When LaFournaise was interviewed by law enforcement, he admitted he received the gun from a friend and was holding on to it. The friend was interviewed and confirmed giving the gun to LaFournaise because LaFournaise needed it “for protection” when getting drugs.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the ATF, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Probation and Parole Office.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Statement On Ed Martin’s Undisclosed Appearances On Russian State Media

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    April 16, 2025

    SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding reportsthat Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. Attorney for D.C., appeared on RT and Sputnik—networks funded and directed by the Russian government—150 times as a guest commentator from August 2016 to April 2024, something he failed to disclose in his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire:

    “It is well-documented that Ed Martin is a Donald Trump loyalist who has embraced a Nazi sympathizer and attacked law enforcement who kept lawmakers and staff safe during the January 6 insurrection. The 150 undisclosed appearances Mr. Martin has made on Russian state media as recently as April of last year—as Russia was actively bombing Ukraine—raises further serious questions about whether he has the temperament to serve as U.S. Attorney, concerns that have been underlined by his misconduct as Interim U.S. Attorney.

    “I understand that Chairman Grassley has submitted questions to Mr. Martin in response to the issues that Committee Democrats and I raised with respect to Mr. Martin’s record, and Mr. Martin will submit responses to our written questions during this April recess. However, today’s reporting is further evidence that the Committee must hold a hearing and hear from Ed Martin directly, under oath. We must take our constitutional duty of advice and consent seriously.”

    Durbin has continuously called out Mr. Martin’s long record of objectionable statements and conduct. This includes: Mr. Martin repeatedly attacking law enforcement officers who kept members and staff safe during the January 6 insurrection and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who were assigned to prosecute the rioters who brutally attacked police officers; Mr. Martin calling Michael Fanone, a 20-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department who was nearly killed on January 6, “a fake cop”; Mr. Martin advocating for “less judgment on somebody who hit a cop” on January 6; Mr. Martin repeatedly attacking prosecutors who were assigned to work on January 6 cases, calling them “terrorists” and “despicable people who decided to do something wrong”; and Mr. Martin’s close relationship with Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a January 6 rioter and Nazi sympathizer whom he called an “extraordinary man, an extraordinary leader” who is “worthy of being listened to by lots of folks.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairmen Babin and Cruz Lead Texas Delegation in Support of Relocating NASA Headquarters to Houston

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brian Babin (R-TX)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today,  U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin (TX-36) and Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) led a bicameral coalition of federal lawmakers representing Texas communities in sending a letter to President Trump urging his administration to move the headquarters for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from Washington, D.C. to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The lease for NASA’s current D.C. office expires in 2028.

    In the letter, the lawmakers argue that NASA is disconnected from the day-to-day work of its centers and hindered by bureaucratic micromanagement in Washington, D.C. Houston is well suited for NASA’s headquarters because of JSC’s substantial involvement in nearly everything that makes America a leader in space exploration. JSC maintains the largest NASA workforce, accommodates extensive research and development partnerships, and houses Mission Control, the NASA astronaut corps, and the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility.

    Additionally, Texas boasts a strong business environment, low government regulation, a robust commercial space sector, and a cost of living that is less than half of the Washington, D.C. area. Moving the NASA headquarters to Texas will create more jobs, save taxpayer dollars, and reinvigorate America’s space agency.

    Joining Sen. Cruz and Rep. Babin in sending the letter are Sen. John Cornyn and Reps. Jodey Arrington, John Carter, Michael Cloud, Dan Crenshaw, Monica De La Cruz, Jake Ellzey, Pat Fallon, Brandon Gill, Craig Goldman, Tony Gonzales, Lance Gooden, Wesley Hunt, Ronny Jackson, Morgan Luttrell, Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran, Troy E. Nehls, August Pfluger, Chip Roy, Keith Self, Pete Sessions, Beth Van Duyne, Randy Weber, and Roger Williams.

    As the lawmakers wrote:

    “From its founding in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a storied history of exploring new frontiers, making transformational discoveries, and reaching far into the great beyond. However, as NASA’s leadership has languished in our nation’s capital, the core missions of this critical agency are more divided than ever before. This seismic disconnect between NASA’s headquarters and its missions has opened the door to bureaucratic micromanagement and an erosion of centers’ interdependence. For NASA to return to its core mission of excellence in exploration, its headquarters should be located at a place where NASA’s most critical missions are and where transformational leadership from the ground up can be provided. In 2028 the lease for NASA’s current headquarters building in Washington, D.C. expires. We write to urge you to use this opportunity to reinvigorate our national space agency and move NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.

    “Perhaps no city is more closely linked to America’s space program than ‘Space City.’ Some of the first words spoken on the surface of the moon called out to Houston which is home to numerous aerospace businesses. JSC in particular is the largest home of the NASA workforce, with more than 12,000 employees across its 1,620-acre facility and supporting more than 52,000 public and private jobs. As the pinnacle of human spaceflight development, Houston is home to Mission Control, the NASA astronaut corps, the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility, commercial space agreements, and extensive research and development partnerships. JSC plays a role in nearly everything that makes America a leader in space exploration.

    “Houston is particularly well suited for NASA’s headquarters due in part to the unique strengths of the city and the state. Texas is the eighth largest economy in the world, with low government regulation and a strong business environment. Houston boasts a cost of living that is less than half that of the Washington, D.C. area ; three ‘R1: Doctoral Universities’ producing the high caliber professionals necessary for human spaceflight; and two major commercial service airports for easy connectivity around the country. In contrast, NASA’s current headquarters in Washington, D.C. is disconnected from the NASA centers across the country and thus much of the day-to-day work. Consolidating greater and greater levels of work and authority in Washington, D.C. has been a decades-long trend, resulting in decision making funneled up to bureaucrats at headquarters rather than empowering scientists and astronauts across the centers. This strategy has separated decision makers from the actual workforce and stands antithetical to NASA’s core function.

    “Relatedly, for the United States to reach the surface of Mars, NASA must rely on a robust commercial space sector. Towards that end, no state offers greater economic and geographic benefits than Texas. The Lone Star State is home to more than 2,000 aerospace, aviation, and defense-related companies, with 18 of the 20 largest aerospace companies based in Texas. Notably, SpaceX relocated their entire company to Texas, establishing the town of Starbase, Texas, to develop, test, and launch SpaceX vehicles. Similarly, Blue Origin develops engines and rockets in West Texas, leading a new generation of spaceflight, and conducts its commercial sub-orbital flights there. Firefly Aerospace, in Cedar Park, recently sent photos of Earth from its Blue Ghost lunar lander on its voyage to explore the surface of the moon. Axiom Space, based in Houston, is building the next generation spacesuit for NASA and a commercial space station to succeed the International Space Station. In addition, the State of Texas recently stood up the Texas Space Commission to promote innovation in space operations and commercial aerospace and to attract commercial space ventures to the state. These are just a few of the ways Texas aerospace companies, projects, and institutions are transforming our nation’s leadership in the space economy.

    “A central location among NASA’s centers and the geographical center of the United States, Houston offers the ideal location for NASA to return to its core mission of space exploration and to do so at a substantially lower operating cost than in Washington, D.C. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great servants of NASA — who are focused on recommitting America’s space agency to its roots and exploring the final frontier — by relocating NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to the Johnson Space Center.”

    Read the full text of the letter HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India poised to become a trusted bridge of global connectivity through India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): Shri Piyush Goyal

    Source: Government of India

     India poised to become a trusted bridge of global connectivity through India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC): Shri Piyush Goyal

    IMEC to reduce logistics costs by up to 30% and transportation time by 40%, boosting global trade: Shri Goyal

    Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal addresses High-Level Roundtable on IMEC

    Posted On: 16 APR 2025 10:52PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal addressed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) High-Level Roundtable on Connectivity and Economic Growth in New Delhi today.

    Shri Goyal said that the IMEC is a powerful endorsement of the leadership and partnership of India and Middle East and East Europe a very forward and visionary concept that has caught the fancy of the world, he noted.

    The Minister stated that IMEC is not merely a trade route, but a modern-day Silk Route — a partnership of equals — that fosters synergy, connectivity, and inclusive prosperity. “It will bring down logistics costs by up to 30%, reduce transportation time by 40%, and create seamless trade linkages across continents,” he said. “We will not only be linking trade; we will be linking civilizations and cultures — from Southeast Asia to the Gulf, from the Middle East to Central Europe.”

    Highlighting its potential reach, Shri Goyal added that IMEC could even enhance connectivity to Africa through the Middle East. The corridor would include railways, roadways, energy pipelines, and clean energy infrastructure, including undersea cables. “India is already in discussions with Singapore on clean energy transmission. We are also engaged in dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he shared.

    Shri Goyal underscored the corridor’s emphasis on sustainability and digital connectivity. “This initiative respects sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is not about dominance or creating economic unions. It is a partnership built on mutual trust, inclusivity and sustainability,” he said.

    He further outlined five key suggestions as a way forward for the IMEC initiative. First, Shri Goyal stressed the importance of viewing IMEC through the lens of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). He emphasized that leaving the initiative solely to the government would limit its efficiency and financial viability. Instead, he called for a collaborative model where the private sector leads, bringing to the table its real-world expertise, needs, and innovative capabilities. This approach, he noted, would ensure smarter and more cost-effective planning, as the private sector can propose solutions that reflect practical utility. It would also allow policymakers to think systematically while the private sector introduces flexibility and innovation, ensuring the corridor remains viable, efficient, and sustainable in its execution.

    Second, he highlighted the need to focus on Regulatory Connectivity, going beyond just physical infrastructure. Shri Goyal advocated for greater alignment in trade processes, customs procedures, and paperwork among participating nations. He cited India’s ongoing regulatory collaboration with the UAE as an example and pointed out that successful implementation of the corridor would require seamless cross-border movement without excessive checkpoints. Interoperable systems, digitization, electric vehicle charging ecosystems, and synchronized regulations would be key to unlocking economies of scale. He suggested that common digital payment systems, such as India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), could serve as a model for enabling seamless financial transactions. With periodic settlement in globally accepted reserve currencies, such mechanisms could reduce transactional friction and banking costs. He proposed that such innovations, combined with virtual trade corridor frameworks like the India-UAE initiative, could be extended through IMEC. These would support broader agreements such as FTAs with GCC and EU countries and bolster joint work in green hydrogen, renewable energy, and supply chain resilience.

    Third, Shri Goyal underlined the need for Innovative Financing Models to support both the development of the corridor and the trade it will generate. He called for active involvement of multilateral financial agencies and suggested exploring instruments like green bonds and the creation of long-term “IMEC Bonds”, to fund this transcontinental infrastructure in a sustainable and future-proof manner.

    Fourth, he recommended active engagement with industry bodies and trade associations, asserting that their insights are essential for designing a corridor that aligns with the real needs of businesses. Such collaboration would help identify existing bottlenecks, promote best practices, and better integrate economies by removing trade frictions.

    Lastly, Shri Goyal proposed bringing in Think Tanks and Academia to the visioning and design process. These institutions, he noted, bring creativity, research strength, and long-term thinking. Their involvement would support policy advocacy, contribute to out-of-the-box solutions, and assist in capacity-building efforts along the corridor. He called this a well-rounded package of five initiatives that could help IMEC evolve into a robust, viable, and inclusive project. Reiterating India’s clear and committed vision, he said the country is ready to act as a trusted, reliable bridge connecting regions and catalyzing global cooperation, under the guiding spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the world is one family.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/ Nihi Sharma/ Ishita Biswas

    (Release ID: 2122299) Visitor Counter : 52

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Conclave on PM Vishwakarma–National SC-ST Hub organised in Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha

    Source: Government of India

    Conclave on PM Vishwakarma–National SC-ST Hub organised in Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha

    Co-chaired by Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, Union Minister of MSME, and Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister of Odisha.

    An endeavour to promote and empower MSMEs in the State and create synergys

    Posted On: 16 APR 2025 5:53PM by PIB Delhi

    The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, organised the ‘PM Vishwakarma – National SC-ST Hub Conclave’ on 16 April, 2025, at the Convention Hall, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

    The event commenced with the inauguration of an exhibition and brought together stakeholders, beneficiaries, and government officials to highlight key initiatives such as the PM Vishwakarma Scheme and the National SC-ST Hub.

    The Conclave was co-chaired by Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, Hon’ble Union Minister of MSME, and Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha. The dignitaries inaugurated the Conclave with a ribbon-cutting and lamp-lighting ceremony.

     The gathering was also graced by Shri Gokulananda Mallick, Minister of State (Independent Charge), MSME, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, Govt. of Odisha; Shri Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries & MSME Department, Govt. of Odisha; Shri Prakash Soren, Hon’ble MLA, Baripada, Govt. of Odisha; Ms. Mamata Mohanta, Hon’ble MP, Rajya Sabha, Mayurbhanj, Odisha;
    Shri Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Minister of State (IC)Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Labour, Labour & Employees State Insurance, Govt.of Odisha; Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Hon’ble Minister, Housing and Urban Development, Public Enterprises, Govt. of Odisha; Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Hon’ble MP, Lok Sabha, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, and other senior officials of the Ministry.

    The conclave began with the welcome address by Dr. Ishita Ganguli Tripathy, ADC, DC(MSME), followed by a welcome address and a presentation on role of Ministry’s Schemes and MSMEs growth in Odisha State by Dr. Rajneesh, AS & DC, DC(MSME). The event featured experience-sharing by beneficiaries of the PM Vishwakarma, PMEGP, and SC-ST Hub initiatives. To empower entrepreneurs, e-certificates were distributed to PM Vishwakarma beneficiaries, along with the distribution of credit cheques. Certificates were also awarded to National SC-ST Hub beneficiaries and PMEGP beneficiaries.
    Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, Hon’ble Minister for MSME, Government of India, spoke about the significant role the MSME sector playing in job creation and improving livelihoods. He highlighted the importance and role of the PM Vishwakarma and National SC-ST Hub schemes, along with the contributions of the Coir Board and Khadi, in empowering individuals and improving livelihoods.

    “I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Hon’ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu, whose guidance has brought me here to Odisha, her region, with the purpose of promoting MSMEs. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi envisions India becoming a developed nation, and by the year 2027-28, it will become the world’s third-largest economy,” the Hon’ble Minister said.

    Shri Manjhi said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave us a Ministry of a vision — and the Ministry of MSME is truly a ministry of vision. I am 200% sure of this. I feel extremely grateful to be working for the MSME sector. This Ministry is the greatest department, and every entrepreneur aspires to grow through it.”
    “Odisha is doing very well and the MSME sector in the state is progressing impressively. Because of MSME initiatives, today every enterprise is registered on the Udyam Registration Portal. The MSME sector in Odisha will continue to grow through our Ministry’s efforts, contributing to Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a developed India,” he further added.

    Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, highlighted the achievements of the PM Vishwakarma and National SC-ST Hub schemes, and how the people of the state has benefited from the support of the Ministry and its initiatives.

    “PM Vishwakarma is playing a key role in the life of middle class. The Ministry of MSME has given a special focus to Odisha and organised the PM Vishwakarma- National SC-ST Hub Conclave here,” the Hon’ble Chief Minister said.
    Launched on September 17, 2023, the PM Vishwakarma Scheme supports traditional artisans and craftspeople with skill development, financial aid, and toolkits. Meanwhile, the National SC-ST Hub, launched in October 2016, empowers SC/ST entrepreneurs through capacity building, market linkages, and access to technology and credit.

    The MSME sector, comprising over 6.25 crore enterprises and employing 26.7 crore individuals, plays a crucial role in India’s economic development, contributing nearly 30% to GDP and over 45% to exports.

    ***

    SK

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 20th Edition of the ‘Secretariat Reforms’ Monthly Report for March 2025 Released

    Source: Government of India

    20th Edition of the ‘Secretariat Reforms’ Monthly Report for March 2025 Released

    Total revenue earned from scrap sale in Swachhata campaign from 2021-2025 stands at Rs 2750 crore

    Rs 386.08 cr revenue earned form scrap disposal in Dec 2024-March 2025

    1.64 lac files weeded out in Swachhata campaign in 8115 offices during March 2025

    Posted On: 16 APR 2025 5:59PM by PIB Delhi

    The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, has released the 20th edition of its monthly ‘Secretariat Reforms’ report for March 2025. The report provides an extensive analysis of the ongoing initiatives aimed at transforming governance and administration through (i) Swachhata and Reducing Pendency to Minimum Levels (ii) Increasing Efficiency in Decision Making, (iii) e-Office Implementation and Analytics,

    This edition includes the following:

    • Best Practices under “Waste to Wealth”
    • In Focus: Department of Expenditure (DoE)
    • Cabinet Secretariat Directions on e-Office Implementation

    Key Highlights of the March 2025 Report:

    1. Swachhata & Reduction in Pendency:

    • Cleanliness drives were conducted successfully at 8,115 sites nationwide.
    • Approximately 15.88 lakh sq. ft of office space has been freed, with top contributors being the Ministry of Mines (10,60,039 sq. ft) and Ministry of Railways (2,25,459 sq. ft).
    • Rs 84.09 Crore in revenue generated from scrap disposal, with significant contributions from Ministries such as Railways, Heavy Industries and Coal.
    • Effective record management saw 2,33,215 physical files reviewed, with 1,64,271 files weeded out, alongside reviewing 44,617 e-Files and closing 32,728 of them.
    • Disposal of 5,26,952 public grievances (91.94% disposed), along with the disposal of 1,003 MP references, 305 state government references.

     

    Parameter/Item

    SC1.0-4.0

    Dec’24-Mar’25

    Total

    Revenue Earned (in Rs. Crore)

    2364.07

    386.08

    2750.15

     

    2.         Best Practices: Waste to Wealth:

    Ministries and Departments implemented innovative Waste to Wealth, enhancing transparency and public accessibility. Examples include:

    • Ministry of Railways, Transformed Scrap into Artistic and Functional Models – Showcasing Innovation and Sustainability
    • Infrastructure enhancements at North Block, Ministry of Expenditure.
    • Repurposed Iron Rods for Floral Display Structures Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, DAE

    3.        Increasing Efficiency in Decision Making and e-Office, Implementation & Analytics:

    • The adoption of delayering initiatives has significantly reduced the average distinct transaction levels for active files from 7.19 in 2021 to 4.73 as of March 2025.
    • 88% of total files created in March 2025 are eFiles.
      • 94.73% of receipts processed were e-Receipts, with 39 Ministries/Departments achieving 100% e-Files adoption at remarkable levels. 12Ministries/Department have 100% share of e-Receipts for Mar’25.
    • Inter-ministerial file movements have been 3,792 files for the month of March 2025, indicating streamlined administrative processes.

    These initiatives underscore the Government of India’s ongoing commitment to digitally enabled, transparent, efficient, and citizen-focused governance, aligning with the broader goal of administrative excellence and responsive public administration.

    ***

    NKR/PSM

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Video: 5 Facts – Proposed Pandemic Agreement | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    In the early hours of Wednesday morning in Geneva, countries finalized a draft global agreement aimed at improving how the world prepares for and responds to pandemics. Developed after over three years of intergovernmental negotiations under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), the draft outlines a framework for strengthening international collaboration, equity and resilience in the face of future global health threats.

    UN News article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162301

    WHO Press release: https://www.who.int/news/item/16-04-2025-who-member-states-conclude-negotiations-and-make-significant-progress-on-draft-pandemic-agreement

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsCAsxPoc1Q

    MIL OSI Video –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Wicker, Colleagues Send Letter Calling for Reform to Biden AI Diffusion Rule

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) joined Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in sending a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding the Biden administration’s AI Diffusion Rule (AIDR). The letter highlights the need to withdraw Biden’s overly obstructive rule and propose an alternative before the May 15th compliance deadline. Implementing a new standard would help prevent the Chinese Communist Party from taking the lead in this emerging technology by focusing efforts on encouraging American companies to continue being pioneers in artificial intelligence innovation. The letter states:
    “We applaud President Trump’s commitment to ensuring American dominance in the tech sector. Today, we are in an enviable position: American companies dominate in crucial areas that will define tomorrow’s economy including semiconductor design, compute infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI). This leadership position has been hard fought. Maintaining and growing our tech lead requires diligently advancing an American-led, global ecosystem around the world.”
    “With the compliance deadline of May 15, 2025, rapidly approaching, immediate action is necessary to prevent irreversible damage to American innovation and competitiveness,” the letter continues. “Every day this rule remains in place, American companies face mounting uncertainty, stalled investments, and the risk of losing critical global partnerships that cannot be easily regained. Therefore, we urge you to withdraw this rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in a leading technology without compromising American advantages.”
    The letter was also signed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Ted Budd (R-NC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
    Read the full letter here or below:  
    Dear Secretary Lutnick:
    We applaud President Trump’s commitment to ensuring American dominance in the tech sector. Today, we are in an enviable position: American companies dominate in crucial areas that will define tomorrow’s economy including semiconductor design, compute infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI). This leadership position has been hard fought. Maintaining and growing our tech lead requires diligently advancing an American-led, global ecosystem around the world.
    Concerningly, President Biden’s recently issued Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule (AIDR) threatens to undermine this leadership and advancement. Among other things, the rule categorizes countries into three tiers, imposing complex restrictions on the purchase of U.S. technology. Only Tier 1 countries—limited to just 18 nations—would have access to American technology. Even these 18 would only have access if they comply with a burdensome and ever-evolving set of federal regulations. The vast majority of nations fall into Tier 2. These countries face arbitrary purchase limits and a cumbersome licensing process to acquire U.S. computing technologies. Strikingly, key allies and partners like Israel have been inexplicably excluded from the top tier and placed into Tier 2. Tier 3 countries, including Communist China, are already rightly restricted.
    While the AIDR claims to provide secure ecosystems for the responsible diffusion of AI, this rushed midnight rule’s impact and overly broad scope will result in consequences that divorce it from its intent. Fundamentally, the rule places burdensome constraints on U.S. companies that would be difficult to comply with and even harder for the Federal government to enforce. Buyers, particularly in Tier 2 countries that are constrained from purchasing U.S. technology, would be incentivized to turn to Communist China’s unregulated, cheap substitutes. Additionally, technology companies in Tier 2 countries could be motivated to create their own AI technology stack that is outside our export control regime. Neither outcome furthers our nation’s long-term economic and national security goals.
    With the compliance deadline of May 15, 2025, rapidly approaching, immediate action is necessary to prevent irreversible damage to American innovation and competitiveness. Every day this rule remains in place, American companies face mounting uncertainty, stalled investments, and the risk of losing critical global partnerships that cannot be easily regained. Therefore, we urge you to withdraw this rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in a leading technology without compromising American advantages.
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Canada: Lights, camera, Alberta! Boosting cultural industries | Lumières, caméra, Alberta! Stimuler les industries culturelles

    [. This investment will continue the momentum of Alberta’s growing cultural industries by creating jobs and developing skilled local talent.

    Behind the scenes, the Film and Television Tax Credit is revitalizing communities across the province, including communities in rural Alberta. These productions are expected to spend about $1.5 billion in Alberta across a range of industries, generating an estimated gross domestic product of $852 million and supporting more than 14,400 Albertan jobs.

    “Our government’s investment into our cultural industries is putting Alberta on centre stage. By further supporting film, television, music and publishing, we are driving economic growth while sharing our culture and stories – provincially, nationally and internationally.”

    Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women

    On National Canadian Film Day, our government recognizes how the cultural industries play a starring role in Alberta’s economy. Since 2020, film and television projects supported through the Alberta Media Fund have generated more than $35 million in spending in the province and created more than 450 jobs. From catering to construction supplies, accommodations, local rentals, transportation and more, film and television production strengthens the economy and creates jobs for Albertans in every corner of the province.

    “Our film and television industry is not only a creative force but also a major contributor to Alberta’s economy. Through programs like the Film and Television Tax Credit, we are continually working to respond to industry needs, making sure Alberta remains a top destination for film and television productions.”

    Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade

    Budget 2025 also commits $235 million to the Film and Television Tax Credit program over the next three years. The Film and Television Tax Credit program offers tax incentives and makes Alberta an attractive destination for medium- and large-scale productions. Since its inception in 2020, more than 200 productions have leveraged the Film and Television Tax Credit program, with many more on the way.

    “The continuing support of Alberta’s government for the creative economy enables us to attract world-renowned projects, share Alberta’s unique stories with global audiences and drive growth in the province’s economy and job market.”

    Luke Azevedo, CEO, Edmonton Screen

    “I’m proud to see Alberta continuing to build momentum in the film and television industry. There’s a renewed energy and programs here in the province geared to developing new talent and crew. With initiatives and ongoing discussions, I hope for Alberta to stay well-positioned to remain competitive on the global stage while simultaneously developing our own local Canadian talent.”

    Martin Cochingco, professional stunt performer, co-owner of the Stunt Gym

    Alberta’s film and television industry is vital to the province’s economy. The government’s continued investment in the Alberta Media Fund and Film and Television Tax Credit program will support economic growth, create jobs, ensure competitiveness and attract investment.

    Alberta is primed for the limelight, and the government will continue to position the province as a premier destination for the film and television industry.

    Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on strengthening our economy.

    Quick facts

    • More than 60 per cent of all Alberta-made projects filmed or are planning to film in small cities, towns and rural locations across the province, boosting the economy in all corners of Alberta.
    • The Alberta Media Fund supports locally produced books, magazines, music, film and television.
    • The fund allocates $2.6 million for publishing and music, and $5.4 million for film and television.
    • In 2022, cultural industries contributed $2.5 billion to Alberta’s economy and sustained 19,233 jobs in the province (Statistics Canada).
    • The Film and Television Tax Credit program supports medium- and large-scale productions with total production costs of at least $499,999.
    • To date, almost one-third of all productions participating in the Film and Television Tax Credit program did their filming in rural Alberta.

    Related information

    • Alberta Media Production Industries Association
    • Alberta Magazine Publishers Association
    • Book Publishers Association of Alberta
    • Alberta Music

    Related news

    • Movie star treatment for Alberta screen producers | Traitement de vedette pour les producteurs de l’Alberta (Sep 18, 2024)
    • Lights, camera, action for film and television (Jun 7, 2024)
    • Investing in more chapters of Alberta’s stories | Investir dans d’autres chapitres des histoires albertaines (Apr 23, 2024)

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    Le gouvernement de l’Alberta stimule l’économie en investissant dans les industries culturelles, en braquant les projecteurs sur la province dans les domaines du cinéma, de la télévision, de la musique et de l’édition.

    Le budget de 2025 prévoit un investissement de 8 millions de dollars pour le Fonds des médias de l’Alberta afin de soutenir les secteurs créatifs de la province. Cet investissement permettra de maintenir l’élan des industries culturelles de l’Alberta en créant des emplois et en encourageant les talents locaux qualifiés.

    En coulisses, le crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision revitalise les communautés de toute la province, y compris les collectivités rurales de l’Alberta. Ces productions devraient dépenser environ 1,5 milliard de dollars en Alberta dans tout un éventail de secteurs, générant un produit intérieur brut estimé à 852 millions de dollars et soutenant plus de 14 400 emplois albertains.

    « Les investissements de notre gouvernement dans nos industries culturelles permettent à l’Alberta de voler la vedette. En soutenant davantage le cinéma, la télévision, la musique et l’édition, nous stimulons la croissance économique tout en partageant notre culture et nos histoires – à l’échelle provinciale, nationale et internationale. »

    Tanya Fir, ministre des Arts, de la Culture et de la Condition féminine

    À l’occasion de la Journée du cinéma canadien, notre gouvernement reconnaît que les industries culturelles jouent un rôle de premier plan dans l’économie de l’Alberta. Depuis 2020, les projets cinématographiques et télévisuels soutenus par le Fonds des médias de l’Alberta ont généré plus de 35 millions de dollars de dépenses dans la province et ont créé plus de 450 emplois. De la restauration au matériel de construction, en passant par l’hébergement, la location de locaux, le transport et bien d’autres secteurs, la production cinématographique et télévisuelle renforce l’économie et crée des emplois pour les Albertains et les Albertaines partout dans la province.

    « Notre industrie cinématographique et télévisuelle n’est pas seulement une force créatrice, mais aussi un contributeur majeur à l’économie de l’Alberta. Grâce à des programmes tels que le crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision, nous nous efforçons constamment de répondre aux besoins de l’industrie et de faire en sorte que l’Alberta reste une destination de choix pour les productions cinématographiques et télévisuelles. »

    Matt Jones, ministre de l’Emploi, de l’Économie et du Commerce

    Le budget de 2025 prévoit également 235 millions de dollars pour le programme de crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision au cours des trois prochaines années. Ce programme offre des incitatifs fiscaux et fait de l’Alberta une destination attrayante pour les productions de moyenne et grande envergure. Depuis sa création en 2020, plus de 200 productions ont bénéficié du programme de crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision, et de nombreuses autres prévoient leur emboîter le pas.

    « Le soutien continu du gouvernement de l’Alberta aux secteurs créatifs nous permet d’attirer des projets de renommée mondiale, de présenter les histoires uniques de l’Alberta à des publics internationaux et de stimuler la croissance de l’économie et du marché de l’emploi de la province. »

    Luke Azevedo, PDG, Edmonton Screen

    « Je suis fier de voir que l’Alberta continue à se tailler une place dans l’industrie du cinéma et de la télévision. Il y a un regain d’énergie et des programmes ici dans la province qui visent à soutenir de nouveaux talents et de nouvelles équipes. Grâce aux initiatives et aux discussions en cours, j’espère que l’Alberta restera bien positionnée pour rester compétitive sur la scène mondiale tout en développant nos propres talents canadiens. »

    Martin Cochingco, cascadeur professionnel, copropriétaire du Stunt Gym

    L’industrie cinématographique et télévisuelle de l’Alberta est vitale pour l’économie de la province. L’investissement continu du gouvernement dans le Fonds des médias de l’Alberta et le programme de crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision soutiendra la croissance économique, créera des emplois, garantira la compétitivité et attirera des investissements.

    L’Alberta est prête pour les feux de la rampe, et le gouvernement continuera à travailler pour que la province demeure une destination de choix pour l’industrie du film et de la télévision.

    Le budget de 2025 s’attaque aux défis auxquels l’Alberta est confrontée en continuant à investir dans l’éducation et la santé, en réduisant les impôts pour les familles et en mettant l’accent sur le renforcement de notre économie.

    En bref

    • Plus de 60 % de tous les projets réalisés en Alberta ont été ou seront tournés dans des petites villes, des villages et des zones rurales de la province, ce qui stimule l’économie dans tous les coins de l’Alberta.
    • Le Fonds des médias de l’Alberta soutient les livres, les magazines, la musique, le cinéma et la télévision produits localement.
    • Le fonds alloue 2,6 millions de dollars à l’édition et à la musique, et 5,4 millions de dollars au cinéma et à la télévision.
    • En 2022, les industries culturelles ont contribué à hauteur de 2,5 milliards de dollars à l’économie de l’Alberta et ont soutenu 19 233 emplois dans la province (Statistique Canada).
    • Le programme de crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision soutient les productions de moyenne et grande envergure dont le coût total de production est d’au moins 499 999 $.
    • À ce jour, près d’un tiers des productions participant au programme de crédit d’impôt pour le cinéma et la télévision ont été tournées dans les régions rurales de l’Alberta.

    Informations connexes (en anglais seulement)

    • Alberta Media Production Industries Association
    • Alberta Magazine Publishers Association
    • Book Publishers Association of Alberta
    • Alberta Music

    Actualités connexes

    • Movie star treatment for Alberta screen producers | Traitement de vedette pour les producteurs de l’Alberta (18 septembre 2024)
    • Lights, camera, action for film and television (7 juin 2024)
    • Investing in more chapters of Alberta’s stories | Investir dans d’autres chapitres des histoires albertaines (23 avril 2024)

    Multimédia (en anglais seulement)

    • Regarder la conférence de presse

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Maria Salazar Hosts Secretary Chavez-DeRemer in Miami on 2nd Stop of the America at Work tour, Meets with PortMiami Leadership and Longshoremen

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar’s (FL-27)

    strong>MIAMI – Rep. Maria Salazar (FL-27) hosted U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, alongside local business owners, developers, longshoremen, and community leaders, for the second leg of the Secretary’s America at Work listening tour across the country.

    During stops in downtown Miami and PortMiami, Rep. Salazar and Secretary Chavez-DeRemer engaged in discussions to explore ways the federal government can support building a skilled labor force, enhance infrastructure to boost business and investment, champion American workers, and create more pathways for workers to fulfill the American Dream.

    “It was great welcoming Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to Miami. The world is changing, and we need to re-tool our policies to put our workers and our families first,” Rep. Salazar said. “From the port workers to the union members to the people we met throughout the city, there is no better place to learn about the renewal of the American Dream than Miami.”

    “Miami is among our nation’s busiest ports and has one of the fastest-growing metro areas. It was great to see that business is booming thanks to President Trump’s efforts to put American Workers First and create a new Golden Age of economic opportunity,” Secretary Chavez-DeRemer said. “I enjoyed visiting with the workers who keep Miami running alongside Congresswoman Salazar, and I look forward to hearing directly from more of our nation’s workforce as I continue telling the story of America at Work.”

    As part of her ongoing America at Work listening tour, the Secretary will keep connecting with workers, union members, contractors, employers, and local leaders to ensure firsthand perspectives guide and update federal labor policies, bringing the dialogue straight to America’s workforce.

     BACKGROUND ON AMERICA AT WORK:

    • The America at Work initiative focuses on sharing the experiences of workers and gathering insights to inform federal labor policies, with Miami as the second stop on Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s nationwide tour.

    • The tour aims to engage with diverse communities, including Hispanic workers, to better understand their needs and priorities.

    • The Secretary and her team are committed to fostering economic opportunity and supporting the workforce through policies that promote growth and stability.

    • Recent economic data reflects progress, with 228,000 jobs added last week in key industries such as construction, transportation, and warehousing, contributing to broader economic development.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Cranberry Township Resident Sentenced to Prison for Assault of Girlfriend During Cruise

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court to 12 months of incarceration on his conviction of assault by striking, beating, or wounding, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Quintin Owens, 28, also ordering Owens to pay a $5,000 fine.

    According to information presented to the Court, on or about October 11, 2022, Owens violently assaulted his girlfriend, also a resident of Western Pennsylvania, by punching her, throwing her to the ground, and strangling her in a choke hold while the two were aboard a cruise ship. The federal district court has jurisdiction over the assault in part because the crime was committed on the high seas.

    In imposing the sentence, Judge Stickman spoke to the severe impact domestic violence crimes have on victims and promised that such crimes will be taken seriously in federal court.

    Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Vasquez Schmitt prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Owens.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch Names Schumacker’s Jewelry as April Small Business of the Month

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch, senior member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, announced the selection of Schumacker’s Jewelry in St. Maries as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for April 2025. Schumacker’s Jewelry will be recognized for its contribution to the North Idaho community in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate.

    “Schumacker’s Jewelry has been a North Idaho favorite for 78 years,” said Risch. “The Schumacker family proudly serves the St. Maries community with timeless pieces to celebrate life’s important milestones—engagements, anniversaries, and so much more. I’m proud to recognize Schumacker’s Jewelry as the April Small Business of the Month.”

    Idaho is consistently ranked on the best places in the country to do business. Each month, Senator Risch selects an Idaho small business that exemplifies the Idaho values of hard work, entrepreneurial spirit, and exceptional commitment to community.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study of vegan protein consumption and amino acid intake

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    April 16, 2025

    A study published in PLOS One looks at protein consumption and amino acid intake in vegan.

    Prof Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London, said:

    “Protein consists of mixtures of 20 amino acids and 8 of these are regarded as dietary essential because they cannot be synthesised from other amino acids in adults. This cross-sectional study has calculated the intakes of essential amino acids in adult vegans from food tables and compared them with reference intakes. The authors report that intakes of lysine and leucine are lower than reference amounts in vegans. 

    “Limitations include:

    1) There is no omnivore control group for comparison. 

    2) The amino acid compositional data on foods were limited particularly on the amounts that may be digestible. 

    3) No account was made of contribution by gut microbiota to dietary intake of lysine. 

    4) Was the comparator reference intake appropriate? While vegans probably do have lower intakes of lysine and leucine it does not been the intakes suggest deficiency especially as the reference intakes are based mainly on American studies where intakes of protein were high and based mainly on animal products. 

    “Interpretation of the results: 

    “Human leucine deficiency has not been described. However, higher intakes have been promoted for body building in the form of whey protein. On the other hand, there is growing evidence that the growth promoting effects of high intakes of leucine and other branch chain amino acids may be linked to increased risk of cancer (especially prostate cancer). 

    “In practice, protein requirements are estimated for the amounts required to maintain nitrogen balance and support growth. Although plant proteins when tested alone have a lower biological value than milk, eggs, meat and fish (measured by how they support growth in rats) when mixtures of plant proteins (e.g. cereals and pulses) are tested they have high biological value. In most human diets lysine is regarded as the amino acids most likely to limit protein quality. Physiological adaptations do occur on low protein intakes and lysine may be salvaged from lysine synthesised by gut microbiota in the large bowel.  This concept was supported by a recent study comparing vegans and omnivores (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02790-y). That study measured plasma lysine concentrations did find levels to be 25% lower in vegans compared with omnivores but concluded the difference was unlikely to be of any significance.”

    ‘Evaluation of protein intake and protein quality in New Zealand vegans’ by Bi Xue Patricia Soh et al. was published in PLOS One at 19:00 UK time on Wednesday 16th April.

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314889

    Declared interests

    Prof Tom Sanders: I have received grant funding for research on vegans in the past. I have been retired for 10 years but during my career at King’s College London, I formerly acted as consultant for companies that made artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes.

    I am a member of the Programme Advisory Committee of the Malaysia Palm Oil Board which involves the review of research projects proposed by the Malaysia government.

    I also used to be a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Global Dairy Platform up until 2015.

    I did do some consultancy work on GRAS affirmation of high oleic palm oil for Archer Daniel Midland more than ten years ago.

    My research group received oils and fats free of charge from Unilever and Archer Daniel Midland for our Food Standards Agency Research.

    Tom was a member of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee that recommended that trans fatty acids be removed from the human food chain.

    Member of the Science Committee British Nutrition Foundation.  Honorary Nutritional Director HEART UK.

    Before my retirement from King’s College London in 2014, I acted as a consultant to many companies and organisations involved in the manufacture of what are now designated ultraprocessed foods.

    I used to be a consultant to the Breakfast Cereals Advisory Board of the Food and Drink Federation.

    I used to be a consultant for aspartame more than a decade ago.

    When I was doing research at King’ College London, the following applied: Tom does not hold any grants or have any consultancies with companies involved in the production or marketing of sugar-sweetened drinks.  In reference to previous funding to Tom’s institution: £4.5 million was donated to King’s College London by Tate & Lyle in 2006; this funding finished in 2011. This money was given to the College and was in recognition of the discovery of the artificial sweetener sucralose by Prof Hough at the Queen Elizabeth College (QEC), which merged with King’s College London. The Tate & Lyle grant paid for the Clinical Research Centre at St Thomas’ that is run by the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Trust, it was not used to fund research on sugar. Tate & Lyle sold their sugar interests to American Sugar so the brand Tate & Lyle still exists but it is no longer linked to the company Tate & Lyle PLC, which gave the money to King’s College London in 2006.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Plymouth to go to the polls

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Plymouth voters will be asked to choose how they think the city should be governed in the future, following the verification of valid signatures submitted as part of a petition.

    The Council received a petition requesting a directly elected mayor for Plymouth City Council. As per the legislation, the Council has validated each signature to ensure that they are registered electors in the Plymouth City Council area.  

    Following this process, 10,856 signatures were verified as being eligible, meaning the threshold of obtaining support from at least five per cent of registered electors in the city has been reached to trigger a referendum.  

    In papers published today, for the Full Council meeting on Monday 28 April, proposals set out that the referendum will be held on Thursday 17 July. This will be formally confirmed when the Notice of Poll is published, following the Council meeting. 

    At the referendum, those on the electoral register will be asked to have their say on whether Plymouth City Council’s governance model should be changed from a leader model to a directly elected mayor.  

    This process is separate from – and not related to – the ongoing discussions about Plymouth potentially joining a combined regional authority that could be led by an elected strategic mayor.  

    There are a number of ways to cast your vote. You can vote in person at a polling station, by post, or by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf, which is known as a proxy vote.  

    Registering to vote is quick and easy, it only takes five minutes and can be done online. Once registered you will be placed onto the electoral register. However, you will need to register again if you’ve changed your name, address or nationality.  

    Once registered, you can request for a postal vote application online. Having a postal vote means that a postal ballot pack containing your ballot paper will be sent to your home, so you can vote via post, avoiding the need to go to a polling station. If you’re unable to vote in person you can apply for a proxy vote and ask someone to vote on your behalf.  

    All registered voters in Plymouth will also need to show an eligible photographic ID to vote in person at a polling station. 

    Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a full or provisional UK, EEA or Commonwealth driver’s licence; some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or a blue badge. 

    Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for free Voter Authority Certificate online or by completing a paper form, which is available from the Council.  

    It is anticipated that the deadlines will be:  

    •           Deadline to register to vote: 1 July 2025 

    •           Deadline to apply or change a postal vote: 5pm on 2 July 2025 

    •           Deadline to apply for Voter Authority Certificate: 5pm on 9 July 2025 

    •           Deadline to apply for a proxy vote: 5pm on 9 July 2025.

    For more information about registering to vote or applying for a postal vote or voter ID see our register to vote page.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Canada: Ontario, P.E.I. Join Nova Scotia With Legislation to Remove Internal Trade Barriers

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Nova Scotia has received national attention for efforts to remove borders on interprovincial trade. Now, Prince Edward Island and Ontario have joined the Province by introducing reciprocal legislation that will help foster an environment of mutual recognition of goods, services and labour mobility between these provinces.

    “Leaders across the country are expressing interest in removing trade barriers, and I’m very pleased that P.E.I. and Ontario have tabled legislation to remove all their trade barriers,” said Premier Tim Houston, who is also the Minister of Trade. “This is a significant moment for our country, and these actions say a lot about our commitment to make our economies stronger. This moment is too important to miss for the sake of all Canadians.”

    P.E.I.’s and Ontario’s legislation match the spirit of Nova Scotia’s Free Trade and Labour Mobility within Canada Act, are concise and impactful and would remove barriers once and for all.

    Other provinces and territories have also indicated their willingness to remove barriers, and some have indicated that although they do not have new legislation, they have effectively removed barriers through a combination of steps, including amendments to existing legislation, ministerial notes and other correspondence. Nova Scotia is hopeful this has been achieved and will work with each to assess whether the sum total of these steps do, in fact, effectively and permanently remove all barriers.

    Nova Scotia’s Free Trade and Labour Mobility within Canada Act specifically addresses:

    • goods manufactured, produced or approved for use in a reciprocating province or territory, which will be treated the same as those produced in Nova Scotia
      • this will eliminate additional fees or testing requirements for goods from these provinces and territories
    • service providers and licensees properly certified or licensed in a reciprocating province, who will be recognized as if they are licensed in Nova Scotia if they are in good standing with no outstanding complaints in a reciprocating jurisdiction
      • they must register with the equivalent Nova Scotia regulator and obtain licensing or certification or insurance
      • this ensures that businesses providing services can operate across provincial borders without the burden of additional licensing or certification.

    Quotes:

    “I’m thrilled to be joined by Premier Houston as we take the next step in tearing down costly and unnecessary interprovincial trade barriers within Canada. Premier Houston and Nova Scotia have been leaders on this front, and I’m looking forward to working together to make our country more prosperous, more united and more able to withstand whatever comes our way.”
    — Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario

    “Nova Scotia’s Free Trade and Mobility within Canada Act shows what governments can accomplish when there is real political will. With small businesses across Canada facing increased trade uncertainty, eight in 10 are now urging their respective provinces to follow Nova Scotia’s lead. It has been positive to see other provinces table similar legislation. Small businesses now want to see governments move quickly by following through with real action.”
    — Duncan Robertson, Director of Legislative Affairs (Nova Scotia), Canadian Federation of Independent Business


    Quick Facts:

    • more than $530 billion worth of goods and services move across provincial and territorial borders every year – equal to 20 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product
    • interprovincial exports contribute about 17 per cent of Nova Scotia’s gross domestic product and make up about half of Nova Scotia’s total exports (about 48 per cent of all goods and services)
      • in 2023, the value of Nova Scotia’s interprovincial exports was nearly $29 billion
    • Ontario is the largest market for Nova Scotia’s goods and services in Canada
    • in Canada, Prince Edward Island is Nova Scotia’s largest market on a per capita basis, followed by New Brunswick
    • last year, one-third of Canadian businesses participated in internal trade by buying or selling goods across provincial or territorial borders

    Additional Resources:

    Free Trade and Mobility within Canada Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/free%20trade%20and%20mobility%20within%20canada.pdf

    P.E.I. news release – Premier Lantz tables bill aimed to eliminate trade barriers: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/premier-lantz-tables-bill-aimed-to-eliminate-trade-barriers

    Bills tabled during the current session of the Ontario legislature are available at: https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/current


    MIL OSI Canada News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Canada: Community projects countering racism receive $300,000

    Community-based organizations throughout B.C. have received grants from the Province to fund projects countering racism and promoting multiculturalism.

    Under the annual B.C. Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Grants program, projects that battle racial inequity and foster intercultural understanding in B.C. are receiving a total of $300,000 to cover direct costs.

    Organizations have applied for as much as $5,000 for projects using the arts, education, awareness and interactive campaigns to help reduce racism and promote diversity. To be eligible, projects were required to begin by April 1, 2025, and wrap up by March 31, 2026.

    Projects receiving funding this year include:

    • Intersectional Advocacy Resources – the non-profit agency Independent Living Vernon will gather and create advocacy information resources to help Indigenous and racialized people navigate large government systems;
    • Harmonies of Unity: A Convergence of Indigenous and Korean Traditional Arts – hosted by the Garden of Compassion Society in Port Moody, this cultural event will feature traditional performances and art exhibitions from Indigenous and Korean communities;
    • B.C. Black Film Festival – a weekend-long Black film festival planned for fall 2025 in Victoria, featuring projects of Black filmmakers, producers and artists from B.C.;
    • Building Bridges: Thriving Communities – the Chilliwack-based non-profit agency Love Without Borders will help refugees and marginalized communities by providing housing, employment opportunities, education and a support network; and
    • Antisemitism Legal Helpline – Access Pro Bono Society of B.C. connects people who have experienced antisemitism with trauma-informed volunteer lawyers to help identify next steps or available remedies. The grant will enable in-person visits to smaller, more rural Jewish communities.

    This grant program is part of the Province’s ongoing efforts to advance multiculturalism and build a more welcoming and equitable B.C. for all. Other government anti-racism initiatives include:

    • the Racist Incident Helpline, launched last year, which helps connect people who have experienced racism with community support and resources;
    • the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network, which connects communities with information, supports and training needed to respond to and prevent future incidents of racism and hate; and
    • the Anti-Racism Act, which the Province is implementing with the aim of dismantling systemic racism in government programs and services.

    Learn More:

    For the complete list of 2024-25 B.C. Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Grant recipients, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/2024-25Anti-RacismGrants.pdf

    To access the Racist Incident Helpline, visit: https://racistincidenthelpline.ca

    To learn more about the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network, visit: https://www.resiliencebc.ca

    To learn more about the Anti-Racism Act, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/30655

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Global: The gap between wages and housing prices is widening, fuelling the affordability crisis

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Patrick Michael Condon, Professor and UBC James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Livable Environments., University of British Columbia

    Racial disparities played a significant role in shaping unequal COVID-19 mortality rates. What is less widely understood is how overcrowded housing conditions were an even deadlier variable.

    In California’s Bay Area, for instance, residents of overcrowded apartments — many of them recent immigrants — were found to be significantly more likely to die from COVID-19 than residents of demographically similar, but less crowded, apartments.

    ‘Broken City: Land Speculation, Inequality, and Urban Crisis’ by Patrick M. Condon.
    (UBC Press)

    Even less examined is the root cause of this overcrowding. Overcrowding is not just a matter of zoning or population growth, but something more systemic and difficult to confront: the speculative financial forces acting on the land beneath our feet.

    Urban land is now assessed by people not for its consumption value for a home but for its ability to hold and increase in cash value — in other words, its “speculative value.”

    My recent book, Broken City, paints a picture of how the same market logics that defined the Gilded Age of the late 19th century have quietly returned in our own century, with similarly corrosive consequences for urban life.

    Echoes of the Gilded Age

    A growing share of average workers’ incomes is being swallowed up by housing costs, often for homes that fail to meet their basic needs. This is not the result of natural scarcity, but mechanical economic processes that inform the price of urban land.

    We now find ourselves in circumstances uncomfortably close to those of Victorian England or Gilded Age America, when mass migrations to urban centres were driven by the need for jobs.




    Read more:
    What’s behind Canada’s housing crisis? Experts break down the different factors at play


    Back then, as now, a small number of urban landowners were able to extract enormous wealth — what political economist Henry George called the unearned increment — from the labour of others by virtue of owning the right patch of ground.

    A portrait photograph of Henry George, taken after 1885.
    (Wikimedia Commons)

    The demands for the unearned increment, George explained, was only limited by how much a region’s wage-earners and entrepreneurs collectively produced. Almost all of that value eventually went into land price.

    Today, we appear to be experiencing the same phenomenon. The social and epidemiological pressures produced by inflated land prices are no longer confined to historically marginalized racial or ethnic groups.

    As my book explains, millennials and Gen Xers, who are increasingly working service-sector jobs that dominate today’s economy, especially in countries like Canada and the U.S., are facing housing pressures once reserved only for the poor.

    In short, housing precarity has gone mainstream.

    Skyrocketing land prices

    At the heart of the housing crisis lies a deeper problem: runaway urban land prices are not just a crisis of housing affordability, but a problem of equitable urban design. They are eroding our political capacity to solve many urban problems.

    The same inflated land values that burden tenants and aspiring homeowners also restrict what cities can do to address housing and transportation needs, whether through planning, taxation or direct provision.

    Urban land prices are spiralling due to the collision of two long-term trends. First, the global economy has shifted from being primarily driven by wages earned through labour to one dominated by returns on assets. Urban land is now the single largest category of fixed capital asset in the world.

    Second, this asset-driven economy has widened the gap between wages and home prices, and helped drive the explosion in inequality. Housing has become the primary site where that inequality is expressed.

    Public frustration over this yawning gap between stagnant incomes and sky-high housing costs has erupted into political conflict. Many now blame local governments and planning regulations for blocking the supply of new homes. If only we could build more, they argue, prices would fall.

    But the evidence tells a different story. Take Vancouver, a city that has tripled its housing stock since the 1960s, largely through infill development. If the supply theory held true, Vancouver should be the most affordable city in North America. Instead, it is the least affordable.

    A landmark study published in March by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that supply constraints didn’t explain rising housing prices or housing growth across American cities. In other words, building more housing isn’t enough to bring down prices.

    A path out of the housing crisis

    My book offers several solutions and examples for how cities can reclaim land wealth for the common good.

    One promising approach lies in tying new housing approvals to affordability requirements. This policy framework — known as inclusionary zoning — requires developers to include a certain number of permanently affordable units as a condition for increased density.

    Without such requirements, upzoning — meaning increasing the maximum building size the city authorizes for a parcel — can inflate the value of land, rewarding speculation and driving prices further out of reach.

    Examples of effective inclusionary zoning abound. In Cambridge, Mass., an affordable housing overlay mandates 100 per cent affordability in exchange for permission to double density across the city. In Vancouver, new legislation related to inclusive zoning was introduced in 2024 and a development tax on new high-density projects has helped finance non-market housing directly.

    The path forward is not mysterious. But it does require confronting the truth that the housing crisis is not the result of broken systems — but of a speculative financial systems working exactly as designed.

    Patrick Michael Condon 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 gap between wages and housing prices is widening, fuelling the affordability crisis – https://theconversation.com/the-gap-between-wages-and-housing-prices-is-widening-fuelling-the-affordability-crisis-252157

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Poplar man sentenced to seven years in prison on assault and gun charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Poplar man who broke into a house on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and assaulted a resident was sentenced today to 85 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Marion Wallace Runs Through, Jr., 33, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to assault with a dangerous weapon and use (by brandishing) of a firearm during a crime of violence.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on the evening of November 21, 2023, Runs Through and a co-defendant went to a remote residence on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Runs Through carried with him an AR-15 style rifle. He met with two other co-defendants outside the home. While still outside the residence Runs Through fired one round into the ground and six into the air. He and a co-defendant then broke into the residence. The defendant assaulted the two occupants of the home, striking them with the rifle while demanding access to a safe. The victims identified the assailant as the man with face tattoos. Runs Through has noticeable face tattoos. While Runs Through was the only assailant armed during the home invasion, one witness heard a co-defendant tell Runs Through to “Kill the white guy! Shoot him! Shoot him!” Runs Through then pointed the rifle at the witness, but did not pull the trigger.

    Runs Through was arrested the next day at his parents’ house and law enforcement found an assault rifle. The weapon was purchased in North Dakota by a cousin of one of the co-defendants.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the FBI, BIA, ATF and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Dingell Holds Senior Forum to Highlight Importance of Social Security

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

    Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) held a seniors’ forum this morning at Fox Run Senior Living to highlight the importance of protecting Social Security. Hundreds of seniors gathered to express their anger, anxiety, and fears about cuts to Social Security.

    “Social Security is a part of the fabric of who America is and how we care for our seniors. Two out of every three retirees rely on Social Security for the majority of their income, and millions of families depend on the program for disability or benefits after the loss of a loved one. But Elon Musk and DOGE have fired 7000 Social Security employees, made it more difficult to call and use the website, continue to make the Social Security Administration less effective, and have threatened to shut it down,” Dingell said. “The Commerce Secretary has said his mother-in-law would be fine if she missed a monthly Social Security check, but the fact is that most Americans wouldn’t be. I will continue to fight in Congress to make sure we keep the promise of Social Security and will continue to look out for the wellbeing of aging Americans and vulnerable populations who need our help.”

    There are 2.3 million Social Security beneficiaries in Michigan, including more than 137,000 children. In response to Social Security Administration (SSA) field office closures, Rep. Dingell is co-leading the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act, which would place a moratorium on the closure of field offices for the rest of the Trump Administration. Rep. Dingell also co-leads the Beneficiary Data Protection Act that would stop DOGE and political appointees from accessing sensitive data systems at SSA. It would also codify SSA data privacy requirements into law, and strengthen oversight and civil penalties for any privacy and disclosure violations of Social Security beneficiaries’ personal information.

    View photos from the event here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN TERRANET AB

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    N.B. THIS ENGLISH TEXT IS AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION OF THE SWEDISH ORIGINAL OF THE NOTICE TO ATTEND THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING IN TERRANET AB, AND IN CASE OF ANY DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE SWEDISH AND THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION, THE SWEDISH TEXT SHALL PREVAIL.

    The shareholders of Terranet AB, reg. no. 556707-2128, (the “Company“) are hereby invited to the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2025 at 14.00 at Mobilvägen 12, Bricks building, room “Oktagonen”, Lund. Registration will commence at 13.45 p.m.

    ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION

    Shareholders who wish to attend the General Meeting shall

    • be entered in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB on 15 May 2025,
    • notify the Company no later than 19 May 2025 of their intention to attend the meeting by e-mail to pal.eriksson@terranet.se or by mail to the Company at Mobilvägen 10, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden, and mark the envelope with “Annual General Meeting 2025”. When giving notice of attendance, shareholders must state their name, personal or corporate identity number, address, and telephone number and, where applicable, information about assistants (maximum 2).

    NOMINEE-REGISTERED SHARES

    Shareholders whose shares are registered in the name of a nominee must have their shares registered in their own name in order to be entitled to attend the AGM. Such registration may be temporary (so-called voting rights registration) and is requested from the nominee according to the nominee’s procedures. Voting rights registrations that have been completed (registered with Euroclear Sweden AB) no later than 19 May 2025 are taken into account in the preparation of the share register.

    PROXY

    Shareholders represented by proxy shall issue a written power of attorney for the proxy, signed and dated by the shareholder. The period of validity of the power of attorney may not exceed five years if specifically stated. If no period of validity is specified, the power of attorney shall be valid for a maximum of one year. If the power of attorney is issued by a legal entity, a copy of the certificate of registration or equivalent for the legal entity must be attached. A copy of the power of attorney and any registration certificate should be sent by letter or e-mail to the Company at the above addresses in good time before the meeting. Furthermore, the original power of attorney must be brought to the meeting. A proxy form is available on the Company’s website (www.terranet.se) no later than three weeks before the meeting.

    PROPOSED AGENDA

    1.   Opening of the meeting
    2.   Election of Chairman
    3.   Establishing and approval of the voting list
    4.   Election of one or more persons to verify the minutes
    5.   Examination of whether the meeting has been duly convened
    6.   Approval of the agenda
    7.   Presentation of the annual accounts and the auditors’ report as well as the consolidated accounts and the consolidated auditors’ report
    8.   Decision on
    a)  Adoption of the income statement and balance sheet and the consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheet
    b)  Allocation of the Company’s profit or loss according to the adopted balance sheet and the adopted consolidated balance sheet
    c)  Discharge from liability of the members of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director
    9.   Resolution on the determination of the number of members of the Board of Directors and
    10.   Resolution on the determination of the remuneration of the Board of Directors and auditors
    11.   Election of the Board of Directors, auditors and any deputies
    12.   Resolution to amend the articles of association
    13.   Resolution on approval of the Board of Directors’ decision of 16 April 2025 on a directed issue of units
    14.   Resolution to approve the Board of Directors’ decision of 16 April 2025 on a rights issue of units
    15.   Resolution on authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issues of shares, warrants and/or convertibles
    16.   Resolution authorising the Board of Directors to make minor adjustments to the resolutions adopted by the General Meeting
    17.   Closure of the meeting

    PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION BY THE NOMINATION COMMITTEE

    Prior to the Annual General Meeting of the Company, the Nomination Committee was established by the Chairman of the Board of Directors contacting the shareholders who, as of August 31, 2024, were the three largest shareholders in the Company, who each appointed one member to the Nomination Committee.

    Prior to the 2025 AGM, the Nomination Committee consisted of Julian Aleksov, Chairman of the Nomination Committee, appointed by Maida Vale Capital AB and Oliver Aleksov, Michael Knutsson, appointed by Knutsson Holdings AB, and Torgny Hellström, Chairman of the Board of Terranet AB. The members are appointed by shareholders who, as of March 31, 2025, together represented approximately 13.09 percent of the voting rights for all shares in the Company. The Nomination Committee proposes the following.

    Item 2 – Election of the Chairman

    The Nomination Committee proposes that attorney Mark Falkner of Eversheds Sutherland Advokatbyrå AB be elected Chairman and keeper of the minutes of the Annual General Meeting or, if he is prevented from attending, the person he designates.

    Item 9 – Determination of the number of Board members and auditors

    The Nomination Committee proposes that the Board of Directors shall consist of five (5) members without deputies.

    The Nomination Committee further proposes that the Company shall have a registered accounting firm as auditor.

    Item 10 – Determination of fees for the Board of Directors and auditors

    The Nomination Committee proposes that a fee of SEK 185,000 shall be paid to each of the Board members elected by the AGM who are not employed by the Company or the Group and SEK 495,000 to the Chairman of the Board.

    The Nomination Committee proposes that a fee of SEK 27,500 shall be paid to each of the members of the Remuneration Committee (maximum three members). The Nomination Committee further proposes that a fee of SEK 65,000 shall be paid to each of the members of the Audit Committee (maximum two members) and that a fee of SEK 110,000 shall be paid to the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

    The auditor’s fees shall be paid according to approved invoices.

    Item 11 – Election of the Board of Directors, auditors and any deputies
    The Nomination Committee proposes that Torgny Hellström, Anders Blom, Magnus Edman and Mats Fägerhag be re-elected as ordinary Board members. Furthermore, it is proposed that Uwe Brandenburg be elected as an ordinary Board member. Nils Wollny and Tarek Shoeb have declined re-election. Torgny Hellström is proposed to be re-elected as Chairman of the Board.

    Uwe Brandenburg, born 1966        
    Uwe Brandenburg, a German citizen, holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications technology and is Chief Technology Officer for Automotive and Manufacturing at DXC Luxoft.        

    Uwe has worked 30 years in senior positions in the automotive, telecommunications and semiconductor industries. He has been ADAS CTO and Global Engineering Head at Valeo, Global Head for Camera and Radar Development at Continental and ADAS Engineering Director Europe at Autoliv. Autoliv, Continental and Valeo are all three major suppliers to the automotive industry.

    The Nomination Committee further proposes re-election of the registered accounting firm Ernst & Young Aktiebolag (“E&Y”) as the Company’s auditor for the period until the end of the Annual General Meeting 2026. E&Y has notified that the authorised public accountant Martin Henriksson will continue to be the auditor in charge.

    THE BOARD’S PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

    Item 8b – Resolution regarding allocation of the Company’s profit or loss according to the adopted balance sheet and the adopted consolidated balance sheet

    The Board of Directors proposes that all funds available to the Annual General Meeting be carried forward.
    Item 12 – Resolution on amendment of the Articles of Association

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to amend the Articles of Association as set out below.        

    Current wording Proposed wording
    § 4 Share capital

    The share capital shall be not less than SEK 3 300 000 and not more than SEK 13 200 000.

    § 4 Share capital

    The share capital shall be not less than SEK 14,500,000 and not more than SEK 58,000,000.

    § 5 Number of shares

    The number of shares shall be not less than 330 000 000 and not more than 1 320 000 000.

    § 5 Number of shares

    The number of shares shall be not less than 1,450,000,000 and not more than 5,800,000,000.

    The CEO, or the person appointed by the Board of Directors, shall be entitled to make any minor adjustments that may be required in connection with the registration of the resolution with the Swedish Companies Registration Office. In the event that the share capital or the number of shares after registration of the directed issue and/or the rights issue under items 13 and 14, respectively, on the agenda falls below the proposed limits in the articles of association, the limits shall be adjusted to the extent necessary to enable registration.        
    The resolution under this paragraph shall be valid only if supported by shareholders holding not less than two-thirds (2/3) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the meeting.

    Item 13 – Resolution on approval of the Board of Directors’ resolution of 16 April 2025 on a directed share issue

    The board of directors proposes that the general meeting resolves to approve the board of directors’ resolution of 16 April 2025 on a new issue of up to 5,461,210 units (the “Directed Issue“). The resolution shall otherwise be subject to the following conditions.

    1.        The new shares of Series B and warrants shall be issued in units. Each unit shall contain 33 shares of Series B and five (5) warrants of series TO9 B.

    2.        The Company’s share capital may be increased by a maximum of SEK 1,802,199.30 through the issue of a maximum of 180,219,930 shares of series B. A maximum of 27,306,050 warrants of series TO9 B shall be issued, entailing an increase in the share capital upon full exercise by a maximum of SEK 273,060.50.

    3.        The right to subscribe for shares in the Directed Issue shall, with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, be granted to a number of pre-announced investors, existing shareholders and members of the Company’s management and board of directors. Prior to the decision on the Directed Issue, the Board of Directors has carefully investigated and considered alternative financing options, including raising capital solely through a rights issue. However, after an overall assessment and taking into account that a directed share issue allows the Company to raise capital earlier, the Board of Directors considers that new share issues carried out with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights in combination with a rights issue is a more favourable option for the Company and the Company’s shareholders than a rights issue alone. The Company is in an important phase and has a need for financing to ensure the Company’s long-term operations. It is therefore the Board of Directors’ assessment that a directed issue is the most appropriate financing solution given the current market conditions and the Company’s capital needs and that it is in the interest of all shareholders to carry out the Second Directed Issue.        

    4.        The subscription price per unit amounts to SEK 2.97, corresponding to a subscription price per B-share of SEK 0.09. The subscription price in the Directed Issue has been determined after negotiations with the subscribers and corresponds to a premium of approximately four percent in relation to the volume-weighted average price of the Company’s share on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market during the period 7 April 2025 up to and including 11 April 2025 and is considered by the Board of Directors to be on market terms. The subscription price also corresponds to the subscription price in the Rights Issue, which the Board of Directors decided on 16 April 2025. The share premium shall be added to the unrestricted share premium reserve.

    5.        Subscription can only be made in units and thus not of shares and warrants separately. Allotment may only take place in units. However, after the completion of the issue, the shares and warrants will be separated.

    6.        Subscription shall be made on a separate subscription list on the day of the unit issue. However, the board of directors is entitled to postpone the last day for subscription.        

    7.        Payment shall be made within three (3) banking days of the date on which the General Meeting approves the decision of the Board of Directors. However, the Board of Directors is entitled to postpone the final date for payment.        

    8.        Each warrant of series TO9 B entitles the holder to subscribe for one (1) Class B share at a subscription price corresponding to SEK 0.18. The subscription price may not be less than the share’s quota value applicable at any given time. Subscription for new shares by exercising the warrants of series TO9 B may take place during the period from 1 December 2025 up to and including 15 December 2025. Any surplus price upon subscription for new Class shares of Series B by exercising the warrants shall be added to the unrestricted share premium reserve. The warrants are subject to additional conditions including customary conversion conditions.

    9.        The new shares entitle their holders to dividends from the date of their entry in the share register.

    10.        The Board of Directors or the person appointed by the Board of Directors is authorized to make the minor adjustments necessary for the registration of the resolution with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.        

    The resolution under this item is valid only if supported by shareholders representing at least nine-tenths (9/10) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the meeting. The resolution is conditional upon the Meeting approving the proposal to amend the Articles of Association in accordance with item 12 above and that the resolution is registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

    Item 14 – Resolution to approve the Board of Directors’ decision of 16 April 2025 on a rights issue of units        
    The board of directors proposes that the general meeting approves the board of directors’ resolution of 11 April 2025 on a new issue of a maximum of 13,880,714 units with preferential rights for existing shareholders (the “Rights Issue“). The resolution shall otherwise be subject to the following conditions.

    1. The new shares of Series B and warrants shall be issued in units. Each unit shall contain 12 (twelve) shares of Series B and three (3) warrants of series TO9 B.
    2. The Company’s share capital may be increased by a maximum of SEK 1,665,685.68 through the issue of a maximum of 166,568,568 shares of Series B. A maximum of 41,642,142 warrants of series TO9 B shall be issued, entailing an increase in the share capital upon full exercise by a maximum of 416,421.42
    3. The right to subscribe for units shall, with preferential rights, be granted to those who are registered as shareholders in the Company on the record date for the Rights Issue, whereby the holding of one (1) share of series B entitles to one (1) unit right. 86 unit rights entitle to subscription of one (1) share of series B.
    4. Shareholders registered in the Company’s share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB on the record date of 29 April 2025 will receive unit rights for participation in the Rights Issue.        
    5. In the event that not all units are subscribed for with unit rights, the Board of Directors shall, within the framework of the maximum amount of the rights issue, decide on allocation in accordance with the allocation principles below:

    (i)   In the first instance, allotment shall be made to those who have also subscribed for shares by virtue of subscription rights, regardless of whether the subscriber was a shareholder on the record date or not, and in the event of oversubscription in relation to the number of subscription rights that each person has exercised for subscription of shares and, to the extent that this cannot be done, by drawing lots.

    (ii)   Secondly, allotment shall be made to others who have subscribed for shares without subscription rights and, in the event that they cannot receive full allotment, in proportion to the number of shares that each has applied for subscription and, to the extent that this cannot be done, by drawing lots.

    (iii)   Ultimately, any remaining shares shall be allocated to the underwriters who have entered into underwriting commitments in proportion to the size of the respective underwriting commitment and, to the extent that this cannot be done, by drawing lots.

    1. Subscription can only be made in units and thus not of shares and warrants separately. Allotment may only take place in units. However, after the completion of the issue, the shares and warrants will be separated.
    2. Subscription of units shall take place during the period from 27 May 2025 up to and including 11 June 2025. The Board of Directors is entitled to extend the subscription period.
    3. The subscription price shall be SEK 1.08 per unit, corresponding to a subscription price of SEK 0.09 per B share. The warrants are issued without consideration. The share premium shall be added to the unrestricted share premium reserve.
    4. Payment of units shall be made in cash. Payment of units subscribed for with preferential rights shall be made at the same time as subscription takes place during the period from 26 May 2025 up to and including 9 June 2025. Payment of units subscribed for without preferential rights shall be made no later than three (3) banking days after the allotment notice has been sent to the subscriber. The Board of Directors has the right to extend the payment period.
    5. Each warrant of series TO9 B entitles the holder to subscribe for one (1) Class B share at a subscription price corresponding to SEK 0.18. The subscription price may not be less than the share’s quota value applicable at any given time. Subscription for new shares by exercising the warrants of series TO9 B may take place during the period from 1 December 2025 up to and including 15 December 2025. Any surplus price upon subscription for new Class shares of Series B by exercising the warrants shall be added to the unrestricted share premium reserve. The warrants are subject to additional conditions including customary conversion conditions.
    6. The new shares entitle their holders to dividends from the date of their entry in the share register.

    The resolution is conditional upon the AGM approving the proposal to amend the Articles of Association in accordance with item 12 above and that the resolution is registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

    Item 15 – Resolution on authorisation for the Board of Directors to resolve on new issues of shares, warrants and/or convertibles

    The Board of Directors of the Company proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to authorise the Board of Directors, until the next Annual General Meeting, on one or more occasions, to issue shares of series B, warrants and/or convertibles with the right to subscribe for or convert shares of series B, with or without deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, within the limits of the Articles of Association applicable from time to time, to be paid in cash, in kind and/or by way of set-off.

    The main reason for the Board of Directors to be able to decide on a new share issue without preferential rights for shareholders as described above is to be able to raise new capital to increase the Company’s flexibility for financing.

    For the resolution to be valid, the proposal must be supported by shareholders representing at least two thirds (2/3) of both the votes cast and the shares represented at the Annual General Meeting.

    Item 16 – Resolution authorising the Board of Directors to make minor adjustments to the resolutions adopted by the Meeting

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Meeting authorises the Board of Directors, the Managing Director or the person otherwise appointed by the Board of Directors to make such minor adjustments and clarifications to the resolutions adopted at the Meeting to the extent required for registration of the resolutions.

    OTHER

    Documents and information

    The notice, accounting documents, auditor’s report and proxy form will be made available to shareholders at the Company no later than three weeks before the meeting and will be sent free of charge to shareholders who so request and state their postal address. The documents will also be published on the Company’s website, www.terranet.se, no later than the same day.

    According to Chapter 7, Section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act, shareholders have the right to request information from the Board of Directors and the CEO regarding circumstances that may affect the assessment of an item on the agenda or the assessment of the Company’s financial situation. The board of directors and the managing director shall disclose such information if the board of directors considers that it can be done without material harm to the Company.

    Processing of personal data

    The personal data collected from the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB, notifications received and information about proxies and assistants will be used for registration, preparation of the voting list for the general meeting and, where applicable, minutes of the general meeting. For further information on how your personal data is processed, see www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Integritetspolicy-bolagsstammor-svenska.pdf

    Number of shares and votes

    At the time of publication of this notice, the total number of shares in the Company amounts to 1,193,741,451, divided into 1,083,063 shares of series A and 1,192,658,388 shares of series B. After registration of the directed share issue resolved by the Board of Directors on 16 April 2025, pursuant to the authorization granted by the Annual General Meeting 2024, the total number of shares in the Company will amount to 1,291,299,252, divided into 1,083,063 shares of series A and 1,290,216,189 shares of series B. Each Class A share entitles to two (2) votes and each Class B share entitles to one (1) vote

    _____________________________

    Lund in April 2025
    Terranet AB
    The Board of Directors

    About Terranet
    Terranet’s goal is to save lives in urban traffic. The company develops innovative technical solutions for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV). Terranet’s anti-collision system BlincVision laser scans and detects road objects up to ten times faster than any other ADAS technology available today.

    The company is headquartered in Lund, with offices in Gothenburg and Stuttgart. Since 2017, Terranet has been listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market (Nasdaq: TERRNT-B). Follow our journey at: www.terranet.se

    Attachment

    • Terranet AB – Notice to AGM 23 May 2025

    The MIL Network –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Canada: Giving Alberta industry a competitive edge

    [. Adopting new technologies and upgrades can help, but these often come with expensive up-front costs, long payback periods, or better technologies needed are not yet commercially available.

    Alberta’s government is giving industry a competitive edge by investing up to $72 million to help companies upgrade technologies, lower costs and operate more efficiently. This includes $65 million for a new funding challenge that will help forestry, energy, agriculture, heavy manufacturing and other major industries make technology upgrades. It also includes more than $7 million for new technologies to help oil and gas operators lower costs by reducing methane emissions.

    “Alberta is a global leader in responsible energy development. By supporting made-in-Alberta technology, we’re strengthening our economy, protecting our environment, and keeping our job creators competitive. This funding helps secure Alberta’s energy leadership now and for decades to come.”

    Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

    Industrial Transformation Challenge

    The $65-million Industrial Transformation Challenge, delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta using the industry-led TIER fund, will accelerate the development and commercialization of some of the most promising technologies needed in Alberta and around the world. This will fund exciting projects that ultimately help companies reduce costs, improve efficiency, lower environmental impacts and gain a competitive edge in the global market.

    “With investments like these, Alberta is advancing its reputation for excellence in developing and deploying technology solutions that have global export potential – technologies that keep our industries competitive in international markets. Through this funding, the province is once again cementing its leadership with critical technologies needed around the world, from methane management and mitigation to water conservation, soil and groundwater protection, and waste reduction.”

    Justin Riemer, chief executive officer, Emissions Reduction Alberta

    “Funding provided by the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta in such programs as the Industrial Transformation Challenge are critical to supporting Alberta industry on its path towards innovation and sustainability. Previous funding from the province has supported Baymag and ZS2 Technologies in the development of an innovative, low-carbon, made-in-Alberta cement product to support high-performance building solutions.”

    Franz X. Spachtholz, president and CEO, Baymag Inc.

    Reducing methane emissions in the energy sector

    More than $7 million is also being invested through Emissions Reduction Alberta into two new projects that will help Alberta’s energy sector monitor, manage and reduce methane emissions – saving money and keeping them competitive.

    SensorUp Inc. will use $3 million to develop the world’s first open-standard software platform that uses artificial intelligence to produce faster methane reporting, quicker repairs and more effective methane mitigation. Ambyint Inc. will receive $4.1 million to upgrade its existing artificial intelligence platform with advanced machine learning and algorithms. Ambyint Inc.’s project could potentially reduce methane venting by up to 90 per cent.

    “Financial support from the Government of Alberta through Emissions Reduction Alberta enables us to collaborate with some of the world’s largest and most forward-thinking energy producers to build the first multi-sensor, AI-assisted measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification software platform for methane emissions reduction. This initiative will create high-value jobs in Alberta and equip producers to meet reporting and mitigation standards with greater accuracy and efficiency, unlocking access to new premium markets.”

    Steve Liang, founder and chief technology officer, SensorUp

    “Securing Government of Alberta funding through Emissions Reduction Alberta enables Ambyint to accelerate and scale our Alberta-developed AI optimization and emissions-reduction technology. Customers are seeking solutions that impact both their economic and environmental performance. This pivotal support cements Alberta’s leadership in technology innovation, highlighting our province’s role in driving sustainable energy solutions globally.” 

    Benjamin Kemp, chief executive officer, Ambyint Inc.

    Quick facts

    • Applications for the Industrial Transformation Challenge are now open and will be accepted until June 5, at 5 p.m. MT. More information is available on Emissions Reduction Alberta’s website.
    • Eligible technologies include improved water and land management, soil remediation, reducing land use or disturbance and reducing air pollutants, plus new ways of producing fuels, breakthrough industrial process improvements, industrial facility efficiency upgrades, agricultural and forestry innovation, improved processes for bitumen extraction, oil and gas processing and refinement, and industrial fuel switching and electrification.
    • Successful Industrial Transformation Challenge applicants are eligible for up to $10 million per project, while projects deemed exceptionally strong through the competitive review process may be eligible for up to $15 million.
    • While Industrial Transformation Challenge technology solutions can originate from anywhere in the world, they must be piloted, demonstrated, or deployed in Alberta, or show direct economic benefit to the province.
    • Alberta has reduced methane emissions from the conventional oil and gas sector by 52 per cent since 2014, and emissions continue to decline.

    Related information

    • Reducing methane emissions
    • Emissions Reduction Alberta
    • SensorUp
    • Ambyint Inc.

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi on Save Social Security Day of Action: “Republicans in Congress want to end Social Security as we know it.”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    San Francisco – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi hosted a Save Social Security Day of Action roundtable, bringing together San Francisco community leaders, advocates, seniors and people with disabilities to discuss the critical importance of protecting Social Security for the over 109,000 recipients in San Francisco.

    The roundtable featured key speakers, including Anni Chung, President and CEO of Self-Help for the Elderly; Kelly Dearman, Executive Director of the San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services; and American Federation of Government Employees, Social Security beneficiaries and storytellers.

    The event highlighted the struggles that seniors and individuals with disabilities face under current conditions, with many reporting service delays and system failures at the Social Security Administration. The discussion also focused on the Trump Administration’s decision decision to gut SSA staffing, close SSA field offices and restrict access to essential services, which disproportionately affect seniors, Veterans, and people with disabilities.

    Watch the full roundtable here. View photos from today’s event here.

    Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s remarks as delivered below:

    Speaker Emerita Pelosi. Thank you very much, Anni.

    As I have been working as suggested on all of these issues you have been a tremendous intellectual resource on all of this, especially those issues that relate to the health and the well-being of our seniors. For decades—decades, several decades—Anni has been a great resource.

    She has been wise. She has been dissatisfied from time to time, and patient. But always, always focused and strategic. So, thank you. It’s so appropriate we’re here. Appropriate that we are here at self-help, because that term is so important for the elderly.

    I thank all of you. We will hear from our panel from the standpoint of policy and personal experience, because nothing is more valuable than the stories that people tell about their own experiences.

    What’s so sad about what’s happening now is they’ll say, “Oh, we’re not touching benefits,” but they’re closing offices and shutting down the phones. Now, there’s been resistance to the phone thing, but it’s still taking a long time.

    And then, at the end of the day, they say “the office is closed and use of the phones is over.”

    That is just such bad news for seniors or people with disabilities.

    So, this is a Day of Action for Social Security. Last week, we had a day of action to save Medicaid. These are related. These are related because there will be action for Medicare and the rest.

    But understand what we’re up against, and I think you know this, that’s why you’re here. They are saying Social Security is a scam. Imagine that. Imagine that.

    Okay, so let’s talk about nine decades ago, in the depths of the Great Depression, half of America’s seniors lived in poverty. In poverty.

    Instead of resting, retirement only brought uncertainty and hardship. President Roosevelt said, “There is no tragedy in growing old, but there is tragedy in growing old without means of support.”

    By signing Social Security into law, he established a pillar of financial stability that has stood for generations.

    Today, it safeguards the well-being of millions—tens of millions—of Americans, whether they are retired or living with a disability. You all know this. Social Security is one of our nation’s greatest legislative accomplishments and one of the most widely supported.

    In San Francisco alone, more than 100,000 residents receive $196 million in Social Security checks per month—$196 million, hard earned.

    Donald Trump, and co-president Musk are spreading lies about Social Security, calling it a “Ponzi scheme” and a “scam.”

    Musk’s DOGE is putting benefits at risk and Republicans in Congress want to end Social Security as we know it. No matter what they say. They’re fighting to hike the retirement age, slash benefits and push privatization. All to give tax breaks to billionaires.
     
    I know they talk about fiscal responsibility? Yet, they’re willing to give tax breaks to billionaires with nothing to offset—you know we want to feed children and they say, “how are you going to pay for it?”

    But tax breaks for the rich don’t need to be offset—that’s just plain wrong. 

    I was just telling this story. A few Saturdays ago, which was our Day of Action for Medicaid, I was at a wedding in Scranton, Pennsylvania, of my college roommate and maid of honor at my wedding.

    It was like a family wedding for me, for her grandson. That’s where I participated in the day of Action. We had this big thing in Scranton. It was so exciting. They didn’t expect that I would be there. We didn’t tell them before I decided that I would be there. We didn’t tell them. I bring it up because I go the wedding, and I do not know bride’s family. So I am with the groom’s family.

    After the wedding, before I had a chance to visit the families, they came to me. They were very nice and complimentary, so that was good. Then the grandmother came up and said, “What are they doing with my Social Security!?”

    This is at the church. “I paid into that. That’s my money!”

    I said, “Let’s go. Let’s go to the rally for that.” It was so indicative to me that people know. They have to know what is happening.

    Lincoln said, “Public sentiment is everything. With it, you can accomplish anything; without it, practically nothing.”

    In order for public sentiment prevail. People have to know. So this has to happen. Drumbeat. Drumbeat. Drumbeat. A constant drumbeat. This is what they are doing.

    Some of you were part of our strategy in 2006, when the then-President wanted to privatize Social Security. That was our fight. We had not won since 1992, This is 2006. Beginning in 2005, we started organizing events against privatizing Social Security. In one day, we had 200 events on this.

    I had a good rapport with the President. Today, it’s a different story. We are talking about a patriotic American versus someone who uses words like “scam” and “Ponzi scheme.” 

    He [President Bush] said “You keep saying I want to privatize Social Security and that’s not really so. I just want to partially privatize it.”

    And I said “Mr. President—that’s good enough for me.”

    Everyplace you go, we will have a positive team to talk about our plan for Social Security. And we won for the first time since 1992. Not to talk politics but civics.

    So we want them to have their hands off. That was our whole theme on Saturday in the rain in Pennsylvania.

    Christine was at the one here, but all over the country, millions of people participated. Hands off our Medicaid.

    But we want hands off our safety net—Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food for our children.

    They are saying we can’t really do our budget unless we can find an offset with the food so we will have to cut the food. SNAP. The safety net. So, this is what we are up against among other things.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Park Improvements Complete

    Source: City of Sunderland

    Improvements to Houghton’s popular Rectory Park, which got underway last year are now complete.

    Funded by Sunderland City Council’s Coalfield Area Committee through its Neighbourhood Fund, a total of £40,000 has seen the installation of a new cycle track, repairs to a historic fountain, new wrought iron gates, new benches and picnic benches, new litter bins, and improvements to the red gravel road and tarmac at the entrance.

    Councillor Mel Speding, Chair of Sunderland City Council’s Coalfield Area Committee, said: “The Coalfield Area Committee is proud to provide funding for these improvements to Rectory Park, especially the repair work to the fountain which we know is loved by residents. The park celebrated its 75th anniversary last year and these additions are designed to the keep it in great condition for future generations and keep families coming back time after time.

    “This is about making sure our parks are places everyone can be proud of and get the most enjoyment out of. With these new infrastructure improvements, we hope even more people will come and enjoy the park.”

    The Coalfield Area Committee is one of the five area committees across Sunderland. Made up of local councillors, these provide residents with a greater say by working closely with their communities and drawing on local knowledge to identify priorities for their area. They also create Area Plans to support the City Plan, focusing on local needs. These plans help fund and deliver projects in partnership with local voluntary and community sector organisations.

    Funding for the park improvements is one of 11 grants awarded by the Coalfield Area Committee since April 2024 to support community groups and voluntary organisations with various projects. This includes social inclusion and wellbeing activities, and the recently installed bleed kits located throughout the Coalfield. 

    The improvement project started with the installation of the cycling track in August 2024, which is regularly used by Gateway Wheelers for activities and events. Gateway Wheelers is a charity which helps provide access for people with disabilities to enjoy cycling.

    Gateway Wheelers currently offer different types of cycling sessions, such as private, groups, families or children.

    Sara Bateman, Project Officer for the Gateway Wheelers, said: “Cycling is a fantastic way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors. Thanks to recent funding in the park, our organisation has been able to continue helping people of all abilities experience the joy of cycling by providing cycles, equipment, and dedicated support.”

    “The Learn to Ride facility which uses the recently developed cycle track offers a safe, traffic-free space where everyone can build their cycling skills, gain confidence, and have fun in a welcoming environment.”

    For information on the different sessions, timetable and booking you can visit Disability cycling group| North East | Gateway Wheelers | Houghton

    For more details of community events and activities in the park throughout the rest of the year, visit Coalfield Sunderland Community: Facebook Page

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 17, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Controlling the risk of Bridge Strikes

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Controlling the risk of Bridge Strikes

    Following a recent public inquiry, Carey London Ltd had regulatory action taken against their Operator’s Licence by the Traffic Commissioner for the East of England, Richard Turfitt. Additionally, the vocational entitlement of the driver was suspended for a period of two months.

    In a recent public inquiry, Traffic Commissioner for the East of England Richard Turfitt took regulatory action against Carey London Ltd, a construction and transport operator based in St Albans. A collision with a bridge resulted in the load, an 8-tonne excavator, being knocked off the trailer bed of the vehicle and onto the adjacent footpath, which exposed multiple breaches of safety and compliance obligations after.

    Driver Contra drove the excavator onto the load bed and then secured it with the arm of the excavator facing the headboard. He then apparently measured the height of the load using a tape measure (not a measuring stick) before moving to another area of the site where the road plates were collected and secured with ratchet straps. The height of the load was measured to be 15’4”. The arm of the excavator was not re-stowed after the excavator was moved to allow the loading of the plates. There were four chains available, but these were not used to secure the excavator. The risk assessment at that time was not sufficient and consequently control measures such as written instructions were not present.

    The vehicle passed under a first bridge without difficulty, but he then struck the second bridge. The operator stated that Mr Contra had seen the bridge height of 15’ but proceeded to attempt to pass under the bridge, at speed. 

    The driver also failed to adhere to tachograph regulations, and this raised concerns about the operator’s oversight of driver compliance and training. The company was found to have failed in its legal undertakings to ensure that vehicles were fit and serviceable, to employ an effective written driver defect reporting system, and to comply with laws on drivers’ hours and tachograph regulations.

    Commissioner Turfitt said “A professional driver is not expected to allow lapses of attention as they are in charge of vehicles which are by their very nature and size, dangerous. The decision to drive in that state presents an unacceptable risk and the decision making is not indicative of a professional driver…..

    Whilst safety management is often miscategorised as an antidote to common-sense, all operators need to appreciate that risk assessment is not simply a matter of waiting for a danger to materialise, to then take action after the event. The outcome of this incident could have been truly catastrophic. Effective control measures should prevent an incident from occurring, protecting others from injury, drivers from the lasting impact, the reputation of the business and its liabilities. Compliance should make good business sense to any reputable operator.”

    The vocational entitlement of Driver Contra was suspended for a period of two months and the operator had their licence curtailed by half and warned that any further failures would be treated more severely.

    The full written decision containing the can be found here.

    For any further details or enquiries, please contact:

    Email: pressoffice@otc.gov.uk

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    Updates to this page

    Published 16 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 17, 2025
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