Latest news with #DSB
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
How do I know if I have a Real ID? Here's how to tell in Mississippi. Deadline is soon
Do you already have a Real ID? If you want to travel this summer, particularly if you plan to fly, you might need to update your drivers license. Mississippi residents will need a new identification card or passport to fly on commercial airlines. They'll also be required to get onto military bases or access secure federal facilities, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety's Driver Service Bureau. The deadline across the U.S. is May 7. According to a DSB news release, 97.1% of Mississippi drivers were REAL ID compliant as of April 1. The Driver Service Bureau has offered several special Saturday appointments to help people get what they need on time. The extra appointments are in addition to regular business hours and are only at some offices, and the last ones are set for this weekend. Here's what we know about what you need to upgrade to a Real ID in Mississippi, where to go for a special appointment and when you need to finalize the change. All Real IDs will have a stamp on the right-hand corner to show that it is federally compliant. The symbol stamped on your Real ID card will vary, depending on the issuing state. In Mississippi, it's a gold star. The Driver Service Bureau has offered special Real ID appointments on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last weekend appointments will be on May 3. You can schedule an appointment online, but walk-ins are also welcome at these offices: Biloxi. Brookhaven. Greenwood. Hattiesburg West. Jackson. Meridian. Nesbit. New Albany. Pearl. Tupelo. Any traveler over the age of 18 who does not have another TSA-approved form of identification to fly domestically must have a Real ID-compliant identification card or driver's license by May 7, 2025. If you need to fly right after the date, you need to update your driver's license or state ID now. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will require people without passports to have a Real ID seal on all state-issued identification cards for certain tasks, like air travel. The guideline was set by The Real ID Act of 2005. Implementation was supposed to happen in previous years but was pushed back because of a paperwork backlog during COVID. No. Any traveler who has an up-to-date passport, or any other TSA-approved form of identification does not need a real ID to travel domestically. You can obtain a Real ID driver's license or identification card from your local motor vehicle department. Go to your local Mississippi department of safety office or schedule an appointment online. More: How Nissan, Amazon, others pushed to get Jackson, MS, a direct Southwest flight to Nashville According to DHS, state driver's licensing agencies can have different documentation requirements. In Mississippi, you need to provide: Your original Social Security card. A certified copy of your birth certificate. Two proofs of residency in Mississippi. If you already have another TSA-approved form of identification, then you probably don't need a Real ID. Enhanced IDs, which are only issued in a couple of states, including Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont, are considered acceptable alternatives to REAL ID-compliant cards. Other TSA-approved alternatives: State-issued enhanced driver's license. DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST). U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents. Border crossing card. An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe. HSPD-12 PIV card. Foreign government-issued passport. Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card. Transportation worker identification credential. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766). U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential. Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC). More: Check out the new Mississippi drivers license designs The swap to Real ID won't change everything you use a state-issued ID card to do. Here's what won't be affected by Real ID in Mississippi. You can still drive, vote, get medical care at hospitals, go to the post office, get into federal courts, carry out bank transactions and apply for or get federal benefits, like Social Security. According to the Driver Service Bureau, state firearm permits aren't considered official IDs and won't get the gold star. Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How do I know if I have a Real ID? Here's how to tell in MS by deadline
Epoch Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
America's Next War Begins at Home
Commentary Suddenly, the lights go out. So does the heat. It's not a localized disruption—all of DC is down. So are New York, Denver, and parts of Hawaii and Texas. It lasts for hours, then days. It becomes clear this was intentional, a massive cyber-attack by China. Businesses can't function. Wall Street halts trading. Mass looting breaks out. Societal panic sets in. While the scenario may sound extreme, the threat is very real. Many across the defense and national security community and pockets of private industry use shorthand to refer to it: A catastrophic VT attack is still hypothetical, but its precursors are all too real. During Russia's three-year war in Ukraine, we've witnessed As VT and similar destructive cyber operations have become increasingly central to our adversaries' theories of military victory against the United States, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)—in concert with civilian agencies—must take on a larger role to protect energy infrastructure here in the homeland. Modern Warfare Pushes DoD into New Territory The emerging challenge for DoD is stated clearly in a little-known August 2024 The DSB report makes several recommendations, including that the DoD stand up a permanent mission infrastructure resilience organization, which 'is structured and resourced to support long-term partnerships across key sectors in the interagency and with civilian infrastructure owners.' The report envisions this new permanent DoD entity would play a major role in mitigating the risks to DoD of an adversarial attack on civilian energy infrastructure (as well as transportation, communications, water, and other critical infrastructure) through ongoing analysis, intelligence and threat assessment, and gaming and exercises. Related Stories 4/28/2025 4/28/2025 For those who have been watching the critical infrastructure security and resilience space for years, the idea of a major DoD role is somewhat novel. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have historically been the leaders in working with private industry to protect critical infrastructure from major cyber-attacks. These civilian agencies operate under established frameworks and authorities dating back more than a decade, and re-codified as recently as last year in the Biden administration's DoD's attention in recent decades has been focused abroad: in fighting, supporting, or preparing for wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, the Taiwan strait, and other swaths of the Middle East and Africa. DoD activity in the homeland quickly bumps up against legal, jurisdiction, and precedential questions. The However, now that attacks on homeland critical infrastructure are central to near-peer adversaries' war plans, it is only natural that DoD's interest would gravitate in that direction. Beyond the DSB report, several indicators point to potential focus from the Trump administration in a larger role for DoD in homeland security. Secretary of Defense Hegseth noted a focus on homeland defense in his first The administration's focus on readiness for a potential conflict with China may also contribute to a growing DoD role on critical infrastructure vulnerabilities. Concepts like U.S. Army North's Private Sector Enters the Fight With all that said, DoD's ability to mitigate a VT scenario—just like that of DHS, CISA, and FBI—will run headlong into a decades-old fundamental constraint: the willingness and capability of individual utilities, oil, gas, renewables, and other energy companies to protect their infrastructure from national security threats on their own dime. There are certain regulatory security requirements for the energy sector, including the North American Reliability Corporation-Critical Infrastructure Protection ( Fortunately, some infrastructure owners and operators in the energy sector are leaning forward and choosing to work proactively with the U.S. government, including with the DoD, beyond what is required by regulation. Dominion Energy, a Fortune 500 energy company which is responsible for power across several states has welcomed a full-time Marine Corps detailee into their security operations center. The Marine Corps pays the officer's salary through a military fellowship program. The detailee learns the latest private sector methods of securing corporate networks and Dominion receives a highly qualified expert who can ensure tight coordination between Dominion's defensive cyber operations and those of the DoD. Adam Lee, vice president and chief security officer at Dominion, notes, 'It would be difficult to have a closer relationship with DoD on these issues than we have at Dominion.' However, Dominion is still the exception rather than the norm. Investment across the industry is uneven and there is a lack of standardization among companies on how to work with federal agencies. Beyond infrastructure owners and operators, other parts of the energy sector are increasingly engaged in defense and national security issues like VT. Startups and growing companies that specialize in microgrids, small modular reactor nuclear technology, geothermal energy, and other energy resilience solutions have found a willing partner and funder in the DoD. Recently, DoD announced the Speeding Up, Scaling Up Ongoing efforts in both the government and private sector, therefore, are promising. A growing DoD role—if managed carefully in coordination with civilian agencies—could also be a force multiplier that injects resources and attention into a perennially thorny challenge. The question is whether planning efforts are moving at sufficient speed and scale to prevent or mitigate the worst of a VT scenario and ensure the United States maintains an advantage in any future war. To increase our readiness, key actions must be taken both by the government and the private sector. The Trump administration should move rapidly to implement the recommendations in last year's DSB report, aligning these efforts with its To incentivize private sector collaboration with DoD, DHS, and FBI, the administration should also develop a proposal for Congress to financially incentivize critical infrastructure companies to implement stronger security and engage more proactively with the federal government. A purely voluntary approach to these challenges has yielded limited results. Regulations have a place but often have the unintended consequence of forcing private sector companies into compliance-based rather than risk-based cultures and sapping them of the creativity we need to see on such challenging issues. Financial incentives, such as a tax credit for developing a corporate strategy to contribute to national security, would have a better chance of achieving the desired results. Energy infrastructure owners, operators, and technology developers shouldn't wait for further signals from the government to lean forward. Proactive companies are already reaping the benefits: reduced risk to their assets, improved reputation, and in the case of some, free labor or new contracts with the DoD and other federal agencies. As the government's attention on critical infrastructure security continues to grow in coming years, the companies already engaged are likely to see significant cost savings and efficiencies, whether in the form of quicker compliance, fewer additional investments, or even government funding or incentives. The path for energy companies who want to jump into this space is straightforward: invest, build, and engage. Invest in analytical capabilities to understand and monitor the national security, defense, and critical infrastructure protection issues likely to impact your business. Build a whole-of-business strategy that outlines corporate efforts to support U.S. national security objectives, including by protecting assets from VT-style attacks and being responsive to U.S. policy priorities. And engage proactively with the DoD, national security agencies, state and local governments, industry peers, the public, and the media on these critical issues. Conclusion The nature of warfare is changing. With it, we are seeing major shifts in U.S. defense priorities and the expectations of private sector critical infrastructure companies, especially in the energy sector. Luckily, many capable and driven individuals across the government and private sector are already working assiduously on preventing VT-style catastrophic scenarios. But more must be done. The fight is just getting started. From Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
WTO gives Taiwan, India more time on IT duty dispute
In a breather for manufacturers of mobile phones and components in India, the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement body (DSB) has accepted a request from India and Taiwan to further defer the adoption of the ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain information and technology products till October 24. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India pulled the plug on IWT when Pakistanis are fighting over water What makes this India-Pakistan standoff more dangerous than past ones The problem of Pakistan couldn't have come at a worse time for D-St The two sides sought the postponement last week, officials said. This is the seventh time the adoption of the ruling is deferred. "The DSB had agreed to six previous requests from the two sides to delay consideration of the reports," said an official. The dispute was filed in 2019 when Japan, the EU and Taiwan had challenged the import duty of 7.5%-later increased to 15%-levied by India in 2017. The duty was later raised to 20% to boost local manufacturing. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mumbai: The price (& size) of these hearing aids might surprise you Learn More Undo
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Time of India
Games maker Ubisoft accused of illegal data collection
Vienna: A privacy campaign group filed a complaint Thursday with authorities in Austria against video game giant Ubisoft , accusing the "Assassin's Creed" publisher of illegally collecting users' personal data. The Vienna-based organisation, Noyb -- which stands for "none of your business" -- said the French games maker forced users to connect to the internet even to play offline, then used their personal data for commercial ends without their consent. "Video games are expensive -- but that doesn't stop companies like Ubisoft from forcing their customers to play offline games online unnecessarily, just so they can make more money by tracking their behaviour," said Lisa Steinfeld, a data protection lawyer at Noyb. "Ubisoft's actions are clearly unlawful and must be stopped," she said in a statement. Noyb said it had filed the case with Austria's data protection authority (DSB) on behalf of a user of Ubisoft's "Far Cry Primal", who noticed the game had established connections to external servers 150 times in just 10 minutes, including those of Amazon and Google. The transmissions were encrypted, making it impossible to know what data was being sent, said the complaint. Noyb asked the Austrian regulator to find Ubisoft violated the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires users' consent in such cases. It called for a fine of up to 92 million euros ($105 million). Ubisoft said connecting to the internet to play its games was only required when first opening them. "Our solo games can then be played offline," it told AFP. Data collected from online play "is used to improve game performance", it said. The case comes after Japan's Sony was forced to backtrack last year on making PC players of popular game "Helldivers 2" link to its PlayStation Network, after an outcry over data collection concerns. Ubisoft has faced other recent headaches, announcing a major restructuring last month in a bid to escape financial woes.
The Guardian
23-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
The wholegrain revolution! How Denmark changed the diet – and health – of their entire nation
Lunchtime in Copenhagen, Denmark. The place is packed and staff are talking customers through the menu. Would we like the slow-roasted pork with pearl barley and mushrooms? How about the rye pancakes with salmon, cream cheese and avocado? I decide on the beetroot tartare with horseradish and rye toasts, and a spelt side salad. This isn't a fancy new Nordic restaurant – it's a work canteen. These chefs feed 900 workers from DSB (Danish State Railways) every weekday. As well as looking and tasting great, each dish served here contains fuldkorn (wholegrains), from breakfast smoothies with oats to afternoon treats such as today's wholemeal scones. There's a good reason for this: DSB recently signed up to a national programme that aims to get more wholegrains into employees. The initiative is spearheaded by the Danish Whole Grain Partnership, a group on a mission to make Danes healthier, one slice of rye bread at a time. Its members include the government, health NGOs (the Danish Cancer Society, the Danish Heart Foundation and the Danish Diabetes Association) and industry (bakers, food companies, supermarkets). It has been incredibly successful. When the partnership began in 2008, the average Dane ate 36g of wholegrains a day. By 2019, they were eating 82g, the highest intake in Europe. In contrast, the average Briton eats 20g a day, and one in five don't eat any wholegrains. In the US, just 15% of grain consumption comes from wholegrains (dietary guidelines recommend at least 50%). What's so good about wholegrains? 'Eating wholegrains helps to reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. They help lower your cholesterol, stabilise your blood glucose levels and improve the health of your gut microbiota,' says Natasha Selberg of the Danish Heart Association. Rikke Neess, the campaign's leader, adds: 'Wholegrains make you feel full, so can help prevent obesity.' (Denmark has some of the lowest obesity rates in Europe.) 'They add texture to your food – and taste really good.' In Denmark, there are nine recognised grains: wheat, spelt, barley, rice (brown and red), rye, oats, millet, corn (dried) and sorghum. The category may soon be expanded to include 'pseudo-grains' such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. Eating a grain's whole kernel, which includes the bran, germ and endosperm, means you benefit from 'all the good parts', says Neess – the fibre, vitamins and minerals. 'The project started because of the [low-carbohydrate] Atkins diet, which was very popular in Denmark,' Neess says. 'Sales of bread were decreasing. At the same time, there was increasing evidence that wholegrains decreased the risk of cancer.' One of the Whole Grain Partnership's first moves was to create an orange logo for products high in wholegrains. In 2010, 190 products carried the symbol; by 2019, it was 1,097. In a 2024 survey, seven out of 10 Danes recognised it. 'The logo makes it really easy for consumers to choose wholegrains,' says Neess. 'We've also had a very positive response from industry. It gives them a competitive advantage to have the logo on their products.' Selberg adds: 'This logo gives producers an incentive to develop and reformulate healthy products.' According to a 2022report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), these products are no more expensive than their refined grain equivalents. The government has supported the initiative by updating official dietary guidelines. In 2009, it recommended four servings of wholegrains a day. In 2013, it set a more specific target of at least 75g a day, and in June last year that was increased to 90g. I visit Lantmännen Schulstad, the biggest producer of rye bread, a Danish staple. 'Rye bread has been part of our culture for 1,000 years,' says Neess. But young people are increasingly choosing white bagels, wraps and burger buns over boring old rectangular rye bread. In response, Lantmännen Schulstad is bringing out new shapes and sizes that are more convenient for children's lunch boxes. 'We have to make rye bread great again,' jokes Neess. Pernille Bang-Löwgren, Lantmännen Schulstad's chief executive, shows me a table heaped with different kinds of bread. They are set out in varying amounts, illustrating how much of each type you'd need to eat to get your daily wholegrain quota. Dark rye bread? Just four small slices. White rolls? You'd have to munch your way through a towering pile of 50. For some people, that knowledge is enough to make them choose the rye bread. But many others base their choice on taste, or price, or what the kids will eat, and may even be put off by a virtue-signalling wholegrain logo. For that reason, the partnership has encouraged producers to put a little bit of wholegrain flour in all their products, even the white sliced bread. Most started with 3% – nowhere near enough to see or taste – and are increasing very gradually: 5%, 7%, maybe as much 9%. These stealth wholegrains are listed in the ingredients, but not trumpeted anywhere else on the label. 'There is a lot of fast food in Denmark, but the strategy of just adding a little bit of wholegrains to burger buns is a good start,' says Neess. This tactic is aimed at the 6% of Danes who eat less than 25g of wholegrains a day. 'We have to get the people who eat the least amount to eat more,' says Selberg. At Valsemøllen, a Danish bakery founded in 1899, I bake bread with Erik Olsen. We're experimenting by making sourdough with different ratios of wholegrain flour, from zero to 90%. It is surprising how little difference it makes to the appearance, texture or taste – even Olsen, who has been baking since he was 13, is taken aback. If you like the tang of white sourdough, you could probably switch to 75% wholegrain and barely notice. Olsen has also baked some delicious cinnamon buns with 25% wholegrains. Adding a percentage of wholegrain flour into cakes is another easy way to up people's intake, especially in Denmark, where pastries, cakes and biscuits are a big deal. Sweet treats don't get the wholegrain logo – products have to meet official guidelines on sugar, salt and fat, too – but adding wholegrains can still make them a bit healthier. The same goes for ultra-processed packaged food, says Selberg. 'The fibre, vitamins and minerals in ultra-processed rye bread may be more important than the additives, which may just help the bread last longer.' The Whole Grain Partnership runs annual events to raise awareness. On National Whole Grain Day in January, there are activities such as cooking, baking, singing and playing games in schools, libraries and hospitals; this year a prison took part. Supermarkets have special offers on wholegrain products at this time. 'It's a day with so much positivity, happiness and community,' says Nees. There is also a smørrebrød (open sandwich) week in June, a breakfast week in September and a new dinner week in November. 'Most Danes get wholegrains at breakfast and lunch, but not many get so much in the evening,' says Selberg. 'Our new campaign focuses on dinner: wholegrain pasta, rice and bread.' I ask Neess how she gets her 90g a day. 'I always eat oatmeal with blueberries and almonds for breakfast, a piece of rye bread for lunch, and focus on wholegrains at dinner – pasta, rice, pizza – with lots of veg,' she says. 'I really like crispbread as a snack in the afternoon.' The EU and the OECD have awarded the partnership best-practice status for promoting public health, in 2019 and 2022 respectively. The OECD report said: 'Given there is strong evidence to support the link between high wholegrain consumption and lower risk of developing certain cancers (eg colorectal cancer), type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, the DWGP plays an important role in improving population health.' How easy is it to change the diet of an entire nation? 'It's very difficult to change eating habits on a population level,' says Selberg. 'You need industry partners who can increase the availability of wholegrain products and reformulate recipes to increase the amount of wholegrain. You have to ensure customers can make healthy choices in supermarkets, and increase consumer awareness and demand.' Neess agrees that the most important thing is availability: 'It should be easy to make a wholegrain choice everywhere we go.' We stroll around central Copenhagen, popping into shops and supermarkets. The wholegrain logo is everywhere: on bread, cereal, pasta, rice, biscuits, snacks … Neess stresses the importance of cooperation. 'We want to increase public health, but that's a difficult task for only one partner to achieve. But when we work closely together, we can make it happen. There is very high trust among the partners,' she says. 'Not all countries can work together with government. It's not a political project. Leftwing and rightwing governments have all been very supportive.' 'Our public/private partnership is a very Danish thing, and it's very successful,' adds Selberg. 'Most of Europe is moving more to the right. Politicians are not allowed to decide what's on people's plates.' Indeed, Denmark is leading the way with this kind of alliance. In October 2023, the country drew up the world's first action plan for plant-based food, an unlikely agreement between farmers, politicians and environmental groups, aimed at reducing meat consumption for environmental as well as health reasons. Wholegrains are a part of this – they are filling but require far less water, land or energy to produce than meat or dairy. 'Wholegrains have a low carbon footprint,' says Neess. 'Only 25% of Danes are aware of that.' The partnership is now trying to spread the wholegrain word beyond Denmark. 'We're part of the Fortified Whole Grain Alliance, a Rockefeller-funded project trying to increase wholegrain consumption in Africa,' says Neess. 'We also have partnerships in Germany and Japan, and we've just launched a partnership with Sweden.' The International Whole Grain Summit was held in Detmold, Germany, earlier this month, advocating for refined grains to be replaced by wholegrains over the next few years. How can other countries follow in Denmark's footsteps? 'Small steps. The food industry should look at what people eat and increase the amount of wholegrain gradually: 3%, 5% etc,' says Neess. At home, 'If you bake a cake with 25% wholegrain flour, you'd never guess. You could make a lasagne with 50% wholewheat pasta, 50% white.' On my last day in Copenhagen, I have breakfast at my hotel. It's easy to choose wholegrains: a bowl of oatmeal with fruit, a piece of rye toast with hummus, a wholemeal pastry. They fill me up for a morning of sightseeing – and, as Neess promised, they taste really, really good.
