NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bonavista — Bonavista RCMP arrests impaired ATV operator

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Last week, Bonavista RCMP stopped a 55-year-old male all-terrain vehicle (ATV) operator and arrested him for impaired operation.

    On Thursday, April 17, 2025, shortly before 5:15 p.m., Bonavista RCMP received a report of a man driving an ATV who was possibly impaired. Police located the ATV in Catalina and located the man on his ATV pulling into his residence. The man showed signs of alcohol impairment and was subsequently arrested for impaired operation. He provided two breath samples that were more than three times the legal limit. His ATV was impounded.

    The man was released from custody and is set to appear in court at a later date to answer to charges of impaired operation.

    Impaired operation of any motor vehicle is a choice that unnecessarily places the driver and all others who share the roadway at an increased level of risk. If you suspect an individual is driving while impaired, please immediately call your local police or 911 to make a report.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: EY US unveils Neil Araujo of iManage as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 Midwest Award finalist

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced the finalists for the prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Midwest Award. Now in its 40th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and making a profound impact on communities. The program honors bold entrepreneurs whose innovations shape the future and pave the way for a thriving economy and a hopeful tomorrow. The Midwest program celebrates entrepreneurs from Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

    An independent panel of judges selected Neil Araujo, CEO and co-founder of iManage, among 29 finalists for their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.

    “This recognition is a reflection of our team’s resilience and commitment to long-term success,” said Neil Araujo, CEO of iManage. “We’ve transformed iManage into a global SaaS leader trusted by knowledge workers in law, accounting, financial services, and beyond. I’m incredibly proud of the impact we’ve made, not just in business, but in the communities we serve and the lives we touch through our platform.”

    Founded in 1995, iManage helps over 4,000 global organizations — including 85% of the Global 100 law firms and 41% of the Fortune 100—manage and protect confidential information. Under Neil’s leadership, iManage has grown into a market leader in AI-powered, cloud-native work management platforms, and is committed to delivering purpose-driven innovation. The company’s SaaS platform is more carbon efficient than on-premises alternatives, and its commitment to community impact includes long-standing partnerships with nonprofits like Genesys Works and Chicago Debates.

    Entrepreneur Of The Year honors business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to strengthen it for the future.

    Regional award winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 11, during a special celebration in Chicago and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

    Sponsors
    Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh USA and SAP. In the Midwest, sponsors also include LaSalle Staffing, Inc. and Becker Professional Education.

    About Entrepreneur Of The Year
    Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries globally.

    The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

    About EY
    EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

    Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

    EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

    All in to shape the future with confidence.

    EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

    Media Contact:
    Alicia Saragosa
    Head of Public Relations, iManage
    press@imanage.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Securing our future: Progress report on Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Securing our future: Progress report on Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative

    The Microsoft Secure Future Initiative (SFI) stands as the largest cybersecurity engineering project in history and most extensive effort of its kind at Microsoft. Since inception, we’ve dedicated the equivalent of 34,000 engineers working full-time for 11 months to mitigate risks and address the highest priority security tasks. Now, we are sharing the second SFI progress report, which highlights progress made in our multi-year journey to improve the security posture of Microsoft, our customers, and the industry at large.

    Read the latest Secure Future Initiative report

    We have made progress across culture and governance by fostering a security-first mindset in every employee and investing in holistic governance structures to address cybersecurity risk across our enterprise.

    To better protect our customers, engineering teams across the company are delivering innovation aligned with our security principles, such as the new Secure by Design UX Toolkit which we tested with 20 product teams, rolled out to 22,000 employees, and shared publicly. This toolkit embeds security best practices into product development and is already delivering results. It includes best practices, conversation cards, and workshop tools to help teams build security capability, pinpoint vulnerabilities in products, and prioritize where to focus. 

    We have also made progress in every engineering pillar and objective, continuously hardening our identity security, reducing the risk of lateral movement across networks and tenants, improving our ability to detect and respond to cyberthreats, and partnering with the industry to protect customers from zero days. Insights and learnings from this progress inform ongoing innovations in our Microsoft Security portfolio—Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Purview—that helps better protect customers and Microsoft.

    To better protect signing keys, in September 2024 we announced that we have moved Entra ID and Microsoft Account (MSA) access token signing keys to hardware-based security modules (HSMs) and virtualization-based security in Windows, with automatic rotation. Since then, we’ve applied new defense-in-depth protections in response to our Red Team research and assessments, migrated the MSA signing service to Azure confidential VMs, and are migrating Entra ID signing service to the same. Each of these improvements help mitigate the attack vectors that we suspect the actor used in the 2023 Storm-0558 attack on Microsoft.

    We have also improved our ability to detect and respond to cyberthreats, adding more than 200 additional detections against top tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), which will be integrated into Microsoft Defender where applicable. Partnering with the security research community proactively discovered 180 vulnerabilities in the high-impact areas of cloud and AI, and expanded our program to address vulnerabilities within a reduced time to mitigate to cover more products, environments, and lower severities.

    Key highlights from the full SFI progress report can be found below:

    Read the full SFI Progress Report

    Secure by Design, Default, and in Operations

    In this report, you’ll find examples of how we’re building in protections from the start, aligned with our security principles:

    • New Secure by Design UX Toolkit, tested by 20 product teams and rolled out to 22,000 employees as well as a publicly available version, is helping teams build more secure, user-centered experiences.
    • The launch of 11 new innovations across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Windows, and Microsoft Security that help improve security by default.
    • AI development processes that now include dedicated security and safety reviews led by the Artificial Generative Intelligence Safety and Security Organization.
    • Applying secure operations practices across our AI systems, as outlined in our Responsible AI Transparency Report.
    • New policies, behavioral-based detection models, and investigation methods that thwarted $4 billion in fraud attempts.

    These advances help protect our customers and Microsoft.

    Security-first mindset, company-wide

    Security starts with people. In the past year, we’ve activated a security-first culture across every corner of the company, from engineering to operations to customer support.

    • Every Microsoft employee now has a Security Core Priority tied directly to performance reviews.
    • 50,000 employees have participated in the Microsoft Security Academy to improve their security skills.
    • 99% of employees have completed our Security Foundations and Trust Code courses.

    This shift isn’t about compliance, it’s about empowerment. We want every person at Microsoft to understand their role in keeping our customers safe and to have the tools to act on that responsibility.

    Stronger governance to manage enterprise-wide risk

    In May 2024, we introduced a new governance structure to improve risk visibility and accountability. Since then, we’ve deepened our investment:

    • We’ve appointed a Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Business Applications, and consolidated responsibility for Microsoft 365 and Experiences and Devices.
    • All 14 Deputy CISOs across Microsoft have completed a risk inventory and prioritization, creating a shared view of enterprise-wide security risk.

    This kind of structure is critical for scale, ensuring security isn’t just centralized, but embedded throughout the organization.

    Driving measurable progress across all pillars

    We continue to make progress in every pillar and objective. Out of 28 objectives, five are nearing completion, 11 have made significant progress, and we continue to make progress against the rest. As a result of SFI our platforms and services are more secure and we have improved our ability to detect and respond to cyberthreats.

    1. Protect identities and secrets: We have improved identity security for Microsoft services and customers

    • New defense-in-depth protections for Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Account (MSA) token signing keys already stored in hardware-based security modules. The Microsoft Account (MSA) signing service has been migrated to Azure confidential VMs.
    • 90% of identity tokens from Microsoft Entra ID for Microsoft apps are validated by one consistent and hardened identity Software Development Kit (SDK).
    • To mitigate risk from advanced cyberattacks, 92% of employee productivity accounts now use phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA).

    2. Protect tenants and isolate production systems: We continue to remove legacy and unused resources, and increase isolation, to reduce the risk of lateral movement

    • We transitioned more than 88% of resources to Azure Resource Manager, removed a total of 6.3 million tenants (an additional 550,000 since September), and all new tenants are now automatically registered in our security emergency response system.
    • We use an automated lifecycle management solution for all Microsoft Entra ID applications in the production environment.
    • Authentication to 4.4 million production environment managed identities is now restricted to specific network locations, further protecting these critical assets.

    3. Protect networks: Progress made against all objectives has improved the security of our network and delivered new innovations to help customers protect their networks

    • More than 99% of network assets have been inventoried and use enhanced security standards.
    • We continue to add additional layers of defense in depth by applying network isolation and segmentation to our network.
    • We introduced four new security capabilities to help customers secure their networks: Network Security Perimeter (NSP), DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), Azure Bastion Premium, and a private subnet feature.

    4. Protect engineering systems: We have improved the security of systems we use to build, test, and deploy code

    • 99.2% of pipelines have a complete inventory, which is enforced at creation and validated within 24 hours.
    • MFA protects 81% of production code branches through proof-of-presence checks.
    • Broad adoption of Central Feed Services, which helps to provide developers with a governed open-source feed.

    5. Monitor and detect threats: To improve our ability to investigate and respond to cyberthreats

    • We track 97% of our production infrastructure assets centrally.
    • Engineering teams continue to adopt our security logging standard, including the two-year minimum retention policy.
    • We added more than 200 additional detections against top tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Applicable detections will be integrated into Microsoft Defender.
    • 73% success rate addressing cloud vulnerabilities in our reduced time to mitigate, with significantly expanded program scope.
    • As part of Zero Day Quest, researchers identified 180 new vulnerabilities in the high impact areas of cloud and AI, enabling us to address them proactively.
    • We introduced new processes and playbooks to improve security incident communications to customers.

    A future of secure innovation

    Progress in cybersecurity is never linear. Cyberthreats evolve. Technology shifts. New risks emerge. But every step we take to secure our platforms is an investment in a safer future, for Microsoft, our customers, and the entire ecosystem.

    SFI is how we’re rising to that challenge. We are applying Zero Trust principles, driving security from the engineering core, and sharing what we learn. There is more work ahead and we are committed to the journey.

    We also know that security is a team sport. It takes collaboration across customers, partners, and the broader industry to move forward together. As part of our commitment to the broader ecosystem, we’re proud to continue to support initiatives like the CISA Secure by Design pledge, reinforcing our belief that security is the foundation of trust.

    Thank you for your trust—and your partnership. Let’s keep building a secure future together.

    Read the latest SFI Progress Report

    Learn more with Microsoft Security

    To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions and Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: A father’s quest for diagnosis inspired a disruptive AI solution

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: A father’s quest for diagnosis inspired a disruptive AI solution

    After the diagnosis, Isla quickly became one of Spain’s main advocates for rare diseases, championing better understanding and fighting for improved treatments for these little-known illnesses. As the years passed, he realized that computing could be a perfect ally, given that diagnosing rare diseases requires gathering and analyzing vast amounts of data and symptom information.  

    “AI is a facilitator,” Isla says, reflecting on what he calls “the odyssey of diagnosis.”  

    In 2017, when Sergio was 9 years old, Isla co-founded Foundation 29, a nonprofit organization dedicated to leveraging AI for healthcare innovation. That same year, Isla forged a momentous, if improbable, connection with Satya Nadella, Microsoft Chairman and CEO. 

    At a Microsoft event, Nadella shared the story of his son, who was born with cerebral palsy, and how technology could assist those with special needs. Isla, watching online, was deeply moved. 

    Isla immediately wrote to Nadella, explaining how his son’s disease had also profoundly changed his life. 

    “I want to provide diagnoses for those without one. It’s achievable. Microsoft has the technology to make it happen,” Isla wrote in his email. Nadella responded within five minutes, connecting Isla with Microsoft teams focused on AI-driven healthcare solutions. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Latest Microsoft Flight Simulator update adds 5 US cities

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Latest Microsoft Flight Simulator update adds 5 US cities

    Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas

    Dallas, and its sister city to the west, Fort Worth, were established in the 1800s as railroad hubs to serve the cotton, livestock, and oil industries of Texas. Today, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a key urban anchor in north Texas, is the most populous metropolitan area in the state. The region is a major international hub of several industries, including manufacturing, defense, finance, and tourism. The metroplex offers spectacular sights, including the iconic Fountain Place and a 720-foot-tall modernist skyscraper in Dallas; 777 Main Street in Fort Worth, a striking building that stands 525 feet tall; and the 561-foot-tall Reunion Tower, one of the most recognizable buildings in Dallas.

    Denver, Colorado

    Known as the “Mile High City” (its official elevation is 5,280 feet, exactly one mile above sea level), Denver is both the most populous city in Colorado and the state’s capital. Established in 1858 by prospectors who led what would come to be known as the Pike’s Peak gold rush, Denver became an important railroad city in 1870. It blossomed into a major metropolitan center in the 20th century, characterized by a stunning skyline set against the high Rocky Mountains. Some of the sights for pilots to behold include Republic Plaza, the city’s highest building at 714 feet; 1144 Fifteenth, one of the world’s most spectacular modern skyscrapers; the Rocky Mountains to its west; and the vast, oceanic plains east of Denver.

    San Francisco, California

    Called by many the most beautiful city in the world, San Francisco is squarely located where the San Francisco Bay opens to the Pacific Ocean. The city was formally established in 1850 due to the boom in population from the California Gold Rush, which began in 1848. Set along a spectacular section of Pacific Ocean coastline, San Francisco offers a wonderful selection of sights, including the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge; the iconic Transamerica Building; Alcatraz Island; and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    The capital and most populous city of the state of Hawaii, Honolulu is known for its beautiful architecture set against the tropical blue and green waters of the Pacific Ocean. Located on the southeastern coast of the island of Oahu, Honolulu boasts human history that dates back many centuries and was incorporated as a city in 1907. Meaning “sheltered port” in Hawaiian, Honolulu features numerous sights for the aerial visitor, including its spectacular skyline; Diamond Head, an extinct volcanic cone just to the southeast of the city; the waters of the Pacific Ocean; and the spectacular Koʻolau Range inland of the metropolitan area.

    City Update 10: United States I is available FREE to all owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Ensure that you have the latest simulator version installed, download City Update 10, and explore. The sky is calling!

    Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator products, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on X (formerly Twitter) or visit www.flightsimulator.com.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Additional support provided for Middle East appeal

    Source: Scottish Government

    First Minister announces boost for humanitarian aid.

    First Minister John Swinney has announced an additional £300,000 funding will be provided to support humanitarian aid efforts in the Middle East through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal and Scottish charities, SCIAF and Mercy Corps.

    This funding, delivered through the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund programme, will help provide urgent assistance to those affected by the ongoing conflict, including food, clean water, medical care, and shelter for displaced individuals in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.

    The announcement was made by the First Minister during a parliamentary debate on the international situation in which he also called for Scotland to champion the benefits of international trade, cooperation, and solidarity during this period of international turbulence.

    The First Minister said:

    “I’m pleased to announce a contribution of £240,000 through our Humanitarian Emergency Fund to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal for the Middle East, along with £30,000 each for Scottish charities, SCIAF and Mercy Corps for their responses in Lebanon and Syria.

    “This is in addition to the £250,000 that we provided to this appeal last November and comes at a time when humanitarian needs continue to increase across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.

    “I believe that wherever we can, we do what is within our power to de-escalate and support recovery from disaster and conflict in our deeply interconnected world.

    “Investing in the wellbeing of the international community is also an investment in our national wellbeing and security and I make no apology for doing so in these turbulent times.”

    The First Minister added:

    “At a time when the US, the UK and other donors have slashed their aid budgets, we in Scotland are committed to continuing to support our Global South partner countries, and more widely to responding to humanitarian emergencies globally.

    “Though we recognise the amounts Scotland contributes may be small in the face of growing need, we will do all we can to ensure it has maximum impact. Scotland will continue to act as a good global citizen.”

    DEC spokesperson Huw Owen said: “This additional donation to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal from the Scottish Government through its Humanitarian Emergency fund is hugely welcome. 

    “The Appeal has now raised close to £4 million here in Scotland, over £45 million UK wide, which also includes many generous individual donations from the public.  We are hugely grateful for this support.

    “It will bolster DEC charities and their expert local partners’ continuing efforts in Gaza and the wider region, working in incredibly challenging circumstances, to reach the most affected communities with medical care, food and clean water as well as psychological support for traumatised children and their families.”

    Background:

    Humanitarian needs across the Middle East continue to escalate, with nearly half of the population of Gaza facing emergency levels of food insecurity and water, shelter and medicine in desperately short supply. By providing this funding, the DEC and its member charities can ensure that when the current blockade of Gaza is finally lifted, those needs can be addressed without delay.

    The DEC appeal for the Middle East launched on 17 October 2024 and the Scottish Government’s previous contribution of £250,000 supported DEC and partner organisations in delivering humanitarian aid across the region.

    Since the appeal’s launch, generous donations from the public have helped deliver lifesaving assistance, and further contributions remain essential to sustain these efforts. The appeal has raised £3.8m in Scotland and the Scottish public can make a donation at Donate to Middle East Appeal | Disasters Emergency Committee

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK’s largest solar parking canopy project completed construction at Lakeside North Harbour

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    It is one of the largest car park solar panel and battery storage installations in the country.

    This innovative initiative comprises rooftop solar PV arrays on four buildings and newly constructed solar car park canopies in three car parking areas, equipped with accompanying battery storage. The full network of solar panels is set to generate approximately 4,000MWh per year. This is a huge amount of energy and is sufficient to power over 1,300 average three-bedroom houses for one year.

    The energy generated will meet around 40% of the entire site’s electricity usage and will mean, on very sunny days and weekends, excess power can be released to the grid. The project is estimated to prevent more than 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

    The completion of the solar panels and battery storage installation marks a significant milestone in Lakeside’s and Portsmouth City Council’s journey towards sustainability and greener energy, in line with the Council’s Net Zero ambitions.

    The Energy Services and Building Projects teams at Portsmouth City Council have been working with solar panel installation contractor, Custom Solar, to get the panels up and running at Lakeside.

    Cabinet Member for Greening the City and Climate Action Cllr Kimberly Barrett said: “We are thrilled to have reached the final stage of this groundbreaking project! All teams have been dedicated and relentless in their efforts towards completion. It’s truly inspiring to see another solar project land at Portsmouth and make a huge step towards greener energy and our Net Zero goal.”

    Simon Bateman, Asset Manager at Lakeside North Harbour, added: “This is an excellent opportunity for Lakeside businesses to benefit from the council’s Net Zero target at no direct cost to them. We are committed to creating a sustainable and environmentally responsible workspace for the businesses based here, the largest of its kind in this region. We recognise our responsibility to reduce environmental impacts, enhance sustainability, and contribute positively to the community and economy.

    “This solar project will enable us to have a green electric supply for all 60 businesses at Lakeside. The environment is a fundamental core value at Lakeside – from creating the right atmosphere for our occupier community to driving sustainability and efficient use of our valuable resources.”

     To keep up to date on their projects, follow Lakeside North Harbour on LinkedIn.

    To keep up to date on the council’s energy and building projects, follow the Portsmouth City Council building services on LinkedIn.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Saskatchewan’s Most Popular Baby Names for 2024

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 22, 2025

    eHealth Saskatchewan released a list of the top 20 baby names for 2024 today and it shows a lot of movement.

    In 2024, Sophia ended Olivia’s nine-year run as the most popular name for baby girls, bumping Olivia down to second spot. Hazel rose from 20th to sixth, Ellie from 19th to fifth, Harper from 17th to eighth, and Isla from 10th to fourth. Ivy lost ground, falling from fifth place last year to 17th place this year. For the first time, Lainey is one of the most popular names for baby girls, coming in at number 20. Sadie and Grace return after being absent from the list for a few years, while Brielle, Nora, Evelyn and Sophie did not return this year after appearing in the top 20 in 2023.

    On the boys’ side, Henry jumped from 18th place all the way up to number one, bumping Oliver down to second place while long-time favourites Liam and Noah follow in third and fourth spots respectively. Other favourites like Levi, Hudson, Jack and Theodore remain strong. Daniel appears back on the list for the first time since 2017, and Asher, Alexander, Brooks and Elijah also return after being absent for some years. Muhammad climbed to 13th this year after first appearing in the top 20 in 19th place last year. Another favourite, Leo, fell from fourth place last year to 16th place this year, while Lincoln, Emmett, Ethan and Luke did not return to the top 20 this year.  

    Check out the top 20 baby names over the last 10 years.

    The list of top 20 baby names for 2024 is created with a preliminary count of 13,189 live births registered in Saskatchewan as of April 5, 2025. eHealth is still completing birth registrations from the end of 2024. The number of live births registered in 2023 was 13,080. This does not include Saskatchewan mothers who gave birth outside of the province.

    Top 20 Boy Names

    Top 20 Girl Names

    Rank

    Name

    Total Named

    Rank

    Name

    Total Named

    1

    Henry

    53

    1

    Sophia

    48

    2

    Oliver

    50

    2

    Olivia

    43

    3

    Liam

    49

    3

    Charlotte

    39

    4

    Noah

    46

    4

    Isla

    39

    5

    Levi

    45

    5

    Ellie

    37

    6

    Jack

    43

    6

    Hazel

    37

    7

    Theodore

    43

    7

    Violet

    36

    8

    William

    43

    8

    Harper

    35

    9

    Bennett

    39

    9

    Emma

    34

    10

    Hudson

    38

    10

    Sadie

    29

    11

    Alexander

    37

    11

    Scarlett

    29

    12

    Lucas

    35

    12

    Amelia

    28

    13

    Muhammad

    35

    13

    Emily

    27

    14

    Asher

    33

    14

    Grace

    27

    15

    Brooks

    33

    15

    Isabella

    27

    16

    Leo

    32

    16

    Aurora

    26

    17

    Elijah

    31

    17

    Ivy

    26

    18

    Beau

    30

    18

    Lily

    26

    19

    Owen

    30

    19

    Mia

    26

    20

    Daniel

    28

    20

    Lainey

    25

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Pathway on Parliament Hill to reopen for pedestrians

    Source: Government of Canada News

    For immediate release

    Gatineau, Quebec, April 22, 2025 – Public Services and Procurement Canada wishes to advise pedestrians that the pathway behind the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, which was closed for the winter season, will reopen on Wednesday, April 23.

    The Queen Victoria Monument and area, located on the west side of the Centre Block, will also reopen.

    The stairway on the west escarpment of Parliament Hill, as well as the Summer Pavilion behind the Centre Block, will remain closed until further notice to complete ongoing repairs.

     

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: With a Technology License From MIT and NREL in Hand, Comstock Fuels Aims To Produce Jet Fuel From Lignin

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Patent-Pending Technology Turns Lignin—a Plant Structural Material—Into Aromatic Hydrocarbons That Could Help Leap Over Synthetic Aviation Fuel ‘Blend Wall’

    NREL research technician Spencer Lask prepares feedstock for hydrodeoxygenation using a batch pressure reactor—allowing NREL to work in parallel with industry partner Comstock Fuels. Photo by Mickey Stone, NREL

    It is an ideal complement to Comstock Fuels’ own technologies: an additional refining step to upgrade lignin from biomass into aromatic hydrocarbons, which are molecules needed to produce “drop-in” synthetic aviation fuel (SAF).

    SAF can be made with abundant biomass and waste resources from America’s farms, forests, and waste facilities. However, most SAF today must be combined with petroleum jet fuel (Jet A) to meet strict performance requirements for aviation. This is because jet engines need fuel that contains a blend of hydrocarbons for safe operation—alkanes (including n-alkanes, isoalkanes, and cycloalkanes) and aromatics. To date, most SAF production processes yield fuels rich in n-alkanes and isoalkanes, but pathways for producing aromatics and cycloalkanes are scarce.

    But the SAF technology being codeveloped by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is different. It yields aromatic-rich SAF by deconstructing lignin in plants and hydrodeoxygenating the resulting molecules to jet-range blendstocks.

    Understanding that SAF needs to comprise roughly 20% aromatics, Comstock Fuels President David Winsness jumped on the opportunity to scale up the technology. In September 2024, Comstock Fuels signed a cooperative research and development agreement with MIT and NREL.

    If the MIT–NREL technology is successfully scaled up and integrated into Comstock’s existing processes, the combination of technologies could help address the so-called SAF “blend wall”—providing a path toward SAF that is functionally identical to Jet A.

    A Chance Encounter Sparks Research Agreement

    Winsness discovered the patent-pending MIT–NREL lignin conversion technology during an exploratory meeting at NREL’s Golden, Colorado, campus, where he was discussing scaling up Comstock’s Bioleum SAF technology. During that meeting, NREL Principal Scientist Robert Baldwin introduced Winsness and his colleagues to the new lignin pathway and recommended an introduction to NREL Senior Research Fellow Gregg Beckham and NREL chemical engineer and group manager David Brandner, who together lead NREL’s component of the work with a team of researchers.

    A veteran of the biofuels industry, Winsness had himself developed and commercialized a patented process that recovers distillers corn oil from corn ethanol facilities for use in producing additional fuels, increasing yields and revenues. Upward of 95% of the U.S. corn ethanol industry uses the technology today. Winsness and his team then set their sights on lignin as their next innovation on the belief that doing so could support petroleum, pulp and paper, forestry, and other relevant industries.

    After more than 10 years, they developed a patented and patent-pending process that extracts and converts lignin into an intermediate called Bioleum. In an August 2024 press release, the company reported yields of cellulosic ethanol and Bioleum-derived fuels exceeding 125 gallons per metric ton of biomass (on a gasoline-gallon-equivalent basis), depending on feedstock, lignin content, site conditions, and other process parameters.

    After Baldwin’s initial introduction to Beckham and a series of follow-up communications, it became clear that the MIT–NREL lignin-based SAF technology could complement Comstock’s processes by refining Bioleum further to produce both alkane and aromatic SAF. The parties recently executed an exclusive license agreement, in addition to the research agreement, just six months after their first meeting.

    At its pilot facility in Wisconsin, Comstock Fuels is currently scaling up and demonstrating its Bioleum technology to convert woody biomass into SAF. One step of Comstock’s chemical processes isolates lignin by separating it from the other major plant polymers—the polysaccharides cellulose and hemicellulose—which continue through the process for conversion into alkane SAF.

    “The type of digestion we are already doing is ideal for MIT and NREL’s technology,” Winsness said.

    It was there—where Comstock produces a stream of lignin—that Baldwin and Winsness saw an exciting interdependency and linkage point.

    “MIT and NREL’s technology makes a highly aromatic blendstock, but that’s great because most of the other SAF technologies out there today make blendstocks that don’t contain aromatics,” Baldwin said. “To get 100% SAF, you have to have some source of aromatics, and one way to get them is from lignin.”

    MIT and NREL first described their lignin conversion technology in 2022, outlining steps for turning poplar (left) into lignin oil (center) and finally into aromatic-rich SAF (right). Photo by NREL

    From Lignin to Highly Aromatic SAF

    Lignin—which makes up around 30% of biomass—is a complex polymer that supports plants and helps them resist decay. Based on projections of future feedstock supply, which are outlined in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2023 Billion-Ton Report, lignin could generate as much as 63 billion gallons of SAF annually by 2040—three times more fuel than U.S. airlines consumed in 2019.

    NREL and MIT’s technology uses reductive catalytic fractionation and hydrodeoxygenation to turn lignin into aromatic hydrocarbons. Figure by NREL

    However, for years the industry has lacked the key for unlocking that potential. Researchers continue to search for economical methods for turning lignin into useful products, including the aromatic hydrocarbons needed for SAF. In the pulp and paper industry today, lignin is burned for heat, though NREL and other researchers are also developing technologies for turning waste lignin into valuable bioproducts.

    However, building on advances in catalysis, a multi-institution team of researchers, including MIT’s Mickey Stone, Matt Webber, and Yuriy Román-Leshkov, unveiled a study with the potential to overturn that dynamic. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, they demonstrated a method for removing oxygen from lignin and a catalyst to refashion the resulting molecules into an aromatic-rich SAF blendstock—an additive for mixing with alkane SAF.

    First described in a 2022 Joule article, the technology combines alcohol extraction of lignin from biomass with an Earth-abundant hydrodeoxygenation catalyst to stabilize the extracted lignin and produce an oil enriched with aromatics. Importantly, this catalyst resists deactivation or poisoning from impurities often present in biomass.

    Having successfully demonstrated the technology in the lab, MIT and NREL filed a patent application for the technology. Now, to show its value outside the lab for the biofuels industry, it is time to scale it up.

    The Three-Year Plan: Scaling It Up

    Over the next three years, Comstock will build a pilot-scale version of the MIT–NREL lignin conversion technology, a task that involves linking the various steps into an uninterrupted process that can run continuously. They will also incorporate larger reactors and equipment, moving from producing milliliters of the aromatic SAF blendstock to a few gallons.

    That process will provide Comstock with valuable data and engineering designs to consider as it works to integrate it with its own Bioleum technology. Winsness said that the MIT–NREL process can be added with a few minor modifications to accept the existing lignin stream.

    At its facility in Wausau, Wisconsin, Comstock’s 50-gallon flow-through reactor is a workhorse and represents the kind of reactor the company aims to integrate with the MIT–NREL technology. Photo from Comstock Fuels

    “We already have over 2,000 runs on our pilot reactor and a tremendous amount of data,” Winsness said. “We think we can take the MIT–NREL process from a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 to 6 very quickly if all goes well.”

    Of course, that would not be the end of the systematic process for demonstrating and commercializing the technology. After successfully piloting the MIT–NREL process at TRL 6 and 7, Comstock would then need to integrate the process into even larger facilities in the coming years, elevating the Comstock and MIT–NREL processes to TRL 8 and 9. Comstock Fuels plans to license the technologies globally and to build, own, and operate its own network of Bioleum refineries in the United States with several sites under evaluation for construction of its initial demonstration-scale facility—paving the way for commercialization.

    Success could put millions of more gallons of SAF into the marketplace, according to NREL senior licensing executive Eric Payne.

    “It’s not every day the lab gets a partner like Comstock who’s ready to jump in and fund technology scale-up, which is so critical for commercialization,” he said. “They’ve got the potential to impact billions of gallons of SAF, and that is really exciting. This is a huge market.”

    Learn more about NREL’s biofuels and bio-based chemicals research, as well as the laboratory’s broader advanced aviation research.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: QNB Corp. Reports Earnings For First Quarter 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    QUAKERTOWN, Pa., April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — QNB Corp. (the “Company” or “QNB”) (OTCQX: QNBC), the parent company of QNB Bank (the “Bank”), reported net income for the first quarter of 2025 of $2,578,000, or $0.69 per share on a diluted basis. This compares to net income of $2,594,000, or $0.71 per share on a diluted basis, for the same period in 2024.

    For the first quarter of 2025, the annualized rate of return on average assets and average shareholders’ equity was 0.54% and 6.24%, respectively, compared with 0.59% and 6.53%, respectively, for the first quarter 2024.

    The operating performance of the Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of QNB Corp., improved for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, in comparison with the same period in 2024, due primarily to improvement in the interest margin causing a $2,229,000 increase in net interest income and an increase in non-interest income of $99,000; this was partly offset by an increase in the provision for credit losses on loans and unfunded commitments of $644,000 and an increase in non-interest expense of $483,000. The change in contribution from QNB Corp. for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with the same period in 2024, is primarily due to a decrease in net interest income of $937,000, related to the subordinated debt issuance in 2024.

    The following table presents disaggregated net income (loss):

      Three months ended,        
      3/31/2025     3/31/2024     Variance  
    QNB Bank $ 3,292,000     $ 2,331,000     $ 961,000  
    QNB Corp   (714,000 )     263,000       (977,000 )
    Consolidated net income $ 2,578,000     $ 2,594,000     $ (16,000 )
                           

    Total assets as of March 31, 2025 were $1,896,189,000 compared with $1,870,894,000 at December 31, 2024. Total cash and cash equivalents increased $30,844,000, or 60.8%, to $81,557,000, primarily due to increases in customer deposits. Loans receivable decreased $3,886,000, or 0.3%, to $1,212,162,000. Total deposits increased $36,014,000, or 2.2%, to $1,664,555,000. Short-term borrowing declined $10,545,000, or 19.6%.

    “The Bank continued to navigate evolving fiscal policy decisions, unprecedented economic uncertainty, and market impacts, which resulted in relatively flat deposit and loan growth for the quarter,” said David W. Freeman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Freeman continued, “We are pleased with the growth in net interest income at an all-time high in the first quarter, driven by an increase in average interest rates received on our loan portfolio, combined with a decrease in average interest rates paid on deposit balances. Furthermore, we believed it prudent to modestly increase our loan loss reserves in the first quarter and will continue to closely watch asset quality as the economic environment develops while looking for responsible growth opportunities for the success of our company.”

    Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

    Net interest income for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 totaled $22,198,000, an increase of $2,629,000, from the same period in 2024. Net interest margin was 2.51% for the first quarter of 2025 and 2.39% for the same period in 2024.

    The yield on earning assets was 4.81% for the first quarter of 2025, compared with 4.57% in the first quarter of 2024; an increase of 24 basis points. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities was 2.76% for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with 2.66% for the same period in 2024, an increase of 10 basis points.

    Proceeds from the growth in average deposits and the issuance of both long-term and subordinated debt over the past year were invested in loans, higher-yielding securities and used to pay down short-term borrowings. Loan growth was primarily in commercial real estate, which comprised 45.5% of average earning assets in the three months of 2025 compared with 44.7% for the same period in 2024, and the increases in both rates and volume in commercial real estate loans majorly contributed to the 37 basis-point increase in the yield on loans. The increase in the available-for-sale investments portfolio was primarily in corporate debt securities. The 23-basis point increase in rate on investments was primarily due to the 129-basis point increase in the yield on corporate debt securities. The average rate paid on interest-bearing deposits decreased 12 basis points; this was more than offset by the issuance of subordinated debt which was the primary contributor to the increase in the cost of funds of ten basis points.

    Asset Quality, Provision for Credit Losses on Loans and Allowance for Credit Losses

    QNB recorded $551,000 in the provision for credit losses on loans in the first quarter of 2025 compared to a $93,000 reversal in the provision in the first quarter of 2024. QNB’s allowance for credit losses on loans of $9,298,000 represents 0.77% of loans receivable at March 31, 2025, compared to $8,744,000, or 0.72% of loans receivable at December 31, 2024. The five basis point increase in the allowance for credit losses on loans was primarily due to an increase in reserves for collateral dependent loans and deterioration in the economic outlook. Net loan recoveries were $3,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with charge-offs of $21,000 for the same period in 2024. Annualized net loan recoveries for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 were 0.00% and annualized net loan charge-offs were 0.01% for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, of average loans receivable, respectively.

    Total non-performing loans, which represent loans on non-accrual status and loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing interest, were $8,407,000, or 0.69% of loans receivable at March 31, 2025, compared with $1,975,000, or 0.16% of loans receivable at December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to one commercial customer relationship. In cases where there is a collateral shortfall on non-accrual loans, specific reserves have been established based on updated collateral values even if the borrower continues to pay in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Commercial loans classified as substandard or doubtful loans totaled $34,448,000 at March 31, 2025, compared with $34,301,000 at December 31, 2024; these were comprised primarily of commercial real estate loans.

    Non-Interest Income

    Total non-interest income was $1,584,000 for the first quarter of 2025 compared with $1,836,000 for the same period in 2024. There were no realized and unrealized gain/loss on securities for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 compared to a net gain of $347,000 in the same period in 2024. Excluding the net realized and unrealized gains on securities, non-interest income increased $95,000, or 6.4%.

    Fees for service to customers increased $27,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, as overdraft fees increased $12,000 and other deposit-related fees increased $15,000. ATM and debit card increased $20,000 due to volume. Retail brokerage and advisory income increased $48,000 to $141,000 for the same period. Other non-interest income decreased $3,000 for the same period due to a decline in merchant fee income of $24,000, partly offset by an increase in letter of credit fees of $11,000 and title company income of $8,000.

    Non-Interest Expense

    Total non-interest expense was $9,369,000 for the first quarter of 2025 compared with $8,833,000 for the same period in 2024. Salaries and benefits expense increased $58,000, or 1.2%, to $5,032,000 when comparing the two quarters. Salary expense and related payroll taxes increased $199,000, or 4.8%, to $4,344,000 during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, primarily due to pay increases. Benefits expense decreased $141,000, or 17.0%, when comparing the two periods primarily due to a reduction in medical costs.

    Net occupancy and furniture and equipment expense increased $221,000, or 14.6%, to $1,736,000 for the first quarter of 2025 primarily due to software maintenance costs and depreciation. Other non-interest expense increased $257,000, or 11.0%, when comparing first quarter of 2025 with the same period in 2024 due to an increase in bank shares tax of $167,000, due to timing of tax credits and increased capital, an increase in write-offs relating to fraud on customer accounts of $77,000, and an increase in director fees of $79,000, as fees were bought in line with peer groups. These increases were partly offset by decreases in marketing expense of $77,000, due to timing of events and promotions.

    Income Taxes

    Provision for income taxes decreased $39,000 to $624,000 in the first quarter of 2025 due to decreased pre-tax income, compared with the same period in 2024. The effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 was 19.5% compared with 20.4% for the same period in 2024.

    About the Company

    QNB Corp. is the holding company for QNB Bank, which is headquartered in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. QNB Bank currently operates twelve branches in Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery Counties and offers commercial and retail banking services in the communities it serves. In addition, the Company provides securities and advisory services under the name of QNB Financial Services through a registered Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Advisor, and title insurance as a member of Laurel Abstract Company LLC. More information about QNB Corp. and QNB Bank is available at QNBBank.com.

    Forward Looking Statement

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Actual results and trends could differ materially from those set forth in such statements due to various factors. Such factors include the possibility that increased demand or prices for the Company’s financial services and products may not occur, changing economic and competitive conditions, technological developments, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including “Item lA. Risk Factors,” set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by the Company on its website or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

    Contacts: David W. Freeman Jeffrey Lehocky
      President & Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer
      215-538-5600 x-5619 215-538-5600 x-5716
      dfreeman@QNBbank.com jlehocky@QNBbank.com
         
    QNB Corp.  
    Consolidated Selected Financial Data (unaudited)  
    (Dollars in thousands)                            
    Balance Sheet (Period End) 3/31/25     12/31/24     9/30/24     6/30/24     3/31/24  
    Assets $ 1,896,189     $ 1,870,894     $ 1,841,563     $ 1,761,487     $ 1,716,081  
    Cash and cash equivalents   81,557       50,713       104,232       76,909       50,963  
    Investment securities                            
    Debt securities, AFS   547,138       546,559       510,036       460,418       481,596  
    Equity securities   —       —       2,760       7,233       6,217  
    Loans held-for-sale   248       664       294       786       —  
    Loans receivable   1,212,162       1,216,048       1,171,361       1,162,310       1,122,616  
    Allowance for credit losses on loans   (9,298 )     (8,744 )     (8,987 )     (8,858 )     (8,738 )
    Net loans   1,202,864       1,207,304       1,162,374       1,153,452       1,113,878  
    Deposits   1,664,555       1,628,541       1,626,284       1,572,839       1,536,188  
    Demand, non-interest bearing   203,666       183,499       190,240       190,333       188,260  
    Interest-bearing demand, money market and savings   1,083,011       1,063,584       1,055,409       1,003,813       990,451  
    Time   377,878       381,458       380,635       378,693       357,477  
    Short-term borrowings   43,299       53,844       22,918       49,066       55,088  
    Long-term debt   30,000       30,000       30,000       30,000       20,000  
    Subordinated debt   39,118       39,068       39,030       —       —  
    Shareholders’ equity   108,223       103,349       105,340       96,885       93,686  
                                 
    Asset Quality Data (Period End)                            
    Non-accrual loans $ 8,651     $ 1,975     $ 1,696     $ 2,078     $ 2,001  
    Loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing   —       —       —       —       —  
    Non-performing loans   8,651       1,975       1,696       2,078       2,001  
    Other real estate owned and repossessed assets   —       —       —       —       —  
    Non-performing assets $ 8,651     $ 1,975     $ 1,696     $ 2,078     $ 2,001  
                                 
    Allowance for credit losses on loans $ 9,298     $ 8,744     $ 8,987     $ 8,858     $ 8,738  
                                 
    Non-performing loans / Loans excluding held-for-sale   0.71 %     0.16 %     0.14 %     0.18 %     0.18 %
    Non-performing assets / Assets   0.46 %     0.11 %     0.09 %     0.12 %     0.12 %
    Allowance for credit losses on loans / Loans excluding held-for-sale   0.77 %     0.72 %     0.77 %     0.76 %     0.78 %
                                           
    QNB Corp.
    Consolidated Selected Financial Data (unaudited)
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three months ended,
    For the period: 3/31/25 12/31/24 9/30/24 6/30/24 3/31/24
    Interest income $ 22,198   $ 22,209   $ 21,945   $ 20,345   $ 19,569  
    Interest expense   10,661     11,234     10,818     9,753     9,401  
    Net interest income   11,537     10,975     11,127     10,592     10,168  
    (Reversal in provision) provision for credit losses   550     (255 )   159     114     (86 )
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses   10,987     11,230     10,968     10,478     10,254  
    Non-interest income:            
    Fees for services to customers   447     454     469     427     420  
    ATM and debit card   656     708     691     705     636  
    Retail brokerage and advisory income   141     118     139     126     93  
    Net realized gain (loss) on investment securities   –     1,414     224     (1,096 )   377  
    Unrealized (loss) gain on equity securities   –     (1,344 )   143     1,016     (30 )
    Net (loss) gain on sale of loans   18     (3 )   19     (2 )   15  
    Other   322     298     282     289     325  
    Total non-interest income   1,584     1,645     1,967     1,465     1,836  
    Non-interest expense:            
    Salaries and employee benefits   5,032     5,079     4,650     5,038     4,974  
    Net occupancy and furniture and equipment   1,736     1,653     1,531     1,481     1,515  
    Other   2,601     2,349     2,455     2,415     2,344  
    Total non-interest expense   9,369     9,081     8,636     8,934     8,833  
    Income before income taxes   3,202     3,794     4,299     3,009     3,257  
    Provision for income taxes   624     743     961     544     663  
    Net income $ 2,578   $ 3,051   $ 3,338   $ 2,465   $ 2,594  
               
    Share and Per Share Data:          
    Net income – basic $ 0.70   $ 0.83   $ 0.91   $ 0.67   $ 0.71  
    Net income – diluted $ 0.69   $ 0.83   $ 0.91   $ 0.67   $ 0.71  
    Book value $ 29.17   $ 27.96   $ 28.57   $ 26.34   $ 25.57  
    Cash dividends $ 0.38   $ 0.37   $ 0.37   $ 0.37   $ 0.37  
    Average common shares outstanding -basic   3,699,854     3,688,078     3,679,799     3,665,695     3,655,176  
    Average common shares outstanding -diluted   3,713,141     3,695,518     3,682,773     3,665,695     3,655,176  
    Selected Ratios:          
    Return on average assets   0.54 %   0.64 %   0.72 %   0.55 %   0.59 %
    Return on average shareholders’ equity   6.24 %   7.36 %   8.13 %   6.14 %   6.53 %
    Net interest margin (tax equivalent)   2.51 %   2.38 %   2.48 %   2.46 %   2.39 %
    Efficiency ratio (tax equivalent)   70.65 %   71.16 %   65.27 %   73.26 %   72.73 %
    Average shareholders’ equity to total average assets   8.67 %   8.63 %   8.80 %   8.97 %   8.98 %
    Net loan charge-offs (recoveries) $ (3 ) $ 1   $ 25   $ 12   $ 21  
    Net loan charge-offs (recoveries) – annualized / Average loans excluding held-for-sale   0.00 %   0.00 %   0.01 %   0.00 %   0.01 %
    Balance Sheet (Average)          
    Assets $ 1,932,938   $ 1,908,914   $ 1,856,034   $ 1,798,040   $ 1,778,585  
    Investment securities (AFS & Equities)   626,557     614,329     552,323     569,135     578,615  
    Loans receivable   1,210,303     1,193,949     1,158,731     1,139,874     1,108,836  
    Deposits   1,633,196     1,635,629     1,600,925     1,542,661     1,497,692  
    Shareholders’ equity   167,491     164,823     163,274     161,340     159,739  
                                   
    QNB Corp. (Consolidated)  
    Average Balances, Rate, and Interest Income and Expense Summary (Tax-Equivalent Basis)  
                                       
      Three Months Ended  
      March 31, 2025     March 31, 2024  
      Average     Average           Average     Average        
      Balance     Rate     Interest     Balance     Rate     Interest  
    Assets                                  
    Investment securities:                                  
    U.S. Treasury $ 20,155       4.38 %   $ 217     $ 6,782       5.33 %   $ 90  
    U.S. Government agencies   75,960       1.18       224       84,951       1.17       248  
    State and municipal   105,256       2.86       754       108,173       3.42       924  
    Mortgage-backed and CMOs   363,641       2.43       2,208       365,983       2.59       2,373  
    Corporate debt securities and mutual funds   61,545       6.88       1,058       6,707       5.59       94  
    Equities   –       –       –       6,019       3.71       56  
    Total investment securities   626,557       2.85       4,461       578,615       2.62       3,785  
    Loans:                                  
    Commercial real estate   857,600       5.71       12,069       775,135       5.34       10,300  
    Residential real estate   114,271       4.33       1,238       108,922       3.92       1,066  
    Home equity loans   67,973       6.41       1,074       62,269       6.81       1,055  
    Commercial and industrial   148,680       7.41       2,717       140,293       7.50       2,615  
    Consumer loans   3,446       7.68       65       3,644       8.10       73  
    Tax-exempt loans   18,795       4.15       192       18,641       3.82       177  
    Total loans, net of unearned income*   1,210,765       5.81       17,355       1,108,904       5.54       15,286  
    Other earning assets   47,641       4.44       522       46,645       5.51       639  
    Total earning assets   1,884,963       4.81       22,338       1,734,164       4.57       19,710  
    Cash and due from banks   13,226                   12,769              
    Allowance for credit losses on loans   (8,739 )                 (8,946 )            
    Other assets   43,488                   40,598              
    Total assets $ 1,932,938                 $ 1,778,585              
                                       
    Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity                                  
    Interest-bearing deposits:                                  
    Interest-bearing demand $ 380,293       1.01 %     944     $ 321,904       0.80 %     643  
    Municipals   149,579       3.95       1,456       131,887       4.81       1,577  
    Money market   256,265       2.88       1,818       227,872       3.56       2,015  
    Savings   279,657       1.30       893       298,353       1.28       949  
    Time < $100   178,500       3.79       1,670       157,712       3.76       1,473  
    Time $100 through $250   154,125       4.25       1,613       127,613       4.34       1,377  
    Time > $250   48,785       4.31       518       49,756       4.22       522  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,447,204       2.50       8,912       1,315,097       2.62       8,556  
    Short-term borrowings   47,529       3.89       456       87,441       2.88       625  
    Long-term debt   30,111       4.73       356       20,000       4.36       220  
    Subordinated debt   39,092       9.59       937       —       —       —  
    Total borrowings   116,732       6.08       1,749       107,441       3.16       845  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   1,563,936       2.76       10,661       1,422,538       2.66       9,401  
    Non-interest-bearing deposits   185,992                   182,595              
    Other liabilities   15,519                   13,713              
    Shareholders’ equity   167,491                   159,739              
    Total liabilities and                                  
    shareholders’ equity $ 1,932,938                 $ 1,778,585              
    Net interest rate spread         2.05 %                 1.91 %      
    Margin/net interest income         2.51 %   $ 11,677             2.39 %   $ 10,309  
    Tax-exempt securities and loans were adjusted to a tax-equivalent basis and are based on the Federal corporate tax rate of 21%  
    Non-accrual loans and investment securities are included in earning assets.  
    * Includes loans held-for-sale  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Rubio with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Department of State, on April 22, 2024.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    X: https://x.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Policy approved to deliver a ‘consistent and equitable’ approach for the allocation of housing

    Source: City of Salford

    • Housing Allocation Policy for 2025 to 2028 approved by Salford City Council.
    • The policy underpins the council’s wider strategic priorities of its Corporate Plan 2024 to 2028 and commitment to ‘a good home for all’.
    • Housing options available will be dependent upon the level and type of housing need, in addition to the size, type and location of available properties. Each application is assessed on its own merits.

    Salford City Council’s cabinet has approved its Housing Allocation Policy for 2025 – 2028, which sets out how social rented housing is allocated within the area and how residents on the housing register are prioritised taking into account local considerations and needs.

    The need and strong demand for social housing currently outweighs the availability of social housing, with around 4,500 people on the council’s housing register, at any one time. This includes many of the 787 households currently housed in temporary accommodation. However, fewer than 900 properties are advertised or let every year, through the register.

    Furthermore, the city faces a number of challenges in the form of increasing homelessness, temporary accommodation use and costs. This policy, therefore underpins the council’s wider strategic priorities which are: homelessness prevention, making the best use of housing assets, supporting the council’s corporate parenting role/ responsibilities, reducing the impact of domestic abuse including the cycle of abuse and an anti-poverty approach.

    The policy is based on:

    • A fair system for the allocation of housing accommodation, which is transparent and easy to understand.
    • Making best use of increasingly scarce social housing stock (homes available for rent below market rate to households whose needs cannot be met by the commercial housing market – Housing and Regeneration Act 2008).
    • Preventing homelessness and reduce the usage and length of stay in temporary accommodation.
    • Giving priority to applicants with the greatest housing need.
    • Managing customer expectations by supporting people to make realistic and informed choices about where they live.
    • Creating sustainable tenancies in the light of welfare reform.
    • Creating balanced and stable communities.

    A first stage public consultation took place in March 2024, to review the existing policy criteria, which included members of the public, local organisations, key stakeholders and partners. A second stage public consultation was held in December 2024, to further explore the suggested and proposed policy changes – including engagement with vulnerable people who shared their real-life experiences.

    The outcome of this review and public consultation recommended 16 changes to be implemented within the new Allocation Policy (Adobe PDF format). A further review will take place in 2027/28 or earlier if required by new legislation or government guidance.

    The housing options available to a household will be dependent upon the level and type of housing need. Each application will be assessed on its own merits and exceptional circumstances will also be taken into consideration. Housing options and advice aim to achieve:

    • Help and support to remain in current accommodation.
    • Advice on securing alternative private rented accommodation.
    • Advice on mobility schemes that may help a household move out of the area.
    • Advice to current social housing tenants on mutual exchange.
    • Advice on low-cost home ownership options.
    • Access to the housing register to obtain social housing.

    Councillor Tracy Kelly, Lead Member for Housing and Anti-Poverty at Salford City Council said: “The policy enables the council to deliver a consistent and equitable approach to the allocation of social housing in Salford, to help us meet the housing needs of residents in our communities.

    “We recognise that social housing is in high demand, both in Salford and across the country, which is why we are continuing to deliver on our pledge to build good quality homes as well as truly affordable homes for social rent alongside support for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. 

    “The need for affordable housing options in Salford means that it’s vital we continue to work to create long-term solutions to turn the situation around and provide truly affordable housing in our city which local people need and deserve.”

    People wanting to apply to the housing register can do so on the housing register. Anyone who needs housing advice, is homeless or feel they are at risk of losing their home can request an appointment on the Salford City Council website. A number of Registered Housing Providers (landlords of social rented homes) also advertise properties on the Salford Home Search website.

    Share this

    Date published
    Tuesday 22 April 2025

    Press and media enquiries

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ecuadorian Man Charged with Transporting Aliens

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Manuel Rolando Meza-Cambo, 34, of Los Rios Province, Ecuador, has been charged by criminal complaint with transporting illegal aliens.

    On April 21, 2025, Meza-Cambo appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Meza-Cambo be detained during the pendency of this matter.

    According to court records, Meza-Cambo attempted to pick-up four illegal aliens along Richford Road in Richford, Vermont, in the early morning hours of April 19, 2025. A member of the United States Border Patrol spotted Meza-Cambo’s minivan before he could pick up the aliens and followed the minivan. After the minivan stopped in the middle of road, investigating Border Patrol Agents then found two Mexican citizens and two Venezuelan citizens near the side of the road. These four individuals are being prosecuted separately for illegal entry to the United States.

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Meza-Cambo is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Meza-Cambo faces up to 5 years of imprisonment if convicted.  The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.  

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Joshua L. Banker. Meza-Cambo is represented by the Federal Public Defenders Office.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: From Paris to Washington: The Jessup Journey of a Remarkable Team

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    Maria (Marysia) Szuster, Gabrijela Papec, Linn Junge, Fanny Burdin-Egloffe, Tatiana Van den Haute

    Each year, the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition brings together thousands of law students from across the globe, challenging them to tackle the most complex and contested issues in public international law.

    For five first-year students at Sciences Po Law School, the 2025 edition was more than just a competition — it was an intense, transformative experience that pushed them to their intellectual and personal limits.

    From winning the French national rounds to representing France on the world stage in Washington D.C., this remarkable team not only proved their legal acumen but also exemplified resilience, teamwork, and passion. In this article, they reflect on what it took to get there, the lessons they learned along the way, and the advice they would give to those ready to take on the Jessup challenge.

    « The Sciences Po Law School warmly thanks Clifford Chance for its valuable support in the 2025 Jessup Moot Court Competition. This contribution helped our team reach the top 16 worldwide, a remarkable achievement. It reflects both the talent of our students and the value of strong academic-professional partnerships. »

    Sébastien Pimont, Dean, and Julie Babin d’Amonville, Executive Director

    Can you introduce yourself?

    Linn Junge, a first-year student in Economic Law, did Jessup for the second time this year, having won the French championship and advanced to the round of 16 in 2023 with Sciences Po Reims. Hailing from Germany but having also lived in the US, Linn was the team’s captain, and oralist for both Respondent and Applicant.

    Gabrijela Papec from Croatia was a world-renowned debater in high school and during the undergraduate degree, skills she leveraged to the best effect in her role as oralist for the Applicant. She is in the English track, alongside Linn and Maria.

    Tatiana Van den Haute is a Lebanese first year law student in Droit Économique.  After completing her undergraduate degree at Sciences Po, Campus du Havre with an exchange in Taipei, she spent another year working there as a policy analyst. She was able to apply her analytical and public speaking experiences in her role as an oralist for Respondent.

    Fanny Burdin-Egloffe is a French student in the first year of the French track in Droit Économique. After a year as a research assistant at the University of Sydney, she brought her analytical and legal research skills to her role as of counsel for this year’s Jessup team.

    Maria (Marysia) Szuster is a Polish fist year student in Economic Law with a particular passion for human rights and refugees’ access to education. The skills she gained as a research assistant at Yale University and a writer for the American Bar Association on grave human rights violations she applied in research and finding arguments in Jessup this year. 

    What motivated you to participate in the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition?

    For many of us, law and politics are equal passions and two sides of the same coin. International law as a field combines these two disciplines like perhaps no other arena—international law is most closely based on, after all, the political decisions of states. The Jessup Competition perfectly embodies this intersection, standing as the world’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious moot court competition. 

    What makes Jessup particularly valuable is the opportunity it provides students to spend eight months conducting deep research on widely debated and unresolved topics in international law. Beyond being a rare luxury within our fast-paced curriculum, this extended engagement allows participants to dive autonomously into aspects of public international law that fall outside the ordinary courses, exploring issues we would otherwise never encounter. The challenge of doing that in itself while going through our first year of law school called to all of us. Along with this intellectual challenge, participating in the Jessup opens doors to connecting with a community of like-minded people in all stages of their careers who share a passion for the competition and public international law as a whole.

    Can you tell us about your preparation process for the competition?

    Our first major task was learning how to balance our considerable coursework with researching public international law and this year’s problem, from scratch.  The first phase of research culminated in the memorial writing phase, which was all the more complicated given that our team was spread across the world when the deadline came nearing in January 2025 during our Winter break. Nevertheless, we managed to submit two excellent memorials before returning to Paris, where we earnestly began preparing for the oral rounds.

    Knowing how much effort it takes to learn, within a month, to become distinguished oralists and researchers, we met and practiced our pleading between three and five times a week until the national rounds at the end of February. 

    To our immense joy, we were crowned French national champions of the Jessup on March 1, having gone undefeated throughout all of the rounds. Despite the stress and fatigue that had worn on us over the course of the rounds, we managed to convince a unanimous jury to send us to Washington as the French representative team—a privilege that Sciences Po Law School has not been able to enjoy in seven years.

    With that in mind, the preparation period for Washington was, if anything, even more intense than that for the nationals. On the one hand, we knew competition would be even more stiff, seeing that only the best of the best would be in Washington, and on the other, we had to arrange travel, accommodation, and funding in close collaboration with the Sciences Po Law School. All along, however, we continued to reach out to countless professors, friends, and connections whose advice and critiques were absolutely invaluable in continuously augmenting the quality of our performance as a team. The reward was significant. We advanced to the Octofinals in Washington, putting us within the 16 best teams in the world out of the more than 800 that competed this year. Only once in Jessup history has France advanced further than this.

    Gabrijela Papec, Linn Junge received awards during the national rounds. Could you tell us more about that experience and what it meant to your team?

    Jessup is 100% a team effort, but watching two of our team members get the recognition they deserve for all their hard work and talent was incredibly satisfying. The fact that both of the top speaker awards at the national rounds went to our team demonstrated what a resounding victory our team collectively enjoyed. So while Gabrijela and Linn are undoubtedly deserving of this award individually, we all felt it was more of a collective accolade.

    Gabrijela also got 17th best oralist in the world at the international rounds, which is an incredible achievement in itself and felt like a validation both of her exceptional performance and all of our efforts.

    Do you have any advice for future students who might want to participate in the next edition of the Jessup Moot?

    When starting out, read and re-read the problem at length – then make sure you understand how international law works. Read commentaries on treaties and cases, know the histories of the institutions, conventions and treaties that you’re dealing with and why they are relevant. The issues that the Jessup will throw at you are qualified as ‘hard problems’ in international law, meaning that they are by nature unresolved and can be argued both ways. Stand on the shoulders of those who studied those problems in depth before you, in order to gain as holistic an understanding as possible of what they represent and the implications your arguments have. 

    Be passionate about it. This competition will take a big part of your life for 8 months, so might as well be obsessed with it. On this note, the team dynamic is everything. It starts on a personal level: because of the intensity, it is imperative that you get along with your team members. Knowing each other well will be invaluable in understanding how to best support one another over the course of the journey—from initial research to competing. From there, you need to stay accountable to one another, because everyone has to do their job, especially in the written drafting phase. And lastly: open communication is key. Again, the timeframe of the competition is too large to let slight frustrations and issues between team members fester until they become proper problems. If you accept the intensity and commitment, it will be a ride that you will be forever grateful for!

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: SPSA Seeks Young Leaders for New Youth Preparedness Council

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 22, 2025

    The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is now accepting applications for a new Youth Preparedness Council (YPC). This council is designed for Saskatchewan students in Grades 8 to 12 who have a passion for public safety, emergency preparedness and community leadership. 

    The YPC provides a platform for youth to share their ideas, engage in collaborative projects and gain firsthand experience in emergency management and public education.

    “This is a unique opportunity for young leaders to make a meaningful impact in their communities while developing valuable skills and connections,” SPSA President and Fire Commissioner Marlo Pritchard said. “This council will support emergency preparedness projects within the students’ own communities and help them prepare for a career in emergency services.”

    Selected members will serve on the council from September 2025 to June 2026. Members will be expected to participate in regularly scheduled virtual meetings that will consist of learning opportunities, project support and other collaborative activities.

    For more information and to complete an application form, please visit: https://www.saskpublicsafety.ca/at-home/youth-programs.

    The 2025 YPC application period is open until July 14, 2025.

    If you have any further questions about the YPC, please email youthpreparednesscouncil@gov.sk.ca.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day – April 25, 2025

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Filter Total Items: 83

    Antibodies to influenza A virus in Lesser (Aythya affinis) and Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) in the USA

    Scaup, including both Lesser and Greater (Aythya affinis and Aythya marila, respectively), are a grouping of populous and widespread North American diving ducks. Few influenza type A viruses (IAV) have been reported from these species despite a high prevalence of antibodies to IAV being reported. Existing virologic and serologic data indicate that IAV infection routinely occurs in scaup…

    Authors

    Harrison Huang, Rebecca L. Poulson, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Hutchison Walbridge, David E. Stallknecht, Diann Prosser

    Reproductive trends in Little Brown Bats before and after the onset of white-nose syndrome in Virginia

    Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat) declines in Virginia following white-nose syndrome (WNS) prompted an investigation into reproductive behaviors of surviving individuals. To examine reproductive change, we examined female bats prior to, during and after endemism establishment. We also examined capture trends of juveniles at maternity colonies. Timing and proportion of reproductive…

    Authors

    Karen E. Powers, W. Mark Ford, Richard J. Reynolds, William D. Orndorff, David E. Yates, Thomas E. Malabad

    Defining the pathobiomes associated with drippy blight in Colorado and drippy nut in California

    Drippy blight, an emergent bacterial disease of oaks, was described recently from urban oaks in the Front Range of Colorado, U.S.A. This disease, which causes branch dieback and oozing of bacterial exudates from cankers, is caused by Lonsdalea quercina and primarily affects red oaks, with northern red oak (Quercus rubra) being the most susceptible. Drippy nut is a similar, less acute…

    Authors

    Hope Raymond, Rachael Sitz, Ian Pearse, Jorge Caballero Ibarra, Brad Lalande, Jane Stewart

    Demographic risk factors vary in the invasion front of chronic wasting disease in West Virginia, USA

    After detecting chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA, in 2005, we investigated the change of CWD apparent prevalence and potential factors influencing infection risk during the invasion front. Over eight sampling years (2006–2012 and 2017) during a 12-yr period within a 101-km2-area monitoring zone, we sampled…

    Authors

    Brian Scott Dugovich, Ethan P. Barton, James M. Crum, M. Kevin Keel, David E. Stallknecht, Mark G. Ruder

    Genomic characterization of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses from Alaska during 2022 provides evidence for genotype-specific trends of spatiotemporal and interspecies dissemination

    The ongoing panzootic of highly pathogenic H5 clade 2.3.4.4b avian influenza (HPAI) spread to North America in late 2021, with detections of HPAI viruses in Alaska beginning in April 2022. HPAI viruses have since spread across the state, affecting many species of wild birds as well as domestic poultry and wild mammals. To better understand the dissemination of HPAI viruses…

    Authors

    Christina Ahlstrom, Mia Kim Torchetti, Julianna B. Lenoch, Kimberlee Beckmen, Megan Boldenow, Evan J Buck, Bryan Daniels, Krista Dilione, Robert Gerlach, Kristina Lantz, Angela Matz, Rebecca L. Poulson, Laura Celeste Scott, Gay Sheffield, David R. Sinnett, David E. Stallknecht, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Eric B. Taylor, Alison R. Williams, Andrew M. Ramey

    Pathology of tissue loss in three key gorgonian species in the Mediterranean Sea

    The Mediterranean is known for its marine biodiversity, especially gorgonian forests. Unfortunately, these are experiencing rapid declines due to climate change, manifested by repeated marine heat waves resulting in mass mortality events since the early 1990 s. To better understand why gorgonians are declining, more systematic approaches to investigate the exact causes are needed, and…

    Authors

    Jacopo Gobbato, Thierry M. Work, Martina P. Facchinelli, Federica M. Siena, Enrico Montalbetti, Davide Seveso, Yohan D. Luisa, Paolo Galli, Simone Montano

    Freshwater mussel viromes increase rapidly in diversity and abundance when hosts are released from captivity into the wild

    Freshwater mussels create habitat, filter water, and enhance food webs, but they are also among the world’s most imperiled taxa. Conservation efforts largely rely on captive propagation in which mussels are grown in protected aquaculture environments (hatcheries) for later release. Recent evidence has highlighted the importance of pathogens in population losses of freshwater mussels. In…

    Authors

    Jordan C. Richard, Tim W. Lane, Rose E. Agbalog, Sarah Colletti, Tiffany Leach, Christopher D. Dunn, Nathan Roy Bollig, Addison R. Plate, Joseph T. Munoz, Eric M. Leis, Susan Knowles, Isaac Standish, Diane L. Waller, Tony L. Golberg

    The skin I live in: Pathogenesis of white-nose syndrome of bats

    The emergence of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in North America has resulted in mass mortalities of hibernating bats and total extirpation of local populations. The need to mitigate this disease has stirred a significant body of research to understand its pathogenesis. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of WNS, is a psychrophilic (cold-loving) fungus that resides within the…

    Authors

    Marcos Isidoro-Ayza, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Bruce S. Klein

    Quantitative support for the benefits of proactive management for wildlife disease control

    Finding effective pathogen mitigation strategies is one of the biggest challenges humans face today. In the context of wildlife, emerging infectious diseases have repeatedly caused widespread host morbidity and population declines of numerous taxa. In areas yet unaffected by a pathogen, a proactive management approach has the potential to minimize or prevent host mortality. However…

    Authors

    Molly Bletz, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo

    Disentangling genetic diversity of Myotis septentrionalis: population structure, demographic history, and effective population size

    Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat) has recently suffered a >90% decline in population size in North America due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). We assessed genetic diversity, population structure, current effective population size, and demographic history of M. septentrionalis distributed across the United States to determine baseline levels pre-WNS. We analyzed RADseq data…

    Authors

    Jenna R. Grimshaw, Deahn M. Donner, Roger W. Perry, W. Mark Ford, Alex Silvis, Carlos J. Garcia, Richard D. Stevens, David A. Ray

    Host jump of an exotic fish rhabdovirus into a new class of animals poses a disease threat to amphibians

    Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) is a rhabdovirus that primarily infects cyprinid finfishes and causes a disease notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health. Amphibians, which are sympatric with cyprinids in freshwater ecosystems, are considered non-permissive hosts of rhabdoviruses. The potential host range expansion of SVCV in an atypical host species was evaluated by…

    Authors

    Eveline J. Emmenegger, Emma K. Bueren, Carla M. Conway, George E. Sanders, A. Noble Hendrix, Tamara Schroeder, Emiliano Di Cicco, Phuc H. Pham, Lumsden John S., Sharon C. Clouthier

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Planisware awarded a B rating by CDP rewarding its performance in addressing climate change

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Planisware awarded a “B” rating by CDP rewarding
    its performance in addressing climate change

    Paris, France, April 22, 2025 – Planisware, a leading B2B provider of SaaS in the rapidly growing Project Economy market, has been recognized by the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) for the consistency of its efforts to address climate change, earning a “B” score in its first-ever assessment.

    This independent, non-profit international organization assesses the commitment of companies to transparency and environmental transition every year. This first recognition highlights the efforts made by Planisware and encourages it to continue its dynamic of continuous improvement.

    Loïc Sautour, CEO of Planisware, said: “Receiving a B rating from the CDP in the first year of applying is remarkable and reflects our commitment to sustainability and climate risk management. This recognition encourages us to go even further in integrating responsible practices at all levels of our activity. I would like to congratulate all the employees who contribute every day to our collective effort in terms of environmental commitment.”

    With a “B” score, Planisware ranks among the world’s top performers in terms of climate commitment. This distinction reflects the integration of CSR at the heart of its strategy, making environmental issues a central pillar of its operations. Planisware intends to continue its actions in favor of transparency and climate commitment, using this first assessment as a basis for further structuring and deepening its initiatives.

    The B score indicates that Planisware is deploying coordinated action, with room for progress towards leadership in environmental management. These concrete actions to reduce the Group’s carbon footprint and improve its environmental performance focus on the energy efficiency of buildings, data center consumption, eco-design to improve the performance of its software, travel and commuting policy, and the extension of the lifespan of consumables and equipment, with the direct engagement of key suppliers.

    These actions resulted in concrete progress in 2024, including a 19% decrease in Planisware’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to 2023.

    The main achievements of 2024 included:

    • Optimization of software performance and eco-design: Infrastructure and source code optimization has been prioritised to improve the energy efficiency of Planisware’s software and reduce its environmental footprint.
    • Energy efficiency: Since 2024, the energy consumption of Planisware’s data centers has been covered for the most part by green electricity.
    • Employee engagement and awareness: Planisware raises employee awareness of environmental issues through training and the integration of sustainability into its managerial strategy, thus spreading a culture of sustainability throughout the Group.
    • Waste reduction and circular economy: In 2024, 24.1% of the non-hazardous waste generated by Planisware was recycled. Additionally, the elimination of single-use plastics has been implemented to limit the Group’s carbon footprint.

    With the world’s largest environmental database, CDP scores are widely used to guide investment and procurement decisions towards a zero-carbon, sustainable and resilient economy. CDP ensures a better understanding and integration of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and encourages the adoption of international sustainability standards.

    Contact

    Investor Relations: Benoit d’Amécourt

    benoit.damecourt@planisware.com
    +33 6 75 51 41 47

    Media: Brunswick Group
    Hugues Boëton / Tristan Roquet Montégon
    planisware@brunswickgroup.com
    +33 6 79 99 27 15 / +33 6 37 00 52 57

    About Planisware

    Planisware is a leading business-to-business (“B2B”) provider of Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) in the rapidly growing Project Economy. Planisware’s mission is to provide solutions that help organizations transform how they strategize, plan and deliver their projects, project portfolios, programs and products. 

    With circa 750 employees across 16 offices, Planisware operates at significant scale serving around 600 organizational clients in a wide range of verticals and functions across more than 30 countries worldwide. Planisware’s clients include large international companies, medium-sized businesses and public sector entities. 

    Planisware is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Compartment A, ISIN code FR001400PFU4, ticker symbol “PLNW”).

    For more information, visit: https://planisware.com/ and connect with Planisware on LinkedIn.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria’s growing security crisis: 6 essential reads

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Adejuwon Soyinka, Regional Editor West Africa

    Unidentified people attacked a community in Plateau State, Nigeria’s north central region, in mid-April, killing at least 52 residents. A similar attack in the same state claimed 48 lives earlier in the month.

    In neighbouring Benue State, north central Nigeria, unnamed assailants attacked two communities in March, killing at least five people. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu described the Plateau violence as rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups.

    Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity is sometimes blamed on armed herders, at other times on bandits or kidnappers. Then there are extremist groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and Lakurawa, operating mostly in northern Nigeria. In the southern part of the country, there are also armed groups like the Indigenous People of Biafra.

    At The Conversation Africa, we have been working with academic experts to gain insights into the various actors involved in Nigeria’s security challenge, their motivations and why efforts to rein them in haven’t succeeded. Here are six essential reads on Nigeria’s struggle with insecurity.

    The drivers

    At the centre of the most recent killings in Nigeria is the country’s north central region. Consisting of the capital city, Abuja, and six other states, the region is home to several minority ethnic groups. More than 200 languages are spoken there.

    As Oluwole Ojewale explains, the region is vulnerable to various forms of conflict. It arises between ethnic and religious groups; people who trace their ancestry to a state and more recent residents; people who keep cattle and those who farm crops.

    Read more: What’s driving violence in Nigeria’s north central region

    Bandits range freely

    Across the north central and north west regions of Nigeria, bandits stoke violence and insecurity.

    They act in groups with varying operational and technical capabilities and do not have any central authority. Their main activities are cattle rustling, kidnapping civilians for ransom, armed attacks and community invasion. Over the years, the government has tried numerous military and non-military strategies to stamp out bandits. Sallek Yaks Musa unpacks why at least five different strategies have failed.

    Read more: Nigeria’s banditry: why 5 government strategies have failed

    Lakuwara enters the mix

    In 2024, the Nigerian army spoke of attacks on the Niger-Nigeria border as being carried out by a new terrorist group. According to the military, the new group, identified as Lakurawa, is affiliated to terrorists in the Sahel, particularly from Mali and Niger Republic.

    The picture painted by the military suggests that the group emerged as a result of the turmoil following recent coups in the Sahel region. But John Sunday Ojo and Ezenwa E. Olumba argue that the group isn’t new. It’s been operating along the Nigeria-Niger border since 1999, an indication of the region’s growing ungoverned spaces.

    Read more: Nigeria’s terror group Lakurawa is nothing new — it exists because of government’s failure: analysts

    Kidnappings spread

    Until recent years, large bandit and terror attacks were relatively rare in Lagos and other parts of the south-west region of Nigeria. Lately, crimes that were previously associated with the northern region appear to be spreading to the south-west. Adewumi Badiora outlines why Lagos may be a target and what to do about it.

    Read more: Terror attacks and kidnappings spread in Nigeria: why Lagos could be a target

    And Donald Trump happened…

    In the midst of its struggle with insecurity, Nigeria was hit by the United States decision to cut international aid funding. Over the years, the US has granted hundreds of millions of dollars as security assistance to Nigeria, as part of a broader partnership to promote regional security and stability.

    Security scholar Al Chukwuma Okoli describes how the cuts will affect Nigeria in many ways, including the fight against terror groups.

    Read more: US funding cuts may affect Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. Here’s how

    Meanwhile, bandits mine gold

    While the Nigerian government struggles with cuts to aid funding, bandits are colluding with elites to mine gold illegally and undermine peace.

    Oluwole Ojewale analyses how Nigerian elites weaponised access to mineral resources and the impact this has on violence in the north west region.

    Read more: Nigeria’s illegal gold trade – elites and bandits are working together

    – Nigeria’s growing security crisis: 6 essential reads
    – https://theconversation.com/nigerias-growing-security-crisis-6-essential-reads-254639

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: Rapid aging of world population will transform global property & casualty insurance industry by 2050

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press contact:
    Fahd Pasha
    Tel.: +1 647 860 3777
    E-mail: Fahd.Pasha@capgemini.com

    Rapid aging of world population will transform global property & casualty insurance industry by 2050

    • Global dependency ratio set to rise by 2050 there will be 26 seniors for every 100 working-age people, up from 16 today
    • Aging population is a key trend in forecasted 4.4% CAGR for global commercial insurance lines, 3.3% for personal insurance lines
    • 88% of insurers recognize the importance of more tech-enabled underwriting, but only 17% say they have the right capabilities

    Paris, April 22, 2025 – The Capgemini Research Institute’s World Property and Casualty Insurance Report, published today, shows how the aging of the world’s population will transform the industry globally by 2050. The report details how a shift in the ratio of seniors- to-working age adults will play a critical role in changing habits around consumption, transportation, and use of technology, with major implications for both commercial and personal P&C insurance. These trends will drive the industry towards a more prevention-focused, modular approach with real-time risk monitoring, as well as more technology-enabled underwriting models.

    The global population is aging, transforming consumer behavior
    The aging of the world population in the coming decades implies a major transformation in the workforce, with fewer working-age adults per retired senior. By 2050, it is expected that the global dependency ratio will rise to 26%, compared with 16% in 2024, meaning that for every 100 working-age people, there will be 26 seniors to support, up from today’s 16. Excluding the population of Africa, which is relatively young, the dependency ratio will reach 31%, up from 18%.

    This transition has profound implications for consumer behavior and the structure of the broader economy. As the global population grows older, consumer spending habits are expected to shift, with a greater focus on spending on experiences rather than large, fixed purchases. The report found 45% of consumers expect to increase their spending on lifestyle enhancements such as travel, luxury goods and home renovations while 70% do not plan to buy an additional house or upgrade their current house to a bigger one.

    This move in spending habits, combined with trends towards greater urbanization and automation of technology, will have a significant impact on how P&C insurers serve their customers. For example, auto insurers are expected to transition towards commercial insurance and shared mobility coverage, as seniors drive less and rely more on rideshares. Equally, personal property insurance will have to evolve towards preventive, age-friendly options that address smaller, multi-generational homes. In the workplace, commercial lines will need to account for demographic-driven automation and altered risk profiles.

    “Monumental demographic shifts are set to have a major and direct impact on P&C insurers in the coming decades. Today, insurers should be analyzing their portfolios to understand these sensitivities and to ascertain their exposure in mature and transitioning markets. This will support them in developing service models that are optimized and future-proofed,” said Adam Denninger, Global Insurance Industry Leader at Capgemini. “Finally, having an edge on customer experience, made possible through AI, will also help protect insurers against a competitive race to the bottom on prices.”

    Interconnected risks could drive loss potential
    In addition, insurers will have to grapple with the implications of climate change, and its effect on an aging work force. According to research from Oxford Economics prepared for Capgemini, 98.5% of the world’s population will be at risk from drought and 80% will be at risk from excessive rainfall. With such climate volatility, coupled with urban risk concentration, insurers will see the rise of interconnected risks that drive loss potential. To assess these risks and develop more climate-minded strategies, insurers will need to further integrate climate risk data and predictive analytics to correlate risks and improve underwriting, cites the report.

    Rising to the P&C challenge –with data and AI
    A key feature of these new approaches will be the use of predictive insights and real-time intelligence in underwriting. The report found 88% of insurers recognize the critical future importance of advanced underwriting, yet only 17% have mature capabilities.

    To prepare for and adapt to the changing demographics, the report recommends that P&C insurers embrace novel approaches including:

    • Placing focus on changing customer behavior: recalibrating geographic footprints and developing age-sensitive service models
    • Operating model transformation: modernizing data architectures and leveraging AI and automation to build resilient systems and drive efficiency
    • Risk governance: implementing predictive underwriting insights and dynamic portfolio management

    All these approaches require a process of continuous evolution, with executives delivering on medium-term actions while boards address long-term strategic questions.

    Read the full report: https://www.capgemini.com/insights/research-library/world-property-and-casualty-insurance-report//

    Report Methodology
    For this report, the Capgemini Research Institute surveyed three primary sources: the 2025 Global Voice of the Customer Survey (which polled 5,016 P&C insurance customers in 13 countries), the 2025 Global Insurance Executives’ Survey (which included interviews with 274 senior insurance executives of leading P&C insurance companies across 15 markets), and the 2025 Global Macroeconomic Forecasts created in collaboration with a leading macro forecaster (which includes insights across 11 markets representing all three regions of the globe).

    About Capgemini
    Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, generative AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2024 global revenues of €22.1 billion.

    Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

    About the Capgemini Research Institute
    The Capgemini Research Institute is Capgemini’s in-house think-tank on all things digital. The Institute publishes research on the impact of digital technologies on large traditional businesses. The team draws on the worldwide network of Capgemini experts and works closely with academic and technology partners. The Institute has dedicated research centers in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was ranked #1 in the world for the quality of its research by independent analysts for six consecutive times – an industry first.
    Visit us at www.capgemini.com/researchinstitute

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: JMU expert available to discuss the legacy of Pope Francis, upcoming conclave

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HARRISONBURG, Va., April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pope Francis died April 21 at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 in Argentina, he was the first pope from Latin America. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis was elected as his successor on March 13, 2013. 

    James Madison University’s Jennifer Aycock, an assistant professor of religion, is available to discuss the life and legacy of Pope Francis and next steps for the Vatican as they begin the mourning process and prepare the conclave to elect the next pope. 

    “Pope Francis likened the church to a field hospital, a place of care and presence for the disenfranchised, poor and marginalized,” said Aycock. “Migrants, as well as young adults living in zones of conflict such as in South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo where the pope intentionally visited, held a primary place in his vision of the church and of the ministry of Christ.” 

    “As the first pope from the Jesuit order, Francis pastorally opened the door of the church, shifting perceptions as well as ministry foci from rules to presence, from hierarchy to being with the people as he and so many Catholics understand Christ was and is. He repeatedly spoke moral truth to power rooted in a vision of the church and Christ, who stands with the poor and those living on the margins of political power,” added Aycock.  

    To arrange interviews with Aycock, please contact Chad Saylor, saylorcx@jmu.edu. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Nigeria’s growing security crisis: 6 essential reads

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Adejuwon Soyinka, Regional Editor West Africa

    Unidentified people attacked a community in Plateau State, Nigeria’s north central region, in mid-April, killing at least 52 residents. A similar attack in the same state claimed 48 lives earlier in the month.

    In neighbouring Benue State, north central Nigeria, unnamed assailants attacked two communities in March, killing at least five people. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu described the Plateau violence as rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups.

    Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity is sometimes blamed on armed herders, at other times on bandits or kidnappers. Then there are extremist groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and Lakurawa, operating mostly in northern Nigeria. In the southern part of the country, there are also armed groups like the Indigenous People of Biafra.

    At The Conversation Africa, we have been working with academic experts to gain insights into the various actors involved in Nigeria’s security challenge, their motivations and why efforts to rein them in haven’t succeeded. Here are six essential reads on Nigeria’s struggle with insecurity.

    The drivers

    At the centre of the most recent killings in Nigeria is the country’s north central region. Consisting of the capital city, Abuja, and six other states, the region is home to several minority ethnic groups. More than 200 languages are spoken there.

    As Oluwole Ojewale explains, the region is vulnerable to various forms of conflict. It arises between ethnic and religious groups; people who trace their ancestry to a state and more recent residents; people who keep cattle and those who farm crops.



    Read more:
    What’s driving violence in Nigeria’s north central region

    Bandits range freely

    Across the north central and north west regions of Nigeria, bandits stoke violence and insecurity.

    They act in groups with varying operational and technical capabilities and do not have any central authority. Their main activities are cattle rustling, kidnapping civilians for ransom, armed attacks and community invasion. Over the years, the government has tried numerous military and non-military strategies to stamp out bandits. Sallek Yaks Musa unpacks why at least five different strategies have failed.



    Read more:
    Nigeria’s banditry: why 5 government strategies have failed

    Lakuwara enters the mix

    In 2024, the Nigerian army spoke of attacks on the Niger-Nigeria border as being carried out by a new terrorist group. According to the military, the new group, identified as Lakurawa, is affiliated to terrorists in the Sahel, particularly from Mali and Niger Republic.

    The picture painted by the military suggests that the group emerged as a result of the turmoil following recent coups in the Sahel region. But John Sunday Ojo and Ezenwa E. Olumba argue that the group isn’t new. It’s been operating along the Nigeria-Niger border since 1999, an indication of the region’s growing ungoverned spaces.



    Read more:
    Nigeria’s terror group Lakurawa is nothing new — it exists because of government’s failure: analysts

    Kidnappings spread

    Until recent years, large bandit and terror attacks were relatively rare in Lagos and other parts of the south-west region of Nigeria. Lately, crimes that were previously associated with the northern region appear to be spreading to the south-west. Adewumi Badiora outlines why Lagos may be a target and what to do about it.



    Read more:
    Terror attacks and kidnappings spread in Nigeria: why Lagos could be a target

    And Donald Trump happened…

    In the midst of its struggle with insecurity, Nigeria was hit by the United States decision to cut international aid funding. Over the years, the US has granted hundreds of millions of dollars as security assistance to Nigeria, as part of a broader partnership to promote regional security and stability.

    Security scholar Al Chukwuma Okoli describes how the cuts will affect Nigeria in many ways, including the fight against terror groups.



    Read more:
    US funding cuts may affect Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. Here’s how

    Meanwhile, bandits mine gold

    While the Nigerian government struggles with cuts to aid funding, bandits are colluding with elites to mine gold illegally and undermine peace.

    Oluwole Ojewale analyses how Nigerian elites weaponised access to mineral resources and the impact this has on violence in the north west region.



    Read more:
    Nigeria’s illegal gold trade – elites and bandits are working together

    – ref. Nigeria’s growing security crisis: 6 essential reads – https://theconversation.com/nigerias-growing-security-crisis-6-essential-reads-254639

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Merkley, Blumenthal, Markey: President Trump’s Cuts To Tobacco Prevention Will Make Americans Sicker & Cause More Tobacco-Related Deaths, Diseases

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    April 21, 2025

    CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) along with U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) today slammed the Trump Administration for staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will devastate tobacco use prevention efforts across America.

    “Dozens of staffers at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) have been placed on administrative leave, including the Center’s director, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) has been gutted. These actions risk undermining progress that has been made in reducing the death, disease, and addiction caused by tobacco use,” the Senators wrote. “Without these critical staff, we are concerned that more youth will start using tobacco products, fewer people will quit, and more people will become ill and die from tobacco-caused disease.”

    The Senators stressed the impacts of these staffing cuts on the federal government’s ability to protect kids from nicotine addiction and reduce chronic diseases caused by tobacco use, which remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and creates billions of dollars of health care related costs every year.

    “We cannot make a serious effort to reduce chronic disease and protect children’s health without addressing the harm caused by tobacco,” the Senators continued. “Yet the drastic reductions in force at HHS has led to the removal of key officials at the CTP, a center at the FDA created by Congress under the bipartisan Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Without adequate personnel, CTP will not be able to meet its statutory requirement to enforce the law and effectively conduct premarket reviews of new tobacco products and prevent the entry of products that will increase youth tobacco use.”

    The Senators warned, “The firing of thousands of staff at HHS also effectively eliminates CDC’s OSH, which plays a critical role in preventing youth tobacco use and helping adult tobacco users to quit. Eliminating this office will deprive states of the only dedicated source of federal funding for state tobacco prevention and cessation programs. It also means the end of its national public education campaign, Tips from Former Smokers, which helped about one million people to quit, prevented an estimated 129,100 smoking-related deaths, and saved about $7.3 billion in health care costs from 2012 through 2018. Eliminating OSH will not improve efficiency. Instead, it will only cost lives and increase health care expenses.”

    In addition to Durbin, Merkley, Blumenthal, and Markey, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    The letter was also endorsed by the American Cancer Society Action Network, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Lung Association, National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network, Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation, and The Fenway Institute.

    Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here and follows below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy, Acting Director Monarez, and Commissioner Makary,

    We write to express deep concerns regarding the impact your drastic staffing cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will have on efforts to reduce smoking and other tobacco use. Dozens of staffers at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) have been placed on administrative leave, including the Center’s director, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) has been gutted. These actions risk undermining progress that has been made in reducing the death, disease, and addiction caused by tobacco use. Without these critical staff, we are concerned that more youth will start using tobacco products, fewer people will quit, and more people will become ill and die from tobacco-caused disease.

    Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and is responsible for about $240 billion in health care costs every year. More than 16 million Americans are currently living with a tobacco-caused disease, including chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes. Nearly 500,000 Americans die each year from tobacco use, making up one in every five deaths in the United States.

    Tobacco use has been described as a pediatric disease because almost all tobacco use begins during adolescence. Tobacco companies have a long history of making and marketing products that appeal to kids. E-cigarettes, for example, come in a wide variety of kid-attracting flavors and expose users to high doses of nicotine and other harmful substances. In fact, e-cigarettes have been the most popular tobacco product among youth since 2014. Last year, 1.6 million middle school and high school students were e-cigarette users with many of them using e-cigarettes frequently or daily, an alarming sign of addiction.

    We cannot make a serious effort to reduce chronic disease and protect children’s health without addressing the harm caused by tobacco. Yet the drastic reductions in force at HHS has led to the removal of key officials at the CTP, a center at the FDA created by Congress under the bipartisan Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Without adequate personnel, CTP will not be able to meet its statutory requirement to enforce the law and effectively conduct premarket reviews of new tobacco products and prevent the entry of products that will increase youth tobacco use. CTP already has an extensive backlog of premarket applications and has had difficulty stopping unauthorized e-cigarettes from entering the market. Fewer employees will only make matters worse. Severe reductions in regulatory personnel also will cripple FDA’s ability to establish product standards to reduce the appeal, addictiveness, and harm of tobacco products.

    The firing of thousands of staff at HHS also effectively eliminates CDC’s OSH, which plays a critical role in preventing youth tobacco use and helping adult tobacco users to quit. Eliminating this office will deprive states of the only dedicated source of federal funding for state tobacco prevention and cessation programs. It also means the end of its national public education campaign, Tips from Former Smokers, which helped about one million people to quit, prevented an estimated 129,100 smoking-related deaths, and saved about $7.3 billion in health care costs from 2012 through 2018. Eliminating OSH will not improve efficiency. Instead, it will only cost lives and increase health care expenses.

    Given the significant ramifications of the HHS proposed reorganization on the federal government’s ability to protect kids from nicotine-addiction and to reduce chronic diseases caused by tobacco use, we request responses to the following questions by Friday, April 25, 2025.

    1. How many total FDA CTP employees have lost their jobs? How many have lost their jobs as a result of:
      1. The recent reductions in force announced by the Department on March 27, 2025 (including transfers to other federal agencies)?
      2. The termination of probationary employees?
      3. Other Administration efforts to reduce the federal workforce (e.g., early retirement and Fork in the Road)?
    2. For each office within FDA CTP (e.g., Office of the Director, Office of Management, Office of Regulations, Office of Science, Office of Health Communications and Education, and Office of Compliance and Enforcement), how many people have been removed from their positions and how many remain?
    3. Which directors of offices within FDA CTP have been removed from their positions, placed on administrative leave, or transferred to other federal agencies?
    4. Does FDA CTP intend to spend the $712 million in tobacco user fees authorized under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and included in the FY 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (P.L. 119-4)? Please indicate how CTP intends to spend its tobacco user fees for FY 2025, including, but not limited to, dollars spent on premarket review, enforcement of marketing and sales of illegal products, and Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science.
    5. What functions of CTP have been transferred to other offices at FDA or to other agencies? To which offices or agencies were they transferred?
    6. What functions of CTP have been eliminated?
    7. How many employees does CDC OSH currently have? What are their roles and functions?
    8. Have any of the programs and activities, including data collection, previously run by CDC OSH been transferred to other agencies? To what other offices or agencies were they transferred to?
    9. The FY 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (P.L. 119-4) allocated $125.85 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to CDC OSH. How does the Department plan to spend this money if CDC OSH has been eliminated?
    10. Will states no longer receive federal grants from the National and State Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) to support state and local tobacco control programs? If so, when will states be notified of this loss in federal funding?
    11. Does the proposed elimination of CDC OSH mean that the highly effective media campaign, Tips from Former Smokers, will end? What about Tips ads for which air time has already been purchased? When do you anticipate the current Tips ad buy (both on Over-the-Top [OTT] and Over-the-Air [OTA] platforms) will conclude?
    12. Will the proposed elimination of CDC OSH eliminate federal funding for quitlines and cause state quitlines to reduce the services they can provide and the number of people they can serve?

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British Transport Police Authority is recruiting a new Deputy Chief Constable for the British Transport Police

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments 2

    22 April 2025

    Following the retirement of Deputy Chief Constable Alistair Sutherland after his long and distinguished career in policing, the British Transport Police Authority is recruiting a new Deputy Chief Constable for the British Transport Police.

    Further details on the role and how to apply are available on a dedicated online microsite here.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hudson County Man Charged with Production, Distribution, and Possession of Child Pornography, and Coercion and Enticement

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey man was arrested for allegedly inducing multiple minors to send him sexually explicit videos and pictures over online platforms, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Julian Nova, 19, of Bayonne, New Jersey is charged by complaint with two counts of production of child pornography, two counts of coercion and enticement, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. Nova appeared on April 17, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark, III in Newark federal court and was detained.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    In or around October and November 2023, Nova coerced multiple minor victims to produce child pornography, which he then distributed online. After gaining the victims’ trust, including by posing as a teenage girl, Nova enticed the victims to send child pornography of themselves. Nova then blackmailed the minor victims into producing additional child pornography, some of which included acts of self-degradation, by threatening to distribute the existing images and videos to the minor victims’ family and friends if they did not comply.

    The charges of production of child pornography carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The charges of coercion and enticement carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit with the investigation leading to the charges.  She also thanked the FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly for their assistance.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Kober of the Criminal Division in Newark and Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

    The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chair appointed for public inquiry into Nottingham stabbing attack

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Chair appointed for public inquiry into Nottingham stabbing attack

    Former senior circuit judge, Her Honour (HH) Deborah Taylor, has been appointed by the Lord Chancellor to chair the statutory inquiry into the Nottingham attacks.

    HH Deborah Taylor

    • Her Honour Deborah Taylor to chair Nottingham inquiry
    • Holistic review to provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents
    • Full Terms of Reference to be published in due course

    Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, were tragically killed and three others seriously injured by Valdo Calocane in Nottingham in June 2023.

    Speaking in the House of Commons today (April 22), the Lord Chancellor confirmed HH Deborah Taylor would undertake a thorough, independent assessment of the events that culminated in these brutal attacks, and provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents.

    The statutory inquiry will have the power to examine all the agencies involved, including the Nottinghamshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service; compel witnesses, and establish the facts. The Prime Minister has committed that the inquiry should report within two years.

    The bereaved families and survivors of the attack were present in the public gallery during the Lord Chancellor’s announcement.

    Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood said:

    The bereaved families and survivors of the Nottingham Attack, who have suffered so much, deserve to know how these horrific attacks were able to happen.

    I am pleased to appoint Her Honour Deborah Taylor as the Chair of this inquiry. She brings deep experience to the role, and I know she will undertake a fearless and thorough examination of the facts.

    The Chair, a retired senior circuit judge, has already engaged with survivors and victims’ families, and taken views on the draft Terms of Reference, which will be laid in due course.

    Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Alex Davies-Jones, said:

    My thoughts remain with the bereaved families and survivors of this terrible incident, who in the face of such tragedy, have consistently called for an Inquiry.

    It is important for the bereaved families and survivors that this Inquiry reports without undue delay which is why the Prime Minister has committed the inquiry should report in two years.

    Notes to editors:

    • With the Chair in place and the inquiry being formally established today, it can begin preliminary work immediately. The final terms of reference will be published as soon as possible.
    • There have been nine separate reviews into various elements of the Nottingham attacks including: Valdo Calocane’s healthcare and the healthcare institution; actions by Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire Police; and decisions of the CPS.  IOPC investigations into the actions of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire police are ongoing.
    • The Law Commission is undertaking a review into homicide law and will consider the partial defence of diminished responsibility.
    • HH Deborah Taylor was a Senior Circuit Judge, Resident Judge at Southwark Crown Court and Recorder of Westminster until her retirement from the Judiciary in December 2022. In 2022 she was Treasurer of Inner Temple, where she advocated for greater diversity at the Bar.
    • Deborah has chaired the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board (CLAAB) since July 2023.

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Testing continues at Blairgowrie Recreation Centre

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    The £36 million leisure centre will replace the existing Blairgowrie Recreation Centre which is now over 40-years-old. The new centre was due to open earlier this year but this was postponed after a leak was discovered in the pool.

    The new centre will be Scotland’s first leisure centre built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards, providing state-of-the-art, low-energy facilities for community and school use.

    It has a six-lane 25m swimming pool; a four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; fitness suite; dance studio; several different changing facilities; office; a PE classroom as well as a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch.

    Construction on the long-awaited new centre began in June 2023.

    After the initial leak was repaired, further testing was carried out which revealed a second, minor, leak in the pool. Contractors are working to resolve this issue before an opening date for the new centre is announced.

    Council leader Councillor Grant Laing has now written to independent councillor Colin Stewart, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Scrutiny and Performance Committee, to undertake a review of the issues that have led to the delays.

    Councillor Laing said: “We are all looking forward to Blairgowrie Recreation Centre opening.

    “However, it is extremely frustrating that we have had to keep pushing back the opening date while contractors resolve these issues with the pool.

    “Although this is not incurring any cost to the Council and we will not accept handover of the building until we are satisfied everything is working properly, we owe it to our residents to learn exactly what caused these issues and if they can be prevented on any future construction projects, here in Perth and Kinross or elsewhere.”

    The leak had been traced to an area around the movable floor equipment in the pool.

    The pool has been drained to allow all fixing and seals to be tested and to carry out repairs before the Council accepts handover of the building.

    Stephen Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council’s Strategic Lead for Property Services, said: “Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is a hugely important facility for our residents in Eastern Perthshire and we want the building to be in perfect condition before it opens.

    “We are all disappointed at this additional delay. Our contractors are working hard to ensure there are no faults in the building before it is handed over to Perth and Kinross Council and we can make preparations for opening day.”

    Paul Carle, Construction Director with BAM UK and Ireland, said: “The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will be fantastic facility for the whole community and we’re disappointed that we have not yet been able to hand over the keys to Perth and Kinross Council.

    “The pool is a complex design, and we have been working with specialist contractors to deliver it. Unfortunately, there have been technical issues and it’s right that we take time to correct these before it opens to the public. We are sorry for the delay and remain fully focussed of getting the repairs undertaken as early as possible.”

    The existing Recreation Centre remains open and will be used as the venue for this year’s SQA exams.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New public square unveiled in Gorton town centre

    Source: City of Manchester

    A new public square is now formally open, providing a new heart and focal point for the Gorton neighbourhood, while supporting the ongoing success of the existing Gorton Market.

    The new square is located off Garratt Way between the market and Tesco superstore, which has seen the conversion of part of the underused car park into a people-first space for the whole community.  

    The square has been designed following consultation with local people and community groups to create a splash of colour, a multi-functional space with new trees and plants, plenty of seats and space to host events and activities for children. Aa relaxing space for local people and visitors to eat and spend time.  

    Key features include: 

    • A flexible space that can host events and pop-up gatherings 
    • A raised market terrace area with seating for people to relax and an upgraded, outdoor trading space for Gorton Market  
    • A new nature area with significant planting to screen the square from Garratt Way and introduce biodiversity  
    • Imaginative interactive play features for young people  
    • Light projections to animate the space  
    • Improved and safer walking and cycling routes to and through the local area 
    • An altered road layout from Garratt Way, to slow traffic, reduce movement conflicts, but maintain access. 

    This new Square will enhance the existing market offer, helping to increase footfall and create a destination space. There will be further investment in the Square later this year  

    The project was funded by the UK Government. The square was built by Warden Construction.  

    This investment is part of the wider ambition for Gorton, set out in the Development Framework for the neighbourhood, and complements other investment in the local area, including the opening of the Gorton Hub community space in 2022. 

    The longer-term regeneration proposals for this part of Gorton include hundreds of new mixed tenure homes housing, including significant affordable homes, that will be built on Council-owned land overlooking the new square. 

    Find out more about the Council’s investment in the city’s high streets and district centres   

    Leader of the Council Bev Craig said:  

    “We are investing in our local communities across the city because we know how important Manchester’s high streets are to the people they serve. This isn’t just about accessing services easily – like health care and shops – this is also about creating pride in our local spaces and neighbourhoods our residents want to live in.  

    “We know that Manchester people want to live in welcoming, clean and green communities that support businesses, create jobs and provide opportunities for new affordable housing.  

    “This is what we’re doing in Gorton, Moston Lane, Withington high street and Wythenshawe town centre – and we have our sights set on other district centres, such as Newton Heath in north Manchester, for future investment that will continue our ongoing commitment to investing in the things our local communities want and need.” 

    Councillor Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Development said:  

    “This is an exciting milestone for Gorton and the next element of the investment plan, alongside the Gorton Hub, that is helping to create a real destination in this district centre.  

    “The new public space will host community events, support local businesses including Gorton Market, and create a new heart for the neighbourhood and community – ultimately supporting a strong local economy. 

    “New housing – including significant affordable housing – is also a key part of the regeneration plan for Gorton using Council-owned land close to the new town square, building the homes that the people of east Manchester need to thrive.” 

    Ian Williams, Managing Director at Warden Construction, added:

    “Warden Construction is incredibly proud to have played a key role in bringing this vibrant new public square to life for the people of Gorton. Seeing this underused space transformed into a welcoming heart for the community, one that complements the existing market and offers opportunities for connection and enjoyment for all ages, is truly rewarding. We believe this thoughtfully designed square will be a cornerstone of Gorton’s ongoing regeneration, and we look forward to seeing it thrive.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Chuck Payne Applauds Signing of Comprehensive Tort Reform Legislation by Governor Kemp

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (April 22, 2025)—Yesterday, Governor Brian P. Kemp signed Senate Bills 68 and 69 into law, marking a major step forward in Georgia’s ongoing effort to strengthen its civil justice system and protect consumers from abusive litigation practices. Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy (R–Macon) carried the bills in the Senate on behalf of Governor Kemp, who named tort reform his top legislative priority for the 2025 session.

    SB 68 enacts comprehensive tort reform, including changes to negligent security liability, apportionment of fault, and damages in civil cases, to curb “nuclear verdicts” and reduce the burden of frivolous lawsuits on small businesses. Complementing this effort, SB 69, the Georgia Courts Access and Consumer Protection Act, targets the growing influence of Third-Party Litigation Financing (TPLF) by requiring these entities to register with the state, banning foreign-affiliated financiers from operating in Georgia, and increasing public transparency through open access to registration records.

    “For Dalton and Whitfield County, where manufacturing is not just an industry but a way of life, these reforms mean stability, opportunity and continued investment in our community,” said Sen. Chuck Payne (R–Dalton). “Together, Senate Bills 68 and 69 reinforce Georgia’s standing as the No. 1 state for business by creating a predictable, transparent legal environment that supports job growth. I am proud to have cosponsored these pieces of legislation, and I am thankful for the support of Governor Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy in getting these measures across the finish line.”

    For more information about Senate Bill 68, click here. For more information about Senate Bill 69, click here.

    # # # #

    Sen. Chuck Payne serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security. He represents the 54th Senate District, which includes Whitfield and Murray County as well as part of Gordon County. He may be reached at 404.463.5402 or by email at Chuck.Payne@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New DHSC Permanent Secretary Appointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    New DHSC Permanent Secretary Appointed

    Samantha Jones has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care

    Samantha Jones

    The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has announced the appointment of Samantha Jones as the new Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 

    Samantha is currently a non-executive director at DHSC, and the Chief Operating Officer for Xlinks, a renewable energy company.

    Samantha began her career as a nurse in the NHS, and was a hospital Chief Executive before moving to NHS England to lead the New Models of Care programme.  She has also led one of the largest primary care providers in England. Since her time in the NHS, Samantha served as an expert advisor to the PM on NHS Transformation and Social Care in 2021, before taking up post as the interim Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for 10 Downing Street. 

    Samantha will join DHSC at a critical time, as the government rebuilds the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. Samantha will be building a team to deliver this vital transformation which will include appointing a Chief Operating Officer. 

    Samantha will replace Chris Wormald, who left DHSC in December last year, to take up the role of Cabinet Secretary.

    The Health and Social Care Secretary, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, said:

    I am delighted to welcome Samantha in her new role as Permanent Secretary.

    Samantha brings a wealth of experience from the frontline of healthcare as a general and paediatric nurse – she knows what it is like to be working on wards and will translate that expertise to her work across the department.

    Equally, her work in senior management roles across both Whitehall and the health and social care sector will prove invaluable as we reintegrate NHS England back into the department to cut red tape, reduce duplication and make it fit for the future as part of our Plan for Change.

    Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, said:

    I am delighted to see Sam take up the role of Permanent Secretary at DHSC, having worked with her closely during my time there. Samantha is an outstanding public servant, who has spent much of her career working to improve and enrich the lives of people across the country.

    This is a critical time for DHSC, as they look to welcome their NHS England colleagues back into the department, and work to deliver the government missions and Plan for Change. Samantha is uniquely positioned to drive forward this work, and I look forward to working with her. 

    I also want to put on record my thanks to Professor Chris Whitty for his leadership of the Department since my departure.

    Samantha Jones said:

    It is an absolute privilege to be appointed Permanent Secretary at DHSC, working with colleagues across health and social care  to support the government’s Plan for Change and deliver a rebuilt NHS, fit for the future.

    Having worked alongside the brilliant team at DHSC over the past few years, serving on their board, I look forward to leading a department of committed public servants to improve the health of our nation.

    ENDS

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –