NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bergman, GOP Colleagues, to Pritzker: Stop the Partisan Games – Protect our Great Lakes from Asian Carp

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)

    Rep. Jack Bergman, joined by Michigan GOP colleagues Rep. John Moolenaar, Rep. Tim Walberg, and Rep. John James sent a letter to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker calling for him to reverse course on a recent politically charged decision that would jeopardize efforts to keep invasive Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. The letter highlights that the delay is both unjustified and dangerous to the continued health of our Great Lakes.

    Recently, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker halted the Brandon Road Interbasin Project – a critical piece of infrastructure being built to prevent invasive carp from migrating from the Mississippi River basin into Lake Michigan.

    In a hard-hitting letter to Pritzker, the Members of Congress noted, “We write to express our profound dismay at your decision to unilaterally suspend Construction Increment IA of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Rock Island District. As you know, the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical chokepoint for preventing the upstream movement of invasive carp and other nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes through the Illinois Waterway. This unnecessary and unfounded obstruction trades responsible governance for partisan grandstanding, putting our Great Lakes, economy, and communities at needless risk.”

    Additionally, the Members noted that Pritzker’s move reflected either a “fundamental misunderstanding or a deliberate disregard” of longstanding federal financial law.

    You can read the full letter here or below:

    Governor Pritzker:

    We write to express our profound dismay at your decision to unilaterally suspend Construction Increment IA of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP), administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Rock Island District. As you know, the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical chokepoint for preventing the upstream movement of invasive carp and other nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes through the Illinois Waterway. This unnecessary and unfounded obstruction trades responsible governance for partisan grandstanding, putting our Great Lakes, economy, and communities at needless risk.

    On February 10, 2025, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources notified USACE that the State would be postponing the real estate closing agreement required for USACE to commence work on Construction Increment IA. Citing an “anticipated lack of federal funding for the Brandon Road Project,” the State has demanded assurances from the federal government that the funds allocated to BRIP through Pub. L. 117-58 will remain available.

    This demand reflects either a fundamental misunderstanding or a deliberate disregard of longstanding federal financial law. Under 31 U.S.C. § 1501, federal funds can only be considered obligated – and thus legally bound for their designated purpose – once a formal commitment, such as a contract, is executed by an agency.2 However, USACE cannot take this step until the State of Illinois finalizes the real estate closing agreement – a prerequisite that your office is deliberately delaying. As a result, the very funds you claim to be protecting with the pause remain unobligated and at risk of rescission or reprogramming by Congress – an authority that has long rested with Congress concerning unobligated funds still at the U.S. Treasury.

    Of course, you would recognize this if your decision to pause the project were not driven by partisan motives. In a February 7, 2025, memorandum shared with your office, USACE confirmed that $100 million in federal funds was available for the scheduled February 17, 2025, start of Construction Increment IA. Yet, the designated funds now hang in the balance over your insistence on receiving assurances from the Trump administration – assurances that are entirely unnecessary. The reality is that your office has the authority to finalize the real estate closing agreement and allow USACE to proceed, making your delay both unjustified and dangerous to the continued health of our Great Lakes.

    The commercial, recreational, and tribal fisheries of the Great Lakes generate between $5 and $7 billion annually for the economies of the United States and Canada, supporting more than 75,000 jobs.3 These waters sustain a world-class fishery built on native and naturalized species like whitefish, salmon, and lake trout – species that would be devastated by the spread of invasive carp from the Illinois Waterway. Allowing their introduction would be an irreversible economic and ecological disaster, jeopardizing industries, livelihoods, and entire communities that depend on the Great Lakes.

    Safeguarding our lakes demands strong leadership that prioritizes responsible action over political posturing. Years of strategic planning and bipartisan collaboration between USACE Rock Island District and the States of Illinois and Michigan have brought us to the threshold of a historic preservation victory for our region’s economy and environment. Your obstruction not only undermines this progress but signals a reckless disregard for the long-term health of the Great Lakes and the millions of people who rely on them. We urge you, in the strongest terms possible, to abandon this self-serving interest, finalize the real estate closing agreement, and allow USACE to move forward with BRIP without further delay. The Great Lakes – and the future of those who depend on them – deserve nothing less.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Votes to Ban Illegal Immigrants from Voting in American Elections

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) voted for, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. This legislation would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in U.S. elections and ensure that states remove noncitizens from their voter rolls.

    “Only American citizens should be allowed to vote in American elections. It’s why I voted to ban illegal immigrants from voting in our elections and ensure that liberal states like California clean their voter rolls of noncitizens,” said Rep. Feenstra. “Keeping noncitizens and illegal immigrants from unlawfully voting is the least we can do to secure our elections. As a strong advocate for border security and election integrity, I will continue to work with President Trump to ensure that only American citizens vote in American elections.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Global solar boom leaving Canada in the shade — but federal shift could change sector fortunes

    Source: – Press Release/Statement:

    Headline: Global solar boom leaving Canada in the shade — but federal shift could change sector fortunes

    Fernando Melo, federal director for policy and government affairs at CANREA, an industry body, said Canada has “great solar resources that we are only beginning to harness,” noting that new utility-scale power procurements coming in 2025 in several provinces, including solar-specific auctions in Quebec and Saskatchewan, would help spur deployment of PV plant. Read more.
    The post Global solar boom leaving Canada in the shade — but federal shift could change sector fortunes appeared first on Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Clinical Trials regulations signed into law

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Clinical Trials regulations signed into law

    12-month roll-out begins today for the biggest regulatory shake up of clinical trials in 20 years

    New regulations for running clinical trials in the UK have now been signed into law. A 12-month roll-out begins today (11 April) to deliver the most significant update to UK clinical trials regulation in two decades – with the aim of strengthening patient safety, accelerating approvals, enabling innovation and helping more people benefit from taking part in vital research.

    First laid in Parliament in December 2024, the updated regulations are designed to put participants firmly at the centre of how trials are run, while supporting a faster, more streamlined approvals, making it easier to test new treatments in the UK.

    The MHRA is committed to implementing a flexible and risk-proportionate regulation of clinical trials, which accelerates patient access to potentially life-saving medicines without compromising safety.

    This follows new analysis of clinical trial applications submitted to the MHRA over recent years, highlighting where there are opportunities for accelerating medical breakthroughs.

    The new regulations will take full effect from 10 April 2026, following the 12-month implementation period starting this week. They were developed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in partnership with the Health Research Authority (HRA), and shaped by feedback from patients, researchers, doctors, and industry.

    The reforms will:

    • Put patients and their safety are at the focus of all clinical trials and bring the benefits of clinical trials to everyone.
    • Cut duplication and unnecessary delays, while maintaining robust oversight of the safety of trials.
    • Create a proportionate and flexible regulatory environment, reducing bureaucracy for lower-risk trials.
    • Cement the UK as a destination for international trials.
    • Provide a framework that is streamlined, agile and responsive to innovation.

    By reducing red tape and simplifying approvals, the new framework supports the Prime Minister’s target to reduce the time from application to first participant from 250 to 150 days. It will speed up research and reduce the time it takes for promising treatments to reach patients, without compromising on safety.

    These reforms will help ensure the UK remains an attractive place to conduct global research, while continuing to protect trial participants through robust oversight.

    The Combined Review – a system that lets researchers apply for ethics and regulatory approval in one go – and notification scheme for some clinical trial initial applications and amendments will now be written into law as part of the changes.

    Work to bring in the new rules will continue over the coming months, backed by updated guidance and ongoing engagement with trial sponsors and researchers.

    Lawrence Tallon, MHRA Chief Executive, said:

    “These new regulations are a key step towards a stronger, more responsive and risk-proportionate clinical trials system that works better for patients. They will help ensure people in the UK can benefit sooner from safe, carefully assessed research into new potentially life-saving medicines, while maintaining the highest standards of participant safety.

    “By streamlining how trials are approved and run, we are making the UK a more attractive place to deliver high-quality, innovative research. I’d like to thank colleagues across the MHRA, HRA, government, industry and the clinical research community who helped shape these changes. We’ll continue to work closely with our partners through the implementation period.”

    Janet Messer, Director of Approvals Service at the Health Research Authority, said:

    “This is an important milestone in improving how clinical trials are set up and run in the UK. By embedding Combined Review in law, and strengthening the focus on transparency and proportionality, these changes reflect our commitment to making it easier to do high-quality research that people can trust.

    “We’ve worked closely with patients, researchers and partners across the system to ensure the new regulations protect participants, while reducing unnecessary burden.

    “In the coming months we’ll be publishing guidance to accompany the new regulations to support researchers through the transition period and beyond, so more people can benefit from taking part in safe, well-run research.”

    Notes to editors

    1. The legislation will be updated here in due course: The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2024

    2. First-ever MHRA analysis of UK clinical trial applications finds new opportunities to drive medical breakthroughs for patients – GOV.UK

    3. Patients, the NHS and the Life Sciences sector set to benefit from new clinical trials framework being laid in parliament today – GOV.UK

    4. Prime Minister turbocharges medical research – GOV.UK

    5. The MHRA is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.

    6. The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

    7. For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Raising A Glass to Craft Breweries

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today celebrated April 11 as the inaugural New York Craft Beer Day in New York State. New York is the second largest craft beer market in the U.S. and has more than 500 independent craft breweries that support 22,000 jobs and generate a $4.8 billion economic impact across the state.

    “Today, we raise a glass to more than 500 craft breweries across New York — small businesses that pour $4.8 billion into our economy and flavor into our communities,” Governor Hochul said. “On this Craft Brewers Day, let’s toast their creativity, their grit and their impact. And remember — if you’re going to celebrate, celebrate responsibly. Cheers!”

    The Governor made this announcement at the recent New York State Craft Brewers Association Conference and competition in Albany where she awarded the 2025 Governor’s Excelsior Craft Beer Cup to Brooklyn’s Grimm Artisanal Ales for their Grimm Weisse wheat beer. A full list of winners can be found here.

    To commemorate New York Craft Beer Day, patrons can download the free Official New York State Craft Beer App, created by the NYS Brewers Association, to find local breweries and is the only app that offers a map of every brewery in the state. To commemorate Craft Beer Day, customers can earn the exclusive “Inaugural New York Craft Beer Day Badge” with any passport stamp on Friday, April 11th.

    Governor Hochul’s Support for Craft Producers

    In 2023, Governor Hochul signed legislation providing breweries the option to renew their licenses every three years instead of annually, saving brewers $800 — or about 30 percent — in fees over three years. This change not only lowers costs but also reduces paperwork, allowing brewers to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time focusing on their craft and growing their businesses.

    Additionally, recognizing the importance of helping craft producers open quickly, Governor Hochul signed legislation that went into effect in 2022 creating new temporary permits for all craft beverage manufacturers — including breweries. For the first time, manufacturers can now begin operating while their full liquor license is pending. These permits, which cost $125 and are valid for six months, allow new producers to begin manufacturing and selling alcoholic beverages while they await final approval. Temporary permits are generally processed in under 30 days, compared to the average six-month timeline for full licenses — significantly accelerating the launch of new craft beverage businesses across the state.

    Continuing to build on New York State’s push to modernize outdated Prohibition alcohol laws, in 2024, Governor Hochul signed landmark legislation that allowed New York’s small craft manufacturers of spirits, cider and mead to ship directly to consumers. The law opens significant opportunities for the state’s growing craft beverage industry by providing a vital market expansion tool — allowing these producers to ship their unique products directly to consumers within New York and across state lines.

    The craft beverage industry also provides a boost to New York agriculture as New York State has seen increased interest in locally produced craft beverages in recent years. This interest in locally produced beverages has increased demand for locally sourced ingredients. To continue to support the research needed to develop crop varietals of hops and barley that are disease resistant and can adapt to the climate in the northeast, the 2024-25 NYS Budget included more than $650,000 in funding to Cornell for the Geneva Barley program and the hops breeding program.

    State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “New York’s world-class craft brewers are reflective of New York’s long legacy in the craft brewery industry, committed to making the finest beers, using the very best ingredients, including those straight from the farm. I thank Governor Hochul for declaring today Craft Beer Day here in New York State; this celebration provides us all an awesome opportunity to recognize our brewers and their contributions to our local economies, from supporting jobs and tourism to boosting growth in the agricultural industry.”

    State Liquor Authority Chair Lily Fan said, “New York’s craft brewers are among the most innovative and entrepreneurial in the country — constantly pushing boundaries with new flavors, creative branding and a true dedication to quality. In today’s competitive market, that kind of ingenuity deserves our support. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul and the close collaboration with our partners at Empire State Development and the Department of Agriculture and Markets, the State Liquor Authority is proud to play a role in helping brewers across New York produce more, sell more, open quickly and save on overhead. We’re excited to celebrate the inaugural New York Craft Beer Day on April 11th — and we hope it brings new fans, fresh energy and increased foot traffic to taprooms across our state. Cheers to our craft brewers — and as always, drink responsibly and stay safe.”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “New York’s community of diverse and creative craft breweries spans the entire state, creating unique libations and destinations that welcome residents and visitors alike. Breweries bring energy into our downtown areas, while supporting jobs and local economies. New York Craft Beer Day is a perfect opportunity to raise a glass and celebrate the New Yorkers who brew the distinctive drafts, and to support the small businesses that keep our communities quenched.”

    Executive Director of the New York State Brewer’s Association Paul Leone said,“Beer has been part of New York’s history since the early 1600’s when the first known brewery was built on the southern tip of New Amsterdam, which is now Manhattan. Today there are over 500 breweries scattered throughout every region of the state, thanks to the passion and dedication of the craft brewers, owners and the customers that keep their small businesses alive. We are so honored that Governor Hochul would proclaim April 11th New York Craft Beer Day starting in 2025, which will give us one day every year to shine an extra bright light on an industry that employs over 22,000 hard working New Yorkers, and will give craft beer fans one more reason to celebrate and raise a glass to New York State craft beer!”

    State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “New York’s inaugural Craft Beer Day is a well-earned toast to the producers who’ve turned their passion into one of our state’s most beloved agricultural sectors. From grain to glass, craft beer is creating jobs, contributing to the economic resurgence of our upstate communities, and keeping New York ingredients in New York products. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners of the 2025 NYS Craft Beer Awards, including the outstanding brewers representing the Hudson Valley. We’re thrilled to celebrate the care and craftsmanship behind every batch and the pride it brings to so many hometowns across New York State.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “Cheers to New York Craft Beer. A special day devoted to celebrating NY’s amazing craft brewers and their products is very much appreciated. Some of the finest craft beer in the country can be found in every region of the state.”

    In addition, New York State, through its New York State Grown & Certified and Taste NY programs, continues to support New York’s craft beverage industry and its’ breweries through direct marketing, social media and a number of special initiatives and events that spotlight the industry, including at sports arenas and venues across the State. For example, Taste NY is partnering with Minor League Baseball teams across New York State again this year, and in 2024, brought the very best of New York’s local food and beverages, including local craft beverages, to more than 1.2 million fans at stadiums across New York. In 2023 and 2024, Taste NY sponsored a Tasting Yard at the Great New York State Fair, which featured a rotating selection of New York State craft breweries over the course of the Fair, giving visitors a taste of New York’s world-class craft beverage products and giving brewers the opportunity to meet new customers as nearly one million visitors come through the Fair gates.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Sciences Po hosts the Paris Dialogue on the Future of Higher Education

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    Luis Vassy (Sciences Po), Shalini Randeria (CEU), Cornelia Woll (Hertie School), Daniel Jutras (University of Montreal), Paris Dialogue on the Future of Higher Education, 10 April 2025. (credits: Clara Dufour / Sciences Po)

    At a time of rapidly evolving political and geopolitical context, coupled with structural transformations related to new technologies and ecological transition, higher education is at a crossroads.

    We are in a historically significant moment for education, a moment to reflect and engage on the role of universities. Over the past year, following 7 October 2023 and the conflict in Gaza, a question has been critical for universities : should we take positions ? How can we protect freedom of expression for our communities (students, professors, researchers) and our core mission of science and knowledge transmission at once ?

    Jeremy Perelman, Vice-President for International Affairs, Sciences Po

    In response, many leading academic institutions around the world are faced with the need to:

    •  re-emphasise their foundational role in and value for democratic societies,
    • clarify the core principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech within universities,
    • defend their economic and institutional models.

    To explore these pressing challenges, Sciences Po hosted the first Paris Dialogue on the Future of Higher Education on 10 April.

    Following the recent publication of a report and the adoption by Sciences Po of its doctrine on institutional positioning, this first edition closed with a public roundtable on the protection of academic freedoms as a key challenge for the future of higher education, involving presidents and provosts of 5 leading international academic institutions.

    (credits: Clara Dufour / Sciences Po)

    I am very grateful for Sciences Po to have initiated this dialogue, because our common mission of producing and disseminating new knowledge relies heavily on collaboration. In recent months, we have faced similar challenges, which makes this discussion particularly valuable. At my own university, our faculty senate adopted a position that prevents the institution from making official statements on political or social issues. My view is that generating new knowledge requires a wide diversity of perspectives, rather than adherence to any form of institutional orthodoxy. Ideas that eventually prove to be true often appear unorthodox – even heretical – at first. This is precisely why it is essential to allow all viewpoints to be expressed. Suppressing ideas hinders scientific progress and the advancement of knowledge.

    Jennifer Martinez, Provost, Stanford University

    Over the past year, all universities have reached roughly the same conclusion, and I feel quite confident that it is the right position, even though it can be difficult to uphold. At its heart, this position is about preserving everyone’s freedom – the freedom to teach, to learn, to exchange ideas, to express oneself, and to conduct research. If the university, as an institution, adopts an official stance, our scholars and students who hold differing views may find their ability to express those opinions constrained. Universities are a special kind of institution with a unique role in society, and this role must be protected by ensuring the conditions in which our communities can freely exchange ideas and perspectives.

    Larry Kramer, President, London School of Economics

    In this panel of universities, we find that many of our challenges are shared. We have an educational mission, and we firmly believe that there is nothing more important than this: the task of reinventing leadership – leadership that is responsible and accountable. If you, as students, want to bring about change in the world, if you want to make a real difference, you must be able to share your ideas. Our role – our mission of supreme interest – is to create the processes and conditions that allow you to express your views and share your knowledge. What we produce as universities holds huge value. And the only way to defend that value is to start fighting for our universities with the same urgency and determination we would show in defending any vital asset – one that can be lost or destroyed. We must prevent the destruction of the most precious thing we create: knowledge.

    Cornelia Woll, President, Hertie School of Governance

    Universities’ involvement in public affairs should be limited to defending academic freedom and upholding the university’s core mission. This creates space within the institution for all viewpoints to be expressed and for all conversations to take place – something that is vital to the health of our academic communities. Academic freedom stands on two pillars: institutional restraint and the protection of free expression for individuals. These two principles go hand in hand, enabling our communities of scholars and students to teach, learn, and conduct research freely.

    Daniel Jutras, Rector, University of Montreal

    Historically, our university was forced to relocate twice due to autocratic regimes that did not respect academic freedom. We therefore understand the need to protect ourselves from political agendas within our own countries. I think we also need to think about academic freedom internationally : it is our responsibility to safeguard our students and researchers when they are abroad. Academic freedom includes ensuring that our academic communities are free to study and conduct research across borders. One of our students was recently imprisoned in Egypt for social media posts critical of the regime. The university intervened and secured his release, but I fear that in the years ahead, we will see more such cases. We must begin to think and act collectively to develop stronger legal protections for academic freedom on an international scale.

    Shalini Randeria, Rector, Central European University 

    A university is a marketplace of ideas. Ideas must be able to express themselves and circulate freely, to challenge the prevailing consensus and go towards progress. Any stance taken by the institution may have the unintended effect of altering the freedom of expression of those whose opinions diverge from the official line. Protecting academic freedom is essential not only to protect academics or academic institutions but also to guarantee the quality of research, its open, critical inquisitiveness – even when it’s uncomfortable –  and the many benefits it brings to society. 

    Luis Vassy, President, Sciences Po

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government extends ban on personal meat imports to protect farmers from foot and mouth

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Government extends ban on personal meat imports to protect farmers from foot and mouth

    Ban on personal imports of meat and dairy products extended to cover all EU countries to safeguard the UK food system and farmers against food and mouth disease

    The Government has taken measures to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD) following a rising number of cases across Europe.   

    From tomorrow (Saturday 12th April), travellers will no longer be able to bring cattle, sheep, goat, and pig meat, as well as dairy products, from EU countries into Great Britain for personal use, to protect the health of British livestock, the security of farmers, and the UK’s food security.    

    This includes bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain – regardless of whether it is packed or packaged or whether it has been bought at duty free.   

    Whilst FMD poses no risk to humans and there are no cases in the UK, it is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas, and the outbreak on the continent presents a significant risk to farm businesses and livestock.  

    FMD can cause significant economic losses due to production shortfalls in the affected animals, as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and dairy.       

    The Government has already banned personal imports of cattle, sheep and other ruminants and pig meat as well as dairy products, from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria earlier this year in response to confirmed outbreaks of FMD in those countries.

    Today’s new EU-wide restrictions better safeguard the UK against the changing disease risk, and provide clear rules for travellers, helping them to comply with the regulations. The new restrictions apply only to travellers arriving in Great Britain, and will not be imposed on personal imports arriving from Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man.  

    Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

    This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers from foot & mouth.   

    That is why we are further strengthening protections by introducing restrictions on personal meat and dairy imports to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Britain’s food security.

    UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer for international and trade affairs Dr Jorge Martin-Almagro said: 

    Following the detection of foot and mouth disease in EU countries resulting in a rising risk of introduction into Great Britain, we have extended restrictions on the personal imports of food products that pose a risk in FMD transmission.   

    Robust contingency plans are already in place to manage the risk of this disease to protect farmers and Britain’s food security. This biosecurity measure combined with all others we have implemented are critical to limit the risk of FMD incursion.   

    I would urge livestock keepers to continue exercising the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, ensure scrupulous biosecurity is maintained and to report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

    Information for travellers entering the UK

    From Saturday 12 April, it will be illegal for travellers from all EU countries entering Great Britain to bring items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into the country. This is regardless of whether it is packed or packaged or whether it has been bought at duty free.   

    Detailed information is available for the public which [sets out a limited set of exemptions from these rules](https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain](https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain). For example, a limited amount of infant milk, medical foods and certain composite products like chocolate, confectionery, bread, cakes, biscuits and pasta continue to be allowed.  

    Those found with these items will need to either surrender them at the border or will have them seized and destroyed. In serious cases, those found with these items run the risk of incurring fines of up to £5,000 in England.  

    Information for animal keepers

    There are currently no cases of FMD in the UK, though the UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following an incursion of the disease in Germany, followed by an unrelated incursion affecting Hungary and Slovakia.   

    If you’re an animal keeper, read about how to spot foot and mouth disease and report it.       

    If you’re an importer or exporter, read about the import restrictions for foot and mouth disease.

    Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the main signs are sores and blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue with potentially a fever, lameness and a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs, signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering.         

    While horses and companion animals are not susceptible to FMD, hay feed or straw bedding, if sourced from an infected area, could act as a fomite and therefore also prevented from entering GB.     

    Maintaining good biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.       

    Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it immediately by calling:   * 03000 200 301 in England   * 0300 303 8268 in Wales         * your local  Field Services Office in Scotland  

    For more information, visit the import, export pages for EU trade.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Senior councillors in Leeds to consider local community services review report

    Source: City of Leeds

    Executive board meeting to be held on Wednesday 23 April

    Senior councillors in Leeds will consider an update report on ongoing work to enhance local community services and maximise the use of council buildings at a meeting later this month.

    At the meeting of the council’s executive board at Civic Hall on Wednesday 23 April, councillors will discuss the report which forms part of the council’s ongoing commitment to continuously assess and review all services to ensure they are being delivered as effectively as possible in the face of ongoing significant financial challenges.

    The report details the current positions regarding ongoing service reviews concerning mental health hubs for adults, Little Owls nurseries and children’s centres.

    Leeds City Council currently manages three buildings delivering mental health day support and another three buildings for people with complex needs. Due to changes in how services are being delivered across the wider community, especially following the pandemic, there is less need for people to attend these buildings.

    At the mental health hubs, nearly half of those receiving support do not access the building and as a result the hubs only open two or three days a week for groups or support sessions, although even on these days the capacity available is not being fully used.

    At the complex needs centres attendance has also been gradually declining, with an average capacity use of 58 per cent since the pandemic.

    To allow these services to be delivered more efficiently and to make better use of the buildings concerned, the council is proposing to move the three mental health hubs into the complex needs centres to become integrated community hubs for adults. There are no proposed changes to the level of support offered to people.

    The complex needs centres offer greater accessibility and are of a good standard and this change would see the Stocks Hill Mental Health Support Hub move to join the Calverlands Complex Needs Centre in Horsforth, Lovell Park Mental Health Support Hub join the Wykebeck Complex Needs Centre, and Vale Circles Mental Health Support Hub join the Laurel Bank Complex Needs Centre in Middleton.

    Consultation has been carried out with service users and stakeholders. Careful planning has also been undertaken to design individualised support to help people transition to the new sites or to other local community locations where services can be delivered.

    The integration of services from six buildings to three would deliver savings of around £500,000 this year, while the vacated buildings at Lovell Park and Vales Circles would be made available for sale for a capital receipt to help the council meet its savings requirement of over £100million this year.

    If executive board approves the proposed change, the mental health hub day services would relocate from next month with the integrated community hubs in full operation from June.

    The report also gives an update regarding the review of Little Owls nurseries and children’s centres. Following a market-sounding exercise undertaken for 12 Little Owls nurseries, the potential delivery through schools or alternative providers is being progressed. Interested parties are engaging in an assessment process which will include considering the need for, or use of, existing buildings. If alternative provision cannot be secured for any of the 12 nurseries, the council will retain and continue to deliver the service itself. This position will be clarified by the end of July.

    On children’s centres, the report details the timeline for proposals to improve the range, effectiveness and integration of services at the 56 centres managed by Leeds City Council or partners. Consultation will be undertaken in the summer with all interested parties, and a report on future proposals is expected to be considered by the executive board in September.

    The changing role of community centres is also explained in the report, broadening their remit to offer an increasingly wide range of services and support for all ages and becoming multi-use community spaces rather than just buildings, enabling them to be accessed more fully by the wider community.

    Community asset transfers are also being considered as an option for some community buildings where it is considered appropriate and with viable interest in them being run and managed at a local level.

    The council-managed Leeds libraries service continues to offer an increasing range of services, while the report also outlines the potential for leisure centres to also host additional services offering greater flexibility to their local communities.

    Leeds City Council deputy leader and executive member for resources Councillor Debra Coupar said:

    “The council is firmly committed to continuously reviewing all our services, and how and where they are delivered to ensure they are effective and meeting the needs of residents and the communities they serve.

    “Where we can make changes to improve the quality, range and accessibility of our services and to make them more integrated it makes sense to do that, while also helping to make sure our buildings and estate are being well used, maintained and are welcoming environments for people of all ages to want to use and visit.

    “Our proposed change to mental health day support provision will provide a transformative boost, with the integrated community hubs for adults bringing services and people together under one roof and all the associated benefits that synergy entails. We are committed to doing everything we can to make the transition as smooth as possible, while also being able to dispose of underperforming buildings to help with the significant financial challenge we face this year.”

    To see the report being considered by the executive board visit Council and democracy (item 9).

     

    ENDS

     

    For media enquiries please contact:

    Leeds City Council communications and marketing,

    Email: communicationsteam@leeds.gov.uk

    Tel: 0113 378 6007

     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Secretary Noem Reminds Foreign Nationals to Register or Face Legal Penalties

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – Today, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem reminded all foreign nationals present in the United Stated longer than 30 days that the deadline to register under the Alien Registration Act is coming up on April 11.  

    This law requires all aliens in the United States for more than 30 days to register with the federal government. Failure to comply is a crime, punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both. 

    “President Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” said Secretary Noem. “The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”

    BACKGROUND: 

    On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore order and accountability to our immigration system. This includes enforcing the long-ignored Alien Registration Act. 

    COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: 

    On or by April 11, 2025, the following will apply to all noncitizens, regardless of status: 

    • Present in the U.S. for 30 days or more as of April 11, 2025, without registration evidence: Register immediately via USCIS.
    • Entering on or after April 11, 2025, without registration evidence: Register within 30 days of arrival.
    • Turning 14 in the U.S.: Re-register and submit fingerprints within 30 days of your 14th birthday, even if previously registered.
    • Parents or guardians of minors under 14: Register minors if they remain in the U.S. for 30 days or longer.

    Upon registration and fingerprinting, DHS will issue proof of registration. All noncitizens 18 and older must carry this documentation at all times. This administration has directed DHS to prioritize enforcement, there will be no sanctuary for noncompliance. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: UK House of Lords recalled to consider British Steel

    Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)

    The House of Lords will meet from noon on Saturday 12 April.

    Members will consider legislative proposals to ensure the continued operation of British Steel blast furnaces is safeguarded.

    Find out more https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2025/april/house-of-lords-recalled-on-saturday-12-april/

    Catch-up on House of Lords business:

    Watch live events: https://parliamentlive.tv/Lords
    Read the latest news: https://www.parliament.uk/lords/

    Stay up to date with the House of Lords on social media:

    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/UKHouseofLords
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/UKHouseofLords/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofLords
    • Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/ukhouseoflords/albums
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-house-of-lords

    #HouseofLords #UKParliament

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mqLYiXnijI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kansas Secretary of State | Media | 2025 Press Release

    Source: US State of Kansas

    Election Bills Proposed by Secretary of State to Become Law

    Thursday, April 10, 2025

    TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab introduced and supported several bills this year to strengthen and improve Kansas’ election laws. The following bills have now become law and will enhance the election process and improve voter roll maintenance for years to come.

    HB 2016:

    1. Allows county election officers to use obituaries from local funeral home websites to begin the process of removing deceased voters from the rolls. This supplements the other permissible sources of information regarding deceased voters: local newspaper obituaries; the official weekly Kansas death certificate report; and the Social Security Administration master national death file. This bill is another important tool to improve voter roll accuracy.
    2. Simplifies and updates disclosure requirements for non-government groups that provides voters with mail ballot applications. These changes were suggestions to reduce unnecessary burdens based on experience from previous election cycles.
    3. Allows active-duty military and their dependents temporarily living in Kansas to serve as poll workers.

    HB 2022: Currently, special elections for issues like school bonds and city sales taxes, can be held at any time except for a period before and after the regular primary and general election. With the passage of this bill, special elections can now only occur on a single day in March or on the same day as a primary or general election. This change will reduce voter confusion and reduce the burden on county election offices from having to simultaneously run multiple special elections.

    S. Sub for HB 2056:

    1. This bill closes two loopholes in the candidate nomination process. Candidates nominated by minor party convention must now accept the nomination before their name goes on the ballot. Additionally, a minor party candidate can no longer run in a major party primary.
    2. Makes it a criminal offense to impersonate an election officer by incorporating the guidance of the Kansas Supreme Court to change the law’s focus to the intent of the impersonator. This law targets scammers who appear around election time pretending to be election staff and fooling voters into providing their personal information.

    “I appreciate the legislature’s swift action in passing these important bills, which will strengthen voter roll maintenance, reduce voter confusion, and improve the candidate nomination process,” Schwab said. “These changes reflect the ongoing efforts of me and my team, and county election officials to ensure safe and fair elections in Kansas.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Council of Europe – Conversation between the Minister and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (11 Apr. 2025)

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot spoke on April 11 with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset.

    The Minister reaffirmed France’s pride at hosting an organization whose founding mission since 1949 has been to ensure respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law in all its 46 Member States.

    The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs hailed the European Pact on Democracy, a new initiative launched by the Secretary General. He underscored the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the election process, a cornerstone of our democracies. The Minister and Secretary General addressed the challenge posed by foreign interference and information manipulation for our democratic societies. France is fully engaged in combating these threats, in full compliance with the rule of law and the freedom of expression, for which the Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights serve as vital guarantors.

    The Minister applauded the Council of Europe’s role in fostering the democratic resilience and reconstruction of Ukraine, which has been a victim of Russia’s war of aggression for the past three years, and for its fight against impunity and for the reparation of damages. The Minister and Secretary General discussed the imperative need to bring home the Ukrainian children forcibly displaced by Russia.

    Lastly, the Minister and the Secretary General discussed the implementation of France’s decision to extend the European Social Charter to our Overseas Territories.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Business Tax Credits for Wind and Solar Power

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    The federal government provides tax credits for investments in energy sources that generate electricity without emitting carbon dioxide in the process. Two tax credits, the investment tax credit (ITC) and the production tax credit (PTC), directly support investment in wind and solar electric power. In the Congressional Budget Office’s baseline projections, those tax credits reduce federal revenues and increase federal spending. In this report, CBO provides an overview of the tax credits and explains how the agency assesses their budgetary and economic effects.

    • In CBO’s January 2025 baseline projections, the ITC and PTC together increase projected deficits from 2026 to 2035 by about $300 billion. The cost of tax credits for investing in wind and solar electric power is uncertain because the underlying activity—the amount of investment itself—is uncertain.
    • The ITC and PTC provide an incentive for private-sector investment. CBO estimates that without those tax credits, investment in wind and solar electric power from 2024 to 2026 would be about one-third less than is expected with the credits in place. But because investors’ behavior is uncertain, including their response to changes in tax policy, the amount of investment attributable to the tax credits could be higher or lower than projected.
    • The 2022 reconciliation act (Public Law 117-169) made the ITC and PTC more generous for investments in projects that pay prevailing wages and employ apprentices, are located in certain geographic areas, and use domestically sourced materials. Linking the tax credits to those other policy objectives can encourage investment in projects whose costs per unit of generating capacity are higher than they would otherwise be, thus involving a trade-off between supporting the objectives and stimulating investment in wind and solar power at the lowest possible cost.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Resident Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court to 72 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and crack, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Deangelo Ward, 35, on April 10, 2025.

    According to information presented to the Court, from in and around July 2022 to in and around March 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Ward conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, 40 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl, and a quantity of a mixture of crack. Ward was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others.

    Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Ward. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Men Admit to Roles in Firearms Trafficking Operation

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two Hagerstown, Maryland, men have admitted to firearms trafficking in the Berkeley County, West Virginia.

    Christopher Seth St. Clair, age 24, pled guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. David Lamont Barnes, age 23, pled guilty to conspiracy to violate gun control act. 

    According to court documents, St. Clair and Barnes worked with others to purchase firearms and transport them to individuals across state lines. During the purchase of the firearms, St. Clair, falsely claimed he was not purchasing the firearms on behalf of other persons. Barnes assisted in the purchases and transportation.

    St. Clair is facing up to 10 years in federal prison. Barnes is facing up to five years in 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 Kyle Kane is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tory crony peerages underline need to scrap House of Lords

    Source: Scottish Greens

    11 Apr 2025 Scottish Independence

    The House of Lords is an undemocratic relic.

    More in Scottish Independence

    Reports that former Tory Ministers Michael Gove and Alister Jack are to be given peerages and jobs for life underline why we urgently need to scrap the House of Lords, say the Scottish Greens.

    The Party’s co-leader, Lorna Slater, said:

    “The House of Lords is an archaic and embarrassing relic of an institution. Its very existence is an affront to democracy.

    “It has no legitimacy whatsoever and is already stuffed full of donors, cronies and former politicians.

    “Michael Gove and Alister Jack both supported and implemented policies that did a huge amount of damage, from a Brexit that has cost jobs and hiked up prices to the hostile environment policies that punished refugees and a series of cuts that fell on people with the least.

    “The problem is much bigger than any individual. It is the system that has allowed unelected peers to have so much influence for so long. It is ridiculous for us to be ruled by people that we have no way to remove.

    “One of the many advantages of independence would be the chance to finally abolish the undemocratic House of Lords.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ending Trump’s terrible trade war

    Source: Liberal Democrats UK

    The Liberal Democrats may use the information you provide, including your political opinions, to further our objectives and share it with our elected representatives. Any data we gather will be used in accordance with our privacy policy: libdems.org.uk/privacy. You can exercise your rights and withdraw your consent to future communications by contacting us: data.protection@libdems.org.uk or: DPO, Lib Dems, 1 Vincent Square, SW1P 2PN.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. (“Mytheresa”) receives final regulatory clearance to acquire YOOX NET-A-PORTER (“YNAP”) from Richemont, with closing planned for 23 April 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MYT Netherlands Parent B.V. (“Mytheresa”) receives final regulatory clearance
    to acquire YOOX NET-A-PORTER (“YNAP”) from Richemont, with closing planned for 23 April 2025 

    11 April 2025 – Today, Mytheresa (NYSE:MYTE) received the unconditional merger control clearance from the European Commission for the acquisition of YNAP from Richemont (SWX:CFR), through its subsidiary Richemont Italia Holding S.P.A.. Mytheresa and Richemont have now received all other necessary approvals from regulatory authorities and plan to close the transaction on 23 April 2025.

    On 7 October 2024, Mytheresa and Richemont signed binding agreements for the acquisition by Mytheresa of 100% of the share capital of YNAP from Richemont, aiming to build a leading global multi-brand digital luxury group. The receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals is the final step for the completion of the transaction. Under the umbrella of “LuxExperience B.V.”, which the combined company will be named following the acquisition, the brands Mytheresa, NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER, YOOX and THE OUTNET will offer highly curated and strongly differentiated selections of the most prestigious brands for luxury customers with unprecedented reach and relevance.

    Michael Kliger, Chief Executive Officer of Mytheresa, said, “We are truly excited to have received all required regulatory clearances to finalize the acquisition of YOOX NET-A-PORTER. We will become one of the leading global, digital luxury platforms for true luxury enthusiasts through having multiple, highly distinguished storefronts, all under the umbrella of LuxExperience. We will generate significant synergies by using a joint back-of-house platform, but most importantly because we will have one of the most relevant overall value propositions for global luxury shoppers and brands. Today marks a significant milestone in our success story as we enter a new and exciting phase for both Mytheresa and all YNAP brands, which is expected to create significant value for our customers, brand partners and shareholders.”

    Martin Beer, Chief Financial Officer of Mytheresa, added: “The acquisition of YNAP fulfills Mytheresa´s ambition to build a leading online luxury group worth around 3 billion Euros GMV per annum. In the medium term, our goal for LuxExperience will be to grow to a 4 billion Euros GMV per annum business with >8% Adj. EBITDA margin. While the consolidation of YNAP will initially dilute our EBITDA margin at group level we are uniquely prepared to achieve a fundamental transformation and return the YNAP businesses to profitability. The restructuring is expected to take 24 to 36 months and is well funded with a net cash position of 555 million Euros at closing. We will fully leverage Mytheresa’s operational excellence, proprietary technology and proven ability to execute large-scale projects.”

    Johann Rupert, Chairman of Richemont, said: “We look forward to LuxExperience’s future success, as the receipt of this clearance paves the way for both the Mytheresa and YNAP teams, their brand partners and customers alike to fully benefit from the enhanced value propositions and expanded global reach offered by the combined businesses.”

    At transaction closing, Mytheresa will issue new shares to Richemont representing 33% of Mytheresa’s fully diluted share capital after issuance of the consideration shares. At the same time, Richemont will sell YNAP with a cash position of €555m and no financial debt to Mytheresa, which will become YNAP’s sole shareholder. Richemont will also provide a 6-year €100m revolving credit facility to YNAP. Upon transaction closing, Burkhart Grund, Chief Financial Officer of Richemont, will join Mytheresa Supervisory Board as new Board member.

    Mytheresa, NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER will continue to offer differentiated, but complementary, multi-brand offering for luxury customers. The three individual store brands will maintain their own brand’s identities while sharing central infrastructure resources jointly. At the same time, the off-price division, consisting of YOOX and THE OUTNET, will be separated from the luxury division for a much simpler and more efficient operating model.

    With regulatory clearance received, Mytheresa and Richemont will now move forward with the final steps required to complete the transaction. A further announcement will be made at transaction closing. Further details on integration plans will be shared in due course. 

    Forward-looking statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact or relating to present facts or current conditions included in this press release are forward- looking statements. Forward-looking statements give Mytheresa’s current expectations and projections relating to the proposed transaction and the operation of the combined companies; its financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business, including statements relating to financing activities, future sales, expenses, and profitability; future development and expected growth of our business and industry; our ability to execute our business model and our business strategy; having available sufficient cash and borrowing capacity to meet working capital, debt service and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve months; and projected capital spending. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that Mytheresa has made in light of its industry experience and perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances. As you read and consider this press release, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond Mytheresa’s control) and assumptions. Although Mytheresa believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect its actual operating and financial performance and cause its performance to differ materially from the performance anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Mytheresa believes these factors include, but are not limited to: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination or abandonment of the proposed transaction; the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the proposed transaction with Richemont; the risk that the remaining conditions to closing the proposed transaction may not be satisfied in a timely manner or at all; the risk that the proposed transaction and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of YNAP to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their brand partners and customers and on their operating results and businesses generally; the risk that problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of YNAP and Mytheresa, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected; the risk that the combined company may be unable to achieve cost-cutting synergies or that it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies; Mytheresa’s ability to effectively compete in a highly competitive industry; Mytheresa’s ability to respond to consumer demands, spending and tastes; general economic conditions, including economic conditions resulting from deteriorating geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions, such as the recent global trade war that escalated after the U.S. imposed tariffs on countries across the globe, and the adoption of retaliatory tariffs by those countries, that may adversely impact consumer demand; Mytheresa’s ability to acquire new customers and retain existing customers; consumers of luxury products may not choose to shop online in sufficient numbers; the volatility and difficulty in predicting the luxury fashion industry; Mytheresa’s reliance on consumer discretionary spending; and Mytheresa’s ability to maintain average order levels and other factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of these assumptions prove incorrect, Mytheresa’s actual operating and financial performance may vary in material respects from the performance projected in these forward-looking statements.

    Mytheresa undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

    The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, Mytheresa’s results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements it makes.

    You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements represent Mytheresa’s management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made.

    Further information on these and other factors that could affect Mytheresa’s financial results is included in filings it makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) from time to time, including the section titled “Risk Factors” in its annual report on Form 20-F and on Form 6-K (reporting its quarterly results). These documents are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Relations section of our website at: https://investors.mytheresa.com.

      
    About non-IFRS financial measures and operating metrics

    Adjusted EBITDA margin is a non-IFRS financial measure that we calculate as net income before finance expense (net), taxes, and depreciation and amortization, adjusted to exclude Other transaction-related, certain legal and other expenses and Share-based compensation expense. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is a non-IFRS financial measure which is calculated in relation to net sales.

    We are not able to forecast net income (loss) on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable efforts due to the high variability and difficulty in predicting certain items that affect net income (loss), including, but not limited to, Income taxes and Interest expense and, as a result, are unable to provide a reconciliation to forecasted Adjusted EBITDA.

    Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) is an operative measure and means the total Euro value of orders processed, either as principal or as agent. GMV is inclusive of merchandise value, shipping and duty. It is net of returns, value added taxes, applicable sales taxes and cancellations. GMV does not represent revenue earned by us. We use GMV as an indicator for the usage of our platform that is not influenced by the mix of direct sales and commission sales. The indicators we use to monitor usage of our platform include, among others, active customers, total orders shipped and GMV.

    About Mytheresa

    Mytheresa is one of the leading luxury multi-brand digital platforms shipping to over 130 countries. Founded as a boutique in 1987, Mytheresa launched online in 2006 and offers ready-to-wear, shoes, bags and accessories for womenswear, menswear, kidswear as well as lifestyle products and fine jewelry. The highly curated edit of up to 250 brands focuses on true luxury brands such as Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli, Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci, Loewe, Loro Piana, Moncler, Prada, Saint Laurent, The Row, Valentino, and many more. Mytheresa’s unique digital experience is based on a sharp focus on high-end luxury shoppers, exclusive product and content offerings, leading technology and analytical platforms as well as high quality service operations. The NYSE listed company reported € 913.6 million GMV in fiscal year 2024 (+7% vs. FY23). For more information, please visit https://investors.mytheresa.com/.

    “LuxExperience” will be the trade name for LuxExperience B.V. a Dutch company with limited liability, upon completion of the renaming of MYT Netherlands Parent B.V.

    About Richemont

    At Richemont, we craft the future. Our unique portfolio includes prestigious Maisons distinguished by their craftsmanship and creativity. Richemont’s ambition is to nurture its Maisons and businesses and enable them to grow and prosper in a responsible, sustainable manner over the long term.

    Richemont operates in three business areas: Jewellery Maisons with Buccellati, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Vhernier; Specialist Watchmakers with A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin; and Other, primarily Fashion & Accessories Maisons with Alaïa, Chloé, Delvaux, dunhill, G/FORE, Gianvito Rossi, Montblanc, Peter Millar, Purdey, Serapian as well as Watchfinder & Co. In addition, Richemont operates NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER, THE OUTNET, YOOX and the OFS division. Find out more at https://www.richemont.com/.

    Richemont ‘A’ shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, Richemont’s primary listing, and are included in the Swiss Market Index (‘SMI’) of leading stocks. The ‘A’ shares are also traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Richemont’s secondary listing.

    About YOOX NET-A-PORTER (YNAP)

    YNAP is a world leading online luxury and fashion retailer, with a distinctive offering including multi-brand in-season online stores NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, and multi-brand off-season online stores YOOX and THE OUTNET.

    Uniquely positioned in the high growth online luxury sector, YNAP has a client base of c.4 million high-spending customers and over 900 million visitors worldwide. The Group has offices and operations in the United States, Europe, Middle East, Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong SAR, China. It delivers to over 170 countries around the world. 

    Investor Relations Contacts
    Mytheresa.com GmbH
    Stefanie Muenz
    phone: +49 89 127695-1919
    email: investors@mytheresa.com

    Media Contacts for public relations
    Mytheresa.com GmbH
    Sandra Romano
    mobile: +49 152 54725178
    email: sandra.romano@mytheresa.com

    Media Contacts for business press
    Mytheresa.com GmbH
    Lisa Schulz
    mobile: +49 151 11216490
    email: lisa.schulz@mytheresa.com

    Media Contacts for business press
    BOC Consult GmbH
    Ruediger Assion
    mobile: +49 176 2424 7691
    email: ruediger.assion@boc-consult.com

    Richemont Contacts
    Investor / analyst enquiries: +41 22 721 30 03; investor.relations@cfrinfo.net
    Media enquiries: +41 22 721 35 07; pressoffice@cfrinfo.net; richemont@teneo.com

    Source: MYT Netherlands Parent B.V.

    Click here for a printer-friendly version in English (PDF)

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Senior councillors set for major update on Elland Road

    Source: City of Leeds

    Senior councillors are to be briefed on a major regeneration vision which could see Leeds United’s iconic Elland Road home become one of the country’s largest football stadiums.

    At a meeting of Leeds City Council’s executive board, members will be updated on a package of ambitious proposals that would transform a key part of south Leeds.

    These include an imminent planning application from Leeds United to increase their famous ground’s capacity to up to 56,500, a move that, if approved, would see it join the ranks of the nation’s elite sporting venues.

    Land immediately surrounding the stadium is owned by Leeds City Council, meaning agreements will need to be in place between the council and the club before any expansion can begin.

    A report to the executive board details the vast potential of the club’s upcoming application in the context of the wider Elland Road area, comprising around 30 acres of council-owned land which could be transformed and regenerated, with billions of pounds of investment then being unlocked.

    With a potential Mass Rapid Transit link for south Leeds, the report outlines a unique opportunity for Elland Road to become a year-round destination, potentially giving a huge boost to the local economy while supporting the council’s broader inclusive growth ambitions.

    As well as the stadium redevelopment, long term plans for the wider south Leeds area include the potential of British Library North at Temple Works, the Holbeck Sports Hub and Heart of Holbeck, which will include the renewal of the local high street, transformation of a local community centre and the delivery of improvements to traditional terraced homes.

    These projects sit alongside existing economic hubs at the White Rose Shopping Centre and White Rose Park.

    At the upcoming meeting, members will be asked to note the huge potential of the Elland Road regeneration project and to approve the start of legal agreements to dispose of council land to Leeds United Football Club, which would be needed for stadium enhancement.

    The executive board will also be asked to approve that the council enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Leeds United’s development partner Lowy Family Group.

    Members will be asked to consider an initial period of collaboration with LFG on the wider regeneration potential and strategy for 30 acres of council owned land around the stadium.

    LFG is an investor in the owners of LUFC, 49ers enterprises, and Peter Lowy, one of the principals of LFG, is a board member of the club.

    Members are also being asked to approve steps to refresh the council’s vision for the future regeneration of land adjacent to an expanded stadium, and to prepare for a future public consultation on the proposals, which will enable people in the area to have their say.

    Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Elland Road and Leeds United are part of the heart and soul of the city, and the club deserves a stadium befitting of its special status and incredible fans.

    “Naturally we’re keen to support this however we can, and to work closely with the club to ensure they are in the best possible position to achieve their ambitions and build a bigger, brighter future for the club, their supporters and sport in the city.

    “From a wider perspective, the regeneration of the Elland Road area also represents one of the city’s most exciting development opportunities for a generation, which would revitalise a huge area of Leeds and potentially bring hundreds of millions of pounds into our local economy.

    “Local residents will be fully consulted throughout the planning process and we’re keen to ensure their voices are heard and that they get the chance to inform the project at each stage.

    “We want to do all that we can to maximise this incredible opportunity and put everything we can in place, including our MoU with the club’s development partner LFG, to facilitate what could represent a genuine game changer for Leeds.”

    The council’s executive board will meet on April 23. For more details and to view a full copy of the report, please visit: South Leeds Regeneration Cover Report 110425.pdf.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Appointment: 11 April 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Appointment: 11 April 2025

    The King has been pleased to approve the following appointment.

    The King has been pleased to approve the following appointment:

    • The Lord Katz MBE as a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is a ‘revisionist’ state, and what are they trying to revise?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College

    A meeting of top diplomats from China, Iran and Russia – three so-called revisionist powers. Photo by Getty Images

    Once upon a time, “revisionist power” was a term reserved for nations trying to overturn the postwar liberal order – the usual suspects being countries like Russia, China or Iran.

    But lately, that concept is starting to fray. When Beijing’s top diplomat says the United States is the one disrupting global stability, and respected analysts argue that Washington itself is acting like a revisionist state, the label suddenly looks a lot less tidy.

    And yet the term is everywhere – in think tank reports, in political speeches, in headlines about political hot spots.

    But what does revisionist really mean? And why should we care?

    The roots of ‘revisionism’

    At its core, “revisionist power” is a label applied to nations that want to change the way the world is ordered. The concept dates back to the period between the two world wars, when it described countries opposing the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. Political scientist Hans Morgenthau later distinguished between status quo powers and those seeking to overturn the balance of power.

    The label itself was popularized in the mid-20th century, especially through A.F.K. Organski’s 1958 work on power transition, which defined revisionist powers as those dissatisfied with the existing order and determined to reshape it.

    The change desired by nations can take many forms: redrawing borders, rebalancing regional power balances or creating alternative rules, norms and institutions to the ones that currently structure international politics. The key is that revisionists nations aren’t just unhappy with specific policies – they’re dissatisfied with the broader system and want to reshape it in fundamental ways.

    The concept comes out of the realist tradition in international relations, which sees the world as an arena of power politics.

    In that framework, countries operate in an anarchic international system with no higher authority to enforce the rules. The most powerful nations construct or impose a particular set of rules, norms and institutions on the international system, creating an order that reflects their values and serves their interests.

    Revisionism in action

    In this tradition, status quo powers benefit from the system and want to keep it more or less as it is. But revisionist powers see the system as constraining or unjust – and seek to alter it.

    This doesn’t always mean war or open confrontation. Revisionism isn’t inherently aggressive, nor is it always destabilizing. It simply describes a nation’s support for or opposition to the prevailing international order. How that desire is expressed can include diplomacy, economic coercion or even armed conflict.

    Consider Russia. Its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were not just violations of international law – they were clear efforts to overturn the post-Cold War, NATO-based security order in Europe. Russia was not lashing out at individual policies; it was challenging – or seeking to revise – the legitimacy of the existing system.

    China presents a different kind of case. Beijing has made use of existing international institutions and benefited enormously from global trade, but it’s also been building alternatives, including regional banks, trade blocs and digital infrastructure designed to reduce dependence on Western systems. China’s expanding presence in the South China Sea, its pressure on Taiwan and its desire to shape global norms on everything from human rights to internet governance point to a broader effort to revise the current order – though more gradually than Russia’s approach.

    Iran, meanwhile, operates mostly at the regional level. Through its support for proxy groups like Hezbollah, its influence in Iraq and Yemen, and its confrontational stance toward Israel and the Gulf monarchies, Iran has long sought to reshape the Middle East’s power dynamics. It’s not trying to rewrite the entire international system, but it’s certainly revisionist in the region.

    A loaded term

    Of course, calling a nation “revisionist” is not a neutral act. It reflects a judgment about whose vision of world order is legitimate and whose is not. A rising power might see itself as correcting historical imbalances, not disrupting stability. The term can be useful, but it can also obscure as much as it reveals.

    Still, the label captures something real – though maybe not as cleanly as it used to. Much of today’s geopolitical tension does hinge on a basic divide: Some nations want to preserve the existing order, and others want to reshape it. But it’s no longer obvious who belongs in which camp.

    Now, when the U.S. sidelines institutions it once championed, imposes extraterritorial sanctions or pushes for new tech and trade regimes that bypass rivals, it starts to blur the line between defender and challenger of the status quo.

    Maybe the more useful question now isn’t just which great power is revisionist – but whether any of them are still committed to the post-World War II international order created in the U.S.’s image.

    This article is part of a series explaining foreign policy terms commonly used, but rarely explained.

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

    – ref. What is a ‘revisionist’ state, and what are they trying to revise? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-revisionist-state-and-what-are-they-trying-to-revise-252966

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cables

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By John Calabrese, Assistant Professor, School of Public Affairs and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute, American University

    Laying an undersea fiber-optic cable at Arrietara beach near the Spanish village of Sopelana. Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images

    Chinese researchers have unveiled a new deep-sea tool capable of cutting through the world’s most secure subsea cables − and it has many in the West feeling a little jittery.

    The development, first revealed in February 2025 in the Chinese-language journal Mechanical Engineering, was touted as a tool for civilian salvage and seabed mining. But the ability to sever communications lines 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) below the sea’s surface − far beyond the operational range of most existing infrastructure − means that the tool can be used for other purposes with far-reaching implications for global communications and security.

    That is because undersea cables sustain the world’s international internet traffic, financial transactions and diplomatic exchanges. Recent incidents of cable damage near Taiwan and in northern Europe have already raised concerns of these systems’ vulnerabilities − and suspicions about the role of state-linked actors.

    The growing sophistication and openness of underwater technology evidenced by the latest news from China suggest that undersea infrastructure may play a larger role in future strategic competition. Indeed, this development adds a new layer to the broader challenge of securing critical infrastructure amid expanding technological reach and the rise of so called “gray zone” tactics – antagonisms that take place between direct war and peace.

    The backbone of global communication

    Despite their unassuming appearance, undersea cables form the backbone of modern communication systems. Stretching around 870,000 miles (over 1.4 million kilometers) across every ocean, these cables transmit almost 100% of global internet communication.

    Underwater cables unite the world.
    TeleGeography/submarinecablemap.com, CC BY-SA

    These information superhighways are a major engine for the modern economy and are indispensable for things such as almost instantaneous financial transactions and real-time diplomatic and military communications.

    If all these cables were suddenly severed, only a sliver of U.S. communication traffic could be restored using every satellite in orbit.

    The entire system is built, owned, operated and maintained by the private sector. Indeed, approximately 98% of these cables are installed by a handful of firms. As of 2021, the U.S. company SubCom, French firm Alcatel Submarine Networks and Japanese firm Nippon Electric Company collectively held an 87% market share. China’s HMN Tech holds another 11%.

    Tech giants including Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft now own or lease roughly half of the undersea bandwidth worldwide, according to analysis by the U.S.-based telecommunications research group TeleGeography.

    Vulnerabilities and sabotage

    The very characteristics that make undersea cables effective also render them highly vulnerable. Built to be lightweight and efficient, they are exposed to a variety of natural hazards, including underwater volcanic eruptions, typhoons and floods.

    But human activity is still the primary cause of cable damage, whether it’s from accidental anchor drags or inadvertent entanglement with trawler nets.

    Now, security experts are increasingly concerned that future human disruptions might be intentional, with nations launching coordinated attacks on undersea cables as part of a hybrid war strategy.

    Such assaults could disrupt not only civilian communications but also critical military networks.

    An adversary, for example, could cut off a nation’s command structures from intelligence feeds, sensor data and communication with deployed forces. The ramifications extend even to nuclear deterrence: Without reliable communication, a nuclear-armed state might lose the ability to control or monitor its strategic weapons.

    The loss of communications, even for a few minutes, could be catastrophic. It could mean the difference between a successful defense and a crippling first strike.

    A technician explains the undersea damage to cables around Taiwan following a 2006 earthquake.
    Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

    Geopolitical threats

    In recent years, Western policymakers have become particularly concerned about the capabilities of Russia and China to exploit the vulnerabilities of undersea cables.

    One particularly illustrative incident occurred in 2023 when Taiwanese authorities accused two Chinese vessels of cutting the only two subsea cables supplying internet to Taiwan’s Matsu Islands.

    The resulting digital isolation of 14,000 residents for six weeks was not an one-off episode. Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party has pointed to a pattern, noting that Chinese vessels have disrupted cable operations on 27 occasions since 2018.

    In January 2025, Taiwan’s coast guard blamed a Cameroon- and Tanzania-flagged vessel crewed by seven Chinese nationals and operated by a Hong Kong-based company when an undersea cable was severed off the island’s northeastern coast.

    Such incidents, often described as gray-zone aggression, are designed to wear down an adversary’s resilience and test the limits of response.

    China’s recent push to enhance its cable-cutting capabilities coincides with a surge in its military drills around Taiwan, including a number of recent exercises.

    Similar cable disruptions have occurred in the Baltic Sea. In October 2023, a telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was damaged along with a gas pipeline. In January 2025, a cable linking Latvia and Sweden was breached, triggering NATO patrols and a Swedish seizure of a vessel suspected of sabotage tied to Russian activities.

    Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, even hinted at the possibility of targeting undersea communication cables as retaliation for actions such as the Nord Stream pipeline explosions in 2023.

    The involvement of state-linked vessels in incidents operating under flags of convenience − that is, registered to another country − further complicates efforts to attribute and deter such attacks.

    It isn’t just security and defense at risk. The modern financial system is predicated on the assumption of continuous, high-speed connectivity; any interruption, however brief, could disrupt markets, halt trading and lead to significant monetary losses.

    The undersea battlefield

    Given the strategic importance of undersea cables and the multifaceted risks they face, Western governments intent on preventing further conflict would be wise to find a comprehensive and internationally coordinated way to secure the infrastructure against threats.

    One clear option would be to bolster repair and maintenance capacities. Currently, a significant vulnerability stems from the overreliance on Chinese repair ships. China’s robust maritime industry and state-supported investments in global telecommunications has contributed to the Asian nation taking a prominent position when it comes to cable repair ships.

    The protection of undersea cables should not, I believe, be viewed as the responsibility of any single nation but as a collective priority for all nations reliant on this infrastructure. As such, international frameworks and agreements could facilitate information sharing, standardize security protocols and establish rapid response mechanisms in the event of a cable breach.

    But such international efforts would be fighting against the tide. The incidents in Taiwan, the Baltic Sea and elsewhere come as great power competition intensifies between the U.S. and China.

    China, in developing deep-water cable-cutting technology, may be sending a message of intent. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s “America First” approach signals a shift that could complicate efforts to foster partnerships for the general global good.

    The defense of undersea cables reflects the challenges of our hyperconnected world, requiring a balance of innovation, strategy and cooperation. But as nations including China and Russia seemingly test and probe this vital global infrastructure, it appears the systems underpinning the West’s prosperity and security could become one of its greatest vulnerabilities.

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

    – ref. China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cables – https://theconversation.com/chinas-new-underwater-tool-cuts-deep-exposing-vulnerability-of-vital-network-of-subsea-cables-251877

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will Africa’s young voters continue to punish incumbents at the ballot box in 2025? We are about to find out

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Richard Aidoo, Professor of Political Science, Coastal Carolina University

    Supporters of opposition candidate and former President John Dramani Mahama celebrate his victory in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 8, 2024. AP Photo/Jerome Delay

    Voters in Gabon head to the ballot box on April 12, 2025, in a vote that marks the first election in the Central African nation since a 2023 coup ended the 56-year rule of the Bongo family.

    It is also the first presidential vote to take place in Africa in 2025, to be followed by contests later this year in Ivory Coast, Malawi, Guinea, Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Seychelles and Cameroon.

    Of particular interest is whether these elections will continue the trend of last year’s votes. As the continent with the youngest population, Africa’s youth was crucial throughout 2024 to a series of seismic political shifts – not least the removal of incumbents and changes in the governing status quo in Ghana, Senegal and South Africa.

    Indeed, analysis of the 2024 African Youth Survey – one of the most comprehensive continent-wide polls of people age 18 to 24 – and election results of that year show a clear lack of optimism among the youth.

    Unemployment, the rising cost of living and corruption are primary factors driving youth dissatisfaction on the continent. For example, 59% of South African youth considered their country to be heading the wrong direction – and that’s not hard to imagine given that the country’s youth unemployment rate reached 45.5% in 2024. Not surprisingly, unemployment was a key factor in the election results. Meanwhile, widespread protests in Kenya and Uganda in the summer of 2024 were youth-led and sparked, respectively, by concerns over tax increases and corruption.

    As a professor of political science and an expert in African politics, I believe that a failure to address such concerns could have potentially serious implications for political leaders in the upcoming elections. It also makes it more difficult for countries to consolidate or protect already-fragile democracies on the continent.

    Unemployment fueling instability

    While African political campaigns often make note of persistently high rates of youth unemployment, the policy priorities of governments across the continent have seemingly failed to fix this intractable problem.

    In a 2023 Afrobarometer survey, unemployment topped the list of policy priorities for African youth between the ages of 18 and 35.

    Supporters of the UMkhonto weSizwe party, which helped unseat the long-time African National Congress, attend an election meeting near Durban, South Africa, ahead of the May 2024 general elections.
    AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

    But for a multitude of reasons – including the lack of investment in training youth and other priorities – African governments have been unable or unwilling to tackle youth unemployment.

    Many governments, faced with the ongoing economic aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply-chain issues – which exacerbated rising living costs, high inflation and external debt issues – pursued unpopular revenue collection policies

    Take Ghana, where in 2022 the government introduced an e-levy – a tax on electronic cash transfers. The move proved deeply unpopular and was dropped by the new government in 2024.

    The violent anti-tax protests in Kenya also provide an example of desperate unemployed youth tapping into a sense of deep popular resentment over fiscal policies.

    The combination of deep dissatisfaction with government policies and high youth joblessness can be a destabilizing influence. A 2023 United Nations Development Program study focusing on Ghana pointed to a problem that is common elsewhere on the continent. It concluded that in regions with higher-than-average youth unemployment, that factor was the most common cause for violent extremism and radicalization.

    The U.N. study underscored the importance of addressing the social and economic challenges that foster marginalization and anger among youth across sub-Saharan Africa.

    The issue of youth unemployment in Africa is exacerbated by the cumulative growth in the youth labor force – estimated to grow by 72.6 million between 2023 and 2050, according to a 2024 report by the International Labor Organization.

    The role that unemployment played in Africa’s 2024 elections does not bode well for some of those governments heading to the polls this year. In Gabon, youth unemployment has hovered above 35% in recent years.

    A corrupting influence

    Corruption remains a persistent social and political issue in much of Africa and continues to impede the efforts of youth to seek meaningful opportunities. So it is unsurprising that the issue was front and center during a number of 2024 elections, including in Senegal, South Africa and Ghana.

    The concerns in those countries mirror grievances registered around the continent more broadly, with reducing government corruption listed as a top priority by respondents in the African Youth Survey.

    Similar to unemployment, high levels of corruption correlated to some of the political shifts of 2024.

    An Afrobarometer survey of attitudes in 2024 showed that 74% of Ghanaians believed corruption had increased over the previous year.

    In Kenya, 77% of people view their government’s efforts in fighting corruption as ineffectual.

    Of particular concern to many African youth is the belief that security forces and government officials are often considered the most corrupt and that incidents of regularized corruption are underreported.

    And it is youth that bear the brunt of much of this corruption. According to a 2022 U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime report, people between the ages 18 and 34 are among the most vulnerable to having to pay bribes to public officials in Ghana.

    Supporters of soldiers who launched a coup against the government demonstrate in Niamey, Niger, on July 27, 2023.
    AP Photo/Fatahoulaye Hassane Midou

    Again, youth attitudes toward corruption don’t bode well for many of the governments in this year’s elections. Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau all score poorly on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.

    The fragility of democracy

    There is an ongoing debate on the extent of slowdown of democratic progress in Africa, a trend that is underscored by a number of African military coups in recent years, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger.

    Democracy is at its strongest when it empowers governments to deliver on the needs of their populations, particularly the youth.

    But the experience of incumbent governments in 2024 elections suggests that too many may have disregarded young people’s needs, which in turn has led to anger resulting in destabilizing protests and regime change – both through democratic and undemocratic means.

    It also makes it harder to instill democratic sentiment among younger voters.

    Over half of Africa’s 18- to 35-year-olds surveyed in the 2023 Afrobarometer agreed that the military can intervene when leaders abuse power – a pertinent caution about their willingness to support political change, even if it interrupts the democratic process.

    While a majority of youth in Africa still retain an apparent preference for democracy to other forms of governance, a growing proportion would embrace nondemocratic governance under some circumstances, according to the 2024 African Youth Survey. The top scores in this particular response came from Gabon, Ivory Coast and Tanzania – all of which have upcoming elections in 2025.

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

    – ref. Will Africa’s young voters continue to punish incumbents at the ballot box in 2025? We are about to find out – https://theconversation.com/will-africas-young-voters-continue-to-punish-incumbents-at-the-ballot-box-in-2025-we-are-about-to-find-out-251413

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: How we protected the UK and space in March 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    How we protected the UK and space in March 2025

    This report was issued in April 2025 and covers the time period 1 March 2025 to 31 March 2025 inclusive.

    March saw continued high levels of space activity which saw both uncontrolled re-entry and collision alerts at levels above the 12-month rolling average. All NSpOC warning and protection services functioned as expected throughout the period.

    Re-entry Analysis

    March has seen a reduction in the number of objects re-entering Earth’s atmosphere when compared with the previous two months.

    Of the 85 objects that re-entered, 73 were satellites, 7 were rocket bodies, 1 was a piece of debris and 4 were unidentified objects, likely to be either a rocket body or a satellite.

    April: 22, May: 56, June: 48, July: 44, August: 89, September: 50, October: 35, November: 47, December: 83, January: 115, February: 129, March: 85

    In-Space Collision Avoidance

    Collision risks to UK-licensed satellites remained steady in March with a 1% increase compared with February, above the rolling average of 2,434.

    April: 1,899, May: 2,560, June: 1,881, July: 1,795, August: 2,137, September: 3,041, October: 3,181, November: 2,722, December: 2,142, January: 2,694, February: 2,567, March: 2,588

    Number of Objects in Space

    There was an increase to the in-orbit population during March, with 285 newly catalogued objects added to the US Satellite Catalogue.

    131 newly catalogued objects were attributed to the Starlink constellation with a further 74 catalogued objects coming from the Falcon 9 Transporter 13 mission on 15 March.

    April: 28,752, May: 28,850, June: 28,931, July: 28,917, August: 29,297, September: 29,678, October: 29,665, November: 29,826, December: 29,921, January: 29,985, February: 30,163, March: 30,323

    Fragmentation Analysis

    There have been no new fragmentation (break-up) incidents this month.

    Space weather

    Space weather was relatively quiet during March 2025 with a general absence of significant solar activity. Key events this period included:

    Early – Mid March:

    Periods of enhanced geomagnetic activity were observed throughout the month. Possible impacts on satellites include increased drag on those in LEO which may have required corrective manoeuvres. High frequency radio propagation may also have been degraded at higher latitudes.

    28 March:

    One of the more notable events from last month was a strong high-frequency radio blackout, affecting much of the sunlit side of the Earth for about an hour. Low frequency navigation systems may have been degraded for a similar amount of time. 

    31 March:

    A minor radiation storm occurred, with satellites likely to have experienced a modest increase in Single Event Upsets (SEUs).

    Comments

    The National Space Operations Centre combines and coordinates UK civil and military space domain awareness capabilities to enable operations, promote prosperity and protect UK interests in space and on Earth from space-related threats, risks and hazards

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pikachu protesters, Studio Ghibli memes and the subversive power of cuteness

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Yii-Jan Lin, Associate Professor of New Testament, Yale University

    The Pokémon character Pikachu has become the unofficial symbol of the opposition to Turkish President Recep Erdogan. Pat Batard/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

    In Antalya, Turkey, in the early hours of March 27, 2025, Pikachu was spotted fleeing the police, making a getaway as fast as his short yellow legs could waddle.

    The person dressed as the popular Pokémon character had been objecting to the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, whose political party later posted on X, “Pepper spray, which even affects Pikachu, won’t do anything to you or me! #ResistPikachu.”

    At the same time, the internet was having a field day with another stalwart of Japanese anime, deploying generative AI to infuse famous memes, family portraits and movie scenes with a patina of cuteness by recasting them in the style of the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.

    Never mind that Studio Ghibli director and founder Hayao Miyazaki famously denounced AI-generated art as “an insult to life itself.” Both the Pikachu protester and the viral Studio Ghibli-esque animations demonstrate the global appeal of cuteness.

    But to me, there’s more to cute than its ability to go viral.

    Cuteness can be used politically. It can highlight injustices against the vulnerable, and it can boost support of the underdog.

    It’s a form of soft power in the truest sense of the term.

    Asia embraces the cute

    As a Taiwanese American, I’ve been a lifelong fan of the cuteness that’s part of East Asian cultures: cute cartoon characters, cute stationery and even cute-looking food.

    Now I study cuteness: what makes something “cute,” and how it operates in culture and politics.

    Many well-known, cute, pop culture characters and products can be traced to Japan, particularly after World War II, when Japanese animation – known as anime – and a style of Japanese comics called manga became popular.

    Their narratives and aesthetics spoke to a country still reeling from devastation wrought by the atomic bombs and the humiliation of U.S. occupation.

    Anime and manga imagined both dystopian and utopian futures, using stories that were nostalgic, upsetting, or a blend of both to process collective trauma.

    In many cases, cute characters guided viewers and readers through grief, guilt and loss. For example, the manga “Barefoot Gen” details the adventures of 6-year-old Gen after he survives the bombing of Hiroshima. Likewise, Studio Ghibli’s “Grave of the Fireflies” tells the story of two young siblings, Seita and Setsuko, who face starvation after the bombing of Kobe in the waning days of World War II. They’re drawn with large eyes and expressive faces, evoking innocence and powerlessness.

    The trailer for Studio Ghibli’s ‘Grave of the Fireflies.’

    Both Studio Ghibli and the Pokémon franchise emerged in the latter half of the 20th century, along with other titans of cuteness, such as Hello Kitty – she just celebrated her 50th birthday – Doraemon, and popular Nintendo characters Kirby and Yoshi.

    Cuteness now dominates East Asian cultures.

    Cute mascots such as Tencent’s QQ Penguin hawk products in China; popular cartoon characters plaster the sides of Japanese trains; and Taipei’s subway cards come in the shape of pink bunnies and miniature rice cookers.

    In Japan, the term “kawaii” refers to the lovable and cute. This includes not only cartoon characters and plush dolls, but also clothing and even speech, such as talking with a pout or in a childlike voice.

    Across Asia, you can see cuteness celebrated in the way people flash heart symbols with their fingers – a gesture originating in South Korea – and you can hear it in the way celebrities sometimes speak with a baby voice, puff out their cheeks or bat their eyelashes.

    Characters often express themselves in cute ways on television shows in Korea, where it’s called ‘aegyo.’

    Softening the blows

    Cuteness has a place in American culture. But it has nowhere near the cultural cachet that it has in Asia.

    Yet to me, the Studio Ghibli memes that swept American social media platforms revealed a widespread longing for tenderness at a time when the world seems particularly harsh, violent and unpredictable.

    Theorist Sianne Ngai has argued that cuteness is usually based on the power differential between the observer and the cute object: A small kitten, a stuffed animal or a cooing baby are cute, in part, because they’re so vulnerable.

    I think that’s why the White House’s efforts to join in on the Ghibli memes fell flat. Its X account posted a Ghibli-esque image of a Dominican woman crying while being handcuffed by an ICE agent. The depiction generated outrage.

    The cartoon imagines that the audience would revel in punching down. It’s a perversion of how cuteness works, celebrating the powerful – the ICE agent and the U.S. government – and not the powerless. Contrast the White House’s image with the “Grave of the Fireflies,” which highlighted the vulnerability of children during war.

    Rallying around cuteness

    Yet the powerlessness of cute characters can also, paradoxically, be powerful: Most onlookers can’t help but cheer for a furry, yellow cartoon animal fleeing from riot police. A cute character can look helpless, but it can rally support for the underdog.

    Perhaps that’s why Pikachu again popped up at two other protests: at an anti-Netanyahu demonstration in Israel on April 5, 2025, and at an anti-Trump rally in Washington, D.C. that same day.

    Cuteness, perhaps not surprisingly, has been used as a political tool in Asia. The Milk Tea Alliance, which formed in 2020, is a pan-Asian, pro-democracy movement that unites communities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar and beyond.

    The origins of the Milk Tea Alliance.

    Organizers pointedly emphasize the effectiveness of cuteness and humor as a tool to condemn violence and denounce authoritarianism. Online images shared by the movement include anime-style drawings of young student protestors and cartoons of anthropomorphized cups of Taiwan bubble tea, Thai cha and Hong Kong milk tea holding hands.

    Comedy can be subversive. Political cartoons and comedians, of course, have long tapped into this dynamic.

    But cuteness adds a touch of whimsical absurdity that further defangs the power hungry. Is it any wonder Chinese officials banned the release of a Winnie-the-Pooh movie after memes comparing Xi Jinping to the beloved stuffed bear went viral?

    Despite its cuddly, quaint and charming exterior, cuteness contains hidden superpowers: It celebrates the vulnerable, while sapping authoritarians of gravitas they seek to project.

    Yii-Jan Lin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Pikachu protesters, Studio Ghibli memes and the subversive power of cuteness – https://theconversation.com/pikachu-protesters-studio-ghibli-memes-and-the-subversive-power-of-cuteness-253909

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ICE can now enter K-12 schools − here’s what educators should know about student rights and privacy

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Brian Boggs, Assistant Professor of Policy and Educational Leadership, University of Michigan

    Educators are legally obligated to protect and educate all their students. PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty

    United States federal agents tried to enter two Los Angeles elementary schools on April 7, 2025, and were denied entry, according to the Los Angeles Times. The agents were apparently seeking contact with five students who had allegedly entered the country without authorization.

    The Trump administration has been targeting foreign-born college students and professors for deportation since February 2025. This was the first known attempt to target younger students since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in January rescinded a 2011 policy that had limited immigration enforcement actions in locations deemed sensitive by the government such as hospitals, churches and schools.

    “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the department said on Jan. 21, 2025.

    Roughly 600,000 migrant students without legal status are enrolled in the U.S public education system.

    Many K-12 educators are worried that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could start removing students from classrooms. In some places, including New York City, school attendance has decreased over fears that children could be swept up in a raid.

    I am a scholar who studies the intersection of U.S. law and the public education system. Under U.S. law, ICE can now legally enter K-12 school grounds. That makes it important for students and schools to understand their rights under the law.

    The federal government

    Article 1, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the ability to regulate immigration and “provide for the common defense and general Welfare of the United States.”

    This last clause was used following the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001 as the constitutional basis to establish the Department of Homeland Security and create ICE as one of its security agencies. ICE enforces over 400 federal statutes dealing with immigration, including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which allows it to investigate and detain certain noncitizens.

    ICE arrested Columbia University student Mahmoud Kahlil in March 2025, spurring protests. Several other international students have been detained since.
    Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    This law can place schools and their staff in a potentially conflicted legal position if ICE starts targeting schools, because educators have legal obligations to their students.

    Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires public schools to educate every student without regard for their citizenship or immigration status. Meanwhile, residents of all 50 U.S. states have the right to a free and public education under their state’s constitution.

    Under the laws governing immigration and ICE’s role in enforcement, educators cannot obstruct an ICE investigation or knowingly hide students.

    Laws and court precedents

    The U.S. Supreme Court has additionally ruled that students who are not legally living in the U.S. have the same right to an education as any other child.

    In the 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe, the justices struck down a Texas law allowing the state to withhold school district funds for educating children without legal immigration status. The court said the law was unconstitutional because it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which reads in part that no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

    Plyler v. Doe asserted that “person” meant just that − a person, not necessarily a citizen.

    Around the same time, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act was enacted to protect personal student information from release to a third party. That includes law enforcement and ICE, except under three circumstances: the parents consent to the release; a school directory includes student information; or a court orders the school to release the information.

    Finally, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act says that schools must enroll and educate students who are with unstable living situations, including migrants, without discrimination.

    In addition to these federal laws and cases, many states have additional laws that encourage the education of local K-12 students who lack citizenship or residency status. In Michigan, for example, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 prohibits discrimination based on national origin and race in schools, including in admissions and expulsions.

    A women who fears she could be targeted by immigration officials holds a ‘know your rights’ card handed out by her grandchildren’s school on Jan. 22, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
    AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

    School districts and ICE

    What can K-12 educators do if they find themselves confronting contradictory legal obligations − that of educating all students and that of not impeding a criminal investigation?

    Interpreting conflicts in the law is the job of judges − not teachers, ICE agents or academics. The following guidance may help districts prepare for immigration enforcement in K-12 schools:

    1. Get ready. Every school district should develop a process and protocol for how to engage with law enforcement in general and ICE specifically.

    This plan would involve coordination between the school principals and district superintendent, as well as, most importantly, the district’s lawyers. Traditional school corporate counsel may not have much experience in criminal law; engaging additional counsel with experience in criminal procedures and Fourth Amendment protections can be helpful.

    Everyone should understand their role in the plan. Administrative assistants are likely to be the first people engaged when ICE shows up to the school. Do they know what to do?

    2. Collect data thoughtfully. There is no state or federal mandate for schools to document citizenship for K-12 school enrollment, though some states are considering requiring proof of citizenship or legal immigration status for enrollment, including Oklahoma, Indiana, Texas, Tennessee and New Jersey.

    3. Obey the law. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act forbids sharing certain information about students with outsiders, including law enforcement. As a rule, then, staff should always avoid discussing students beyond what they are required to do as a function of their employment. Many school board policies ensure that the information they release publicly about enrolled students is minimal.

    4. Understand how warrants work. Just because a school is public does not mean that anyone can just come into a classroom, and that includes the police or ICE. A warrant may not be required to detain or arrest a student on the spot, but law enforcement must produce one to access any nonpublic areas of the school in search of that student. They must also show a warrant to see student records or other information, unless parents have previously consented to this information being shared.

    Under exigent circumstances, such as if the public is at risk of imminent harm, a warrant may not be required for police to enter the school.

    5. Keep records. If ICE does knock on the schoolhouse door, administrators should be sure to prepare a report, in accordance with school board policies, for the school district’s records that describes everything that happened and retain all documentation.

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

    – ref. ICE can now enter K-12 schools − here’s what educators should know about student rights and privacy – https://theconversation.com/ice-can-now-enter-k-12-schools-heres-what-educators-should-know-about-student-rights-and-privacy-253519

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John J. Martin, Research Assistant Professor of Law, University of Virginia

    People stand in line to vote in Santa Monica, Calif., on Nov. 5, 2024. Apu Gomes/Getty Images

    The Republican-led House of Representatives passed on April 10, 2025, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act – or SAVE Act. The bill would make voting harder for tens of millions of Americans.

    The SAVE Act would require anyone registering to vote in federal elections to first “provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship” in person, like a REAL ID or a passport.

    The House already passed an identical bill in July 2024, also along partisan lines, with the GOP largely supporting the legislation. At that time, the Senate killed the bill. With a now GOP-controlled Senate, and a Republican in the White House, the SAVE Act could become law before 2025 ends.

    Voting rights experts and advocacy organizations have detailed how the legislation could suppress voting. In part, they say it would particularly create barriers in low-income and minority communities. People in such communities often lack the forms of ID acceptable under the SAVE Act for a variety of reasons, including socioeconomic factors.

    As of now, at least 9% of voting-age American citizens – approximately 21 million people – do not have even have driver’s licenses, let alone proof of citizenship. In spite of this, many legislators support the bill as a means of eliminating noncitizen voting in elections.

    As a legal scholar who studies, among other things, foreign interference in elections, I find considerations about the potential effects of the SAVE Act important, especially given how rare it is that a noncitizen actually votes in federal elections.

    Yet, it is equally crucial to consider a more fundamental question: is the SAVE Act even constitutional?

    Voters cast their ballot in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 5, 2024.
    Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

    How the SAVE Act could change voting requirements

    The SAVE Act would forbid state election officials from registering an individual to vote in federal elections unless this person “provides documentary proof of United States citizenship.”

    Acceptable forms of proof for registration would include REAL ID, a U.S. passport or a U.S. military identification card. A regular driver’s license alone would not be enough unless it shows the applicant was born in the U.S., or if it is accompanied with a birth certificate or naturalization certificate.

    So, should the SAVE Act become law, if a person turns 18 or moves between states and wishes to register to vote in federal elections in their new home, they would likely be turned away if they do not have any such documents readily available. At best, they could still fill out a registration form, but would need to mail in acceptable proof of citizenship.

    For married people with changed last names, among others, questions remain about whether birth certificates could even count as acceptable proof of citizenship for them.

    The Constitution says little about voting rights

    Despite the national conversation the SAVE Act has sparked, it is unclear whether Congress even has the power to enact it. This is the key constitutional question.

    The U.S. Constitution imposes no citizenship requirement when it comes to voting. The original text of the Constitution, in fact, said very little about the right to vote. It was not until legislators passed subsequent amendments, starting after the Civil War up through the 1970s, that the Constitution even explicitly prohibited voting laws that discriminate on account of race, sex or age.

    Aside from these amendments, the Constitution is largely silent about who gets to vote.

    Who, then, gets to decide whether someone is qualified to vote? No matter the election, the answer is always the same – the states.

    Indeed, by constitutional design, the states are tasked with setting voter-eligibility requirements – a product of our federalist system. For state and local elections, the 10th Amendment grants states the power to regulate their internal elections as they see fit.

    States also get to decide who may vote in federal elections, which include both presidential and congressional elections.

    When it comes to presidential elections, for instance, states have – as I have previously written – exclusive power under the Constitution’s Electors Clause to decide how to conduct presidential elections within their borders, including who gets to vote in them.

    The states wield similar authority for congressional elections. Namely, according to Article I of the Constitution and the Constitution’s 17th Amendment, if someone can vote in their state’s legislative elections, they are entitled to vote in its congressional elections, too.

    Conversely, the Constitution provides Congress zero authority to govern voter-eligibility requirements in federal elections. Indeed, in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling on the Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council case, the court asserted that nothing in the Constitution “lends itself to the view that voting qualifications in federal elections are to be set by Congress.”

    Is the SAVE Act constitutional?

    The SAVE Act presents a constitutional dilemma. By requiring individuals to show documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections, the SAVE Act is implicitly saying that someone must be a U.S. citizen to vote in federal elections.

    In other words, Congress would be instituting a qualification to vote, a power that the Constitution leaves exclusively to the states.

    Indeed, while all states currently limit voting rights to citizens, legal noncitizen voting is not without precedent. As multiple scholars have noted, at least 19 states extended voting rights to free male “inhabitants,” including noncitizens, starting from our country’s founding up to and throughout the 19th century.

    Today, over 20 municipalities across the country, as well as the District of Columbia, allow permanent noncitizen residents to vote in local elections.

    Any state these days could similarly extend the right to vote in state and federal elections to permanent noncitizen residents. This is within their constitutional prerogative. And if this were to happen, there could be a conflict between that state’s voter-eligibility laws and the SAVE Act.

    Normally, when state and federal laws conflict, the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause mandates that federal law prevails.

    Yet, in this instance, where Congress has no actual authority to implement voter qualifications, the SAVE Act would seem to have no constitutional leg on which to stand.

    Reconciling the SAVE Act with the Constitution

    So, why have 108 U.S. representatives sponsored a bill that likely exceeds Congress’s powers?

    Politics, of course, plays some role here. Namely, noncitizen voting is a major concern among Republican politicians and voters. Every SAVE Act cosponsor is Republican, as were all but four of the 220 U.S. representatives who voted to pass it.

    When it comes to the constitutionality of the SAVE Act, though, proponents simply assert that Congress is acting within its purview.

    Specifically, many proponents have cited the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which gives Congress the power to regulate the “Times, Places and Manner” of congressional elections, as support for that assertion. Sen. Mike Lee, for example, explicitly referenced the Elections Clause when defending the SAVE Act earlier in 2025.

    But the Elections Clause only grants Congress authority to regulate election procedures, not voter qualifications. The Supreme Court explicitly stated this in the Inter Tribal Council ruling.

    Congress can, for instance, require states to adopt a uniform federal voter registration form, and even include a citizenship question on said form. What it cannot do, however, is implement a non-negotiable mandate that effectively tells the states they can never allow any noncitizen to vote in a federal election.

    For now, the SAVE Act is simply legislation. Should the Senate pass it, President Donald Trump will almost assuredly sign it into law, given, among other factors, his March 2025 executive order that says prospective voters need to show proof of citizenship before they register to vote in federal elections. Once that happens, the courts will have to reckon with the SAVE Act’s legitimacy within the country’s constitutional design.

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

    – ref. Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote – https://theconversation.com/citizenship-voting-requirement-in-save-act-has-no-basis-in-the-constitution-and-ignores-precedent-that-only-states-decide-who-gets-to-vote-252792

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Arryn Robbins, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond

    A beautiful kitchen to scroll past – but check out the clock. Tiny Homes via Facebook

    I’m more of a scroller than a poster on social media. Like many people, I wind down at the end of the day with a scroll binge, taking in videos of Italian grandmothers making pasta or baby pygmy hippos frolicking.

    For a while, my feed was filled with immaculately designed tiny homes, fueling my desire for minimalist paradise. Then, I started seeing AI-generated images; many contained obvious errors such as staircases to nowhere or sinks within sinks. Yet, commenters rarely pointed them out, instead admiring the aesthetic.

    These images were clearly AI-generated and didn’t depict reality. Did people just not notice? Not care?

    As a cognitive psychologist, I’d guess “yes” and “yes.” My expertise is in how people process and use visual information. I primarily investigate how people look for objects and information visually, from the mundane searches of daily life, such as trying to find a dropped earring, to more critical searches, like those conducted by radiologists or search-and-rescue teams.

    With my understanding of how people process images and notice − or don’t notice − detail, it’s not surprising to me that people aren’t tuning in to the fact that many images are AI-generated.

    We’ve been here before

    The struggle to detect AI-generated images mirrors past detection challenges such as spotting photoshopped images or computer-generated images in movies.

    But there’s a key difference: Photo editing and CGI require intentional design by artists, while AI images are generated by algorithms trained on datasets, often without human oversight. The lack of oversight can lead to imperfections or inconsistencies that can feel unnatural, such as the unrealistic physics or lack of consistency between frames that characterize what’s sometimes called “AI slop.”

    Despite these differences, studies show people struggle to distinguish real images from synthetic ones, regardless of origin. Even when explicitly asked to identify images as real, synthetic or AI-generated, accuracy hovers near the level of chance, meaning people did only a little better than if they’d just guessed.

    In everyday interactions, where you aren’t actively scrutinizing images, your ability to detect synthetic content might even be weaker.

    Attention shapes what you see, what you miss

    Spotting errors in AI images requires noticing small details, but the human visual system isn’t wired for that when you’re casually scrolling. Instead, while online, people take in the gist of what they’re viewing and can overlook subtle inconsistencies.

    Visual attention operates like a zoom lens: You scan broadly to get an overview of your environment or phone screen, but fine details require focused effort. Human perceptual systems evolved to quickly assess environments for any threats to survival, with sensitivity to sudden changes − such as a quick-moving predator − sacrificing precision for speed of detection.

    This speed-accuracy trade-off allows for rapid, efficient processing, which helped early humans survive in natural settings. But it’s a mismatch with modern tasks such as scrolling through devices, where small mistakes or unusual details in AI-generated images can easily go unnoticed.

    People also miss things they aren’t actively paying attention to or looking for. Psychologists call this inattentional blindness: Focusing on one task causes you to overlook other details, even obvious ones. In the famous invisible gorilla study, participants asked to count basketball passes in a video failed to notice someone in a gorilla suit walking through the middle of the scene.

    If you’re counting how many passes the people in white make, do you even notice someone walk through in a gorilla suit?

    Similarly, when your focus is on the broader content of an AI image, such as a cozy tiny home, you’re less likely to notice subtle distortions. In a way, the sixth finger in an AI image is today’s invisible gorilla − hiding in plain sight because you’re not looking for it.

    Efficiency over accuracy in thinking

    Our cognitive limitations go beyond visual perception. Human thinking uses two types of processing: fast, intuitive thinking based on mental shortcuts, and slower, analytical thinking that requires effort. When scrolling, our fast system likely dominates, leading us to accept images at face value.

    Adding to this issue is the tendency to seek information that confirms your beliefs or reject information that goes against them. This means AI-generated images are more likely to slip by you when they align with your expectations or worldviews. If an AI-generated image of a basketball player making an impossible shot jibes with a fan’s excitement, they might accept it, even if something feels exaggerated.

    While not a big deal for tiny home aesthetics, these issues become concerning when AI-generated images may be used to influence public opinion. For example, research shows that people tend to assume images are relevant to accompanying text. Even when the images provide no actual evidence, they make people more likely to accept the text’s claims as true.

    Misleading real or generated images can make false claims seem more believable and even cause people to misremember real events. AI-generated images have the power to shape opinions and spread misinformation in ways that are difficult to counter.

    Beating the machine

    While AI gets better at detecting AI, humans need tools to do the same. Here’s how:

    1. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is. Your brain expertly recognizes objects and faces, even under varying conditions. Perhaps you’ve experienced what psychologists call the uncanny valley and felt unease with certain humanoid faces. This experience shows people can detect anomalies, even when they can’t fully explain what’s wrong.
    2. Scan for clues. AI struggles with certain elements: hands, text, reflections, lighting inconsistencies and unnatural textures. If an image seems suspicious, take a closer look.
    3. Think critically. Sometimes, AI generates photorealistic images with impossible scenarios. If you see a political figure casually surprising baristas or a celebrity eating concrete, ask yourself: Does this make sense? If not, it’s probably fake.
    4. Check the source. Is the poster a real person? Reverse image search can help trace a picture’s origin. If the metadata is missing, it might be generated by AI.

    AI-generated images are becoming harder to spot. During scrolling, the brain processes visuals quickly, not critically, making it easy to miss details that reveal a fake. As technology advances, slow down, look closer and think critically.

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

    – ref. AI-generated images can exploit how your mind works − here’s why they fool you and how to spot them – https://theconversation.com/ai-generated-images-can-exploit-how-your-mind-works-heres-why-they-fool-you-and-how-to-spot-them-246867

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Seychelles Reach Staff-Level Agreement on the Fourth Reviews Under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) Arrangements

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, April 11, 2025/APO Group/ —

    • IMF staff and the Seychellois authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the fourth reviews under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangements. Approval of the reviews by the IMF’s Executive Board would release financing of SDR 10 million, equivalent to $13.4 million.
    • The government has made strong progress in implementing policies under the EFF and RSF programs. All quantitative targets for the fourth reviews have been met. Good progress has been made on a range of macro-structural issues.
    • Seychelles’ economic outlook is generally stable, but downside risks have increased. Given vulnerability to changes in tourist spending, international commodity prices, and transport costs, continued fiscal prudence and close monitoring of economic and financial indicators is recommended.

    An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Mr. Todd Schneider, conducted discussions with the Seychellois authorities in Victoria from March 31 to April 11, 2025, and reached a staff-level agreement on the fourth reviews under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangements. This agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board. Approval would release financing of SDR 10 million, equivalent to $13.4 million.

    At the end of the mission, Mr. Schneider issued the following statement:

    “The authorities continue to make progress in implementing the EFF-supported program. All end-December 2024 quantitative performance criteria under the program were met. Structural reforms related to improving the transparency of tax policy, enhancing monetary policy operations, and strengthening the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime were completed.

    “Real GDP growth for 2024 is estimated at 2.9 percent. Total tourist arrivals increased by only 0.5 percent, and tourist earnings declined by 6.9 percent. Growth in other sectors of the economy was generally moderate, apart from agriculture, information and communication, and financial services. Real GDP growth is expected to reach 3.2 percent in 2025 but is subject to downside risks given recent global economic developments.

    “Fiscal performance in 2024 was tighter than budgeted. The government’s primary fiscal surplus rose from 1.7 percent of GDP in 2023 to 3.2 percent in 2024. Tax and other revenues were slightly lower than earlier forecasts, but government expenditures were substantially lower than expected. The underspend was spread across budget lines but was highest with respect to capital projects, reflecting diversion of government planning resources to emergency reconstruction in the first part of the year and delays in several projects due to design and procurement issues. For 2025, the government is expected to achieve a primary fiscal surplus of 1.2 percent of GDP as budget execution improves.

    “The 2024 external current account position was stronger than expected due largely to lower than expected imports as some foreign financed projects did not materialize. The Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) was able to increase gross foreign exchange reserves to $774 million, equivalent to 3.8 months of imports of goods and services. Looking ahead, a modest deterioration of the external account is expected in 2025. Tourist arrivals and earnings are projected to cool in the second half of the year but will be partially offset by lower international oil prices. On balance, this should allow the CBS to maintain central bank foreign exchange reserves over $800 million in 2025, raising import cover to the equivalent of 3.9 months.

    “The CBS has maintained a broadly accommodative monetary policy, facilitating a steady increase in the growth of private credit. Inflation remains low and is projected to remain below 2 percent in 2025. The CBS will need to monitor developments closely in coming months and be ready to adjust policy rates if needed. CBS will also continue to strengthen Seychelles’ monetary policy framework and bolster financial sector supervision.

    “The authorities are committed to bolstering governance. The Public Enterprise Monitoring Commission—through an independent audit firm—will complete governance and performance assessments of six key public enterprises by end-year. The 2025 budget contained an estimate of foregone revenue from tax expenditures (such as exemptions, deductions, and reduced rates). The government also continues to improve the transparency of the beneficial ownership database and ensure the accuracy of collected information.

    “With respect to climate change mitigation and adaptation, the authorities are advancing reform measures agreed under the RSF. Measures related to the current review focused on assessing and reporting on climate related risks in the banking sector, adopting a disaster risk financing strategy, and steps to facilitate the scaling up of renewable energy.

    “The team thanks the Seychellois authorities for the open dialogue and close collaboration. Meetings were held with President Ramkalawan, Vice President Afif, Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles Abel, and other senior government officials as well as representatives of the private sector.”

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tax treatment of predevelopment costs: update on consultation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    News story

    Tax treatment of predevelopment costs: update on consultation

    Following the Court of Appeal judgement on 17 March on matters with significant readout across to this issue, the government is updating on the publication of the consultation on the tax treatment of predevelopment costs.

    At Autumn Budget 2024, the government committed to publishing a consultation on the tax treatment of predevelopment costs. On 17 March, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgement in the case of Orsted West of Duddon Sands (UK) Limited and others v HMRC.

    Following the Court of Appeal judgement on 17 March on matters with significant readout across to this issue, the publication of the consultation on the tax treatment of predevelopment costs is being postponed. The government is considering the implications of the judgment for the consultation. To give stakeholders and government time to reflect on the judgement, the government will determine its next steps in respect to this consultation in due course.

    In the interim, the government welcomes views on what this judgement means for you or the businesses you represent. Do let us know via predevcosts@hmtreasury.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –