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  • MIL-OSI Canada: Chair’s Summary

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) gathered in Kananaskis, Alberta, from June 15-17, 2025, with the objective of building stronger economies by making communities safer and the world more secure, promoting energy security and accelerating the digital transition, as well as fostering partnerships of the future.  

    Five decades after its founding in 1975, the G7 continues to demonstrate its value as a platform for advanced economies to coordinate financial and economic policy, address issues of peace and security, and cooperate with international partners in response to global challenges.  

    G7 Leaders focused on economic developments. In a context of rising market volatility and shocks to international trade, as well as longer-term trends toward fragmentation and global imbalances, they discussed the need for greater economic and financial stability, technological innovation, and an open and predictable trading regime to drive investment and growth. They considered ways to collaborate on global trade to boost productivity and grow their economies, emphasizing energy security and the digital transition. They acknowledged that both are underpinned by secure and responsible critical mineral supply chains and that more collaboration is required, within and beyond the G7. Leaders undertook to safeguard their economies from unfair non-market policies and practices that distort markets and drive overcapacity in ways that are harmful to workers and businesses. This includes de-risking through diversification and reduction of critical dependencies. Leaders welcomed the new Canada-led G7 initiative – the Critical Minerals Production Alliance – working with trusted international partners to guarantee supply for advanced manufacturing and defence.

    G7 Leaders expressed support for President Trump’s efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They recognized that Ukraine has committed to an unconditional ceasefire, and they agreed that Russia must do the same. G7 Leaders are resolute in exploring all options to maximize pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions. The G7 met with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Mark Rutte to discuss their support for a strong and sovereign Ukraine, including budgetary defence and recovery and reconstruction support.

    G7 Leaders reiterated their commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. They exchanged on the evolving situation, following Hamas’s terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the active conflict between Israel and Iran. Leaders discussed the importance of unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of all hostages and an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Leaders also talked about the need for a negotiated political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that achieves lasting peace. Leaders affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, and were clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. They underlined the importance of protecting civilians. They expressed their readiness to coordinate to safeguard the stability of international energy markets. They urged that the resolution of this crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza. G7 Leaders released a statement on recent developments between Israel and Iran.

    Leaders highlighted the importance of a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific, based on the rule of law, and discussed growing economic cooperation with the region. They stressed the importance of constructive and stable relations with China, while calling on China to refrain from market distortions and harmful overcapacity, tackle global challenges and promote international peace and security. Leaders discussed their ongoing serious concerns about China’s destabilizing activities in the East and South China Seas and the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They expressed concern about DPRK’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and the need to jointly address DPRK cryptocurrency thefts fueling these programs. The need to resolve the abductions issue was also raised. Leaders acknowledged the links between crisis theatres in Ukraine, the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. Leaders discussed other instances of crisis and conflict, including in Africa and Haiti. 

    The G7 Leaders underscored their resolve to ensure the safety and security of communities. They condemned foreign interference, underlining the unacceptable threat of transnational repression to rights and freedoms, national security and state sovereignty. Leaders highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration to promote border security and counter migrant smuggling and illicit synthetic drug trafficking, noting recent successes. They stressed the need to work with countries of origin and transit countries. Leaders discussed the impacts of increasingly extreme weather events around the world. They highlighted the need for more international collaboration to prevent, fight and respond to wildfires, which are destroying homes and ecosystems, and driving pollution and emissions. 

    The G7 welcomed participation in the Summit by the President of South Africa, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, President of the Republic Korea, Lee Jae-myung, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, as well as UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and President of the World Bank, Ajaypal Singh Banga. Together, they identified ways to collaborate on energy security in a changing world, with a focus on advancing technology and innovation, diversifying and strengthening critical mineral supply chains, building infrastructure, and mobilizing investment. They discussed just energy transitions as well as sustainable and innovative solutions to boost energy access and affordability, while mitigating the impact on climate and the environment. They talked about the consequences of growing conflicts for shared prosperity, including energy security, and the need to work towards a shared peace. 

    Leaders and guests had a productive discussion on the importance of building coalitions with reliable partners – existing and new – that include the private sector, development finance institutions and multilateral development banks, to drive inclusive economic growth and advance sustainable development. The upcoming United Nations’ Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development was raised as an opportunity to continue these discussions, including on private capital mobilization. 

    G7 Leaders agreed to collaborate with partners on concrete outcomes that deliver for everyone. To this end, they agreed to six joint statements. Their commitments included: 

    • Securing high-standard critical mineral supply chains that power the economies of the future.
    • Driving secure, responsible and trustworthy AI adoption across public and private sectors, powering AI now and into the future, and closing digital divides.
    • Boosting cooperation to unlock the full potential of quantum technology to grow economies, solve global challenges and keep communities secure.
    • Mounting a multilateral effort to better prevent, fight and recover from wildfires, which are on the rise around the world.
    • Protecting the rights of everyone in society, and the fundamental principle of state sovereignty, by continuing to combat foreign interference, with a focus on transnational repression.
    • Countering migrant smuggling by dismantling transnational organized crime groups. 

    G7 Leaders welcomed the endorsement by many outreach partners of the Critical Minerals Action Plan and the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter. 

    Discussions at the Kananaskis Summit were informed by the recommendations of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC), which stressed the social and economic benefits of gender equality, and of all G7 engagement groups. 

    The G7 remains committed to working with domestic and international stakeholders and partners, including local governments, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, industry and international organizations, to advance shared priorities. 

    The G7 will continue its work under Canada’s presidency throughout 2025, and looks forward to France’s leadership in 2026.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Statement on Adriana Smith

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Adriana Smith’s Family Was Denied the Right to Make Medical Decisions for Months, After She Was Declared Brain Dead, Due to Georgia Abortion Ban

    Pressley Joins Williams, Jacobs in Introducing Resolution Condemning Anti-Abortion Laws that Denied Smith’s Dignity and Human Rights

    Adriana’s Son Chance was Delivered via Postmortem Emergency C-Section and Adriana Will be Taken Off Life Support

    Resolution Text (PDF)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) released the following statement on the tragic case of Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old Georgia mother who was declared brain dead in February and had been kept on artificial life support without her family’s consent. The Georgia hospital where Adriana died indicated that the state’s extreme abortion ban mandated Adriana remain on life support because she was 9 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. On Friday, June 13, 2025, her infant son, named Chance, was born prematurely at approximately 4:41 a.m. via a postmortem emergency Cesarean section. Chance weighs about 1 pound, 13 ounces and is currently in the NICU. Adriana is being taken off life support today.

    “Adriana Smith was a beloved daughter, a devoted mother, and a compassionate nurse denied dignity and basic human rights,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus. “She and her family were failed by a broken system that ignored her pain and then forced them to endure months of trauma under cruel, dehumanizing laws. These laws stripped Adriana of her dignity and denied her family the right to make deeply personal medical decisions. I hope their experiences compel Congress and the states to finally end cruel abortion bans, end fetal personhood laws, and confront the Black maternal morbidity crisis once and for all. I am proud to join Congresswoman Williams and our colleagues on this resolution to honor Adriana’s life, uplift her family, and recommit ourselves to fighting for reproductive freedom, Black maternal health, the right to abortion care and the bodily autonomy of every person who calls this country home. We join Adriana’s family members in praying for strength for baby Chance and mourning the loss of Adriana.”

    In light of this solemn update, Congresswoman Pressley joined Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) in introducing a resolution recognizing the deeply disturbing case of Adriana Smith.

    The resolution calls for urgent legislative and policy changes to protect the rights, autonomy, and dignity of pregnant people — particularly Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by systemic medical neglect and restrictive anti-abortion laws.

    “I extend my sympathies to Adriana Smith’s family as they spend their final moments with Adriana on their terms. Adriana Smith deserved better at every point of this tragedy. Her family, along with baby Chance, remain in my family’s prayers as they navigate life after this unimaginably devastating situation that Georgia’s laws imposed on them. From my service in the State Senate when the LIFE Act was passed in 2019, I know that the bill was drafted in a way that created uncertainty among medical providers and my constituents in Georgia’s 5th District about what is permitted under the law and how the law would be enforced. The clear intention of this was to create a chilling effect on doctors providing essential maternal healthcare services and on patients seeking lifesaving medical treatment. We are now seeing this lack of clarity result in unimaginable cruelty to Adriana Smith and her family,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams.

    “My heart breaks for Adriana Smith, her family, and new baby Chance, who had to enter the world this way. Georgia’s fetal personhood law denied Adriana Smith’s family the ability to say goodbye to her on their own terms,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. “Instead, she was kept on life support, breathing through machines for nearly four months to serve as an incubator. Women are worth more than their ability to get pregnant and give birth – we are human beings who should be trusted to make our own health care decisions. It’s devastating that Adriana is the latest casualty of our nation’s Black maternal health crisis and anti-abortion laws – but let’s ensure she’s the last. This needs to be the watershed moment to end anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws and guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone to make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families.”

    Adriana Smith, a nurse and mother, sought medical care for symptoms, including an extreme headache, in early February but was not given adequate treatment. She returned the next day as her condition worsened and was declared brain dead while nine weeks pregnant on February 19. She has been kept on artificial support until her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks and the fetus can be delivered, meaning her bodily functions will have been supported for more than 5 months. Due to Georgia’s LIFE Act and uncertainty surrounding fetal personhood laws, Emory University Midtown Hospital began maintaining Adriana’s bodily functions without consent from her family.

    The resolution urges the government to:

    • Repeal state laws that ban or criminalize abortion and abortion-related services;
    • Repeal laws that exclude pregnant people from having their advance directives come into effect;
    • Clarify how anti-abortion and fetal personhood laws should be interpreted in medical settings;
    • Reaffirm and guarantee autonomy and dignity to pregnant people over their lives, well-being, and medical needs.

    While Georgia’s Attorney General has stated that nothing in the LIFE Act explicitly mandates keeping a brain-dead patient on life support, the lack of a formal legal opinion or prosecutorial guidance leaves families and doctors in limbo.

    Anti-abortion laws deprive people who can become pregnant of their autonomy by prioritizing the life of the fetus over the health, medical decisions, and rights of the pregnant person — a dehumanizing practice that violates their civil rights and reinforces systemic control over their bodies.

    Out of fear of criminalization, family separation, or mistreatment like what Adriana Smith is experiencing, many pregnant people avoid healthcare settings even when they desire care, putting their health and the health of their fetus at risk.

    The resolution declares that the House of Representatives stands with Adriana Smith’s family in their efforts to return dignity and justice to their family, condemns giving fetuses rights and taking them away from pregnant people in our laws, and condemns the troublingly common experience that Black women face in medical settings of having their pain not given full credence or treatment.

    A copy of the resolution text can be found here.

    On June 5, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor demanding justice for Adriana Smith and sharing her family’s story. Pressley connected the horrific mistreatment of Adriana Smith to the brutal history of medical violence Black women have faced in America for centuries.

    Last month, as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, Rep. Pressley and Co-Chair Diana DeGette (CO-01) released a statement calling for the state of Georgia and the hospital in question to respect the fundamental rights of Adriana Smith and her family and condemned GOP abortion bans.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Concerned Stockholders Affirm Nomination of Director Candidates to Drive Change at Ionic

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Reiterate Commitment to Fight for Liquidity and Transparency Against Entrenched Incumbents

    Set Record Straight on Ionic’s Most Recent Misleading Statements

    Urge Their Fellow Stockholders to Learn More About Their Plan for Change at www.ionicvote.com

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tony Vejseli, Chris Villinger, and Brett Perry (the “Concerned Stockholders”), stockholders of Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic” or the “Company”), today issued a public letter to their fellow stockholders announcing that, pursuant to the ruling of the Delaware Court of Chancery that the Ionic board of directors breached its fiduciary duty and ordering the Company to reopen its nomination window for director candidates, the Concerned Stockholders have submitted a new nomination of their two highly qualified candidates, Mike Abbate and Oliver Wiener, for the two Class I Board seats up for election at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders scheduled for July 2, 2025.

    The full text of the letter can be found on the Concerned Stockholder’s website at www.ionicvote.com and below:

    Fellow Ionic Digital Stockholders:

    Tony Vejseli, Chris Villinger, and Brett Perry (together, the “Concerned Stockholders,” “we,” or “us”) are stockholders of Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic” or the “Company”) and have long been committed to fighting for the rights of our fellow stockholders. We believe our recent victory in the Delaware Court of Chancery, in which the court found that the Ionic board of directors (the “Board”) breached its fiduciary duties in seeking to entrench itself by reducing the size of the Board as a defensive tactic in the midst of a proxy contest. This ruling against each of the current Board members vindicates many of our concerns regarding the disgraceful lack of oversight and disregard for stockholder rights at Ionic.

    Pursuant to the court’s order that the Company reopen its nomination window for director candidates for election to the two open Class I Board seats at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders scheduled for July 2, 2025 (the “Annual Meeting”), we are pleased to announce that we have re-nominated Mike Abbate and Oliver Wiener, two highly-qualified candidates whom we have vetted thoroughly and are confident possess the background and experience in capital markets, corporate finance and the cryptocurrency space that we believe is necessary drive the much-needed change highlighted by the Delaware Court of Chancery’s decision and finally put stockholder value first at Ionic. The bios of our candidates are below, and interested stockholders can learn more at www.ionicvote.com.

    We also feel it is critical to set the record straight regarding certain misleading claims made by Ionic in its latest stockholder communication. While we are confident that no stockholder of Ionic would take the current Board’s statements at face value, given its long history of obfuscation and documented failure to focus on stockholder interests, we believe that stockholders deserve the whole truth, and that the election at the Annual Meeting should be made on a fully-informed basis and not be manipulated by misleading insinuations and distortions.

    For instance, the Board purports to believe that our interests conflict with those of our fellow stockholders. But nothing could be further from the truth – our only interests, and the only interests of our director candidates, are in creating stockholder value and generating liquidity after the long and undeserved drought spearheaded by the incumbent Board. Neither we nor any of our director candidates have any commitment to pursuing any particular liquidity pathway, and if elected, Messrs. Abbate and Wiener would consider all options for liquidity consistent with their fiduciary duties to stockholders – something the incumbent Board is clearly and demonstrably incapable of doing itself.

    Ionic also attempts to smear Mr. Wiener’s stellar reputation as a successful veteran of fintech and blockchain-based investments by focusing exclusively on his experience as a member of the advisory board of FTX, an advisory position of platitude, not fiduciary duty. Ionic refuses to acknowledge Mr. Wiener’s deep experience with and understanding of the cryptocurrency industry, a depth of expertise not possessed by a single member of the incumbent Board.

    Ionic falsely claims that Elizabeth LaPuma is the only nominee with decades of experience in capital markets, corporate finance and corporate transformation – but Mr. Wiener, not Ms. LaPuma, is the only candidate for election to the Board who served as senior leadership of an investment bank for two decades and founded a private equity firm, bringing more capital markets and finance experience to the table than the entire incumbent Board, including Ms. LaPuma. We further emphasize that among the many impressive and relevant items on Mr. Wiener’s resume, there is not a single judgment by a court that he ever breached a fiduciary duty to his stockholders, nor any period of failure in which he sat on a board for a year and a half collecting obscene board fees and juggling a rotating cast of executives, consultants, and auditors while failing to deliver on repeated promises of liquidity for long-suffering stockholders – which is more than can be said for any member of the Ionic Board.

    Finally, we note that Ionic’s most recent stockholder communication includes some limited scraps of operational data, and we applaud the Company for recognizing, if only belatedly and only as a result of our hard-fought engagement, that it needs to communicate with stockholders. But we emphasize that these communications remain sporadic, opportunistic, and incomplete. It should be highly concerning to all Ionic stockholders that the Company has failed to produce an annual report or any standard financial disclosures. Critically, over a year and a half of existence, Ionic has still never released a single data point regarding its costs and expenses. In fact, we understand the Company has engaged three separate investment banks, but has failed to disclose exactly how much it is paying these expensive advisors. Stockholders deserve to know how much of our money is being burned by a Board that has already demonstrated that it doesn’t care about its duties to its stockholders.

    The Concerned Stockholders believe that the incumbent Board has had more than adequate opportunity to prove itself, and it has failed. Over the last year and a half, the incumbent Board has proven only that it lacks the necessary experience to oversee the business of Ionic. As Scott Flanders himself testified in the Delaware Court of Chancery, regarding the operations of the Company:

    “…material safety issues, just gross negligent construction, not adhering to any kind of best practices, the performance, and lack of responsiveness from Hut 8.”

    Stockholders deserve real change – we urge you to throw away your WHITE proxy card and vote for Mike Abbate and Oliver Wiener on the GOLD Proxy Card today to cast a vote for restoring transparency, accountability, and liquidity to Ionic.

    Learn more at www.ionicvote.com

    Contact Information
    Investor Contact:
    Saratoga Proxy Consulting LLC
    John Ferguson / Ann Marie Mellone
    (888) 368-0379
    (212) 257-1311
    info@saratogaproxy.com

    Our Candidates:

    Michael Abbate, age 46, currently serves as an Advisor to Figure Markets Holdings, Inc. (“Figure Markets”), a decentralized custody and exchange for financial assets, since February 2025. Previously, Mr. Abbate served as Chief Investment Officer of Figure Markets, from January 2024 to January 2025. Prior to Figure Markets, Mr. Abbate served as Managing Partner of NovaWulf Digital Management, LP (“NovaWulf”), an investment manager focused on digital assets, from August 2021 to January 2024 and as a private investor from January 2021 to August 2021. Earlier in his career, Mr. Abbate worked for over 16 years at King Street Capital Management, L.P., a leading global alternative asset manager, most recently as a Member, from March 2004 to December 2020. Mr. Abbate started his career as an investment banker in global technology at Morgan Stanley and received a Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering from Dartmouth College.

    Oliver Wiener, age 47, has served as Founder and Managing Partner of Kensington Merchant Partners, a merchant bank, investment management and corporate development advisory business focused on Financials, Fintech, Insurance, Insuretech and Blockchain verticals, since January 2023. Previously, he served as a Portfolio Manager at Standard Investments LLC, an investment platform focused on the intersection of industry and technology, from May 2021 to December 2022. Prior to that, Mr. Wiener served as Co-Founder and Partner at BTIG, LLC, a global financial services firm, from March 2003 to May 2021. Mr. Wiener currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Chain Bridge I, a special situations fund focused on convertible bonds, SPAC securities, PIPEs, warrants and public equities, since February 2024, and The National Security Group, Inc., an insurance holding company, since October 2024. He has also served as a board observer at Figment Inc., a leading provider of blockchain infrastructure, since 2022, an advisory board member at Extend, an AI enabled post purchase protection Insurtech since 2021 and an advisor at Figment Capital, a Web3 infrastructure investment fund, since July 2021, Hangar, a private equity sponsor focused on technology and public sector markets, since March 2023, and the Opportunity Network, a non-profit focused on providing access to college and professional mobility for underrepresented students, since January 2021. He is also an active member of the Economic Club of New York and the University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Science Board of Visitors, as well as the UW Technology Entrepreneurship Office Advisory Council. Previously, he served as a member of the board of directors of Interchecks Technologies, Inc., a payment technology company, from January 2022 to January 2023, and as an advisory board member at Anchor Labs Inc., a software developer, from the spring of 2020 to the winter of 2023. Mr. Wiener also served as a founding member and President of the board of the Association for Digital Asset Markets, a private, non-profit, industry-led, broad-based association of firms operating in the digital asset space, from November 2018 to May 2021, and was a member of Prince’s Trust US Finance Committee from January 2019 to December 2023. Mr. Wiener began his career as an equities analyst at CIBC Oppenheimer. He received a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitdeer Announces Proposed Private Placement of US$300.0 Million of Convertible Senior Notes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitdeer Technologies Group (Nasdaq: BTDR) (“Bitdeer” or the “Company”), a world-leading technology company for Bitcoin mining, today announced that it intends to offer, subject to market conditions and other factors, US$300.0 million principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “notes”) in a private placement (the “offering”) to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Company also intends to grant the initial purchasers of the notes an option to purchase, for settlement within a 13-day period beginning on, and including, the date on which the notes are first issued, up to an additional US$45.0 million principal amount of notes.

    The notes will be general senior unsecured obligations of the Company and will accrue interest payable semiannually in arrears. Upon conversion, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, Class A ordinary shares par value US$0.0000001 per share, of the Company (the “Class A ordinary shares”) or a combination of cash and Class A ordinary shares, at its election. The interest rate, initial conversion rate, repurchase or redemption rights and certain other terms of the notes will be determined at the time of pricing of the offering.

    Use of Proceeds

    The Company intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to pay the cost of the zero-strike call option transaction and to pay the cash consideration for the concurrent note exchange transactions, each as described below. The Company intends to use the remaining net proceeds from the offering for datacenter expansion, ASIC based mining rig development and manufacture, as well as working capital and other general corporate purposes. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes, the Company expects to use the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes for datacenter expansion, ASIC based mining rig development and manufacture, as well as working capital and other general corporate purposes as described above.

    Zero-Strike Call Option Transaction

    In connection with the pricing of the notes, the Company intends to enter into a privately negotiated zero-strike call option transaction with one of the initial purchasers or its affiliate (the “option counterparty”) and, having an expiration date that is scheduled to occur shortly after the maturity date of the notes. Pursuant to the zero-strike call option transaction, the Company would pay a premium for the right to receive, without further payment, a specified number of Class A ordinary shares (subject to customary adjustment), with delivery thereof by the option counterparty at expiry, subject to early settlement of the zero-strike call option transaction in whole or in part at the option counterparty’s discretion. In the case of settlement at expiration or upon any early settlement, the option counterparty would deliver to the Company the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the zero-strike call option transaction or the portion thereof being settled early. The zero-strike call option transaction is intended to facilitate privately negotiated derivative transactions with respect to the Class A ordinary shares between the option counterparty (or its affiliate) and certain investors in the notes by which those investors will be able to hedge their investment in the notes. Those activities, which are expected to occur concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the offering, could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Class A ordinary shares and/or the notes at that time.

    The option counterparty (or its affiliate) may modify its hedge positions by entering into or unwinding derivative transactions with respect to the Class A ordinary shares and/or purchasing or selling Class A ordinary shares or other securities of the Company in secondary market transactions at any time following the pricing of the notes and shortly before or after the expiry or early settlement of the zero-strike call option transaction, and, the Company has been advised that the option counterparty may unwind its derivative transactions and/or purchase or sell the Class A ordinary shares in connection with the expiry of the zero-strike call option transaction or any early settlement of the zero-strike call option transaction at the option counterparty’s discretion, including any early settlement relating to any conversion, repurchase or redemption of the notes. Those activities could also increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) or decrease (or reduce the size of any increase in) the market price of the Class A ordinary shares and/or the notes.

    If the zero-strike call option transaction fails to become effective, whether or not the offering is completed, the option counterparty may unwind its hedge positions with respect to the Class A ordinary shares, which could adversely affect the market price of the Class A ordinary shares and, if the notes have been issued, the market price of the notes.

    Concurrent Note Exchange Transaction

    Concurrently with the pricing of the notes in the offering, the Company expects to enter into one or more privately negotiated transactions with one or more holders of 8.50% convertible senior notes due 2029 (the “August 2029 notes”) to exchange for cash and Class A ordinary shares certain of its August 2029 notes on terms to be negotiated with each holder (each, a “note exchange transaction”). The terms of each note exchange transaction will depend on a variety of factors. No assurance can be given as to how much, if any, of the August 2029 notes will be exchanged or the terms on which they will be exchanged. This press release is not an offer to exchange the August 2029 notes, and the offering of the notes is not contingent upon the exchange of the August 2029 notes.

    In connection with any note exchange transaction, the Company expects that holders of the August 2029 notes who agree to have their August 2029 notes exchanged and who have hedged their equity price risk with respect to such notes (the “hedged holders”) will unwind all or part of their hedge positions by buying the Class A ordinary shares and/or entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions with respect to the Class A ordinary shares. The amount of the Class A ordinary shares to be purchased by the hedged holders or in connection with such derivative transactions may be substantial in relation to the historical average daily trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares. This activity by the hedged holders could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Class A ordinary shares, including concurrently with the pricing of the notes. The Company cannot predict the magnitude of such market activity or the overall effect it will have on the price of the notes or the Class A ordinary shares.

    The notes and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, any state securities laws or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and other applicable securities laws.

    This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification thereof under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

    About Bitdeer Technologies Group

    Bitdeer is a world-leading technology company for Bitcoin mining. Bitdeer is committed to providing comprehensive Bitcoin mining solutions for its customers. The Company handles complex processes involved in computing such as equipment procurement, transport logistics, datacenter design and construction, equipment management, and daily operations. The Company also offers advanced cloud capabilities to customers with high demand for artificial intelligence. Headquartered in Singapore, Bitdeer has deployed datacenters in the United States, Norway, and Bhutan.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “anticipate,” “look forward to,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to Bitdeer’s expectations regarding the proposed terms and the completion, timing and size of the proposed offering, the note exchange transactions and the zero-strike call option transaction, the expected use of proceeds from the sale of the notes and potential impact of the foregoing or related transactions on the market price of the Class A ordinary shares or the trading price of the notes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks and uncertainties associated with market conditions, whether Bitdeer will offer the notes, enter into the note exchange transactions and the zero-strike call option transaction or be able to consummate the proposed offering, the note exchange transactions and the zero-strike call option transaction at the anticipated size or on the anticipated terms, or at all, and the satisfaction of closing conditions related to the proposed offering and the note exchange transactions, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Bitdeer’s annual report on Form 20-F, as well as those discussed in Bitdeer’s subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond Bitdeer’s control. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. Bitdeer specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise. Readers should not rely upon the information on this page as current or accurate after its publication date.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    Investor Relations
    Orange Group
    Yujia Zhai
    bitdeerir@orangegroupadvisors.com

    Public Relations
    BlocksBridge Consulting
    Nishant Sharma
    bitdeer@blocksbridge.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Introduces The Bicycles For Rural African Transport Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 17, 2025

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act, legislation that would establish within the United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID) a program to promote mobility in rural communities using affordable, sustainable bicycles to support access and key development objectives. 

    “U.S. foreign assistance makes up less than one percent of the federal budget—yet, it can yield millions in returns, both financially and in lives saved.  Sometimes, the simplest of tools, like a bicycle, can help make incredible progress,” said Durbin.  “Since 2019, I have worked through the appropriations process to push USAID to invest in locally appropriate and sustainable bicycles, which help meet needs in health care, education, and women and girls’ empowerment. Now that the Trump Administration has gutted USAID and is trying to jam a rescissions package through the Senate that strips global funding for the most vulnerable abroad, we need this legislation more than ever.”

    “Reliable, purpose-built bicycles are among the most cost-effective tools to improve access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities in rural communities. We applaud Senator Durbin’s leadership in reintroducing the Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act, which recognizes that mobility is foundational to development. This bill has the power to accelerate progress and unlock potential for millions of people,” said Dave Neiswander, CEO, World Bicycle Relief.

    This Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act builds on the work Durbin has done through the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) in the annual appropriations package in recent years, to provide modest funding and a comprehensive USAID assessment for a pilot program related to bicycles that has been successful at helping get girls to school, providing health services, allowing farmers to take their crops to market, and more. This bill would effectively codify those efforts, and requires USAID to report on such projects from which the agency can continue to build.  

    The legislation also emphasizes partnerships with existing entities, such as Chicago-based World Bicycle Relief, with successful models for providing access to affordable bicycles to achieve development objectives. Founded in 2005, World Bicycle Relief partners with communities across nearly two dozen countries to establish and manage a sustainable transportation ecosystem that has delivered nearly 900,000 sustainable bicycles and supported more 4.4 million people.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Judiciary Democrats Call On Secretary Noem To Testify Before The Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    June 17, 2025
    Durbin, SJC Dems cite alarming conduct such as the unnecessary use of force by masked ICE agents, family separations, targeting of workers, unjustified invocation of wartime powers, defiance of court orders, ignoring congressional oversight, and deployment of National Guard to California
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling on Chairman Grassley to schedule Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem for testimony before the committee.
    In a letter to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Senators write: “We request that you immediately convene a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to discuss the Department of Homeland Security’s escalating use of alarming immigration enforcement practices.”
    The Senators cited recent alarming conduct as part of the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant agenda, writing: “Federal agents’ conduct during the incident last week with Senator Padilla has become all too common. We increasingly are seeing masked agents, acting with unnecessary force and failing to identify themselves, arresting noncitizens in raids that terrify communities and needlessly separate families. The treatment of Senator Padilla is the latest in a string of attacks on our constitutional order. Earlier this year, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime authority that was last used during World War II to detain Japanese, Italian, and German immigrants. He has sent nearly 300 people to a dangerous and brutal prison in El Salvador without due process. He has consistently failed to comply with court orders. In recent days, he deployed the National Guard to California in response to protests of his Administration’s mass deportations over the objections of state officials.”
    The Senators continued by criticizing the Trump Administration’s hypocrisy for abandoning its promise to hold violent criminals accountable, writing: “We must ensure violent criminals are held accountable. The Administration, however, has abandoned its commitment to arresting and deporting dangerous immigrants, sweeping up hardworking, longstanding members of our communities in disorganized and dangerous raids in a misguided effort to meet arrest quotas. One Administration official reports that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller admonished U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials not to focus deportation efforts on criminals.”
    The Senate Judiciary Committee has a constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of Executive Branch agencies under its jurisdiction, regardless of the party in charge of the White House or Congress. During the Biden Administration, then-Chair Durbin held a DHS oversight hearing months into then-Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas’ tenure.
    The Senators then admonished the Trump Administration for neglecting to comply with Congressional oversight, writing: “This Administration, however, has dismissed Congress’s critical role in ‘seek[ing] information to help inform Members as they perform their Constitutional duty to legislate and fix real problems for the American people.’ Ranking Member Durbin alone has eight outstanding letters and briefing requests that have gone unanswered by DHS. To quote you once more, Mr. Chairman, ‘oversight brings transparency, and transparency brings accountability. And, the opposite is true. Shutting down oversight requests doesn’t drain the swamp …. It floods the swamp.’”
    The Senators concluded by reiterating the necessity for a DHS oversight hearing, writing: “The President should not be allowed to bypass constitutional principles like due process, separation of powers, and federalism. Senator Padilla’s mistreatment by federal agents should be a warning to us all. We urge you to quickly schedule a hearing to ensure we have an opportunity to question Secretary Noem regarding Committee members’ many unanswered requests for information from DHS, and the cruel and un-American steps this Administration has taken to carry out its mass deportation agenda.”
    In addition to Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
    For a full PDF of the letter to Chairman Grassley, click here.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Arrests, assets restraints following Police operation targeting Greazy Dogs MC

    Source: New Zealand Police

    NZ Police have this week dealt a significant blow to the manufacture and supply of methamphetamine by the Greazy Dogs MC in western Bay of Plenty this week, with the arrest of several members and associates of the gang, and the restraint of more than $1.5 million of assets.

    On 17 – 18 June, Police carried out 35 search warrants at properties across Tauranga, including the Greazy Dogs MC pad. Those arrested as a result of these warrants include senior members of the Greazy Dog MC, including the national vice president and the sergeant at arms.

    “The arrests and asset restraints this week mark the successful culmination of a National Organised Crime Group (NOCG) operation that began in late 2024,” says Detective Inspector Albie Alexander.

    “This operation – Operation Kingtide – identified the Greazy Dogs MC as controlling the methamphetamine supply across the western Bay of Plenty, through local manufacture.”

    Search warrants executed located firearms, ammunition, methamphetamine, chemicals and equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, cannabis and approximately $25,000 in cash.

    In addition, Police’s Asset Recovery Unit has restrained more than $1.5 million of assets to date, including two residential properties, two cars and three motorcycles.

    Further search warrants are being carried out this week and more arrests and charges are likely.

    “With the arrest of these senior gang members and the seizure of their equipment and assets, I’m confident we have dealt a significant blow to the Greazy Dogs’ methamphetamine operation, and the supply of methamphetamine in the western Bay of Plenty,” says Detective Inspector Alexander.

    “Police will continue to focus on the enforcement and disruption of such criminal groups, who are dealing primarily in the sale and supply of methamphetamine into our most vulnerable communities.”

    Bay of Plenty District Commander, Superintendent Tim Anderson, has welcomed the arrests of the Greazy Dogs MC members and associates, saying he has seen first-hand the immense harm that methamphetamine causes in communities in Bay of Plenty and across New Zealand.

    “The Greazy Dogs MC, as with other gangs involved in the supply of methamphetamine in New Zealand, are in this for the money. They don’t care about the enormous damage the drug is doing to families in our communities, even though many of them are parents themselves. All they are interested in is how much money they can make for themselves and their associates.”

    Working alongside the officers undertaking enforcement action this week has been the team from the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities (ROCC) programme, which takes a multi-agency approach to help address the social conditions that feed the emergence or growth of organised crime, and the harms that flow from it.  

    Op Manawaroa (Resilience) has run alongside Operation Kingtide and is led by Bay of Plenty ROCC, with assistance from other ROCC regions including Eastern, Southern and Porirua.

    “What this looks like in practice is officers and senior advisors from our ROCC team visiting homes after search warrants have been executed, looking to engage and support families and whānau of those arrested,” Superintendent Anderson.

    “Our local ROCC team, with the support of other Police harm prevention work groups, local agencies, iwi and community partners, will continue to work with families and whānau of those affected. This is a long-term approach to prevention and in response to mitigating and preventing further harm and offending.”

    Arrest and charge details to date:

    25-year-old Tauranga man – charged with participating in an organised criminal group, supplying methamphetamine, offering to supply methamphetamine, and possession of methamphetamine

    34-year-old Mt Maunganui man – charged with participating in an organised criminal group, supplying methamphetamine, offering to supply methamphetamine, and possession of methamphetamine for supply

    34-year-old Papamoa man – charged with participating in an organised criminal group, supplying methamphetamine, offering to supply methamphetamine, and possession for supply of methamphetamine

    33-year-old Mt Maunganui man – charged with participating in an organised criminal group, supplying methamphetamine, offering to supply methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine for supply, and conspiring to supply cocaine

    37-year-old Tauranga man – charged with participating in an organised criminal group, supplying methamphetamine, offering to supply methamphetamine, and possession of methamphetamine for supply.

    MEDIA ADVISORY:

    Detective Inspector Albie Anderson and Superintendent Tim Anderson will be available to speak to media at Tauranga Police Station at 1pm today. 
    Media wishing to attend are asked to report to the front counter of the police station by 12.50pm.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: PM must stop changes further failing children

    Source: New Zealand Labour Party

    Today’s damning report on Oranga Tamariki shows Māori children are being left with little chance of success, or even survival, after their experiences in the state care system, and Minister for Children Karen Chhour is making it worse.

    “This report is the first of its kind and reveals a disturbing and urgent problem which can no longer be ignored by the Prime Minister who has overseen dangerous changes to Oranga Tamariki during his term in government,” Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

    “The Government has cut early intervention, continued with botched bootcamps that have never worked, and taken away funding from community-run services that help children and whānau.

    “Christopher Luxon has allowed an ACT Minister to recklessly erode the services that have been built up to support children.

    “As well as repealing Section 7AA, Karen Chhour has removed a key target for placement of children with whanau, and removed the target for investment for services provided by Iwi organisations.

    “The Government has taken away actions specifically put in place to address the significant disparities for Māori children in care.

    “Christopher Luxon must step in and cancel boot camps and restore funding to frontline community providers before it’s too late,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

    Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Delays SH1 Silverdale

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Southbound motorists are advised to expect delays on State Highway 1 north of Auckland.

    Two cars collided around 10.10am between the Silverdale and Oteha Valley Road offramps.

    There are no reports of injury although one of the vehicles is badly damaged.

    Police are at the scene and ask motorists to be patient as there are long queues of traffic at the accident scene.

    ENDS.

    Nicole Bremner/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Innovative Welsh exporter puts Britain at the forefront of global immunisation efforts

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Innovative Welsh exporter puts Britain at the forefront of global immunisation efforts

    UK Export Finance supports renewable energy tech company Dulas to deliver life-saving vaccine refrigerators to over 80 countries worldwide.

    • Government backing helps secure British manufacturing jobs and strengthen UK’s position in global health innovation

    A Welsh renewable energy company is helping to protect millions of people against preventable diseases in developing countries with backing from UK Export Finance (UKEF) – the government’s export credit agency – and HSBC UK.

    The Machynlleth-based company developed the world’s first mass-produced solar-powered vaccine refrigerator in 1982. Since then, its pioneering technology has supported vital immunisation efforts for some of the hardest-to-reach communities in over 80 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

    In 2022, following the challenges of the Covid pandemic, Dulas approached Stephen Wilson, UKEF’s Export Finance Manager for Wales. Through Wilson’s assistance, HSBC UK provided a £600,000 finance package backed by UKEF’s General Export Facility (GEF). This finance enabled the Welsh company to future-proof its operations and maintain consistent production capabilities.

    Since that first financial package, the successful partnership between Dulas, UKEF and HSBC UK has been reviewed and renewed annually, with new facilities for £600,000 in 2023 and £800,000 in 2024. This has enabled the company to provide critical equipment to even more immunisation programmes across the world.

    The company has grown to employ around 100 staff at its headquarters in Mid Wales, its branch office in Inverness (Scotland) and its manufacturing facility in Bognor Regis (West Sussex).

    Gareth Thomas, Minister for Exports, said:

    We’re committed to removing barriers to trade and helping more businesses of all sizes across the country reach new overseas markets.

    I’m delighted to see Dulas expanding production of their world-leading technology thanks to government support.

    Jo Stephens, Secretary of State for Wales, said:

    Dulas is a fantastic success story and demonstrates how Welsh expertise can lead to a brilliant UK-wide and global operation.

    I’m delighted to see UK Export Finance supporting a Welsh business that is not only driving our economy forward but also contributing to international goals in health and renewable energy.

    As the only UK manufacturer of vaccine fridges certified with the World Health Organisation’s Performance, Quality and Safety standard (PQS), Dulas’s cold chain products can be confidently deployed by UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations across programmes worldwide. Research and development support from the Welsh Government has helped Dulas to enhance its product portfolio and meet the stringent PQS accreditation.

    Tim Reid, CEO at UK Export Finance, said:

    Dulas exemplifies the best of British innovation – combining renewable energy expertise with life-saving healthcare technology.

    Their story provides a fantastic example how UK Export Finance can help our businesses supply vital equipment across the globe, while supporting quality manufacturing jobs at home.

    Ruth Chapman, Executive Managing Director at Dulas, said:

    The GEF facility has been an invaluable tool for our export business, supporting us to manage our business in a challenging, but very rewarding, sector.

    We are very proud to manufacture our products within the UK and to contribute towards global efforts to eradicate common childhood illnesses, and international humanitarian efforts.

    Orders for Dulas’s vaccine fridges often follow unpredictable situations such as conflict or natural disasters. Although buyers may request a high number of units – ranging last year between 100 to 300 per order – the frequency of orders can fluctuate significantly. UKEF’s support has enabled Dulas to smooth out the peaks and troughs between production and demand, ensuring cash flow and consistent factory operations.

    Lyndsey Connor, Relationship Director, Corporate Banking at HSBC UK, said:

    At HSBC UK, we’re committed to supporting innovative businesses as they expand into global markets. Dulas exemplifies the type of forward-thinking company that drives sustainable economic growth and creates skilled jobs in Wales and elsewhere in the UK.

    Working alongside UKEF, we’ve been able to provide a financing solution that addresses Dulas’ unique business cycle challenges.

    Contact 

    Media enquiries:

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter Introduces Resolution Congratulating St. Joesph’s Hospital in Savannah for 150 years of Service

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

    Headline: Carter Introduces Resolution Congratulating St. Joesph’s Hospital in Savannah for 150 years of Service

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter introduced a resolution celebrating the 150th Anniversary of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah, Georgia.

    In 1997, St. Joseph’s began its joint affiliation with Candler Hospital, forming the largest and most experienced health care provider in Southeast Georgia.

    “Since 1875, the fantastic staff of St. Joseph’s Hospital have served the people of Georgia’s First Congressional District faithfully. They have worked tirelessly to save lives and keep our friends and neighbors healthy. We are so grateful for their 150 years of resolute service to our district and excited for the many years to come,” said Rep. Carter.

    “Throughout St. Joseph’s Hospital’s history, we have been blessed with steadfast support from our community leaders. That support continues today, and we are grateful for this recognition from Congressman Carter, celebrating our 150th anniversary of serving the healthcare needs of southeast Georgia,” said Paul P. Hinchey, President and CEO, St. Joseph’s/Candler.

    Read the full resolution here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Positive year for tara iti – but the fight for survival continues

    Source: NZ Department of Conservation

    Date:  18 June 2025

    Thanks to intensive management of wild nests and a growing hand-rearing programme with Auckland Zoo, this season saw 19 fledglings take to the skies. This is a significant improvement from last year’s nine, and just three the year before.

    With fewer than 45 adult birds (over a year old) remaining, every chick is precious. DNA sexing results also revealed a higher-than-normal percentage of females, which could prove a vital boost for a species whose future depends on strong female survival.

    DOC’s monitoring and tracking programme provided fascinating insights into the movements of young tara iti. Juveniles fitted with satellite tags, hand reared at Auckland Zoo, surprised the team with their adventurous flights – some completing roundtrips from the Hauraki Gulf to the Far North, and one even travelling as far as New Plymouth and back.

    Alex Wilson, DOC Senior Ranger, says one of the birds spotted during post-season monitoring was a zoo-reared juvenile from the 2023–24 season.

    “She survived the winter months, making her the first hand-reared bird known to have done so,” says Alex. “These are exciting developments and show our new tools like satellite tagging and hand rearing are working.

    “Each fledgling is a step forward, and the information we’re collecting helps us understand how to get the best outcomes from our recovery efforts.”

    Post-breeding season monitoring recorded 50 individual tara iti (up from 33 individuals last season), including 28 adults, nine sub-adults and 13 fledglings. DOC’s intensive habitat management, predator control, and head-starting approach proves that when we change how we interact with nature, it has a real impact.

    Still, tara iti remain in a precarious position. The population is small, and the birds face ongoing threats from habitat loss, predation, disturbance from human activities, and climate change. Ongoing intensive conservation efforts will be required for many years to secure their survival, and DOC can’t do it alone.

    DOC works closely with iwi partners including Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board, Te Uri o Hau Settlement Trust, Nga Maungawhakahii O Kaipara Development Trust, Ngāti Wai Trust Board, and Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, strategic partner Auckland Zoo and key supporters and partners including, Auckland Council, the Shorebirds Trust, NZ Fairy Tern Charitable Trust, About Tern, Birds NZ, Tara Iti Golf Club, NZ Nature Fund, and local trapping groups.

    Generous support has also been provided by the Endangered Species Foundation, Pākiri Beach Holiday Park, Manāki Whitebait, Tongariro National Trout Centre, and New Zealand King Salmon.

    Aotearoa has one of the highest rates of threatened species in the world, and every New Zealander has a role to play in turning this around. Whether it’s supporting conservation efforts, reducing threats in your own backyard, or simply learning more about our native species, what we do makes a difference.

    How you can help protect tara iti

    • Stay out of fenced nesting areas and use designated walkways.
    • Keep dogs on leads and out of reserves.
    • Avoid nests and chicks when on beaches and estuaries.
    • Don’t drive or cycle on beaches.
    • Dispose of rubbish, bait and fish scraps properly to deter predators.
    • If a bird swoops at you or appears injured, move away quickly – you’re likely near a nest.

    Donate to the tara iti recovery programme

    The public can now donate directly to DOC’s Tara iti recovery programme through the New Zealand Nature Fund. Donations will be used to accelerate DOC initiatives, including:

    • Developing three to five new safe breeding sites within the bird’s range.
    • Creating shell patch habitats at existing and new breeding sites.
    • Expanding predator control buffers to better protect all nesting areas.
    • Growing the hand-rearing and release programme to boost productivity.

    There’s no such thing as too small an action; every donation helps nature, and brings us closer to securing a future for these rare and remarkable birds.

    Learn more and donate at New Zealand Nature Fund

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Laredo investigation results in the guilty plea of a Mexican illegal alien admitting to transporting child sexual abuse material across state lines to Mexico

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    LAREDO, Texas – A illegal alien from Mexico pleaded guilty Tuesday to transportation of child pornography following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    Raul Velasco-Leon, 39, plead guilty to transporting child sexual abuse material on June 17.

    “This guilty plea is a critical step in holding Velasco-Leon accountable for the disturbing crimes he committed,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Laredo Acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mauro Lopez. “HSI remains committed to identifying, investigating and bringing to justice those who exploit children. We will continue working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure predators face the full consequences of their actions and that victims are not forgotten.”

    According to court documents, on March 12, Velasco-Leon was traveling from Tennessee and approached the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge attempting to enter Mexico. While on the primary lane, authorities selected Velasco-Leon for further inspection and referred him to secondary. They conducted a search of his belongings and found what appeared to be a piece of youth-sized clothing with the words “Girl Power” tucked inside a jean pocket. Law enforcement also discovered multiple electronic devices, including 10 USB flash drives, two cell phones and a laptop. On one of the devices, they discovered six files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of minor victims approximately 10 years of age. The files contained approximately five photographs and one video that contained CSAM. The five images, displayed via video chat, depicted female minor victims showing their genital areas. The video had a split screen with the adult male, later determined to be Velasco-Leon, masturbating while the top of the screen displayed a montage of CSAM including a female minor victim being forced to perform oral sex on an adult male.

    Velasco-Leon admitted he had been engaged in a video chat and when he saw the CSAM, he would watch and screen record it.

    Judge will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Velasco-Leon faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    Velasco-Leon remains in custody pending sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine A. Cortez from the Southern District of Texas is prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins America Reports on Fox News to Discuss Conflict in Middle East

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, joined America Reports on Fox News to discuss the conflict in the Middle East.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Partial Transcript

    Hagerty on Trump preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon: “What you’ve heard President [Donald] Trump say time and again, is that he’s not going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. I think you’ve also heard President Trump say that he doesn’t want us to engage in more of these endless wars. So, whatever President Trump does—and I know that he’s three steps ahead of everybody else here—whatever he does, it’s going to be putting America’s interest first. It’s going to be bringing Iran to a point where they do not have a nuclear weapon. That’s the stated objective, and it’s going to have to happen very, very quickly. I don’t think the timeframe that Senator [Tim] Kaine is considering is relevant to this situation at all. President Trump wants to see the carnage come to an end. He’s been clear about that here. He’s been clear about that with Ukraine. He wants to see the loss of lives over. This regime has been extremely difficult to deal with. I’ve seen President Trump deal with this regime before. I served in his administration last time. The ‘Maximum Pressure Campaign’ that he imposed was working. Regretfully, the Biden administration put us back on this same train that [former President Barack] Obama had us on, with respect to Iran marching its way toward a nuclear weapon. President Trump is not going to allow that to happen. He’s had a much more difficult hand to deal with here. That’s why the Israelis have stepped in. They’ve seen the threat. They’re doing what they need to do. And whatever decision President Trump takes, I can assure you this: he’s going to be taking America’s interest to heart. And again, basic principles here, he wants to see an end of the carnage. He wants to see that end come fast, and he’s not going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

    Hagerty on the need to resolve the situation quickly: “What I want to be clear about is President Trump has never articulated the need for a regime change. What he wants to do is to bring the Iranians to the table. The Iranians ought to look at this very, very carefully and realize President Trump is not going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon. They may need to consider what the consequence will be if they don’t get to the table and make a deal fast. He’s offering them an offramp here. I think the window’s closing, though. This needs to be resolved quickly.”

    Hagerty on Trump’s America First approach: “I know who the person is responsible for making this decision with the United States. I’m not getting ahead of him. This is President Trump’s decision with respect to that. But I’ll say this: the Iranian people will ultimately make the decision, and if the Ayatollahs continue down this path toward a nuclear weapon, I think the decision’s going to become very clear for the Iranian people too. Again, the Ayatollahs need to wake up. They need to consider the options that they have right now, and those options have narrowed dramatically. This needs to stop, and I think President Trump’s going to make certain that it does in a way that advances America’s interests.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Celebrates Passing of GENIUS Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    June 17, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) joined Senate colleagues in voting to pass the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins of 2025 (GENIUS) Act.  The landmark legislation provides guardrails for using stablecoins.  Senator Ricketts secured the inclusion of an amendment which would allow for an expedited certification process for states, like Nebraska, that have already put a stablecoin regulatory framework in place.  As Governor, Pete Ricketts signed the Nebraska Financial Innovation Act into law—making Nebraska the second state in the country to allow digital asset depositories.  Ricketts is a co-sponsor of the GENIUS Act.

    “The GENIUS Act protects consumers while promoting innovation and opportunity,” said Ricketts.  “It prioritizes national security and advances the U.S. dollar.  Nebraska’s a major innovator in the stablecoin space and my amendment will give priority to states like ours when becoming certified.”

    Full text of the legislation can be found here.  The bill was introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and additional co-sponsors include Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Tim Scott (R-SC).

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China and Central Asian countries intend to jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism – declaration

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    ASTANA, June 18 (Xinhua) — China and five Central Asian countries on Tuesday agreed to jointly combat the “three evil forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and strongly condemned any form of them.

    Six countries – China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – outlined the corresponding position in the Astana Declaration, issued following the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit.

    The parties committed to combating threats such as cross-border penetration of terrorist groups, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and cybercrime in order to ensure consistent and successful progress of joint projects and to counter security challenges through joint efforts.

    The parties expressed the common opinion that a stable, developing and prosperous Central Asia meets the common interests of the peoples of the six countries and the entire international community.

    The six countries declared their readiness to work with the international community to assist the Afghan people in maintaining peace and stability, restoring social infrastructure and integrating into regional and global economic systems.

    They expressed support for building a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, free from the threats of terrorism and drugs. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Norcross Announces National Science Foundation Grant for Rowan University

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

    WASHINGTON, DC —Today, Representative Donald Norcross announced that Rowan University was awarded a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  

    “This is an exciting investment to expand cutting-edge research in South Jersey,” said Congressman Don Norcross. “Supporting research in our community creates opportunities, spurs economic growth, and drives innovation that benefits our communities. I’m dedicated to continuing to transform South Jersey into a leading hub for higher education and medical research.” 

    The funding that was granted through the NSF CAREER award will support research on how oxygen levels and inflammation affect the development and spread of diseases in the body. The NSF CAREER award is one of the top honors for early-career faculty and supports a highly skilled workforce.  

    The NSF supports innovative scientific research to strengthen our nation’s economy and skilled workforce. Read more about the NSF here. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Hickenlooper Calls Republicans’ Budget Plan “Fiscal Madness” on Senate Floor

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper

    Hickenlooper: “Their lavish tax bill gives more to the top earners while taking away from the Americans with the least.”

    Republicans’ national budget will increase prices for Coloradans, gut critical services, and balloon the national debt to bankroll tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor to call out the Republicans’ reckless budget proposal that would kick 16 million families and their children off their health insurance, sell our public lands, and add trillions to the national debt in order to pay for lavish tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. 

    “We can’t borrow millions, we can’t borrow billions, we can’t borrow trillions just to hand out tax cuts to the top when working families are struggling to be able to afford everyday goods. It doesn’t add up. It never has. It never will,” Hickenlooper said.

    “I’ve managed budgets before – back when I started Colorado’s first brewpub, then as mayor of Denver and as governor of Colorado,” he continued. “… I can definitely say this bill that we’re looking at is the opposite of ‘fiscal responsibility.’ It’s fiscal madness.” 

    Hickenlooper has voted against their disastrous budget twice on the Senate floor and will vote against it again when the final bill comes to the Senate floor. In April, he led a group of Western senators to introduce an amendment to the budget to protect public lands from being sold to pay for Republicans’ tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and introduced other amendments to prevent cuts to Medicaid and clean energy tax credits. 

    Hickenlooper is focused on building public pressure against the Republicans’ extreme proposal and recently called out their latest effort to sell off three million acres of public lands to bankroll the Republicans’ lavish tax cuts. 

    To download a full video of Hickenlooper’s speech, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks is available below. 

    “Mr. President,

    “This month, my fellow colleagues in the Senate, the Republican Senate members, are working to pass a budget proposal that I feel can best be described as dangerous. 

    “Their plans are going to dramatically reduce – even gut – services like Medicaid and SNAP, getting food to hungry, low-income workers. It will strip health care away from most likely more than 16 million Americans and threaten millions of seniors living in nursing homes. All this is focused really on just trying to get larger tax breaks to very wealthy people who don’t really – in most cases – don’t really want them, or the largest corporations.

    “This lavish, and I think lavish is the only word that describes it fairly, this lavish tax bill gives more to the top earners while taking away from the Americans with the least.

    “But, it really doesn’t have to be that way. If the Republicans could focus on extending tax cuts for working families, rather than the wealthiest, they could – in and of that one effort, that one initiative – they could avoid ripping away health care from more than 15 or 16 million Americans and gutting our much needed investments in fighting climate change and to make sure that we have lower energy prices.

    “Instead, they’re going full steam ahead with really what is a god-awful bill.

    “I want to focus today on another dangerous part of this plan: how it explodes our national debt and really risks our economic future.

    “Many proponents of the bill love to hem and haw about being financially responsible.

    “But, like a few people in here, I’ve managed budgets before – back when I started Colorado’s first brewpub, then as mayor of Denver and as governor of Colorado. So, I know something about fiscal responsibility – and it’s not partisan. At its best, fiscal responsibility should be bipartisan.

    “I can definitely say this bill that we’re looking at is the opposite of ‘fiscal responsibility.’

    “It’s fiscal madness. 

    “This is a massive spending bill that’s going to create the largest national debt in American history.

    “And you don’t have to take words for it: you can look at the numbers.

    “The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the House Republican plan, so this is the plan coming over from the House, would add $2.7 trillion – that’s trillion with a T – $2.7 trillion dollars to the deficit over the next decade.

    “The Penn Wharton Model, which includes something like North of $500 billion dollars in the additional interest payment from that accumulated debt over year, after year, after year – over those 10 years – suggests it would add up not just to $2.7 trillion but more like $3.2 or $3.3 trillion over ten years.

    “The bill our Senate colleagues are putting together makes many of the same mistakes. And I think by most measures that a small business person would look at, it’s reckless.

    “Bottom line is more American tax dollars would go towards tax cuts for again, at least in Colorado, the people I’ve talked to aren’t asking for, aren’t seeking, these tax cuts.

    “And they, you know under this tax plan that came over – is coming over to us right now – those tax cuts for the very wealthy are coming instead of expanding access to health care, or building roads, or improving our schools. 

    “And more tax dollars would go to paying off the massive debt – paying the interest on the massive debt – than all of our defense spending combined. It will become more than 25% of our federal budget, just to pay interest on the debt.

    “Now, if that sounds like a bad idea to you, it’s because it is – and the markets agree.

    “Moody’s, the last major credit rating agency to maintain the US at its highest-level rating – designated a safe place to invest your money – just downgraded our credit rating.

    “It’s the first time that’s happened, and it shook investors that Moody would downgrade our credit rating.

    “Investors aren’t confident that the U.S. will be able to pay its debts. And that’s, at least in terms of Moody’s, has never happened before. And it’s really just going to lead to more trouble. 

    “Those investors who buy those ten-year bonds and help pay for our national debt, are demanding higher returns because they view it as a riskier investment. They need a higher return if they’re going to hold U.S. debt, which forces – since you’ve got to attract that investment, it means you’ve got to offer higher interest rates which means you’ve got higher borrowing costs.

    “And that means that Coloradans, and Americans, are going to pay higher interest rates when they want to buy a house, or expand their business, or if they want to pay off their credit cards. 

    “They’re going to have to pay more because the interest rates are going to be higher.

    “Now, Americans are already plenty concerned about rising prices, for good reason. This whole system could lead to the dreaded ‘stagflation’.

    “This could all become a one-two punch to working families – all the while the wealthiest families end up being better off.

    “We don’t need to do this. We can certainly grow our economy, we can help working families, and we can cut the deficit.

    “We were able to balance the budget all eight years I was mayor of Denver, all eight years I was governor, and still grow our investments in our roads, in our education system, in our health care system. 

    “We also did this with the Inflation Reduction Act, which would reduce the deficit by over $175 billion over the next ten years and has already dramatically lowered a number of prescription drug costs, it has expanded health care access, and, in the process, created hundreds of thousands of good jobs.

    “The Republican budget, I think, does the opposite.

    “We also can’t forget that this budget comes in the midst of the Trump administration’s efforts around tariffs.

    “What our good friend, the senator from Washington, was just talking about when she described the consequences of Smoot-Hawley. And how those tariffs – just at 20% – led to a global slowdown in the overall economy. 

    “We all know that these tariff-taxes are really not so hidden taxes on the American people. They raise prices on everything from groceries to kitchen appliances.

    “Now none of this is a growth strategy. It really is a recipe for recession at the best, stagflation at the worst.


    “We can’t borrow millions, we can’t borrow billions, we can’t borrow trillions just to hand out tax cuts to the top when working families are struggling to be able to afford everyday goods.

    “It doesn’t add up. It never has. It never will.

    “Now there are issues that may be partisan, but being financially responsible doesn’t need to be one of them. Neither should good, strong economies. Neither should economic fairness. Neither should protecting working families.

    “They really don’t have to do it this way.

    “Now, I’m always game to roll up my sleeves and dig into the balance sheet, but we haven’t seen from the other side that they’re willing to negotiate – or really invest in the long-term economic growth. 

    “I’d suggest that we write a budget that reflects our values and puts tax cuts toward working families first.

    “A budget that strengthens the middle class. One that keeps our economy strong and will keep it growing for generations to come.

    “This bill is not any of that.

    “I urge my Republican colleagues – in the House and the Senate – not to temporarily put a pass on their values and to support this, again I think truly reckless fiscal bill.

    “I hope that we can come together and negotiate a better bill that does more economic growth and puts a far, far lesser penalty on the working people of America.

    “Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Nunn Support Servicemembers’ Mental Health in Transition to Civilian Life

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran, is leading bipartisan legislation alongside U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Congressman Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), and Congressman Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) to support the mental health of servicemembers as they transition into civilian life.
    The Daniel J. Harvey Jr. and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act is named to honor the memory of two Marines who died by suicide, including Iowan Cpl. Adam Lambert. 
    “Servicemembers put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and America owes them a debt of gratitude,” said Ernst. “We will never forget the life of Cpl. Adam Lambert. This bill honors his memory by fully supporting veterans in their transition into civilian life and providing them access to the highest quality of mental health care.”
    “America is the land of the free and home of the brave because of people like Cpl. Adam Lambert. A proud Marine from Iowa, Adam raised his hand to serve our country,”?said Nunn. “Unfortunately, too often the transition back to civilian life is more difficult than it should be. In honor of Adam’s memory, I’m grateful to work with Adam’s parents to make the transition easier for America’s veterans by improving mental health services.”
    Specifically, the bill amends the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to cover counseling for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, sleep disorders, suicidal ideation, potential effects of the loss of community and support systems experienced by a member separating from the armed forces, and other mental health conditions associated with service in the armed forces.
    The bill also strengthens treatment options and resources to address substance abuse, including alcohol, prescription drug, and opioid abuse.
    Click here to view the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE San Diego case results in indictment of alleged members of major Guatemalan drug trafficking organization

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed June 13 in San Diego alleging that 13 Guatemalan nationals are part of a Guatemala-based cocaine trafficking organization operating out of La Mesilla and Democracia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, which is on the Guatemala-Mexico border. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    The indictment was returned on May 31, 2019. Among the individuals charged are Baldemar Calderon-Carrillo, aka “Don Valde,” and his son, Walfre Donaldo Calderon-Calderon, aka “El Teniente Jr.”

    On June 13, special agents with ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Diego received information that Calderon-Carrillo, the lead defendant in the indictment, had been killed during a June 8 shootout with Mexican authorities. U.S. agents continue to obtain information confirming the details of Calderon-Carrillo’s death. Video of the incident was posted on various news outlets and on social media showing Mexican law enforcement in a shootout with members of a drug trafficking organization.

    In January 2023, one of Calderon-Carrillo’s sons, Edgar Yovani Calderon-Calderon, aka “Panon,” who is charged in the same indictment, was arrested in Paris, France. Edgar Yovani Calderon-Calderon was extradited to the United States from France in March 2024 and pleaded guilty in February to international cocaine distribution conspiracy charges.

    As part of his plea agreement, Calderon-Calderon admitted that since at least 2017, up to and including May 31, 2019, he conspired with others to distribute cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States.

    Calderon-Calderon admitted that he participated in the distribution of large quantities of cocaine in Guatemala on behalf of a drug trafficking organization based in La Mesilla, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. From Huehuetenango, the cocaine was transported to co-conspirators operating near the Guatemala-Mexico border, into Mexico, and ultimately smuggled into the United States. As part of his plea agreement, Calderon-Calderon admitted that the conspiracy involved at least 550 kilograms of cocaine. On May 30, Calderon-Calderon was sentenced to 87 months in prison.

    The remaining defendants charged in the indictment are fugitives.

    Defendants

    • Baldemar Calderon-Carrillo, aka “Don Valde”, 67, Guatemala
    • Amado Calderon-Calderon, aka “Don Juan”, 46, Guatemala
    • Walfre Donaldo Calderon-Calderon, aka “El Teniente Jr.”, 43, Guatemala
    • Ceidner Ivan Calderon-Villatoro, aka “Chene”, 35, Guatemala
    • Edgar Yovani Calderon-Calderon, aka “Panon”, 45, Guatemala
    • Boris Brandon Calderon-Villatoro, aka “Leon”, 31, Guatemala
    • Fredy Estuardo Villatoro-Calderon, aka “Nalo”, 31, Guatemala
    • Juan Carlos Escobedo-Herrera, aka “Ducati”, 34, Guatemala
    • Marvin Waldemar Mendez-Aldana, aka “Don Pelado”, 44, Guatemala
    • German Zaldana-Lima, aka “Gorgo”, 50, Guatemala
    • Arnoldo Bexsael Morales-Aguilar, aka “Bex”, 57, Guatemala
    • Ranferi Godinez-Vasquez, aka “Chilo”, 31, Guatemala
    • Maximo Morales-Godinez, aka “Max”, 37, Guatemala

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mokhtari.

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and French authorities provided substantial assistance to secure the arrest and extradition of Edgar Yovani Calderon-Calderon.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gobernador Newsom en Fox News: “Trump está intentando destruir nuestra democracia. No se lo permitan”

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 17, 2025

    Sacramento, California – El Gobernador Gavin Newsom escribió recientemente un artículo de opinión sobre los peligros del autoritarismo del Presidente Trump, así como la solución que reside en el poder de cada ciudadano de exigir a sus elegidos que rindan cuentas ante la Constitución que han jurado respetar.

    Mientras que el rechazo del estado a la federalización de la Guardia Nacional de California se debate en la corte, los californianos no necesitan que se les recuerde los peligros de la extralimitación de Trump. Los oficiales de la Guardia Nacional que aún se encuentran en Los Ángeles están entrenados para combate en el extranjero, no para la aplicación de la ley nacional. Las redadas intensificadas de ICE se dirigen indiscriminadamente a las comunidades inmigrantes de todo el estado, priorizando el interés en cumplir con cuotas arbitrarias de arrestos sobre el enfoque en arrestando a personas con antecedentes penales o condenas.

    Si cualquiera de nosotros puede ser secuestrado de las calles sin orden judicial, basándose únicamente en sospechas o el color de la piel, entonces ninguno de nosotros está a salvo.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Lea el artículo de opinión en espanol:

    La democracia en una encrucijada

    Por el Gobernador Gavin Newsom

    Durante las últimas dos semanas, agentes federales han realizado redadas grandes en lugares de trabajo en el sur de California. Saltando de camionetas sin identificación, deteniendo indiscriminadamente a personas en la calle y persiguiéndolas por los campos agrícolas. Una mujer, con nueve meses de embarazo, fue arrestada en Los Ángeles; tuvo que ser hospitalizada tras ser liberada. Una familia con tres hijos, incluyendo uno de tres años, estuvo detenida durante dos días en el sótano de una oficina sin suficiente comida ni agua.

    Varias personas detenidas en las redadas fueron deportadas el mismo día de su arresto, generando cuestionamientos sobre el debido proceso. Ciudadanos estadounidenses han sido acosados ​​y detenidos. Y sabemos que ICE está deteniendo cada vez más a miles de personas sin otros cargos o condenas penales: el número de arrestados sin otros cargos o condenas penales aumentó de aproximadamente 860 en enero a 7,800 este mes – un aumento de más del 800%. Mientras tanto, el número de arrestados y detenidos con cargos o condenas penales aumentó a una tasa mucho menor del 91%. Trump miente al decir que se centra en “lo peor de lo peor.”

    California no es ajena a la aplicación de la ley migratoria, pero lo que estamos viendo es una peligrosa estrategia ante los medios por parte de una administración que cree en la crueldad y la intimidación. En lugar de centrarse en los inmigrantes indocumentados con antecedentes penales graves y en la seguridad fronteriza —una estrategia que ambos partidos han apoyado desde hace tiempo— la administración de Trump está impulsando deportaciones masivas, dirigidas a familias inmigrantes trabajadoras, sin importar sus orígenes o el riesgo que corren, para cumplir con sus cuotas.

    En respuesta, los californianos salieron a las calles la semana pasada, decenas de miles solo el sábado pasado, para protestar contra las acciones de su gobierno: El ejercer su derecho constitucional a la libertad de expresión y de reunión.

    California, cuna del movimiento por la libertad de expresión, no es ajena a este tipo de manifestaciones. Nuestros cuerpos policiales están bien capacitados para brindar seguridad, garantizar el orden e intervenir cuando sea necesario. El fin de semana pasado, las autoridades estatales y locales desplegaron fuerzas policiales, incluyendo a la Patrulla de Carreteras de California, el Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles y el departamento del sheriff. Aunque hubo incidentes de violencia y daños a la propiedad, los agentes del orden público estatales y locales restablecieron y mantuvieron el orden.

    Quienes se volvieron violentos y destructivos, vandalizando propiedad, intentando atacar a agentes de policía, fueron detenidos y serán procesados ​​con todo el rigor de la ley. No toleramos la conducta delictiva.

    Pero sabemos que el Presidente Trump no se opone a la anarquía ni a la violencia, siempre que le sirvan. Su supuesta preocupación por los hombres y las mujeres uniformados no se basa en su lealtad a este país y su gente, sino a él y a su causa. ¿Qué más pruebas necesitamos que el 6 de enero y sus perdones para los involucrados, incluyendo a quienes agredieron violentamente a agentes de policía ese día?

    Por lo tanto, no es de extrañar que, sin ninguna solicitud ni mi petición,  haya requisado ilegalmente a 4,000 miembros de la Guardia Nacional de nuestro estado para desplegarlos en nuestras calles. Hace tan solo cinco años, el propio Presidente Trump declaró: “Tenemos que seguir las leyes… no podemos llamar a la Guardia Nacional, a menos que nos lo solicite un gobernador.”

    Luego, en un momento oportuno que agravó aún más la situación, desplegó a más de 700 miembros de la Infantería de Marina estadounidense. Son hombres y mujeres entrenados en combate en el extranjero, no en la aplicación de la ley nacional. Honramos su servicio y su valentía. Pero no queremos que nuestras calles sean militarizadas por nuestras propias Fuerzas Armadas. Con este acto, el Presidente Trump ha traicionado a nuestros soldados, al pueblo estadounidense y a nuestras tradiciones fundamentales; se les ordena a los soldados que vigilen a las mismas comunidades estadounidenses que juraron proteger en guerras extranjeras.

    El despliegue de soldados federales en Los Ángeles no protege a nuestras comunidades, las traumatiza. Los jóvenes tienen miedo de asistir a sus propias graduaciones. La gente tiene miedo de ir a trabajar. Están arrestando a lavaplatos, jardineros y costureras. No son delincuentes, son familias; esto no es seguridad pública, es tiranía.

    California seguirá luchando por todas nuestras comunidades, incluyendo en las cortes. El Presidente lo sabe, por eso nos ataca con tanta agresividad. Hemos presentado 26 demandas contra la administración de Trump y ya hemos conseguido una orden judicial federal que denuncia la toma ilegal de la Guardia Nacional de California y la militarización de Los Ángeles por parte de Trump.

    Esto aún está lejos de terminar.

    Los regímenes autoritarios empiezan por atacar a los más vulnerables. Pero no se detienen ahí. Trump y sus leales se nutren de la división porque les permite consolidar el poder y ejercer un control aún mayor. Si cualquiera de nosotros puede ser secuestrado de las calles sin orden judicial, basándose únicamente en sospechas o el color de la piel, entonces ninguno de nosotros está a salvo.

    Nos encontramos en un momento peligroso. Tenemos a un actual Presidente que cree no estar sujeto a ninguna ley, ni siquiera a nuestra Constitución. En poco más de 140 días, ha despedido a los organismos de control del gobierno que podrían exigirle responsabilidades por corrupción y fraude. Ha declarado una guerra contra la cultura, la historia, la ciencia; contra el conocimiento mismo. Las bases de datos, literalmente desapareciendo, los archivos invadidos y a las universidades se les dice qué pueden enseñar. El poder judicial y el estado de derecho están bajo asalto. Los periodistas y las organizaciones de noticias son un blanco de ataques.

    Esto va mucho más allá de Los Ángeles. Va más allá de California. Se trata de todos nosotros, se trata de usted.

    Cuando Donald Trump ejerció su autoridad absoluta para comandar a la Guardia Nacional, hizo que esa orden se aplicara a todos los estados de esta nación. California puede ser la primera, pero no será la última. Otros estados son los siguientes. La democracia es lo que sigue.

    Su administración ha maltratado y esposado al Senador estadounidense Alex Padilla por hacerle una pregunta a la Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional. Por hacer su trabajo. El alcalde de Newark Ras Baraka fue arrestado mientras acompañaba a congresistas a inspeccionar un centro federal de detención migratoria. La representante LaMonica McIver ha sido acusada formalmente en relación con el mismo incidente.

    Nuestro sistema democrático se creó en oposición directa a la monarquía y se diseñó para fortalecer la libertad individual y la autonomía, para que nunca más estemos sometidos a un rey. Es esa idea, ese valor sagrado, lo que está siendo destruido.

    Pero nuestra mayor fortaleza siempre ha sido el pueblo. Es hora de que todos nos levantemos.

    El Juez Brandeis lo expresó mejor: “En una democracia, el cargo político más importante es el del ciudadano.” No el del presidente ni el del gobernador. Pero son ustedes, el pueblo, quienes son más importantes. Es su voz la que debe alzarse con más fuerza.

    Muchos de ustedes sienten profunda ansiedad, estrés y miedo. Pero ustedes son el antídoto contra ese miedo y esa ansiedad. Lo que más desea Donald Trump es su lealtad, su silencio.

    No se rindan ante él. No dejen que gane. Si nos mantenemos unidos, como vecinos, como comunidades, como estados, triunfaremos.

    Extracto y expandido del discurso del Gobernador Newsom “La democracia en una encrucijada” del 10 de junio.

    Read the Op-Ed in English here.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski, Whitehouse, Pingree, and Moylan reintroduce legislation to address ocean acidification

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

    06.17.25

    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Representatives Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and James Moylan (R-GU) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act. This legislation provides resources for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to collaborate with local and tribal entities to research and monitor ocean acidification.

    “The impacts of ocean acidification on our coastal communities cannot be understated, particularly on our blue economy,” said Senator Murkowski, Co-Chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus. “This legislation takes a holistic approach to understanding ocean acidification, encouraging experts from every walk of life to work together and ensure that our oceans stay healthy.”

    “The oceans are in trouble. Ocean acidification caused by carbon pollution is harming marine ecosystems and coastal industries like aquaculture,” said Senator Whitehouse, Co-Chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus. “Our bipartisan legislation will assist in monitoring changes to the oceans and help us better understand how to protect Rhode Island’s blue economy from acidifying waters.”

    “We’re seeing the effects of ocean acidification in real time—from threatening lobster populations in the Gulf of Maine to eroding coral reefs in tropical waters. We now know that parts of our oceans have reached dangerous acidification levels earlier than expected, threatening entire ecosystems.” said Congresswoman Pingree, ranking member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee. “Coastal communities like those in Maine are on the frontlines of this crisis, and our bipartisan Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act ensures they won’t face it alone. This bill gives coastal communities the science, tools, and support they need to build resilience and protect ocean industries that support millions of jobs. I was proud that my colleagues in the House passed this crucial bill last Congress, it’s long past time Congress sends this bill to the President’s desk.”

    “As an island territory in the heart of the Pacific, Guam is on the front lines of climate and oceanic change. Ocean acidification threatens not just our marine ecosystems, but also our cultural traditions, local fisheries, and food security,” said Congressman Moylan. “This legislation is about giving coastal communities like ours the tools and partnerships we need to understand and respond to these growing challenges. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan effort to ensure a healthier ocean for future generations.”

    This legislation would direct NOAA to collaborate with and support state, local, and tribal entities that are conducting or have completed ocean acidification vulnerability assessments. The bill strengthens partnerships between NOAA and a wide range of stakeholders involved in ocean acidification research, such as indigenous groups, coastal communities, state and local resource managers, fishery management councils and commissions, and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). The Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act passed the House in the 118th Congress. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over 500,000 homes to be built through new National Housing Bank

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Over 500,000 homes to be built through new National Housing Bank

    £16bn of new public investment will help build over 500,000 new homes, unlocking over £53bn of private investment, as part of the government’s Plan for Change 

    Hundreds of thousands of extra homes will be delivered thanks to a bold new government-backed ‘housing bank’ that will unlock billions in private sector investment to turbocharge housebuilding.    

    The National Housing Bank, a subsidiary of Homes England, will be publicly owned and backed with £16 billion of financial capacity, on top of £6bn of existing finance to be allocated this Parliament, in order to accelerate housebuilding and leverage in £53 billion of additional private investment, creating jobs and delivering over 500,000 new homes.    

    The trailblazing approach will see Homes England, the national housing and regeneration agency, able to issue government guarantees directly and have greater autonomy and flexibility to make the long-term investments that are needed to reform the housing market and deliver strong returns.    

    With long-term, flexible capital, the National Housing Bank will be able to act as a consistent partner to the private sector, bringing the stability and certainty that housing developers and investors need to make delivery happen. It will also support SMEs with new lending products and enable developers to unlock large, complex sites through infrastructure finance.        

    Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner:  

    “We‘re turning the tide on the housing crisis we inherited – whether that’s fixing our broken planning system, investing £39 billion to deliver more social and affordable homes, or now creating a National Housing Bank to lever in vital investment.    

    “This government is delivering reform and investing in Britain’s renewal through our Plan for Change. Our foot is firmly on the accelerator when it comes to making sure a generation is no longer locked out of homeownership – or ensuring children don’t have to grow up in unsuitable temporary accommodation, and instead have the safe and secure home they deserve.” 

    The Bank will deploy some of the £2.5 billion in low-interest loans announced at the Spending Review to support build social and affordable homes. 

    It builds on £39 billion investment announced at the Spending Review for a new 10-year Affordable Homes Programme, which is the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation, supporting our Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes.   

    This comes ahead of the government’s 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy to be published tomorrow. The strategy will set out a £725 billion plan to rebuild the UK over the coming decade, bringing together for the first time economic, social and housing infrastructure.   

    Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:  

    “Our Spending Review last week delivered the biggest cash injection into social and affordable housing in 50 years as we progress on our promise to build 1.5 million homes. 

    “As part of our Plan for Change, the new National Housing Bank will unlock £53 billion of additional private investment—giving more working people the security of home ownership and investing in Britain’s renewal.” 

    Because we reformed our fiscal rules, we can invest through government-backed institutions, like the new National Housing Bank, to attract private investment and make sure money flows into projects that deliver real benefits for working people and communities.

    The Bank will help unlock a wide range of sites, including larger ones which struggle to get up front lending given their risk and complexity, using a mixture of equity investment, loans and guarantees to leverage global institutional capital into UK housing, reducing risk at the early stages of development.    

    It will also support SME lending by establishing additional lending alliances with private sector partners and leverage in additional capital and expertise, including providing revolving credit facilities to help SMEs to grow and build out their housing pipeline more quickly. This follows proposals previously announced to bolster the capabilities of SME developers, which provide local jobs and train construction apprentices, by streamlining and simplifying overly complex planning rules.    

    Homes England Chair Pat Ritchie said: 

    “Establishing the National Housing Bank, as a part of Homes England, builds on the Agency’s expertise at providing a wide range of finance to partners and places to unlock the delivery of new housing and mixed-use schemes. 

    “The National Housing Bank also responds to calls from the housing sector, mayors and local leaders to increase the scale of available public and private finance for housing and regeneration, provide a broader range of flexible debt, equity and guarantee products, and enable more timely decision making.” 

    The government will also work with the Mayor of London to establish a City Hall Developer Investment Fund, and support housing regeneration around London Euston, to help deliver London’s ambition to build around 80,000 homes per year. In Greater Manchester, the Housing Investment Loan Fund will be extended to deliver thousands of new homes over the next ten years.    

    A programme of investment including £5 billion grant funding for infrastructure and land from the new National Housing Delivery Fund will complement capital investment from the National Housing Bank. This package will drive growth and transform places, boosting housing supply on otherwise unviable large and complex sites, and support land assembly, remediation and up-front infrastructure delivery such as utilities and schools.  

    Paul Rickard, Chief Executive Officer, Pocket Living:

    “The creation of this National Housing Bank, alongside the recent spending review and other policy announcements, is a huge boost for housing delivery. We particularly welcome the recognition of the importance of SME developers with one of the banks focus’ being new funding options for SMEs and the freedom for the public and private sector to innovate together to deliver more homes. We have been working closely with government to ensure that the SME sector has capacity, certainty, and flexibility and we are delighted this is now being delivered.”

    Stephen Teagle, CEO, Partnerships & Regeneration, Vistry Group:

    “This announcement underlines the government’s commitment to use all the tools available to drive delivery and tackle the housing crisis head-on.

    “Establishing the new National Housing Bank as a subsidiary of Homes England will help bring schemes forward at pace, ensure alignment with other programmes and gain traction with developers and investors keen to leverage investment and drive delivery. It recognises that long-term place making and long-term investment go hand in hand. Paired with last week’s measures this is further evidence of a government with an innovative and clear-sighted focus on addressing the years of under supply of new homes to build vibrant communities for the future.

    “Through Vistry’s unique partnerships model, we look forward to continue working with Homes England and all our partners to maximise the benefits of this new initiative.”

    Phil Mayall, Managing Director, Muse Places:

    “Today’s announcement is hugely exciting for the regeneration and housing sector.  Muse has long advocated the need for a longer-term, partnership approach to the delivery of housing in areas of most need and the new National Housing Bank achieves this at scale.  We very much look forward to working in partnership with the Bank and the Government to deliver at pace.”

    Charlie Nunn, Group Chief Executive, Lloyds Banking Group:

    “A new National Housing Bank as part of Homes England is a powerful commitment towards building essential housing across the UK, at pace and at scale. As the MADE partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and Homes England demonstrates, by providing greater certainty and risk-sharing for developers, SME housebuilders, regional and local authorities, while strengthening public-private partnerships for institutional investors, we can accelerate the flow of private finance and deliver more homes in the places they’re needed most.”

    Greg Reed, CEO, Places for People:

    “The catalytic combination of a generationally significant affordable programme and the creation of a National Housing Bank is truly game changing for the provision of social housing in this country.”

    Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation:

    “The National Housing Bank is another welcome, innovative initiative from the government and a clear statement of intent on fixing the housing crisis. Alongside the ambitious new Affordable Homes Programme and the long-term certainty provided by the new rent settlement announced at the Spending Review, the £2.5bn low-cost loans for social housing providers will bolster our sector’s capacity to get building. We will continue to work with the government to deliver the truly affordable homes so many people across the country need.”

    Notes to editors:     

    ·       The Bank will be publicly owned and designated as a Public Financial Institution (PuFin) to make a long-term return for government aligned with the requirements set out in the 2025 Financial Transaction Control Framework. It will give the housing sector the certainty, flexibility and the capacity to deliver at scale, and will work with mayors and local leaders to back housing projects that meets regional priorities.    

    • The National Housing Bank will:  

    • Provide a wider range of debt, equity and guarantee products that support SMEs to accelerate their housebuilding and grow their businesses more rapidly.

    • Expand the use of lending alliances with the private sector, which significantly increases access to finance for housebuilders.

    • Support the unlocking of large and complex sites to increase confidence and boost housing supply through the provision of infrastructure finance and guarantees.

    • Significantly scale up investment into partnerships that draw more institutional investment into housing and mixed-use schemes such as the recently agreed Schroders Real Estate Impact Fund, the MADE Partnership with Lloyds Bank Group and Barratt Redrow and HABIKO joint venture with PIC and Muse, and the public-private partnership with Oaktree Capital and Greycoat Real Estate.

    • Work with Mayors and local leaders to develop integrated packages of financial support to deliver their housing and regeneration priorities, alongside wider land and grant funding.

    • Provide the low-interest loans announced at the Spending Review to support the delivery of more social and affordable homes – recognising their importance in tackling the housing crisis.

    • The £16bn is additional to MHCLG’s existing financial guarantee programme, with £6bn of existing finance to be allocated this Parliament. will have greater freedoms and flexibilities to make long-term investments to tackle the housing crisis.    

    • The new National Housing Bank will be a publicly owned subsidiary of Homes England, designated as a Public Financial Institution (PuFin) that is aligned with the requirements set out in the 2025 Financial Transaction Control Framework.   

    • Following this announcement MHCLG and Homes England will work with the Greater London Authority, and established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to agree how to support them to deliver on regional housing priorities.   

    • As part of this, MHCLG and Homes England may agree that some of this £16bn allocation for the National Housing Bank will be devolved to the GLA or Mayoral Strategic Authorities – and would therefore be delivered outside the remit of the Bank, but with the same targets and objectives  

    • The National Housing Bank is a permanent institution which will deliver debt, equity and guarantees. In many cases CDEL grant will also be a critical part of the capital stack to deliver large scale, complex and transformational housing regeneration and infrastructure projects.  

    • To support this, alongside these financial products MHCLG will provide c.£5bn CDEL grant to invest across the country. This CDEL grant will sit alongside the financial products delivered by the National Housing Bank to ensure large, transformative and otherwise unviable projects nationwide can be delivered.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police issue appeal for missing teenager Alexander

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Police is seeking information on the whereabouts of Alexander, who is missing in the Waiatarua area.

    The 15-year-old was reported missing to Police at about 8.30pm on Monday night, after he failed to return home from school.

    Alexander was dropped off at Henderson High School where he was last seen at about 8.15am on 16 June.

    Police have since established he did not attend school that day.

    Enquiries have been underway since Monday evening into his movements, and Police is now issuing a public appeal.

    Police believe that since Alexander was last seen, he has returned to his home address in Oratia and taken camping equipment and other necessities.

    Alexander did not show up to a planned meeting with friends on Monday night.

    Search and Rescue staff are deploying to carry out searching around parts of Waiatarua where he frequents.

    Alexander is an avid outdoor adventurer and loves spending time in the bush.

    It is out of character for him to not return home or let his family know of his whereabouts.

    Police and Alexander’s family have concerns for his welfare.

    Alexander is described as 180 centimetres tall, of medium build with light brown straight hair.

    Anyone with information about Alexander’s whereabouts is asked to contact Police immediately on 111.

    People can also update Police online or call 105 using the reference number 250616/4732.

    ENDS.

    Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ezell, Carter Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen America’s Ports and Manufacturing Jobs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)

    Congressmen Mike Ezell (R-MS04) and Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA02) introduced H.R. 3842, the Strengthening American Maritime Dominance (SAMDA) Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at bolstering investment in American cargo ports and revitalizing domestic manufacturing jobs.

    The Strengthening American Maritime Dominance (SAMDA) Act will enhance federal support for owners or those who lease American-flagged vessels to invest in critical infrastructure improvements at U.S. ports—essential gateways for the nation’s commerce—and ensure that investments directly benefit American workers and manufacturers. The expansion of the Capital Construction Fund will allow for the investment into cargo handling equipment, whether it’s land-based equipment, marine terminals, port landside infrastructure, or more related to the lifting and or movement of cargo.

    “Strong ports mean a strong economy,” Ezell said. “This bill is about smart investment—making sure our ports have the modern infrastructure they need to move goods efficiently, support American manufacturing, and protect thousands of jobs. Mississippi’s Gulf Coast depends on reliable, well-equipped port facilities not only for trade but for the livelihood of our communities. I’m proud to work across the aisle with Congressman Carter to deliver real results for our workers, our economy, and our national security, while helping build the backbone of American industry and keeping our supply chains secure.”

    “This legislation allows our ports, the economic engine of Louisiana, to upgrade their facilities with American-made infrastructure, strengthening our economy and national security.  This will give our maritime businesses and workers the necessary resources to expand their operations and prosper. I want to thank my colleague Mike Ezell for leading this bipartisan effort with me,” Carter said.

    The legislation is designed to:

    • Increase targeted investment in infrastructure at cargo ports across the U.S.,

    • Prioritize funding for projects that support American manufacturing and job creation,

    • Enhance the competitiveness of U.S. ports in global trade,

    • Improve supply chain efficiency and resilience,

    • Ensure stability and growth of the U.S. marine merchant fleet.

    Ezell emphasized that the bill will help communities like those along the Mississippi Gulf Coast attract new business and grow the industrial workforce.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Senate Republican Bill Will Strip Health Care From Millions of Americans, Force Rural Hospital Closures

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following statement on Senate Republicans’ reconciliation bill text:

    “Senate Republicans unveiled their reconciliation bill – and it’s even more extreme than the House version. It would make the largest cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in history, ripping health care away from Americans, forcing rural hospitals to close, and abandoning the providers who care for our communities.

    “In New Mexico, more than 800,000 people – including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and families – rely on Medicaid. This bill would kick millions of Americans off their coverage just to give handouts to the wealthiest individuals and corporate interests.

    “Most people on Medicaid already work or care for loved ones. If Senate Republicans were serious about improving the program, they’d work with Senate Democrats to strengthen it. I’ll fight this bill every step of the way to protect New Mexicans who can’t afford to lose their care.”

    Last week, Senator Luján joined Senate Finance Committee Democrats at a press conference to announce the HCBS Relief Act and a series of additional proposals to invest in the Medicaid program and boost federal anti-fraud initiatives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Senate Republican Bill Will Strip Health Care From Millions of Americans, Force Rural Hospital Closures

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following statement on Senate Republicans’ reconciliation bill text:

    “Senate Republicans unveiled their reconciliation bill – and it’s even more extreme than the House version. It would make the largest cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in history, ripping health care away from Americans, forcing rural hospitals to close, and abandoning the providers who care for our communities.

    “In New Mexico, more than 800,000 people – including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and families – rely on Medicaid. This bill would kick millions of Americans off their coverage just to give handouts to the wealthiest individuals and corporate interests.

    “Most people on Medicaid already work or care for loved ones. If Senate Republicans were serious about improving the program, they’d work with Senate Democrats to strengthen it. I’ll fight this bill every step of the way to protect New Mexicans who can’t afford to lose their care.”

    Last week, Senator Luján joined Senate Finance Committee Democrats at a press conference to announce the HCBS Relief Act and a series of additional proposals to invest in the Medicaid program and boost federal anti-fraud initiatives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Update 5: Alberta wildfire update (June 17, 3 p.m.)

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Indigenous art related to Pattullo Bridge replacement reflects First Nations’ connections to area

    People travelling under the new Highway 17-Old Yale Road overpass in Surrey can now see the Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project’s first Indigenous art installation.

    Traffic moved onto the new overpass in early June 2025 as part of the larger project to replace the aging Pattullo Bridge. Indigenous art is being integrated onto and around the new infrastructure in recognition of First Nations’ deep historical and current connections to the area.

    The artwork, a design embossed into the concrete retaining wall on the northeast side of the overpass, was created by Kwantlen First Nation artist q̓ʷɑt̓ic̓ɑ, Phyllis Atkins. The design depicts sturgeon and eulachon, two species of fish in the Fraser River of great significance to First Nations.

    The project overlaps with the boundaries of two former reserves: Musqueam Indian Reserve No. 1 and Kwantlen Indian Reserve No. 8. Both were located in qiqéyt, an important village site for First Nations within the project area.

    A First Nations cultural recognition program is using artwork, storytelling, language and signage as an opportunity for education, acknowledgment and celebration of the culture, history and continued stewardship of the project area’s lands and waters.

    As part of the cultural recognition program, Musqueam Indian Band and Kwantlen First Nation are bestowing the people of British Columbia a name for the new bridge in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language. More details about the name will be shared in the coming months.

    Learn More:

    To learn more about Pattullo Bridge replacement First Nations cultural recognition program, visit: https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/fn-artprogram

    To learn more about Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project, visit: https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/

    A backgrounder follows.

    First Nations cultural recognition:

    • The Fraser River and its shorelines have been actively used by First Nations since time immemorial for fishing, harvesting and other important activities.
    • First Nations artists are exploring themes of kinship-based trade, transportation and inter-generational connection through their artwork.
    • These themes will feature strongly in artwork visible on the new bridge structure and approaches in New Westminster and Surrey.
    • The work of Kwantlen artist q̓ʷɑt̓ic̓ɑ, Phyllis Atkins is inspired by her life-long connection to the stɑl’əw̓ (Fraser River).
    • The artwork is dedicated to her friend, Garrett Martindale, who worked with q̓ʷɑt̓ic̓ɑ on white sturgeon acoustic telemetry studies.

    Highway 17-Old Yale Road overpass and Bridge Road in Surrey:

    • Traffic fully shifted onto the new Highway 17 overpass on June 2, 2025, allowing traffic to continue uninterrupted above Old Yale Road.
    • The overpass will also accommodate a direct off-ramp from the new bridge to westbound Highway 17.
    • Construction of the new off-ramp is ongoing.
    • Bridge Road will become a two-way road with a new multi-use path connecting to the bridge.
    • The embossed design is visible from Old Yale Road and Bridge Road.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Questions About the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    Senator Graham has asked CBO to answer questions regarding the use of sequestration (the cancellation of budgetary resources) in accordance with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (S-PAYGO).

    Under S-PAYGO the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) maintains 5- and 10-year scorecards that it updates to include estimated cumulative changes in revenues and outlays that are generated by newly enacted legislation.

    If, at the end of a session of Congress, either scorecard indicates a net increase in the deficit for the budget year, OMB must order a sequestration to eliminate the overage (any current-year effects are combined with those for the budget year). The balance used to determine the amount sequestered is not the projected increase in the deficit for a particular year. Rather, OMB’s 5- and 10-year scorecards identify the average annual effects of a piece of legislation over those periods and assign the average to each year in the period. Before an average is calculated, any current-year effects are combined with those for the budget year.

    MIL OSI USA News –