NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: By The Numbers: Federal Health Funding Cuts

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today shared a breakdown of the Trump administration’s sweeping federal cuts to New York State’s health programs, and how these cuts to health funding will affect New Yorkers. The amount of funding lost will have a devastating impact statewide on programs that ensure the safety and well-being of people in New York, gutting over $360 million in financial resources toward mental health and addiction services, and health departments across the State.

    “Slashing funding for public health, suicide prevention and addiction services is just plain cruel, and it’s going to hurt everyday New Yorkers most,” Governor Hochul said. “Here’s the sad truth: there is no State in the nation that has the resources to backfill these sweeping cuts. It’s up to New York’s elected officials who serve in the House majority to stand up and fight back.”

    New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “It is disappointing these grants were terminated so impulsively without any advance notice and without consideration for the people we serve. We were poorly prepared as a nation for the last pandemic. I see the same pattern occurring now, where decisions are made without consideration for the public’s health and well-being. These grants were preparing us to be healthier for the next pandemic. These investments allowed New York to develop strategies that prevent chronic disease, improve nutrition and find problems before they started.”

    Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “These sweeping federal cuts to health and human services threaten critical addiction funding streams that support prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services, putting lives at risk and straining the providers working tirelessly on the frontlines of this public health crisis. OASAS remains committed to protecting and expanding access to life-saving services, and will work to mitigate the damage caused by these harmful cuts.”

    Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “For many years, the federal government has been a trusted and valued partner in efforts to provide critical mental health services and supports to New Yorkers, many living in traditionally marginalized communities and under difficult socioeconomic conditions. These drastic cuts will likely slow, and in some instances, halt the fantastic progress our federally funded programs have made and continue to make across our state. We have come too far to reverse course on mental health, which is why our federal legislators owe it to New York to challenge these cuts however possible.”

    Federal Cuts by the Numbers:

    Department of Health
    DOH expects to lose over $300 million in funding for organizations across the State.

    • This funding supports many activities that are core to public health functioning, including virus surveillance, outbreak response, electronic data exchange, public dashboards, infection prevention activities in hospitals and nursing homes, laboratory reporting, program operations, and support to local health departments. The backbone of the State’s public health infrastructure will be weakened significantly due to reduced virus surveillance and reporting systems that can no longer provide communities and families with real-time information on developing outbreaks, laboratory support and testing, data collection and analysis, public-facing dashboards, data and analytics.
    • Losing this funding will shutter multiple areas of work that are largely seen as foundational components of the Department’s response to emerging infectious diseases. These cuts will also eliminate the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant, which funded 135 subcontractors to support community-based work addressing health disparities in New York, such as mental health, maternal and infant health, and food security.

    Office of Addiction Services and Supports
    OASAS expects to lose $40 million total in funding, which will result in significant cuts to addiction and prevention services, treatment supports and access to resources for individuals struggling with substance use. This work includes, but is not limited to:

    • Transitional housing to help provide short-term housing and case management for individuals leaving OASAS residential treatment or correctional facilities who cannot otherwise access permanent housing.
    • Support for programs, access to treatment, recovery, and other basic services that keep people connected to care in their communities.
    • Expansion of outpatient clinics to offer medication for addiction treatment and to purchase and outfit mobile medication units to bring services where they are needed.
    • Administering and implementing Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) which is a comprehensive public health approach to identify those at risk of developing substance use disorders and deliver early intervention and treatment services to individuals who exhibit habits of risky use of alcohol and other substances.

    Office of Mental Health
    OMH expects to lose $27 million total in funding for programs and services for individuals experiencing mental health and/or substance use needs. These programs were intended to allow individuals in need of care to remain in their homes, connected to their natural support systems during treatment. The loss of this funding will result in an increased reliance on emergency services and hospital-based care with fewer community resources and supports for our most vulnerable New Yorkers, including:

    • Crisis Stabilization and Crisis Residence Programs to provide urgent treatment to individuals experiencing an acute mental health and/or substance use crisis, and a safe place for the stabilization of psychiatric symptoms and support for children and adults.
    • Adult Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT) serving individuals with serious mental illness who are in danger of losing their housing/becoming homeless, are homeless, and/or have histories of involvement with the criminal justice system, and Children and Youth Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT) for youth who are returning home from inpatient settings or residential services, at risk of entering such settings, or have not adequately engaged or responded to treatment in more traditional community-based services.
    • Grants to expand and improve upon the mobile crisis services statewide, including 9-8-8 crisis call centers. These call centers have relied on this funding to ensure they have capacity to connect callers experiencing emotional distress to the compassionate care of trained counselors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dual Pakistani-Canadian National Arrested for Years-Long Scheme to Circumvent U.S. Export Control Laws

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Defendants Allegedly Smuggled Millions of Dollars’ Worth of U.S. Goods and Technology to Entities Associated with Pakistan’s Military and Weapons Programs

    An indictment was unsealed yesterday charging Mohammad Jawaid Aziz, also known as Jawaid Aziz Siddiqui and Jay Siddiqui, 67, of Pakistan and Canada, with conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws and violating U.S. export laws. Siddiqui was arrested on March 21 in the Western District of Washington while attempting to cross into the United States from Canada. He remains detained, pending transfer to the District of Minnesota.

    As alleged, from as early as 2003 through approximately March 2019, Siddiqui operated an illicit procurement network through his Canada-based company Diversified Technology Services. The purpose of the network was to obtain U.S.-origin goods on behalf of prohibited entities in Pakistan that were associated with the country’s nuclear, missile, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programs.

    According to the indictment, Siddiqui, while operating through Diversified Technology Services, procured various goods – including sensitive and restricted items subject to export administration regulations (EAR) and those on the Commerce Control List – from U.S. companies on behalf of the restricted entities in Pakistan. As alleged, Siddiqui and his co-conspirators worked to conceal the true end-users of the goods from U.S. companies, often using front companies and transshipping goods through third countries to evade detection.

    Siddiqui is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Export Control Reform Act, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison; and violating the Export Control Reform Act, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Homeland Security Investigations Minneapolis, the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Chicago Field Office are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Endicott for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Nicholas Hunter of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. They received assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jensen from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington and the Department’s Office of International Affairs.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mortgage Broker That Ran a Ponzi Scheme, Fraudulently Acquired CARES Act SBA Loans, and Filed a False Tax Return is Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island mortgage broker who ran a Ponzi scheme with investors’ monies causing millions of dollars in losses, who fraudulently obtained more than $160,000 in COVID-19 pandemic-related SBA loans, and who failed to pay more than $140,000 in taxes due the IRS was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison and was ordered to pay restitution to his victims, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

    Joseph Giuttari, owner and operator of Hybrid Capital Group, LLC, THE FENS CO., LLC, and Realty Funding Advisors, LLC, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 55 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Giuttari was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000 and to pay restitution to victims of his Ponzi scheme, to SBA loan programs, and to the IRS totaling $4,579,130.95.

    Mr. Giuttari pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024, to charges of wire fraud, theft of government property, and filing a false tax return.  The day after his guilty plea he engaged in brokerage activities in violation of his condition of release.  Upon discovery of his activities, the Court revoked its order of release and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.

    Court documents reflect that Joseph Giuttari purported to match borrowers seeking short-term loans with private lenders seeking secured investments in real estate. As part of the scheme, Giuttari served as the clearing house for funds between the borrowers and the investors. In executing his scheme, Giuttari directed investors and closing attorneys to send all or a portion of the loan proceeds directly to him through his multiple business entities and business bank accounts. Instead of forwarding these funds to borrowers as represented to the investors, Giuttari used the money personally or to repay earlier investors who were seeking a return on their investments.

    Additionally, Giuttari fraudulently acquired $167,800 in COVID-19 pandemic Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for Hybrid Capital Group and THE FENS CO that he was not entitled to receive, and he falsely stated on his 2019 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return that his total income was $22,176, when in fact it was at least $541,000, thus failing to pay $140,102 due the IRS.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.

    The matter was investigated by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Avon, New York, Police Trainee Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography and Cyberstalking

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Casey Medina, 33, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca to possession of child pornography and cyberstalking, which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that on August 22, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant on Medina’s cellular telephone. During a forensic extraction and a manual review of the phone, approximately 360 images of child pornography the defendant had received over a social media platform were recovered. At least one image involved a prepubescent child being subjected to violence.

    In addition, between May and August 2024, Medina disseminated and posted sexually explicit photographs that had been edited to falsely depict an individual (victim) engaged in sexually explicit activity to various social media platforms and public websites via the internet. The photographs depicted the victim’s face superimposed on pornographic images made to appear as if she was engaged in sexual intercourse. Beginning in May 2024, over the course of approximately 26 days, and again between June 2024 and July 2024, Medina sent, and recruited others via the internet to send, threatening and harassing text messages to the victim. The messages included threats to kidnap, rape, sexually abuse, and kill her, as well as including the sexually explicit images with her face superimposed on them. In many instances, Medina included identifying information while disseminating the victim’s images, including her hometown and place of work.

    The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Onondaga County, NY, Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Tobias Shelley, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.         

    Sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., before Judge Vacca.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ramah Man Faces Federal Charges for Roadside Shooting

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Ramah man is facing charges in federal court for allegedly shooting at a vehicle, injuring one person.

    According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, a vehicle driven by John Doe swerved to avoid a collision with a blue Jeep driven by Leon Garcia, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. After the near-miss, John Doe followed Garcia‘s vehicle to a residence on the Ramah Navajo Reservation. There, Garcia allegedly exited his Jeep armed with a rifle and fired multiple shots at John Doe’s car. As John Doe attempted to turn the vehicle around, Garcia allegedly shot at it multiple times. Garcia also fired again as the vehicle drove away.

    Garcia is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Garcia faces up to 10 years in prison.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramah-Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany DuChaussee is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deforest Business Owner Sentenced to Nine Years for Cocaine Trafficking

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin announced that Luis Angel Rios, 50, of DeForest, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 9 years in federal prison for attempting to distribute a large quantity of cocaine and maintaining a place for storing and distributing cocaine. Rios pleaded guilty to these charges on January 10, 2025.

    In late 2022 and early 2023, investigators with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a cocaine trafficking organization operating in Dane County. During an investigation that included the interception of communications between Rios and other participants in the trafficking, investigators determined that Rios was obtaining and selling multiple kilograms of cocaine, and at times cooperating with another local kilogram-level cocaine trafficker to assist in maintaining a drug supply. On June 1, 2023, as a result of phone interceptions and surveillance, investigators intercepted a half-kilogram delivery of cocaine intended for one of Rios’s customers.

    Rios was the owner of a cleaning and maintenance business in DeForest. During the sentencing, Judge Peterson credited Rios with being a hard-working family man, with no criminal history, but observed that the investigation demonstrated that he also applied his hard-working efforts to managing his ability to secure and distribute large quantities of cocaine. The court found that Rios brought more than 15 kilograms of cocaine into the community in a short period of time, which exploited those who had addictions and served to feed other crimes created by drug use.

    Rios’s co-defendant, Braulio Martinez Salazar, was sentenced by Judge Peterson on March 11, 2025, to 3 years for his role in the cocaine trafficking operation.   

    The charges against Rios were the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and William M. Levins prosecuted this case.

    The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dual Pakistani-Canadian National Arrested for Years-Long Scheme to Circumvent U.S. Export Control Laws

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Defendants Allegedly Smuggled Millions of Dollars’ Worth of U.S. Goods and Technology to Entities Associated with Pakistan’s Military and Weapons Programs

    An indictment was unsealed yesterday charging Mohammad Jawaid Aziz, also known as Jawaid Aziz Siddiqui and Jay Siddiqui, 67, of Pakistan and Canada, with conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws and violating U.S. export laws. Siddiqui was arrested on March 21 in the Western District of Washington while attempting to cross into the United States from Canada. He remains detained, pending transfer to the District of Minnesota.

    As alleged, from as early as 2003 through approximately March 2019, Siddiqui operated an illicit procurement network through his Canada-based company Diversified Technology Services. The purpose of the network was to obtain U.S.-origin goods on behalf of prohibited entities in Pakistan that were associated with the country’s nuclear, missile, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programs.

    According to the indictment, Siddiqui, while operating through Diversified Technology Services, procured various goods – including sensitive and restricted items subject to export administration regulations (EAR) and those on the Commerce Control List – from U.S. companies on behalf of the restricted entities in Pakistan. As alleged, Siddiqui and his co-conspirators worked to conceal the true end-users of the goods from U.S. companies, often using front companies and transshipping goods through third countries to evade detection.

    Siddiqui is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Export Control Reform Act, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison; and violating the Export Control Reform Act, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Homeland Security Investigations Minneapolis, the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Chicago Field Office are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Endicott for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Nicholas Hunter of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. They received assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jensen from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington and the Department’s Office of International Affairs.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Burlison and Golden Introduce Bipartisan Guidance Clarity Act to Support Small Businesses

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Eric Burlison (R-Missouri 7th District)

    Washington, D.C. – Representatives Eric Burlison (R-MO-07) and Jared Golden (D-ME-02) introduced the Guidance Clarity Act, a bipartisan bill to protect Americans from being misled by unclear government guidance.

    Federal agencies often issue guidance documents to help explain rules and regulations. However, many businesses and individuals mistakenly believe that this guidance carries the weight of law – leading to unnecessary compliance burdens, fear of penalties, and added costs. The Guidance Clarity Act ensures that federal agencies clearly state that their guidance is just advice and not legally binding.

    The bill requires that any guidance document from a federal agency prominently include:

    A statement that it does not have the force of law and is not legally binding on the public.

    A clarification that the document is only meant to explain existing laws or agency policies—not create new ones.

    Congressman Burlison explained the importance of the bill, saying:

    “Unelected bureaucrats have abused guidance documents to impose backdoor regulations without following the formal rulemaking process. They create confusion to intimidate businesses into thinking suggestions on how to comply with federal regulations are themselves legal requirements. The Guidance Clarity Act will put a stop to this deception and make sure every American knows the difference between actual law and bureaucratic overreach.”

    Representative Golden echoed these concerns, adding:

    “Small businesses don’t have an army of consultants to navigate the confusing and rapidly changing guidance that comes from federal agencies. I’m happy to co-lead the Guidance Clarity Act again with Rep. Burlison to ensure agencies are clear to small businesses that federal guidance is just a suggestion – not legally binding regulation.”

    The Guidance Clarity Act builds on bipartisan efforts to promote regulatory transparency and protect small businesses from bureaucratic overreach. The bill was previously introduced in the 118th Congress and garnered strong support.

    Co-Sponsors: Representatives James Comer (R-KY-01) and Don Davis (D-NC-01)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Closer partnership aims improve life chances for young people

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Community Planning Aberdeen is to strengthen partnership working to build on success in meeting the needs of children and young people. 

    Members today considered report Our Board – Community Planning Aberdeen that highlighted ways to achieve this, including greater data-sharing across organisations and improving access to services in the city’s most deprived communities.

    Community Planning Aberdeen is a local partnership of public, private, third sector organisations and communities working together to improve people’s lives across the city through the Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP).

    Councillor Christian Allard, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, Chair of Community Planning Aberdeen, said: “There are many children and young people facing enormous challenges across Aberdeen and this report highlights the challenges and limited successes we have had in helping to address these. 

    “We are determined to look at new ways of partnership working to engage with our children and their families.

    “Through equality of opportunity in and outside school, we are committed to helping people build their confidence, take more control over their lives and increase their aspirations for the future to create a stronger, more resilient city.”

    Shantini Paranjothy, Grampian Deputy Director of Public Health, said: Giving every child the best start in life and supporting young people to achieve their potential are key areas where we can work together to take action and in doing so we can begin to ensure equitable health for all.  

    Areas identified for exploration include:

    • Accessibility: Understand how people in the city’s more deprived communities want and need to access services.
    • Shared data: Utilise shared systems.
    • Autonomy and agency: Helping vulnerable people feel more in control of their destiny.
    • Public Protection: Putting public protection arrangements at the heart of the Family Support model. 
    • Mental wellbeing and resilience: A clear strategy to address these changing trends. 
    • Shifting resource: testing changes and directing resource to where it can best be used.

    Opportunities for partner organisations to play a different role to how they currently operate include:

    • Continue development of ABZCampus
    • Drive to share evaluation and data through the Family Support Model in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS)
    • Future Libraries Model
    • Whole system financial advice
    • Whole system approach to healthy weight.

    Areas that are working well and can be built on to achieve even greater improvement include:

    • Education: A rise in the proportion of children meeting developmental milestones from 87.4% in 2021/22 to 89.8% in 2022/23; more effective data sharing has helped realise a 12% increase in uptake of ELC for eligible 2-year-olds. 
    • Nutrition: An increase in the number of children registered for free school meals across primary 6 and primary 7; the percentage of primary 7 children with poor dental health has decreased.
    • The number of presentations at National 5 increased to 11,236 in 2024 from 10,660 in 2023, the highest number on record for the local authority. 
    • Communities: 92% of the city’s communities are performing well compared to their comparator communities when looking at child poverty in isolation. There is clear evidence that far more people are now claiming the benefits they are entitled to. 
    • Bairns Hoose: Plans are progressing well with agreement from NHS Grampian and the Courts now required on how they will utilise the space to help realise the full benefits of co-location. 
    • Re-organising resources: The Edge of Care pilots are better supporting those who are on the edge of care and helping to prevent risk from escalating. 
    • Prioritising those who are care-experienced: The Promise report outlined good progress made in delivering The Promise.

    The report said these opportunities will need shared governance and different commissioning arrangements, including similar approaches to the Granite Consortium.  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CMA proposes to accept commitments to protect competition on UK-US passenger routes

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments

    Press release

    CMA proposes to accept commitments to protect competition on UK-US passenger routes

    Five airlines have offered commitments to resolve the CMA’s competition concerns over their agreement to cooperate on passenger routes between the UK and US.

    iStock

    • Five well-known airlines – British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, American Airlines, and Finnair – together form the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement, where members agree on key business decisions including prices and schedules
    • As part of a CMA investigation, these airlines have offered commitments to give competitors slots for take-off and landing at London airports on 3 key routes: London-Boston, London-Miami, and London-Chicago; and to carrying a minimum number of passengers on London-Dallas
    • The CMA is consulting on the airlines’ commitments, and interested parties can provide feedback ahead of the CMA reaching a decision on whether to accept them

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement (AJBA), a group of 5 airlines that cooperate, rather than compete, on transatlantic flights. The companies involved – British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, American Airlines, and Finnair – contribute aircraft and flight slots, coordinate routes and selling and distribution, and share revenue, under the agreement.

    The European Commission reviewed the AJBA in 2010, accepting commitments (including the availability of slots on some UK-US routes) which were effective for 10 years.

    The CMA commenced investigating the AJBA in 2018 (in preparation for the end of those commitments) and considered a potential commitments package in early 2020. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CMA instead imposed Interim Measures (effectively extending the key terms of commitments which had been accepted by the Commission for 5 years). As the sector is now sufficiently recovered from the pandemic, the CMA has completed its review of the AJBA and has considered a new package of commitments offered by the parties which it provisionally considers will address its competition concerns.

    Commitments under consultation

    The commitments would require American Airlines and British Airways – the only 2 of these airlines to fly directly on these routes – to offer slots to competitors on 3 key UK-US routes: London-Boston, London-Miami, and London-Chicago. Rival airlines would then be able to apply for these slots, available at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, allowing them to offer or increase flights on these routes – ensuring UK-US travelers can get the best deals when choosing which airline to fly with. Remedy slots allowing competitor airlines to operate on US-UK routes have been a core part of the commitments which have been in place since 2010.

    Slots at these two London airports are difficult to obtain. The airlines that have the rights to them are able to keep them provided they meet the minimum use criteria every year. This means these sought-after slots rarely become available – however, the commitments will continue to allow rival airlines to compete on the specific UK-US routes by reducing this key barrier to entry.

    A further aspect of the commitments package is a requirement that British Airways and American Airlines carry a minimum number of ‘local passengers’ (those who do not start or end their journeys elsewhere) on the London-Dallas route each year. This would protect against a reduction in services on the route and help to constrain prices. The commitments also include measures to support competing airlines on the 3 key routes, including giving access to connecting passengers on preferential terms.

    Juliette Enser, Executive Director of Competition Enforcement at the CMA, said:

    Airline alliances can deliver broader economic benefits, such as enhanced connectivity and new services. But the CMA has concerns about the AJBA’s impact on key UK-US routes.

    Accepting these commitments could address those concerns and protect passengers on the routes, including by making it easier for other airlines to compete, and bring our investigation to a close while allowing the AJBA to continue to operate.

    As is standard practice, the CMA is consulting on the commitments offered by the airlines. Interested parties now have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed commitments, which will be considered by the CMA before it makes a decision on whether to accept the commitments in their current form.

    More information about the CMA’s investigation can be found on the dedicated web page: Investigation of the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement.

    Notes to editors

    1. British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus are owned by International Consolidated Airlines Group SA.
    2. The CMA is today publishing its Notice of Intention to Accept Commitments. Comments from interested parties are invited until 23 April 2025.
    3. Formal acceptance of the commitments would result in the CMA terminating its investigation and not proceeding to a decision on whether the Competition Act 1998 has been infringed. Accordingly, a decision by the CMA accepting binding commitments would not include any statement as to whether or not the conduct of any of the parties has infringed the Competition Act 1998 prior to the acceptance of the commitments or once the commitments are in place.
    4. The CMA has engaged with the US Department of Transportation throughout the investigation to date.
    5. Further details of the CMA’s procedures in Competition Act 1998 cases can be found here.
    6. For media enquiries, please contact the CMA press office on 0203 738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Traffic Stop in Southeast D.C. Leads to Indictment, Firearm Recovery, and Drug Seizure

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

              WASHINGTON – Ikea Gartrell, 35, of Washington D.C., has been indicted on federal gun charges in the latest case to be federally adopted as part of the “Make D.C. Safe Again” initiative, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

              Gartrell was indicted on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, following her March 1st arrest in Southeast D.C.

              According to court documents, on March 1, 2025, at approximately 4:49 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department personnel conducted a traffic stop in the 900 block of Barnaby Street SE, Washington, D.C. Officers then made contact with the driver, later identified as Ikea Gartrell, who was allegedly found to be operating without a valid license.

              During the stop, it is alleged that an open container of alcohol was observed, prompting officers to ask all occupants to exit the vehicle. A subsequent investigation led to the discovery of a loaded, unregistered firearm on Gartrell’s person. Gartrell was placed under arrest for Carrying a Pistol Without a License (CPWL) and no permit.

              Records indicated Gartrell had a prior felony conviction.

              The investigation is ongoing.

              The ATF and MPD are investigating this case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand.

              This case is part of Make DC Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

              An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Recidivist Receives 7 Years in Prison for Firearms Possession and Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Raleigh, N.C. – A Goldsboro man was sentenced Thursday to 5 years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Arraqib Hardy, 33, pled guilty to the charge on December 16, 2024.   Hardy received an additional 2 years in federal prison for committing this offense while on federal supervised release for the offenses of possessing a stolen firearm (aiding and abetting) and discharging a firearm in a school zone (aiding and abetting). Hardy received a total sentence of 7 years.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, Goldsboro Police officers were conducting surveillance on a convenience store parking lot due to possible drug activity on June 15, 2023.  Officers observed Hardy engage in what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug transactions and arrested him.  Police located a bag with a loaded 9mm handgun, marijuana, fentanyl, and $365 on Hardy.  

    According to law enforcement, Hardy was a member of the United Blood Nation gang.  Hardy had prior convictions in 2013 for discharging a weapon into an occupied or moving vehicle. 

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

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Goldsboro Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-CR-00120.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jacksonville Felon Sentenced To Federal Prison For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Jonathan Scott Thompson (45, Jacksonville) to 33 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Thompson to forfeit his interest in the firearm that he possessed. Thompson pleaded guilty on December 20, 2024.

    According to court documents, on March 15, 2024, officers from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance after a witness called 911 to report that Thompson was dragging a woman and throwing her to the ground. The victim and Thompson then argued inside a vehicle at the scene, and at some point, Thompson threw her down into the car and located a Glock semi-automatic pistol. The victim saw the firearm in his hands. Officers arrived at the scene and recovered the loaded firearm inside the vehicle. At the time, Thompson had multiple prior felony convictions, including armed burglary and burglary of a conveyance. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lasry.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Found Guilty of Using His Tax Prep Clients’ Identities to Defraud the Federal Government of Pandemic Funding

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CLEVELAND – A federal jury has convicted Mustafa Ayoub Diab, 41, of Ravenna, Ohio, of orchestrating a financial conspiracy that defrauded the U.S. government of pandemic benefits. After an approximately week-long trial, Diab was found guilty on 12 counts of theft of government funds, 12 counts of bank fraud, 11 counts of wire fraud, 6 counts of aggravated identity theft, and 1 count each of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and to launder monetary instruments.

    According to court documents, Diab owned and operated a tax return preparation business in Akron, Ohio. Along with his co-conspirator, Elizabeth Lorraine Robinson, 33, of Ravenna, the couple developed a scheme to take advantage of government programs that expanded unemployment and small business benefits that became available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    One such program, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, was expanded to individuals who otherwise did not qualify for regular benefits. Additionally, the Paycheck Protection Program, was administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration and provided resources and assistance to small businesses to cover payroll, utilities, rent/mortgage, accounts payable and other bills incurred which were tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Diab exploited both of these programs for his benefit.

    From around, June 2020 to August 2021, Diab submitted fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment benefits and small business assistance for many of his tax preparation business clients. Without their knowledge, he lied about their employment, or about being small business owners, on the applications so they would qualify to receive pandemic funds and benefits.

    Investigators also discovered that Diab opened bank accounts in his clients’ names to receive the pandemic benefit funds via direct deposit, which the clients did not have access to, along with accounts in the names of Robinson and Diab’s sister. When the pandemic relief funds were deposited into these accounts, he immediately withdrew the funds in cash for his personal use. With the cash, Diab bought real estate, cars and took international trips. In evidence presented to the jury at trial, Diab submitted fraudulent applications in the names of nearly 80 victims, causing the federal government to pay out more than $1.2 million in pandemic benefits that were deposited into the various bank accounts that Diab controlled.

    Sentencing is scheduled for July 28, 2025. Diab faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Robinson pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and theft of government funds in February and is currently awaiting sentencing. She also faces up to 30 years in prison.

    The FBI Akron Division investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa V. Healy and Brenna L. Fasko prosecuted that case for the Northern District of Ohio.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of Fentanyl Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Drug trafficking organization operated in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island

    BOSTON – A Providence, R.I. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for leading a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

    Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In December 2023, Ortiz-Alcantara pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Ortiz-Alcantara was charged in July 2022 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022.

    Between approximately February 2021 and July 2022, Ortiz-Alcantara managed a DTO that distributed fentanyl in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. As part of his DTO’s operations, Ortiz-Alcantara controlled a stash house in Fall River to store, process and distribute fentanyl and employ numerous individuals who assisted with mixing, packaging and distributing fentanyl. During a search of Ortiz-Alcantara’s stash house in July 2022, more than 12 kilograms of fentanyl, as well as items consistent with running a fentanyl business, including blenders, a hydraulic press and baggies were seized.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sherriff’s Office; and the Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (R.I.) and West Warwick (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Project to reduce drug-related crime gather at East London event

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A scheme aimed at reducing drug-related deaths and offending convened police and partners at a professional networking event to showcase the results achieved so far and plan for the future.

    Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) is a government programme set up in 2021 to address the issues of drug addiction and stop the supply of illicit drugs in the hardest-hit local authority areas across England and Wales.

    The North East ADDER expo, which was hosted on Wednesday, 19March at West Ham United Football Club’s London Stadium, highlighted the work being done by all the organisations involved. Since 2024, Project ADDER has expanded across London where there is a dedicated ADDER team serving every borough.

    The project also aims to also reduce the prevalence of drug use as well as disrupt high-harm criminals and networks involved in middle market drug/firearms supply and importation.

    Since February 2024, the North East Project ADDER team have achieved the following:

    • Drug dogs deployments – 12 operations at transport hubs across Newham and Waltham Forest, where 37 arrests were made for offences including possession of offensive weapons, theft and possession of Class A drugs.
    • 22 Community Protection Warnings and 12 Community Protection Notice (CPN) issued with drugs awareness session included.
    • More than 50 operations, supported by Project ADDER, to tackle drug use and supply. This has included the dismantling of a number of county drug lines, drugs and weapons have been seized and anumber of vulnerable persons including several children safeguarded as a result.
    • A total of 579 searches for drugs have taken place and signposting to support services offered.

    This event included speeches from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, physician and academic Professor Dame Carol Black, who was previously appointed by the Government to lead a review examining the harm that drugs cause while also looking at prevention, treatment and recovery strategy.

    The event was also important for the Met to listen to the lived experiences of drug support workers and former service users with thought provoking dialogue on what all agencies and communities need to do in the area.

    A key way in which Project ADDER has disrupted the drugs trade is by educating the public, specifically young people within our communities about the dangers of drug use and addiction.

    The Met has hosted more than 100 drug awareness sessions across faith venues and schools as well as police stations, reaching thousands of students, members of the community, and police officers.

    Chief Inspector Farhan Asghar, who polices the local area, said: “Project ADDER teams are dedicated to tackling substance misuse and linked offending.

    “There is no one-size fits all approach in solving this issue. Whether it be law enforcement operations in drug hotspots, community/school drug awareness inputs or collaborative initiatives with partners like Change Grow Live (CGL), we will continue to adapt and develop ways in which we support those experiencing substance misuse, improving referrals into drug treatment while also targeting drug offenders to make our streets safer.”

    The Project ADDER team will continue their work in the future and plays a key part in the New Met for London plan of delivering more trust, less crime and higher standards of policing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – Advanced Medical Solutions Group

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: Rathbones Group Plc
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		  
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 Advanced Medical Solutions Group Plc
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:  
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 27/03/2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 No

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 5p Ord
      Interests Short positions
      Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 19,252,888 8.83%    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        

            TOTAL:

    		 19,252,888 8.83%    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    5p Ordinary Shares Purchase 22,745 196.817938p
    5p Ordinary Shares Purchase 3,409 210.5p
    5p Ordinary Shares Purchase 2,630 229.658p
    5p Ordinary Shares Sale 21,725 196.8p
    5p Ordinary Shares Sale 270 196.32p
    5p Ordinary Shares Sale 9,599 223.25p
    5p Ordinary Shares Sale 20,795 226.725p
    5p Ordinary Shares Sale 10,758 228p
    5p Ordinary Shares Sale 2,320 229.2957p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
             

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
                   

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit
             

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    5p Ordinary Shares Internal transfer from Discretionary to Execution-only account 11,632  
    5p Ordinary Shares Internal transfer from Execution-only to Discretionary account 5,816  

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
    None

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
    None

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? No
    Date of disclosure: 28/03/2025
    Contact name: Chinwe Enyi – Compliance Department
    Telephone number: 0151 243 7053

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – Highcroft Investments Plc

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: Rathbones Group Plc
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		  
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 Highcroft Investments Plc
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:  
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 27/03/2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 Yes – LondonMetric Property plc

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 25p Ord
      Interests Short positions
      Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 3,400 0.06%    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        

            TOTAL:

    		 3,400 0.06%    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
           

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
             

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
                   

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit
             

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
           

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
    None

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
    None

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? No
    Date of disclosure: 28/03/2025
    Contact name: Chinwe Enyi – Compliance Department
    Telephone number: 0151 243 7053

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Ascent Delivers Spaceflight-Ready PV Blankets to European Space Systems Provider in Record-Breaking Two Weeks for Launch this Year

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    THORNTON, Colo., March 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ascent Solar Technologies (“Ascent” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ASTI), the leading U.S. innovator in the design and manufacturing of featherweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, today announced the delivery of spaceflight-ready PV blankets to a leading European space systems provider, enabling an innovative new capability for making spacecraft lighter and more powerful. It is expected to be flown to space later this year.

    Ascent’s flexible CIGS PV design allows the delivered space solar array products to provide mission-enabling rollability within challenging mass and volumetric constraints. Qualification test and spaceflight operational data is expected to be made available to prospective customers as available as part of Ascent’s Hardware Developer Kit program, aimed at making it easier for space mission managers and spacecraft engineers to unlock both mass savings and increased performance with Plug & Fly™ solar array hardware assemblies.

    “This space systems partner approached us with tough mission requirements that needed to be met in less than four weeks,” said Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies. “Thankfully, our technology’s unique design allows for swift customization for situations like these. Opportunities like this will be instrumental as we continue to expand our presence in Europe’s growing space market.”

    Ascent’s spaceflight-proven, high-TRL solar array products allow for rapid customization and short delivery timelines, thanks to its 5 MW production facility and refined manufacturing processes. This partnership enables the European space systems provider to leverage Ascent’s expertise, reducing both mission risk and cost.

    About Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

    Backed by 40 years of R&D, 15 years of manufacturing experience, numerous awards, and a comprehensive IP and patent portfolio, Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-performance, flexible thin-film solar panels for use in environments where mass, performance, reliability, and resilience matter. Ascent’s photovoltaic (PV) modules have been deployed on space missions, multiple airborne vehicles, agrivoltaic installations, in industrial/commercial construction as well as an extensive range of consumer goods, revolutionizing the use cases and environments for solar power. Ascent Solar’s research and development center and 5-MW nameplate production facility is in Thornton, Colorado. To learn more, visit https://www.ascentsolar.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute “forward-looking statements” including statements about the financing transaction, our business strategy, and the potential uses of the proceeds from the transaction. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the company’s actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current assumptions, expectations, and projections about future events. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “will,” “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “expect,” “intends,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “plan,” to be uncertain and forward-looking. No information in this press release should be construed as any indication whatsoever of our future revenues, stock price, or results of operations. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

    Media Contact

    Spencer Herrmann
    FischTank PR
    ascent@fischtankpr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 4th Quarter 2024 and Preliminary 2024

    Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

    Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the percent change ranging from 5.1 percent at an annual rate in Arkansas to 0.6 percent in Vermont and remaining unchanged in Idaho and South Dakota, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (table 1). Current-dollar GDP increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For the year 2024, real, or inflation-adjusted, GDP also increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

    Personal income, in current dollars, increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the percent change ranging from 6.1 percent at an annual rate in Delaware to 2.4 percent in Louisiana (table 4). For the year 2024, current-dollar personal income also increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

    Quarterly GDP

    In the fourth quarter of 2024, real GDP for the nation grew at an annual rate of 2.4 percent. Real GDP increased in 15 of the 23 industry groups for which BEA prepares quarterly state estimates. Real estate and rental and leasing; professional, scientific, and technical services; and health care and social assistance were the leading contributors to growth in real GDP nationally (table 2).

    • Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, which increased in 17 states, was the leading contributor to growth in six states including Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama, the states with the first-, second-, and fifth-largest increases in real GDP, respectively.
    • Mining, which increased in 45 states, was the leading contributor to growth in five states including Alaska, the state with the third-largest increase in real GDP.
    • Construction, which increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia, was the leading contributor to growth in Utah, the fourth-largest growing state.

    Annual GDP

    In 2024, real GDP for the nation grew at an annual rate of 2.8 percent, with the percent change ranging from 4.5 percent in Utah to –0.7 percent in North Dakota (table 1). Real GDP increased in 19 of the 23 industry groups for which BEA prepares preliminary annual state estimates. Retail trade; health care and social assistance; and professional, scientific, and technical services were the leading contributors to growth in real GDP nationally (table 3).

    • Retail trade, which increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, was the leading contributor to growth in 30 states. Retail trade was one of the leading contributors in Utah, the state with the largest increase in real GDP.
    • Nondurable-goods manufacturing, which increased in 49 states, was the leading contributor to growth in four states including South Carolina, the state with the second-largest increase in real GDP.
    • Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which increased in 36 states, was the leading contributor to growth in two states including Idaho, the third-largest growing state.

    Quarterly personal income

    In the fourth quarter of 2024, current-dollar personal income increased $281.8 billion, or 4.6 percent at an annual rate (table 5). Nationally, increases in earnings, transfer receipts, and property income (dividends, interest, and rent) contributed to the increase in personal income (chart 1).

    Earnings increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, while growing 5.1 percent nationally. The percent change in earnings ranged from 7.3 percent in Mississippi to 3.1 percent in Idaho. Earnings increased in 23 of the 24 industries for which BEA prepares quarterly estimates and was the largest contributor to growth in personal income in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (tables 5 and 6).

    • Farm earnings, which increased in 40 states, was the leading contributor to the increase in Delaware, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, the states with the first-, second-, third-, and fifth-largest growth in personal income, respectively.
    • In Virginia, the state with the fourth-largest increase in personal income, professional, scientific, and technical services was the leading contributor to the increase in earnings.
    • In Utah, the state with the sixth-largest increase in personal income, construction and state and local government were the leading contributors to the increase in earnings.

    Transfer receipts increased in 47 states, while growing 5.0 percent nationally. The percent change in transfer receipts ranged from 9.4 percent in California to –2.4 percent in Louisiana (table 5).

    Property income increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, while growing 2.9 percent nationally. The percent change ranged from 4.0 percent in Idaho to 2.0 percent in Alaska (table 5).

    Annual personal income

    In 2024, personal income for the nation increased at an annual rate of 5.4 percent, with the percent change ranging from 6.9 percent in North Carolina to 0.1 percent in North Dakota (table 7).

    Nationally, increases in earnings, transfer receipts, and property income contributed to the increase in personal income (chart 2).

    Earnings increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia, while growing 5.5 percent nationally. The percent change in earnings ranged from 7.0 percent in Hawaii to –2.0 percent in North Dakota (table 7). Earnings increased in 21 of the 24 industries for which BEA prepares annual estimates (table 8). Health care and social assistance; state and local government; and professional, scientific, and technical services were the leading contributors to the increase in earnings for the nation.

    • In South Carolina, the state with the second-largest increase in personal income, growth in state and local government earnings was the leading contributor to the increase in personal income.

    Transfer receipts increased in 50 states and the District of Columbia, while growing 6.3 percent nationally. The percent change in transfer receipts ranged from 11.8 percent in North Carolina to 1.7 percent in Arkansas (table 7).

    • In North Carolina and California, the states with the first- and third-largest increase in personal income, growth in Medicaid benefits was the leading contributor to the increase in personal income.

    Property income increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, while growing 4.0 percent nationally. The percent change ranged from 5.1 percent in Idaho to 3.3 percent in Hawaii (table 7).

    Update of state statistics

    Today, BEA also released revised quarterly estimates of personal income by state for the first quarter of 2024 through the third quarter of 2024. This update incorporates new and revised source data that are more complete and more detailed than previously available and aligns the states with the national estimates from the National Income and Product Accounts released on March 27, 2025.

    BEA also released new estimates of per capita personal income for the fourth quarter of 2024, along with revised estimates for the second quarter of 2020 through the third quarter of 2024. BEA used U.S. Census Bureau population figures to calculate per capita personal income estimates for the second quarter of 2020 through the fourth quarter of 2024. BEA also used new Census Bureau population figures to update annual 2020 to 2023 per capita personal income statistics and to produce new per capita personal income statistics for 2024.

    For definitions, statistical conventions, BEA regions, uses of these statistics, and more, visit “Additional Information.”

    Next release: June 27, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. EDT
    Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 1st Quarter 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Filipino activists praise arrest of ex-president Duterte as first step to end impunity

    Asia Pacific Report

    Dozens of Filipinos and supporters in Aotearoa New Zealand came together in a Black Friday vigil and Rally for Justice in the heart of two cities tonight — Auckland and Christchurch.

    They celebrated the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier this month to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity over a wave of extrajudicial killings during his six-year presidency in a so-called “war on drugs”.

    Estimates of the killings have ranged between 6250 (official police figure) and up to 30,000 (human rights groups) — including 32 in a single day — during his 2016-2022 term and critics have described the bloodbath as a war against the poor.

    But speakers warned tonight this was only the first step to end the culture of impunity in the Philippines.

    Current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the late dictator, and his adminstration were also condemned by the protesters.

    Introducing the rally with the theme “Convict Duterte! End Impunity!” in Freyberg Square in the heart of downtown Auckland, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan’s Eugene Velasco said: “We demand justice for the thousands killed in the bloody and fraudulent war on drugs under the US-Duterte regime.”

    She said they sought to:

    • expose the human rights violations against the Filipino people;
    • call for Duterte’s accountability; and
    • to hold Marcos responsible for continuing this reign of terror against the masses.

    Flown to The Hague
    The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Duterte on March 11. He was immediately arrested on an aircraft at Manila International Airport and flown by charter aircraft to The Hague where he is now detained awaiting trial.

    “We welcome this development because his arrest is the result of tireless resistance — not only from human rights defenders but, most importantly, from the families of those who fell victim to Duterte’s extrajudicial killings,” Velasco said.

    Filipina activist Eugene Velasco . . . families of victims fought for justice “even in the face of relentless threats and violence from the police and military”. Image: APR

    “These families fought for justice despite the complete lack of support from the Marcos administration.”

    Velasco said their their courage and resilience had pushed this case forward — “even in the face of relentless threats and violence from the police and military”.

    “‘Shoot them dead!’—this was Duterte’s direct order to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). His death squads carried out these brutal killings with impunity,” Velasco said.

    Mock corpses in the Philippines rally in Freyberg Square tonight. Image: APR

    But Duterte was not the only one who must be held accountable, she added.

    “We demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of all those who orchestrated and enabled the state-sponsored executions, led by figures like Senator Bato Dela Rosa and Lieutenant-Colonel Jovie Espenido, that led to over 30,000 deaths, the militarisation of 47,587 schools, churches, and public institutions — especially in rural areas — the abductions and killings of human rights defenders, and the continued existence of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC.”

    A masked young speaker tells of many victims of extrajudicial killings at tonight’s Duterte rally in Freyberg Square. Image: APR

    Fake news, red-tagging
    Velasco accused this agency of having “used the Filipino people’s taxes to fuel human rights abuses” through the spread of fake news and red-tagging against activists, peasants, trade unionists, and people’s lawyers.

    “The fight does not end here,” she said.

    “The Filipino people, together with all justice and peace-loving people of Aotearoa New Zealand, will not stop until justice is fully served — not just for the victims, but for all who continue to suffer under the Duterte-Marcos regime, which remains under the grip of US imperialist interests.

    “As Filipinos overseas, we must unite in demanding justice, stand in solidarity with the victims of extrajudicial killings, and continue the struggle for accountability.”

    Several speakers gave harrowing testimony about the fate of named victims as their photographs and histories were remembered.

    Speakers from local political groups, including Green Party MP Francisco Hernandez, and retired prominent trade unionist and activist Robert Reid, also participated.

    Reid referenced the ICC arrest issued last November against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza genocide, saying he hoped that he too would end up in The Hague.

    Mock corpses surrounded by candles displayed signs — which had been a hallmark of the drug war killings — declaring “Jail Duterte”, “Justice for all victims of human rights” and “Convict Sara Duterte now!” Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte is currently Vice-President and is facing impeachment proceedings.

    The “convict Duterte” rally and vigil in Freyberg Square tonight. Image: APR

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: My documentary Motherboard follows my first 21 years of motherhood – these films about single mums inspired me

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Victoria Mapplebeck, Professor in Digital Arts, Royal Holloway University of London

    On a warm and sunny May bank holiday in 2003, I had one of those rare days that truly changes your life forever. I sat in my bathroom, hands shaking as two pink lines emerged on the pregnancy test I was holding.

    I was 38, single and broke. This pregnancy was the result of a brief relationship which had only amounted to four dates. Shell-shocked as I was, I laughed out loud in a moment of joy I knew there was no coming back from. Nine months later I gave birth to my son Jim.

    My old Nokia still holds the text thread of the three years I was in touch with Jim’s dad. My messages began “I had a great time last night”, and ended “Have you got the results yet?” He had requested a paternity test when Jim was two. A week later we both received the results. The probability that he was Jim’s biological dad was 99.99%. This news prompted a final reply from Jim’s dad: “Yes, I got the results … I’m moving to Spain.”

    A clip from the author’s film, Motherboard.

    We didn’t hear from him again for over a decade. Unable to combine motherhood with my previous career as a TV director, I quit my job overnight. I got a job teaching filmmaking and was out of the film industry for over a decade.

    I began filming my son Jim as he grew up. I recorded hundreds of hours of footage, capturing each twist and turn in Jim’s life, from the thumbs-up he gave me during my first scan, to his first day at college.

    Jim is 21 now. Filmed over 20 years, my feature documentary Motherboard charts the highs and lows of solo motherhood. It explores how Jim and I navigated him meeting his dad for the first time at 13, closely followed by my breast cancer diagnosis and Jim’s party-hard late teens, when tempers frayed and doors slammed.

    When I was making Motherboard I burnt through any books, films and TV that I could find, exploring solo motherhood. Many repeated the same old tabloid cliches and movie tropes of single mums. They were victims or martyrs, their only moment of joy watching the sun set over their estate before the bailiffs turned up.

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

    In I’ll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood (2022), author and comic Jessi Klein writes that: “Motherhood as a story, is so infrequently told, because the world tells us that what mothers do is unremarkable and unimportant.” She goes on to explore the structure of the hero’s epic journey in Hollywood blockbusters, in which the (usually male) hero embarks on a quest and returns home transformed.

    Klein turns this formula on its head. “Motherhood is a hero’s journey, it’s not a journey outwards to the most fantastic, farest-flung places, but a journey inwards, downwards to the deepest parts of your strength.”

    My own film, Motherboard, and several of the films that inspired me, follow the trope of the hero’s journey. But the key difference is that the director is often the hero and the author of her own story. The following films and TV series capture the pain, happiness, chaos and comedy of the hero’s journey that is motherhood.

    1. Lollipop (2024)

    Director Daisy-May Hudson recently developed her own experiences of being homeless with her mum and younger sister into her feature drama debut. Lollipop tells the story of Molly, a young single mum who loses custody of her kids after a short stay in prison. The joy of the film is that it’s the polar opposite to the broken single mums we see in Ken Loach’s Ladybird, Ladybird (1994) and Cathy Come Home (1966).

    Daisy-May Hudson was named as a ‘breakthrough’ director by Bafta in 2015.

    In Hudson’s entirely female cast, Molly and her best mate Amina are fierce single mums who transform the obstacles they face into laugh-out-loud moments of comedy. These are single mums that are flawed, impulsive, powerful, funny and, most importantly, believable.

    2. Better Things (2016)

    Better Things is a TV series, written by and starring Pamela Adlon, based on her own experiences of being a single mum to her three teenage daughters in LA. There’s a great scene in the final series where Adlon’s character, Sam, is being examined by her doctor who asks her if she’s stressed out because she has “too many errands to run”.

    Pamela Adlon and the cast of Better Things discussing the show.

    She replies:

    “No, no. Errands are, like, groceries and going to the post office, it’s the real mum stuff … Soccer club sign-ups and dance classes and tutors and tuition payments and parent-teacher conferences and schools and camps that I have to get them into, mean girl issues with my youngest at school and birth control with my oldest and cruelty from my middle daughter. And then there’s my own mom, who is driving me nuts … And I am definitely going through menopause. So, yeah, Dr. Babu, it’s, like – it’s a lot.”

    3. Boyhood (2014)

    Richard Linklater’s Boyhood often comes up when critics are reviewing Motherboard. It’s a film I love. Filmed over a decade, it depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans (played by Ellar Coltrane).

    The trailer for Boyhood.

    “I always described it as a film about growing up”, Linklater told the Guardian, “But it’s also a film about parenting”. Linklater was probably the first director I encountered whose character of a single mum (played by Patricia Arquette) felt real to me.

    Patronising empowerment

    I listened to a podcast recently in which Adlon challenged the words that are often used to describe Better Things. “Brave”, “raw” and “vulnerable” come up constantly.

    Critics and audiences often tell me that I’m brave. It can feel condescending. I’ve never heard the word attributed to Linklater’s Boyhood. What sets myself and Adlon apart from Linklater, is that we are both single mothers ourselves.

    As politicians continue to obsess over the recent statistic that “more boys have smartphones than dads”, families with absent fathers will continue to be seen as tragic and flawed. But single mothers are not a problem to be solved. Lollipop, Better Things and Motherboard are all proof of Klein’s belief that “a mother’s heroic journey is not about how she leaves … but about how she stays”.

    Victoria Mapplebeck received funding for Motherboard from OKRE

    – ref. My documentary Motherboard follows my first 21 years of motherhood – these films about single mums inspired me – https://theconversation.com/my-documentary-motherboard-follows-my-first-21-years-of-motherhood-these-films-about-single-mums-inspired-me-253059

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Rivers are increasingly being given legal rights. Now they need people who will defend these rights in court

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Lecturer in Law, Anglia Ruskin University

    The River Ouse near Lewes in Sussex, England. Melanie Hobson / shutterstock

    A district council in England has passed a motion to grant its local river the rights to flow freely, to be free from pollution and to enjoy its native biodiversity. The move by Lewes District Council in East Sussex to recognise the fundamental rights of the River Ouse is the first of its kind in the UK.

    The Ouse (not to be confused with larger rivers of the same name in Yorkshire and East Anglia) flows southwards for 35 miles into the English Channel and suffers from the usual problems afflicting many rivers in the UK: chemical pollution, sewage dumping and so on.

    As a legal academic who researches exactly these sorts of rights, I was excited to see the news from Lewes (even if the council’s motions ultimately can’t overrule national laws). But simply granting a river some rights isn’t enough. We now need to think about who will actually defend these rights.

    This may mean appointing someone to represent the rights of the river. Who these representatives are, and how they think about nature and conservation, can be as important as the granting of these rights in the first place.

    Appointing representatives who care about their own personal and property interests would be a grave mistake, as would appointing anyone who prioritises the rights of humans to a healthy environment over a more intrinsic right of nature (remember: the idea is that the River Ouse has rights in itself and shouldn’t need to demonstrate its worth to humans).

    As further rivers, lakes, forests and more are granted rights like the Ouse, we’ll need to train up an army of people willing to represent the rights of nature.

    Natural entities should have legal rights

    The law professor Christopher Stone pioneered the rights of nature concept back in the 1970s. He argued that natural entities, like rivers or forests, should have legal rights and that a “guardian” or representative should be appointed to defend those rights in court when they are threatened.

    Some legal systems have adopted this model. For example, in New Zealand, the Whanganui River was granted legal personhood, and two “human faces” were appointed to act and speak on its behalf. Their duties are outlined in a 2017 act, which specifies that these representatives must have the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively advocate for the river’s rights.

    The Whanganui River was awarded legal personhood in 2017 due to its spiritual importance for local Māori people.
    Ron Kolet / shutterstock

    But even as rights of nature are being considered in many countries, there is still little consideration of who will represent these rights effectively. For instance, back in 2008 Ecuador became the first country to grant the rights of nature in its constitution. However the constitution states that “all persons” are representatives of the rights of nature. This is simply impractical: we can’t expect every citizen to truly care about the rights of nature.

    Efforts to apply the rights of nature in Ecuador have often failed. Legal challenges can become highly politicised and there is little legal infrastructure beyond general constitutional principles.

    For example, in a case brought after road builders had dumped material into the Vilcabamba River, plaintiffs claimed to represent nature in court. However, they were not genuinely advocating for the river’s rights – their main concern was protecting their downstream property.

    An ecocentric perspective

    Ultimately, defending the rights of nature in court will be a struggle if the nature in question – the river, forest or lake – is not represented by someone with an ecocentric perspective. That means prioritising the intrinsic value of nature itself, rather than focusing on how it can serve human interests.

    To protect it from mining and deforestation, Los Cedros cloud forest was awarded the same rights as people.
    Andreas Kay / flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

    Ecocentric advocates have proved to be the most effective defenders of the rights of nature in many court cases. For example, in lawsuits involving Ecuador’s Los Cedros cloud forest and its marine ecosystems, ecocentric arguments helped secure stronger legal protections and even inspired the courts to grant further rights of nature.

    One of the most common legal frameworks involves appointing “all persons”, “a person”, or “a resident” as representatives or protectors. For instance, Uganda’s National Environment Act 2019 states that anyone has the right to bring an action before a court “for any infringement of rights of nature”.

    Similarly, the city of Toledo, Ohio, tried to introduce the Lake Erie bill of rights which stated that the city or any resident could act on behalf of the lake’s ecosystem. (The bill was declared unconstitutional by a federal court in 2020 and did not become the law).

    Lake Erie lies between Canada and the US. It is surrounded by heavy industry and has had periods of intense pollution.
    Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance / flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

    Having such broad representation can make these legal protections less effective. This is what Stone, the law professor, envisioned back in the 70s: representatives should be trained to view nature as having intrinsic value – the very reason it is granted rights – and to protect it on that basis.

    There are some promising examples. Guardians were appointed to protect the Magpie River in Canada, for instance, after it was granted legal personhood in 2022. Their responsibilities include participating – on behalf of the river itself – in any consultations on projects that might affect the river.

    When the River Atrato in Colombia was also granted legal rights, the court required the formation of a commission (with representatives from the state and local communities) to train and oversee the work of the guardians.

    Moves to give rights to nature are promising. But from Colombia to Canada to Sussex, we’ll need a whole army of nature protectors to actually enforce those rights.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Oluwabusayo Wuraola is a knowledge expert member of the United Nations Harmony with Nature Programme.

    – ref. Rivers are increasingly being given legal rights. Now they need people who will defend these rights in court – https://theconversation.com/rivers-are-increasingly-being-given-legal-rights-now-they-need-people-who-will-defend-these-rights-in-court-251736

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Nasa’s Curiosity rover has found the longest chain carbon molecules yet on Mars. It’s a significant finding in the search for alien life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Derek Ward-Thompson, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Central Lancashire

    The Curiosity rover near the site of Mont Mercou on Mars. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

    Nasa’s Curiosity Mars rover has detected the largest organic (carbon-containing) molecules ever found on the red planet. The discovery is one of the most significant findings in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. This is because, on Earth at least, relatively complex, long-chain carbon molecules are involved in biology. These molecules could actually be fragments of fatty acids, which are found in, for example, the membranes surrounding biological cells.

    Scientists think that, if life ever emerged on Mars, it was probably microbial in nature. Because microbes are so small, it’s difficult to be definitive about any potential evidence for life found on Mars. Such evidence needs more powerful scientific instruments that are too large to be put on a rover.

    The organic molecules found by Curiosity consist of carbon atoms linked in long chains, with other elements bonded to them, like hydrogen and oxygen. They come from a 3.7-billion-year-old rock dubbed Cumberland, encountered by the rover at a presumed dried-up lakebed in Mars’s Gale Crater. Scientists used the Sample Analysis at Mars (Sam) instrument on the Nasa rover to make their discovery.

    Scientists were actually looking for evidence of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins and therefore key components of life as we know it. But this unexpected finding is almost as exciting. The research is published in Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

    Among the molecules were decane, which has 10 carbon atoms and 22 hydrogen atoms, and dodecane, with 12 carbons and 26 hydrogen atoms. These are known as alkanes, which fall under the umbrella of the chemical compounds known as hydrocarbons.

    It’s an exciting time in the search for life on Mars. In March this year, scientists presented evidence of features in a different rock sampled elsewhere on Mars by the Perseverance rover. These features, dubbed “leopard spots” and “poppy seeds”, could have been produced by the action of microbial life in the distant past, or not. The findings were presented at a US conference and have not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal.

    The Mars Sample Return mission, a collaboration between Nasa and the European Space Agency, offers hope that samples of rock collected and stored by Perseverance could be brought to Earth for study in laboratories. The powerful instruments available in terrestrial labs could finally confirm whether or not there is clear evidence for past life on Mars. However, in 2023, an independent review board criticised increases in Mars Sample Return’s budget. This prompted the agencies to rethink how the mission could be carried out. They are currently studying two revised options.

    Signs of life?

    Cumberland was found in a region of Gale Crater called Yellowknife Bay. This area contains rock formations that look suspiciously like those formed when sediment builds up at the bottom of a lake. One of Curiosity’s scientific goals is to examine the prospect that past conditions on Mars would have been suitable for the development of life, so an ancient lakebed is the perfect place to look for them.

    The Martian rock known as Cumberland, which was sampled in the study.
    NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

    The researchers think that the alkane molecules may once have been components of more complex fatty acid molecules. On Earth, fatty acids are components of fats and oils. They are produced through biological activity in processes that help form cell membranes, for example. The suggested presence of fatty acids in this rock sample has been around for several years, but the new paper details the full evidence.

    Fatty acids are long, linear hydrocarbon molecules with a carboxyl group (COOH) at one end and a methyl group (CH3) at the other, forming a chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

    A fat molecule consists of two main components: glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol is an alcohol molecule with three carbon atoms, five hydrogens, and three hydroxyl (chemically bonded oxygen and hydrogen, OH) groups. Fatty acids may have 4-36 carbon atoms; however, most of them have 12-18. The longest carbon chains found in Cumberland are 12 atoms long.

    Mars Sample Return will deliver Mars rocks to Earth for study. This artist’s impression shows the ascent vehicle leaving Mars with rock samples.
    Nasa/JPL-Caltech

    Organic molecules preserved in ancient Martian rocks provide a critical record of the past habitability of Mars and could be chemical biosignatures (signs that life was once there).

    The sample from Cumberland has been analysed by the Sam instrument many times, using different experimental techniques, and has shown evidence of clay minerals, as well as the first (smaller and simpler) organic molecules found on Mars, back in 2015. These included several classes of chlorinated and sulphur-containing organic compounds in Gale crater sedimentary rocks, with chemical structures of up to six carbon atoms. The new discovery doubles the number of carbon atoms found in a single molecule on Mars.

    The alkane molecules are significant in the search for biosignatures on Mars, but how they actually formed remains unclear. They could also be derived through geological or other chemical mechanisms that do not involve fatty acids or life. These are known as abiotic sources. However, the fact that they exist intact today in samples that have been exposed to a harsh environment for many millions of years gives astrobiologists (scientists who study the possibility of life beyond Earth) hope that evidence of ancient life might still be detectable today.

    It is possible the sample contains even longer chain organic molecules. It may also contain more complex molecules that are indicative of life, rather than geological processes. Unfortunately, Sam is not capable of detecting those, so the next step is to deliver Martian rock and soil to more capable laboratories on the Earth. Mars Sample Return would do this with the samples already gathered by the Perseverance Mars rover. All that’s needed now is the budget.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Nasa’s Curiosity rover has found the longest chain carbon molecules yet on Mars. It’s a significant finding in the search for alien life – https://theconversation.com/nasas-curiosity-rover-has-found-the-longest-chain-carbon-molecules-yet-on-mars-its-a-significant-finding-in-the-search-for-alien-life-253249

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We analyzed racial justice statements from the 500 largest US companies and found that DEI officials really did have an influence

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Donald T. Tomaskovic-Devey, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Employment Equity, UMass Amherst

    In 2020, American businesses responded to an unprecedented wave of racial justice protests with an equally unprecedented surge in corporate commitments. Even as President Donald Trump was calling protesters “terrorists,” companies in industries across the U.S. pledged donations, launched diversity initiatives and issued statements in support of equity and inclusion.

    As social scientists who study corporate political behavior, we, like many others, wondered whether this wave of corporate statements signaled a true commitment to racial justice or whether it was just symbolic. Some skeptics suggested that corporate statements about racial justice were just window dressing. Still others worried that corporations were becoming “woke” and distracted from making profits.

    These concerns have taken on new meaning as the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, has become a cornerstone of the new administration. When Donald Trump returned to office, two of his first acts were to ban DEI in federal government employment and overturning 60 years of affirmative action mandates on firms that do business with the government.

    This made us wonder: Were the DEI efforts of recent years actually associated with greater corporate commitments to racial justice? Or was it just more political theater?

    To try to better understand what was happening in corporate America, we collected every racial justice statement made by a Fortune 500 firm in response to the 2020 murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests.

    We found that most firms stayed silent, while others made only weak symbolic responses. Just 1 in 5 made strong commitments, pledging resources and structural changes to their business practices, such as revamping hiring policies or funding racial justice organizations.

    For that 20%, however, commitments could be substantial.

    Take Microsoft, for example. Just 10 days after Floyd’s murder, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent an internal memo condemning police brutality and urging employees to take action. He also announced that Microsoft would donate $1.5 million to racial justice organizations. Microsoft then pledged to invest US$150 million in diversity and inclusion efforts and to establish a $50 million fund to support Black-owned business partners. Microsoft also committed to doubling its Black-owned suppliers by 2023 and Black senior executives by 2025.

    The impact of the DEI professional network

    DEI professionals help companies manage the diversity of their workforces by promoting fairness in treatment and social inclusion. Their basic job is to ensure that workplaces are respectful to all employees. The rise of this job title signals a managerial shift from tolerating cultural diversity to promoting broad inclusion. Some DEI practices – for example, diversity training focused on discrimination – can lead to backlash, research has shown. But inclusive practices, such as ensuring mentoring for everyone, simply tend to foster better workplaces.

    This made us wonder what distinguished the minority of firms that made more robust commitments to racial justice from the others. Our hunch was that when firm leadership discussed how to react to the Black Lives Matter protests, companies that already had DEI professionals with influential voices took stronger action.

    To test our hypothesis, we first searched globally for all DEI job titles in all large firms in LinkedIn. LinkedIn profiles provide the most recent 10 jobs a person holds, so we can identify when and at what firm people had DEI jobs. LinkedIn has proven to be a reliable source of career data for corporate professionals and is especially appropriate for a new and growing job title such as DEI.

    The general picture is clear.

    There was a rapid rise in DEI positions in the U.S., with a big jump in 2020, followed by declines in 2022, when our data ends. Among Fortune 500 companies, however, only about half had any DEI professionals. DEI roles were growing rapidly, but they were far from universal in the largest corporations.

    We also discovered that there was a set of firms central to the global DEI professional network. These firms were a source of future DEI staff for other companies. We measured centrality within the DEI network as the number of people in a firm’s DEI workforce that once worked in other prominent firms in the DEI network. Network centrality is a common way social scientists measure influence in groups.

    To be clear, these weren’t companies that specialize in DEI, but rather had hired DEI staff to help run their core business. The most central firms to the DEI professional network included some of the country’s largest banks, consulting firms and corporations, such as IBM, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric. These firms are also more likely to have made longer and larger investments in DEI staff than other firms.

    Based on prior studies of influence in social networks, we suspected that when a firm’s DEI staff were recruited from these prominent firms in the DEI network, they would have more influence over corporate decisions on how to respond to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. We found that the 20% of firms that made strong racial justice comments had much more prominent DEI staff than those that remained silent or made only symbolic statements. This finding has held up in multiple statistical models, where we have controlled for other factors that might be of relevance to making strong racial justice commitments.

    DEI staff, it appears, were influential when the national conversation turned to racial justice. Conversely, we also found that firms with politically conservative CEOs were much more likely to remain silent in the face of Black Lives Matter protests.

    The future of DEI?

    We wondered whether the association of DEI professionals and stronger racial justice commitments was stable, or perhaps just a fleeting result of strong mass protest in 2020. So we examined a second instance of corporations taking a stance. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court was considering the constitutional status of affirmative action practices in college admissions. Before the Supreme Court made its ruling, many firms sought to weigh in to influence the result by submitting legal briefs documenting the reasons why they thought the court should rule in favor of affirmative action.

    We found the same kinds of patterns of corporate support for affirmative action in 2022 as we did from the earlier protests in 2020. A total of 46 firms in the Fortune 500 publicly supported affirmative action. Once again, there is a strong relationship between the prominence of DEI professionals and taking action on racial justice policy. Those firms with greater prominence in the DEI network in 2020 were significantly more likely to sign onto a friend-of-the-court briefing in 2022.

    When firms make stronger investments in DEI work, and their DEI professionals are more central to the national DEI network, those DEI professionals were more influential in producing stronger racial justice commitments. This reflects long-term firm investments and the development of a robust, influential DEI staff.

    But only 20% of firms made strong commitments, while the vast majority were pretty silent in the face of national calls for racial justice. DEI roles had begun to drop after 2021, even before Trump’s election, and the current political attack on DEI will be chilling. There was already evidence in 2023 that some major firms were hiring fewer minority employees across their workforces. The influence of DEI professionals was never widespread and is likely now in decline. But we suspect that this decline will be fastest among the firms that were never really committed to racial justice and have particularly conservative CEOs.

    What about responses to the new political environment? As of March 2025, only 31 of the Fortune 500 signaled that they planned to roll back their DEI efforts or eliminate them altogether. Eleven firms publicly defended their DEI efforts, nine of which were among the strong racial justice responders in 2020. None of the firms that were silent in 2020 have defended DEI so far this year.

    So far among the Fortune 500, 92% of firms have remained largely silent about their DEI intentions. Perhaps the most interesting are Amazon, Meta, Google, Target, Ford and Walmart – all firms that made strong racial justice pledges in 2020 but have joined the DEI backlash this year. However, other firms have resisted these trends. The future of equal opportunity in U.S. employment will likely depend, at least in part, on how these silences and defenses are worked out in firms’ internal human resource practices and public commitments.

    This research was supported by the Center for Employment Equity at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation..

    Jorge Quesada Velazco and Kevin L. Young do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. We analyzed racial justice statements from the 500 largest US companies and found that DEI officials really did have an influence – https://theconversation.com/we-analyzed-racial-justice-statements-from-the-500-largest-us-companies-and-found-that-dei-officials-really-did-have-an-influence-249999

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cal J. Halvorsen, Associate Professor of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis

    New volunteers get trained in Lexington, Ky., to help out at CASA of Lexington in April 2023. AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel

    As gerontologists – social scientists who study aging populations – we envision a future in which older people leave a doctor’s visit with a prescription to go volunteer for something.

    Does that sound far-fetched? There’s scientific research backing it up.

    Good for your health

    While spending more than a dozen years researching what happens when older adults volunteer with nonprofits, including churches, we’ve found that volunteers consider themselves to be in better health than their peers who don’t. In addition, their blood pressure is lower, and they appear to be aging more slowly than other people of the same age.

    Other researchers have found that volunteering is associated with a lower risk of having a heart attack.

    The mental health benefits are just as striking.

    Volunteering is tied to having fewer symptoms of depression and being more satisfied with your life. It often brings an instant boost in mood – along with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.

    Even engaging in what’s known as “informal helping” – lending a hand to friends, neighbors or community members in need, without getting paid or participating in an organized program – can help you in similar ways.

    There are also health benefits for those who start volunteering much earlier in life.

    Children and teens who volunteer tend to have better health and lower levels of anxiety and fewer behavioral problems than those who don’t volunteer.

    Changing demographics

    The number of U.S. adults at least 62 years old – the earliest age at which you can claim Social Security retirement benefits – has grown by nearly 35 million since 2000, while the number of children and teens under 18 has fallen by nearly 1.5 million. There are now about 76 million Americans over 62 and 71 million under 18.

    This change has been gradual. Following a long-term demographic shift, record numbers of Americans are reaching retirement age.

    Benefits for society and the economy

    The benefits of volunteering aren’t just for the volunteers themselves.

    The total value of the hours of unpaid work volunteers put in totals an estimated US$170 billion each year, according to AmeriCorps, the federal agency focused on national and community service.

    And participating in community service programs can lead to better job prospects for volunteers, that same agency has found.

    AmeriCorps Seniors, which focuses on engaging volunteers ages 55 and older, runs programs that offer major benefits to their communities. These include the Foster Grandparent program, which connects older adult mentors to children, and the Senior Companion program, which connects volunteers to older adults seeking some help to continue living independently in their own homes.

    A current AmeriCorps Seniors pilot program is helping adults 55 and up, who can have more trouble landing new jobs than younger people, gain new job skills through their community service.

    People of all ages can get together through volunteering. Some organizations intentionally encourage this kind of intergenerational cooperation, including CoGenerate and Generations United.

    Rebuilding communities

    Researchers have also found that volunteering may increase trust within a community, especially when it brings together people from different backgrounds.

    It can strengthen “social cohesion,” a term researchers use to describe how much people bond and help each other, and reduce prejudice.

    Volunteers’ views on social issues may change through their work, too: More than 4 in 5 adults over 55 who tutored public school students to strengthen their reading skills in the national Experience Corps program, for example, stated that their views on public education evolved as a result. Those volunteers expressed more support for public education and said they’d be more likely to vote in favor of spending on schools.

    An American pastime

    Our findings are backed by science, but they also have roots in American history.

    Alexis de Tocqueville – a French philosopher and diplomat who arrived in the United States in 1831 to study the new nation’s penal system – was so impressed by the scale of volunteering in the U.S. that he wrote about it in his 1835 book “Democracy in America.”

    Tocqueville observed that “Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds” were likely to unite in many kinds of groups or associations.

    More recently, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has said that volunteering can strengthen communities, and that “community is a powerful source of life satisfaction and life expectancy.”

    If you aren’t volunteering today, here are a few ideas to help you begin.

    Start small. Try joining an organization or association in your community, taking part in neighborhood cleanups or volunteering at your local senior center, animal shelter or museum. Love gardening? You can take care of local parks, conservation areas, community gardens and more.

    Once you’re ready for a bigger commitment, consider becoming a mentor through programs such as OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring or Big Brothers Big Sisters.

    And consider a more extensive level of commitment to organizations or causes you care deeply about. This might include joining a nonprofit board of directors, volunteering more hours, or taking on a volunteer leadership role.

    At a time when trust is eroding and divisions seem insurmountable, volunteering offers something rare: an evidence-backed way to reconnect with communities, institutions and each other.

    Reach out to your favorite nonprofit, visit Volunteer.gov or VolunteerMatch.org, or connect with a nonprofit resource center, a regional United Way or a community foundation to find volunteer opportunities near you.

    Cal Halvorsen is a Senior Research Fellow at CoGenerate. He received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to examine the longitudinal effects of volunteering on cardiovascular disease biomarkers.

    Seoyoun Kim receives funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to examine the longitudinal effects of volunteering on cardiovascular biomarkers.

    – ref. Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering – https://theconversation.com/want-to-stay-healthier-and-fulfilled-later-in-life-try-volunteering-252585

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The UK has a lot of people out of work because of mental illness – but listening to those affected reveals that’s rarely the whole story

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Annie Louise Irvine, Research Affiliate, King’s College London

    ARMMY PICCA/Shutterstock

    What is going on in the UK when it comes to the massive rise in benefit claims related to mental health? It’s complicated, that much is certain.

    Understanding the causes of mental health-related economic inactivity and what to do about it is at the top of the UK government’s policy agenda. It recently set out plans in a green paper to improve access to effective employment support for people with mental health problems. At the same time, controversial reforms to health and disability benefits were central to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement.

    As a social researcher, listening closely to people’s lived experiences has taught me that while their distress is genuine, significant and at times severe, it is rarely the whole story of what is constraining their ability to find and stay in work.

    Mental distress is almost invariably bound up in other challenging circumstances that also pose barriers to work – issues such as homelessness, violence and abuse, caring commitments, lone parenthood, poverty, involvement with the criminal justice system, and the obstacles caused by inflexible employers and insecure work.

    This has made me wonder if the system’s very narrow focus on health as a barrier to work is part of the problem.

    It’s not that the mental health conversation has gone too far – but it may have become too narrow. While it is essential to respond to people’s distress, we can’t understand their capacity for work, or support their steps back into employment, unless we pay attention to all the other factors that limit their opportunities for work.

    The work capability assessment (WCA) was introduced 17 years ago to determine how far and in what ways someone’s disability, illness or health condition limits them from working. Since then, welfare support has been narrowed down to questions of obligation and conditionality – with health as the central focus.

    But this narrow approach, and the exclusive link between ill health and work-related obligations, has crowded out the full range of challenges, constraints and contingencies that affect people’s capacity for work. When health is the only thing the system is interested in, it’s the only thing claimants can discuss.

    So now, with the UK government’s plan to scrap the WCA and introduce a new kind of “support conversation”, there is an opportunity to bring this broader range of factors back into the picture.

    In a positive shift, the government has recognised that discussions about work need to include a better understanding of people’s goals and aspirations, and that these conversations should also facilitate access to support for debt, housing, careers, training and social connection.

    How this might be done is a question that needs careful thought and experimentation. The government is seeking responses on how this “support conversation” should be designed and delivered.

    In a recent workshop, we explored the opportunities and challenges that might arise from a more holistic approach to assessing capacity for work. Participants in our workshop felt there was potential for more positive experiences and effective support.

    But they also envisaged risks both for claimants and welfare services, including the potential for claimants to be retraumatised, as well as extra admin and the possibility of raising unrealistic expectations.

    Better support for people who want to work

    As the government’s Pathways to Work green paper recognises, there are many people for whom formal paid employment may never be possible. But there are some people in the health-related benefits group who would like to work.

    In my most recent research project, I met people living with mental health difficulties and neurodivergence who were keen to work but felt frustrated at the lack of personalised support. Here are a few examples of what they told me:

    In my experience, they don’t help you, they just tell you to do this, that and the other. But they’re not supporting you through the process of finding a job. They’re just throwing these jobs at you. (female, 26)

    I do want to work. It’s just, I want to be able to work and then keep the job. And right now, I just I don’t feel like I’ve got the right things in place to help me with that … I don’t want to use it as just an excuse … What I want is: ‘Oh, I’ve got ADHD, can you please take that into account?’ (male, 33)

    I really don’t know what [job] to go for … A lot of my issues have been connected to frustration and feeling stuck, and not being able to find a pathway into sustainable employment – and things related to education. It’s all kind of linked in a bundle (male, 38)

    Shifting the balance towards personalised and holistic support is a step in the right direction. But the spectre of welfare conditionality, and the threat of sanctions if someone is unable to fulfil work-related activities, will always be a block on engaging those who might be able to work, given the appropriate time and support.

    While the green paper describes sanctions as a “last resort”, it does not go far enough on removing compliance from people’s encounters with the system.

    Mental ill health is often part of a bigger picture of challenging circumstances including lone parenthood or poverty.
    Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock

    The goal should be to make a safe space for people to go beyond the health conversation. The new “support conversation” must allow people to talk about their health and non-health constraints, and the full range of support they need to move into appropriate work.

    We do need to talk about mental health – the reality of people’s distress must never be undermined. But we need to talk about more than just mental health, and approach people’s work-related challenges with an appreciation that mental health problems rarely arise out of nowhere. We cannot understand capacity for work without understanding people’s wider social context.

    Lastly, we really need to ditch the “any job” approach. It is the fit of a particular workplace and particular job with a person’s unique life circumstances that makes the difference as to whether work is feasible, fulfilling and sustainable.

    Annie Louise Irvine has received research funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. She is affiliated with the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, the University of York School for Business and Society, and serves as a non-executive Director for the organisation Better Connect.

    – ref. The UK has a lot of people out of work because of mental illness – but listening to those affected reveals that’s rarely the whole story – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-has-a-lot-of-people-out-of-work-because-of-mental-illness-but-listening-to-those-affected-reveals-thats-rarely-the-whole-story-252891

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens offer democratic alternative to dead end of Reform

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    / by Green Party

    Responding to Reform’s local elections campaign event, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay MP said: 

    “We know people are struggling after 14 years of Conservative austerity, now followed by the crushing disappointment of a new Labour government making more cuts to front line services. But Reform will never be the answer to the decline of the two old parties. 

    “Reform is a party designed to benefit the very richest and has no track record of delivering for people. Green councillors up and down the country are delivering real hope and real change in their communities every day. 

    “We are offering a hard-working and democratic alternative to the dead end, divisive choice of Reform and their impossible promises.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Updated SORP: charities encouraged to respond to consultation and be ready for change

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Updated SORP: charities encouraged to respond to consultation and be ready for change

    The joint SORP-making body has today launched a public consultation on the next version of the charities accounting and reporting framework.

    The ‘Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ (‘the SORP’) ensures consistency and transparency across the sector, making charity accounts comparable, understandable and useful for donors, beneficiaries, and the public alike.  

    It has been updated following an extensive development process informed by the views of engagement partners and a sector specific SORP Committee.  

    The SORP-making body is now inviting comments on the draft as the feedback will help shape the final version, which is expected to be published in autumn 2025 and effective from January 2026.  

    The SORP has been updated to reflect changes introduced by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland – and in particular to reflect changes to how charities will need to recognise certain types of income and certain types of leases in their accounts. The consultation is seeking views on how the revised requirements are explained in the context of charities. Charities are also encouraged to ready themselves for these two changes, the substance of which is already decided.

    Improvements are also proposed in other areas that are within the discretion of the SORP-making body. These are to make the SORP more straightforward to navigate for charities, and to improve information for beneficiaries, donors and the public about how charity resources are stewarded. These proposed changes include:  

    • introduction of 3 tiers based on income levels to ensure proportionate reporting, whilst also meeting the information needs of users   

    • advancing reporting in important areas such as impact reporting, reserves, going concern and volunteers 

    • introduction of proportionate reporting for environmental, social and governance issues. 

    The SORP-making body is keen to hear the views of charities, preparers, auditors and independent examiners of charity accounts, trustees, employees and beneficiaries of charities and others who may use charity accounts including donors, funders, financial supporters and other stakeholders. 

    The consultation on the ‘Exposure Draft of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ will run from 28 March 2025 for 12 weeks.  

    The joint SORP-making body comprises the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The Charities Regulator for the Republic of Ireland is an observer on the SORP-making body. 

    Charity Commission for England and Wales Chief Executive David Holdsworth CEO, said:  

    Some charities have to prepare accounts using the Charities SORP, whilst others choose to do so. The framework promotes transparency and accountability over the stewardship of the resources charities hold, which is vital to public trust and confidence in the sector. This new draft has been developed through extensive engagement with experts including through the SORP Committee, and can be improved further through this formal consultation. I really encourage charities and others with an interest or experience to give us their feedback.  

    Charity Commission for Northern Ireland Chief Executive, Frances McCandless, said: 

    The SORP plays a crucial role in setting accountancy standards for charities. To ensure it evolves to meet modern expectations and supports those preparing, reviewing, and reading charity accounts, we need your input. This consultation is a key opportunity for those who use the SORP to shape its future. With implementation approaching in January 2026, and as FRS 102 will not be changing, now is also the time for charities to start thinking about how they can be ready to report under the new standards.  

    Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) CEO, Katriona Carmichael, said:  

    The Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) helps promote trust and confidence in charities by enhancing transparency and accountability of how a charity’s resources are managed. The Exposure Draft SORP has been developed by experts in charity finance to ensure that charities can keep up with developments in modern financial reporting. It’s with this in mind that I’d encourage charities applying the SORP and others to contribute to this consultation process, and take action now to prepare for the upcoming changes in accounting standards that are reflected in the Exposure Draft SORP. 

    ENDS  

    Notes to editors 

    1. More information about the Charity SORP, including the consultation on the ‘exposure draft’, can be found at https://www.charitysorp.org/  

    2. The Charity SORP applies to charities preparing accruals accounts under UK-Irish Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP).  The SORP provides guidance on FRS 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), as well as setting out sector specific requirements. More information about FRS 102 can be found here

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Homeless, HIA and Telecare services switching to council

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Customers will be able to access all the services as normal, with new email and phone contact details as follows:

    The new arrangements aim to realise operational benefits while continuing to deliver a seamless customer service.

    Improvements for customers include a new face to face offer alongside the introduction of a new housing advice service.

    This follows public consultation that identified residents want more face to face advice and support to help them stay in their accommodation.

    The new model is also in line with councils up and down the country having to manage rising costs and a huge increase in demand for Temporary Accommodation.  

    Councillor Steve Evans, the council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing, said: “We need to prevent more people losing their homes and through quality advice and support we will be able to offer that.

    “The proposed Housing Advice and Homeless Prevention Service will manage the growing demand and improve residents’ ability to make well informed decisions regarding their housing options.

    “We would like to thank Wolverhampton Homes for helping thousands of residents over the years and we have worked closely with them to make the transition to the remodelled service as smooth as possible.”

    The transfer of the HIA and Telecare from Wolverhampton Homes to the council will provide the opportunity to streamline services and give the council greater oversight on the delivery of the housing adaptations service, which impacts on services within the council such as adult social care, children’s services and occupational health.

    Councillor Evans added: “Wolverhampton Homes has been a key partner in the review of the HIA and Telecare and is supportive of the services being transferred to the council.

    “The transfer will further simplify the ability for all services involved in both policy development and assessment and delivery of adaptations to work under one governance framework ensuring quick and timely decision making when needed as well as further encouraging a shared knowledge and resource base.

    “The delivery of adaptations and telecare are an integral part of council functions and services. The council’s ability to ensure that elderly, vulnerable and disabled persons have access to aids, adaptations and technology supports people in remaining in their homes and will likely have a positive impact on their health and wellbeing, In addition, it also alleviates the pressures on health and social care services by reducing hospital admissions and the need for long term care both in and outside of the home.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –