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  • MIL-OSI: Mulvihill Capital Management Inc. Announces Special Meeting of Mulvihill U.S. Health Care Enhanced Yield ETF

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (TSX: XLVE) Mulvihill Capital Management Inc. (the “Manager”), the manager of Mulvihill U.S. Health Care Enhanced Yield ETF (the “Fund”) announced today that the board of directors of the Manager has approved a proposal to (i) change the focus of the Fund from equities of U.S. healthcare companies to primarily listed preferred shares of Canadian split share corporations; (ii) change the name of the Fund to “Mulvihill Enhanced Split Preferred Share ETF”; and (iii) consolidate the exchange-traded units (the “Units”) of the Fund in order to reset the net asset value per Unit to $10.00 per Unit (collectively, the “Proposal”), all as more particularly described in the management information circular (the “Circular”) for the special meeting (the “Meeting”) of the Fund’s unitholders (the “Unitholders”). In connection with the Proposal, the Fund’s ticker symbol will be changed to “SPFD” from “XLVE”.

    The purpose of the Meeting is to consider and vote upon the Proposal.

    The Manager believes that the Proposal will be beneficial for the Fund. Canadian split corporation preferred shares rank in priority to common equity and are generally backed by a portfolio of large capitalization dividend producing Canadian and/or global equity securities across several sectors including financials, real estate and energy. Changing the focus of the Fund from equities of U.S. healthcare companies to listed preferred shares of Canadian split share corporations should enable the Fund to grow its assets under management and lower its management expense ratio for the benefit of all Unitholders. Additionally, the Manager wants to be in a position to offer a less volatile, more steady cash flow producing exchange-traded fund. Preferred shares of Canadian split share corporations listed on a Canadian exchange with a fixed term are attractive in the current market in the context of potential declining interest rates.

    The board of directors of the Manager of the Fund has unanimously approved the Proposal and recommends that the Unitholders vote FOR the Proposal. The independent review committee of the Fund has provided a positive recommendation in favour of the Proposal.

    A special meeting of the Unitholders has been called and will be held virtually on November 29, 2024 with the close of business on October 28, 2024 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for the Meeting. The Meeting is scheduled to be held as a virtual-only meeting conducted via live audio webcast online on November 29, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time). Unitholders, regardless of geographic location, will have an equal opportunity to participate in the Meeting online. Unitholders will not be able to attend the Meeting in person. Unitholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Meeting. Unitholders are urged to vote well before the proxy deadline of 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on November 27, 2024.

    In order for the Proposal to become effective, the Proposal must be approved by at least a majority of votes cast at the Meeting by Unitholders. The Proposal is also subject to regulatory approval.

    The Circular is being mailed to Unitholders in compliance with applicable laws, and will be available under the Fund’s profile on SEDAR+ at http://www.sedarplus.com. The Circular provides important information on the Proposal and related matters, including the voting procedures and how to virtually attend the Meeting. Unitholders are urged to read the Circular and its schedules carefully and in their entirety.

    For further information, please contact Investor Relations at 416.681.3966, toll free at 1-800-725-7172 or visit http://www.mulvihill.com.

    John Germain, Senior Vice-President & CFO Mulvihill Capital Management Inc.
    121 King Street West Suite 2600
    Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3T9
    416.681.3966; 1.800.725.7172
    http://www.mulvihill.com info@mulvihill.com
     

    You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell Units of the Fund on the TSX. If the Units are purchased or sold on the TSX, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying and may receive less than current net asset value when selling them. There are ongoing fees and expenses associated with owning Units of the Fund. An investment fund must prepare disclosure documents that contain key information about the Fund. You can find more detailed information about the Fund in these documents. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BlackRock® Canada Announces Final October Cash Distributions for the iShares® Premium Money Market ETF

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (“BlackRock Canada”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final October 2024 cash distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Unitholders of record on October 28, 2024 will receive cash distributions payable on October 31, 2024.

    Details regarding the final “per unit” distribution amounts are as follows:

    Fund Name Fund
    Ticker    		 Cash
    Distribution
    Per Unit
    iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR $0.182

    Further information on the iShares ETFs can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca.

    About BlackRock

    BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit http://www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @BlackRockCA

    About iShares ETFs

    iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1400+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$4.2 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2024, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock.

    iShares® ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited.

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

    Contact for Media:
    Reem Jazar
    Email: reem.jazar@blackrock.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Transcript of IMFC Press Conference 2024 IMF Annual Meetings October 2024

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    October 25, 2024

    Speakers:

    Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF

    Mohammed Aljadaan, Chair, IMFC

    Moderator: Julie Kozack, Director of the Communications Department, IMF

    *****

    Ms. Kozack: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us this afternoon. My name is Julie Kozack. I’m the Director of communications at the IMF. Welcome to this press briefing of the IMFC. And I am delighted to have with us here today the Chair of the IMFC, His Excellency Mohammed Aljadaan, Minister of Finance of Saudi Arabia, and also our Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva. They will first share with you a few takeaways from the IMFC meeting that just concluded, and then we will have time for your questions.

    Your Excellency, the floor is yours.

    Mr. Aljadaan: Thank you. Thank you very much, and thank you to all of you for being here. And thank you, Julie. Good afternoon, everyone.

    I would like to thank all the IMFC members for their strong and focused collaboration. I would also like to congratulate Kristalina for her second term as Managing Director. We wish her every success. And I must say that personally, I would congratulate myself and the members for her accepting, actually, to spend the next five years with us.

    It’s important to note that the IMF was established 80 years ago at Bretton Woods. Since 1944, the world has changed dramatically, and the IMF and the World Bank have evolved along with that.

    The evolution continues, as we respond to many challenges facing the global financial system. Above all, our approach seeks common ground to achieve the common good for all. The IMFC members are pleased to report that the global economy has moved closer to a soft landing. Global growth is steady, and inflation continues to moderate. However, progress has been uneven across members. There is uncertainty, with risks tilted to the downside; medium‑term growth prospects remain muted; and global public debt has reached a record high.

    Going forward, we will work to further secure a soft landing, while stepping up our reform efforts to shift away from the low growth/high debt path.

    I want to report on a few developments very quickly.

    The IMFC members welcomed the completion of the review of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, ensuring that the IMF is supporting low‑income countries to address balance of payments challenges. We encourage the IMF and the World Bank to further develop their proposal to support countries with sustainable debt but experiencing liquidity challenges. We supported the IMF’s efforts to strengthen its capacity development assistance and to secure appropriate financing. We welcomed the new 25th chair in the IMF’s Executive Board for sub‑Saharan Africa, which will strengthen the voice and the representation of the region. We also welcomed the new member, Liechtenstein, as our 191st member. That makes the IMF almost universal, short of possibly one or two members. And we reaffirmed our commitment to a strong, quota‑based, and adequately resourced IMF at the center of the Global Financial Safety Net.

    We have secured or are working to secure domestic approvals for our consent to the quota increase under the Sixteenth General Review of Quotas by mid‑November this year, as well as relevant adjustments under the New Arrangements to Borrow.

    Of particular importance is the commitment to improve the Common Framework for sovereign debt relief in low‑income countries so it is implemented in a more predictable, timely, and coordinated manner. Also, we appreciate the reforms of the Fund’s lending toolkit, particularly for the PRGT.

    Finally, I would note the review of the charges and the surcharges policy, which will alleviate the financial cost of the Fund’s lending for borrowing countries, while preserving their intended incentives and safeguarding the Fund’s financial soundness.

    The IMFC has achieved some important milestones in this meeting. This shows that the IMF is essential to that spirit of multilateralism born at the Bretton Woods, as we seek common ground to assure progress and prosperity for all IMF members.

    Now I will turn it to you, Your Excellency. Please, Kristalina.

    Ms. Georgieva: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Minister Aljadaan. Congratulations for chairing another very engaged, substantive, and successful meeting and, again, one that starts right on time and finishes on the dot. You bring this discipline symbolically, as we have no time to waste. There are very important topics to bring the membership together on.

    You have presented the substance of the meeting and the achievements of the meeting. I would like to add to that three points.

    First, to recognize the good balance that was achieved between confidence and caution. Confidence that the world economy has proven resilient. Inflation is in retreat. And this is being done without a risk of recession. Caution, that the problems that we need to address are still in front of us. They are complex. We have to attend to the concerns of people that maybe inflation is going down, but price levels are high. We have to recognize that in front of us is a prospect for low growth and high debt, a burden that is particularly heavy on low‑income countries, and that we are operating in an environment that is more impacted by forces of fragmentation. They are driven by wars that are happening and still going on. They are driven by security concerns in countries. They are driven by concerns about competitiveness.

    And in this environment, the second observation I would like to make is the good balance between attention to the short‑term priorities and what needs to happen in the medium to long term. For the short term, the focus is on two things. One, how to‑‑for central banks to remain attentive, be evidence‑based, carefully monitor data to make sure that they don’t cut either too early or too late, and that the monetary policy continues to be well communicated so expectations are anchored on the basis of this communication. And also, two, in the short term, a focus on the fiscal side as an immediate priority. Fiscal buffers have been exhausted, yet fiscal pressures are high. And that attention to medium‑term fiscal consolidation that starts now‑‑is not delayed‑‑came through for many of our members.

    And in terms of the medium to long term, not surprisingly, a very substantive, deep discussion on what can be done to lift up growth prospects in countries; what can enhance productivity; what can be a factor for countries to achieve better outcomes for their people but also attention to the role a more vibrant global economy can play for this higher‑‑higher growth trajectory.

    And my third point is going to be about debt. This was an issue that a majority of members addressed. Recognizing that you cannot‑‑actually, one of the Ministers quoted me from a previous engagement, me saying “you cannot borrow your way out of debt.” The topic of debt was particularly important in terms of the work the Bank and the Fund are undertaking on our so‑called three‑pillar approach; and I want to update you on it, since it gained a lot of interest.

    The three‑pillar approach we are proposing‑‑it is in the context of the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable and the broader work on debt‑‑is to support countries that are not yet in a position that requires debt restructuring but are faced with significant liquidity problems that, if not addressed‑‑if they’re not addressed, can turn into a risk for solvency in the future.

    Pillar I, reforms to boost growth and mobilize domestic revenues. Pillar II, adequate financing, including from international financial institutions and a call on us to work together. Pillar III, crowding-in private financing at a lower cost.

    I felt that that strong endorsement of this three‑pillar approach is going to give the Bank and the Fund the guidance and encouragement to do our best. You will see us identifying countries in which we apply that three‑pillar approach.

    You walked us through all the important achievements. To us, the staff of the Fund, what we particularly cherish is that over the last months, we agreed on three historic firsts‑‑never done before. First time in our history, reaching our precautionary balances target. First time ever reducing charges and surcharges that would save $1.2 billion to borrowing members, a 36 percent reduction. First time deploying net income to boost our lending capacity for low‑income countries.

    Mr. Aljadaan: Kristalina, I think this is just a very clear illustration that, despite all the discussion about fragmentation, three firsts are agreed by the members, very important firsts. So it just shows, really, that there is a lot of support to management and the Fund from the members.

    Sorry, continue.

    Ms. Georgieva: Oh, no. Thank you. And they have been agreed unanimously.

    So my heart goes to all the staff of the Fund and all the members of the Fund. My gratitude to them. And a very special thanks to Brazil, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the U.S. for contributions to the PRGT; and the UAE for a contribution to the Resilience and Sustainability Trust. And I want to thank the U.K. for committing in the meeting to directly transfer its share of the GRA income distribution to the PRGT, and they called for others to follow.

    So, all in all, what we can say is that the meeting demonstrates, when there are forces of fragmentation, bridges become even more important. And we, the IMF, we are a bridgebuilder. Thank you.

    Ms. Kozack: Thank you very much, Minister, Managing Director. We will now turn to your questions. Please do raise your hand if you have a question, and please do identify yourself. Let’s see. I’m going to start all the way over on this side of the room. There’s a gentleman in the fourth row. Yep. Let’s start there.

    QUESTION: Good afternoon. Actually, I have two questions for today. My first question is for the Managing Director. As you reflect on the Annual Meetings, how do you assess the global economy, the main challenges and opportunities? My second question will be for Your Excellency, Minister Mohammed Aljadaan. What are the pressing IMFC issues and objectives for the coming years? Thank you.

    Ms. Georgieva: Thank you for your question. The meetings have been very useful to see the unanimous understanding on the progress we have made and quite a close view across members on the challenges ahead.

    The achievements in terms of bringing inflation down to open up, again, space for a reduction of interest rates that can contribute to better growth prospects in countries was recognized by a vast majority of our members. And at the same time, there was no sense of complacency. Why? Because the conditions of the world economy are good‑‑growth at 3.2 percent, inflation down‑‑but risks are tilted to the downside. And they are both in terms of the importance of monetary policy to remain vigilant and avoid a risk of misjudgment in the direction of interest rate policies and also risks that stem from a more fragmented world economy.

    In terms of challenges, three stood out throughout the meetings.

    First, the fiscal challenge. How to bring fiscal balance after these multiple shocks and years in which fiscal resources had to be deployed more actively? How to do that without undercutting prospects for investing in growth.

    Second, how to identify and put in place structural reforms that can rapidly build prospects for higher productivity, higher growth in terms of labor market reforms, product market reforms, as well as reforms that can allow an acceleration of the green and digital transformation.

    And three, how to build more resilience to future shocks. What we learned over these last years is that we are in a more shock‑prone world, and that requires building resilience in our economies for the future.

    Ms. Kozack: Thank you. Minister.

    Mr. Aljadaan: I will make it very quickly, actually, because they are very much related; so I will not repeat what the Managing Director has said. But the IMFC is basically the Governors’ body of this institution. And the whole idea of the IMFC meeting is, A, to exchange views on, what can we then do together collectively, really, to help the world economy but also to give steer to the management of the institution. And that’s really the point that you mentioned, whether it is ensuring that we actually do the last mile of dealing with inflation properly. Second is trying to ensure that we find ways out of the high debt/low growth and to more productivity growth and a more coordinated approach. We also wanted to make sure that we also provide the right support to the institution through finalizing our legislative approvals for the quota increase, making sure that we also provide the support that the Fund needs. And whether it is the PRGT or the trust fund or otherwise, I think there is the pure IMFC technical work that happens, but then there is a lot of coordination between management, the IMFC, and then the regional funds, multilateral development institutions; that we need to make sure that they all also connect.

    Ms. Kozack: Very good. Thank you. All right. Let’s go to the middle. I am going to go to the second row, gentleman, gray jacket, white shirt. Yep, you.

    QUESTION: I thought I had grabbed the wrong jacket. Managing Director, it’s been a long set of meetings. There are a lot of issues to get through, but one of the things that’s been kind of hanging over this set of meetings has been the U.S. election. And I am just wondering if you could describe sort of how this has been discussed in these meetings, what you’re thinking about it. And you know, there could be a major turn inward by the United States as a result of this. How do you avoid‑‑how do you deal with that? What do you tell people to do about it? Thank you.

    Ms. Georgieva: The discussions ‑‑ we had a total of four meetings in different formats and themes. And the discussions in the meetings were about the problems we collectively face and how to go about them. In other words, the sentiment of the membership is, elections are for the American people. What is for us is to identify, what are the challenges and how the IMF can constructively address these challenges.

    Mr. Aljadaan: I agree.

    Ms. Georgieva: So, yeah‑‑

    Mr. Aljadaan: Go ahead.

    Ms. Georgieva: I was just going to say, it was what‑‑what are the problems of the world in advanced economies, in emerging markets, in low‑income countries? What can the IMF do to help different parts of the membership to address these problems?

    Mr. Aljadaan: I think, basically, the institution ‑‑ I think there is a clear recognition the institution has, you know, existed for the last 80 years. It worked with multiple administrations from both sides and has managed to have a very good relationship with our host. So, we just need to make sure that we continue that dialogue.

    Ms. Kozack: Very good. I will go to this side. Second row, gentleman in the gray shirt, at the end.

    QUESTION: Good afternoon. My question is meant for the IMF MD. I would like to know what the IMF doing to increase Africa’s voice on your Board. And like the Minister said earlier, they have added one more seat for Africa. I don’t think that is enough. What are you doing that to raise that to maybe two or three? Thank you.

    Ms. Georgieva: Thank you very much for this question.

    The most significant step we have taken to increase the voice and representation of Africa is to add a third chair for sub‑Saharan Africa around the Board table at the Fund. So up to November 1, we have 24 Executive Directors, representing 190, soon to be 19‑‑well, no. There are already 191 members. And as of November 1, we will have 25 Executive Directors. That means that the sub‑Saharan African countries will have a better representation of their issues. And these are, as you know, that’s a diverse group of countries. When we only have two Directors, that means constituencies that have 23, 22 countries, it is very difficult for this Executive Director to voice the concerns of each and every one of the members. Now they will have three Directors, and that brings them at par with other parts of the world. We have Executive Directors representing‑‑one represents 16 countries, another one representing 13. So now sub‑Saharan Africa is not going to be an outlier. And that would allow the‑‑and that, of course, means an Executive Director but also offices with advisors and Alternative Executive Directors from the constituency.

    Beyond that, this is really important‑‑ So imagine you sit around this Board table, and now you have more voice.

    Beyond that, there are two other things we do at the Fund. One is to work very hard to have diversity of our staff. So we actually are very proud. We set a target for sub‑Saharan Africa. We have exceeded it. So we have more people coming from this part of the world.

    And the second one is how we engage with these countries. We have, over time, built offices in a number of countries, including training centers. And that brings us closer, makes it easier to hear the concerns of citizens and authorities.

    Actually, next to us‑‑when we had the meetings, next to us was a proud son of Kenya.

    Where is Ceda? Is he here, or no?

    The Secretary of our Board is from Kenya. So Africa was very visible. We can say we had the Arab world. We had emerging markets, Europe; and we had Africa.

    Mr. Aljadaan: I think, to be honest, Africa is very important. And it is not only about how many chairs in the Board that represent Africa. Actually, a lot of voices within the Board and there are a lot of voices within the IMFC, in the Governors‑‑even if they are not from Africa, they actually do a lot of work for Africa. And I can say, I am one of them. I have absolutely the full dedication to making sure low‑income countries, and particularly in Africa, are supported and provided ‑‑ not only financial support but also technical support to‑‑you know, for them to graduate from low‑income country status.

    Ms. Georgieva: Yep. Half of the countries in sub‑Saharan Africa have programs with the Fund. And these programs are not just about the financing; they are about bringing capacity development, bringing excitement about growth for the future in these countries.

    Ms. Kozack: And I know many of you have questions. Unfortunately, we do have to bring this press briefing to an end. I want to thank you very much for joining us today. The full transcript of this press briefing will be made available on our website. And of course, if you have further questions, please do reach out to my time at Media Relations. Thank you so much for joining us.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Randa Elnagar

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    @IMFSpokesperson

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2024/10/25/tr102524-transcript-of-imfc-press-briefing

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4343-4344: Late Slide, Late Changes

    Source: NASA

    4 min read

    Earth planning date: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024

    Curiosity is driving along the western edge of the Gediz Vallis channel, heading for a good vantage point before turning westward and leaving the channel behind to explore the canyons beyond. The contact science for “Chuck Pass” on sol 4341 and backwards 30-meter drive (about 98 feet) on sol 4342 completed successfully. 

    This morning, planning started two hours later than usual. At the end of each rover plan is a baton pass involving Curiosity finishing its activities from the previous plan, transmitting its acquired data to a Mars-orbiting relay satellite passing over Gale Crater, and having that satellite send this data to the Deep Space Network on Earth. This dataset is crucial to our team’s decisions on Curiosity’s next activities. It is not always feasible for us to get our critical data transmitted before the preferred planning shift start time of 8 a.m. This leads to what we call a “late slide,” when our planning days start and end later than usual. 

    Today’s shift began as the “decisional downlink” arrived just before 10 a.m. PDT. The science planning team jumped into action as the data rolled in, completed plans for two sols of science activities, then had to quickly change those plans completely as the Rover Planners perusing new images from the decisional downlink determined that the position of Curiosity’s wheels after the drive would not support deployment of its arm, eliminating the planned use of APXS, MAHLI, and the DRT on interesting rocks in the workspace. However, the science team was able to pivot quickly and create an ambitious two-sol science plan for Curiosity with the other science instruments.

    On sols 4343-4344, Curiosity will focus on examining blocks of finely layered or “laminated” bedrocks in its workspace. The “Backbone Creek” target, which has an erosion resistant vertical fin of dark material, will be zapped by the ChemCam laser to determine composition, and photographed by Mastcam. “Backbone Creek” is named for a stream in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada of California flowing through a Natural Research Area established to protect the endangered Carpenteria californica woodland shrub.  Curiosity is currently in the “Bishop” quadrangle on our map, so all targets in this area of Mount Sharp are named after places in the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley of California. A neighboring target rock, “Fantail Lake,” which has horizontal fins among its layers, will also be imaged at high resolution by Mastcam. This target name honors a large alpine lake at nearly 10,000 feet just beyond the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park. A fractured rock dubbed “Quarter Dome,” after a pair of Yosemite National Park’s spectacular granitic domes along the incomparable wall of Tenaya Canyon between Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest, will be the subject of mosaic images for both Mastcam and ChemCam RMI to obtain exquisite detail on delicate layers across its broken surface (see image).  The ChemCam RMI telescopic camera will look at light toned rocks on the upper Gediz Vallis ridge. Curiosity will also do a Navcam dust devil movie and mosaic of dust on the rover deck, then determine dust opacity in the atmosphere using Mastcam. 

    Following this science block, Curiosity will drive about 18 meters (about 59 feet) and perform post-drive imaging, including a MARDI image of the ground under the rover. On sol 4344, the rover will do Navcam large dust devil and deck surveys. It will then use both Navcam and ChemCam for an AEGIS observation of the new location. Presuming that Curiosity ends the drive on more solid footing than today’s location, it will do contact science during the weekend plan, then drive on towards the next fascinating waypoint on our journey towards the western canyons of Mount Sharp.

    Written by Deborah Padgett, OPGS Task Lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABERDEEN – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on October 21, 2024.

    Ronald Long Feather, 25, was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Long Feather was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 23, 2024.

    Shortly before 7:00 p.m. on March 9, 2023, in McLaughlin, which lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, a belligerent and intoxicated man hurled a plastic snow shovel at Long Feather’s front door, damaging the screen. Long Feather, heavily intoxicated himself, stepped outside and confronted him on the stoop. During the ensuing scuffle, Long Feather stabbed the man in the neck. The man fled on foot to his uncle’s home, who turned him away, opining the blood would scare the children. No one called 911. The man wandered the snow-covered streets of McLaughlin until Good Samaritans rendered aid and called for an ambulance. The man’s heart stopped twenty minutes before reaching the Mobridge Hospital. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

    This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

    Long Feather was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sioux Falls Man Found Guilty of Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Sex Trafficking of a Child

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Gerber David Santos Gonzalez, age 25, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Sex Trafficking of a Child by Force or Coercion following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls. The verdict was returned on October 23, 2024.

    The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Santos Gonzalez was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2024.

    Santos Gonzalez used his cell phone and the Facebook Messenger app to try to convince who he believed was a 15-year-old girl to have a sexual encounter with him and offered her $100 to do so. The 15-year-old girl was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. Santos Gonzalez arranged to meet the 15-year-old girl persona at a park in Sioux Falls, where he was apprehended by authorities and taken into custody.

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

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Tea Police Department, Rapid City Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.

    A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Calera Resident Sentenced To 25 Years For Child Exploitation Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ryan John Capps, age 25, of Calera, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 300 months in prison for one count of Coercion and Enticement, and 300 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction.  Capps was also sentenced to 180 months in prison for one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.  The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Durant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On May 1, 2024, Capps was found guilty of the charges by a federal jury.  According to investigators, in the autumn of 2022, while employed as a teacher and coach at Durant Middle School, Capps enticed a minor student to produce child sexual abuse material and engage in sexual activity.  The crimes occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    “This defendant abused his position of trust as a teacher and coach by sexually exploiting a student he was supposed to protect,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.  “I’m grateful for the dedicated efforts of the FBI, the Durant Police Department, and the US Attorney’s Office to remove this predator from the lives of innocent children through the justice system.”

    “The defendant violated the trust placed in him as a teacher in order to exploit the victim for his own prurient interests,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “The jury’s verdict and the sentences imposed by the Court are a resounding message that those who commit these deplorable acts will be subjected to the justice system and severely punished.”

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

    We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement.  You can file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)’s website at http://www.cybertipline.com, call 1-800-843-5678, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or call 877-4-HSI TIP.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing in Muskogee.  Capps will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Jessie K. Pippin and Jessica Bove represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Customs and Border Protection Officer Sentenced for Receiving Bribes to Allow Drug-Laden Vehicles and Unauthorized Immigrants to Enter the U.S.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Leonard Darnell George was sentenced in federal court today to 23 years in prison for accepting bribes to allow unauthorized migrants and vehicles containing methamphetamine and other illicit drugs to pass through the border into the U.S.

    “What’s important to remember about the story of Leonard George is that his corruption was discovered and defeated.” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Our commitment to the integrity of the badge brought justice to a corrupt officer in this case who will spend decades behind bars.”

    “Public corruption as in this case is the betrayal of trust that erodes the foundation of the very principals of law enforcement and undermines the public’s perception of those held to a higher standard,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “Today’s sentencing is a result of HSI’s commitment to investigating transnational criminal organizations and holding all individuals that aid these criminals accountable for their actions. The success of this multiagency investigation is due to everyone’s commitment of honor and integrity.”

    “Mr. George should have used his position of authority and trust to protect the United States; however, he used it for his own financial gain,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The entire law enforcement profession is tarnished when an officer betrays the oath to protect and serve. The FBI will always vigorously and relentlessly investigate anyone who violates that sacred oath.”

    “CBP does not tolerate misconduct within its ranks,” said Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth Cervantes of CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, San Diego Field Office. “OPR’s efforts in this case and this latest court decision are a testament to CBP’s commitment to preserving the honor of its overwhelmingly professional workforce, and to its core values of Vigilance, Integrity, and Service to country.”

    Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., said, “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that federal employees who violate the law will be held accountable. DHS Office of Inspector General is grateful for our continued partnership with our law enforcement partners as we fight corruption along the Southern Border.”

    During the trial, several witnesses testified that George agreed to allow drug-laden vehicles to enter the U.S. through his lane in late 2021. George would notify members of a drug trafficking organization when he was at work, what lane he was on, and that they had one hour to reach his lane. However, in February 2022, after an alert placed by law enforcement agents on a suspected drug smuggling vehicle was flagged entering George’s Lane, George was forced to send the vehicle to secondary inspection, later revealing approximately 222 pounds of methamphetamine.

    Undeterred, George allowed a second drug-laden vehicle affiliated with the drug trafficking organization and traveling directly behind the flagged vehicle to enter the U.S. with over 200 pounds of drugs. Text messages sent by George the following day reveal he received approximately $13,000 for the vehicle he allowed to enter the U.S. On the same day he received his bribe payment, George purchased a 2020 Cadillac CT5 for an associate of the drug trafficking organization as a gift. George delivered the Cadillac CT5 to the associate in Ensenada on Valentine’s Day.

    Over the course of six months, George continued to allow vehicles containing undocumented individuals to enter the U.S. through his lane. George repeatedly omitted passengers and the true names of drivers coming through his lane, instead entering the names of others to conceal his criminal activities. Law enforcement agents and prosecutors identified approximately 19 crossings associated with the criminal organizations during the six-month time period. Text messages confirmed George agreed to allow vehicles through his lane for $17,000 per vehicle, $34,000 for two vehicles, $51,000 for three vehicles, or $65,000 for four vehicles. One text message confirmed that George received $68,000 after he allowed four vehicles from one organization to enter his lane in June 2022.

    Testimony from a witness confirmed that George purchased vehicles, motorcycles, and jewelry with the proceeds of his illicit activities. Additionally, on George’s days off, he travelled to Tijuana to visit Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club where he spent approximately $5,000 per trip. He would stand on the second level of the club and throw cash over the balcony to the dancers below, “showering” them with money. He would also buy bottles of alcohol, and occasionally gifts, for dancers.

    The extent of George’s relationship with traffickers revealed itself when prosecutors admitted a photograph of one of George’s trafficking associates taking a selfie in George’s CBP uniform jacket.

    The case was tried and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza and Brandon J. Kimura.

    DEFENDANT                                Case Number 23CR1291

    Leonard Darnell George                  Age: 42                          San Diego               

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES                                   

    Receiving Bribe by Public Official – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 201

    Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison

    Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21 U.S.C., Sections 952, 960, 963

    Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum

    Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371, Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)

    Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

    Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371, Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)

    Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

    Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG)

    Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

    Customs and Border Protection – Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Special Police Officer Arrested on Indictment Charging Unreasonable Use of Force

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Allegedly Punched and Kicked a Detained Person Without Legal Justification

                WASHINGTON – Ehren Fluellyn, 36, of Temple Hills, Maryland, was arrested today on a one-count federal indictment charging him with violating the constitutional rights of a detained citizen on April 12, 2023, announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. 

                According to the indictment, on April 12, 2023, while acting under color of law as a special police officer employed by Capital City Protection Solutions, Fluellyn willfully deprived a person of a right or privilege secured and protected by the Constitution and the laws of the United States; specifically, the right to be from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer. Fluellyn allegedly assaulted the victim by kicking, punching, and striking the victim, without legal justification, resulting in bodily injury.

                Deprivation of rights under color of law involving bodily injury carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott, of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tampa Man Indicted For Series Of Robberies In Polk, Marion, And Hillsborough Counties

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging Malcolm Green (29, Tampa) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. 

    According to court documents, on May 27, 2024, Green and others robbed a convenience store in Brooksville, stealing approximately $8,000 worth of cigarettes. The following month, on June 24, 2024, Green and others robbed a retail store in Ocala, and another in Brooksville. 

    On June 28, 2024, Green entered a drugstore in Tampa wearing a black hoodie, blue medical mask, and black clothing. He walked behind the counter and lifted his shirt, displaying a pistol with an extended magazine to the clerk. After filling the bag with cigarettes, Green jumped the counter and fled in a sedan. 

    Within two hours of the drugstore robbery, ATF agents and deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office found the sedan used in the commission of the robberies in the parking lot of a store in Tampa. A traffic stop was conducted, and Green attempted to escape, driving onto the sidewalk in front of the business and striking a building column before being taken into custody.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal prosecutors stand ready to address voting rights concerns or election fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – Two Assistant U.S. Attorneys will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) in connection with early voting in Texas, which runs through Nov. 1, and the upcoming Nov. 5 general election, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

    Civil Chief Daniel Hu has been appointed to serve as the election officer for civil matters, while Deputy Criminal Chief Sharad Khandelwal is the criminal election officer. In their capacities, both are responsible for overseeing the SDTX’s handling of election related complaints related to voting rights, such as limiting access to the polls, threats of violence to election officials or staff and election fraud.

    “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said Hamdani. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. My office will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

    The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers and election fraud. The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

    Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).  

    “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said Hamdani. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”

    In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Khandelwal and Hu will be on duty in this district while the polls are open and can be reached at 713-567-9345 and 713-567-9518, respectively.

    In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The main number in Houston is 713-693-5000, while South Texas residents can contact the San Antonio office at 210-225-6741.

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

    “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said Hamdani. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to DOJ.”

    Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Third Man Sentenced to Prison for Robbing U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – A third St. Lucie County man, responsible for a string of robberies of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers for their Postal keys, was sentenced to federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore sitting in Ft. Pierce, Fla.  Two other defendants were previously sentenced.

    “The defendants brazenly terrorized loyal public servants, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers working in Florida, at gunpoint for their postal keys with the intent to steal mail from collection boxes. Their sentencing shows that the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees is of the utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Armed assaults on letter carriers negatively impact our entire community, which relies on the U.S. Postal Service for the safe delivery of the mail.”

    “The prison sentences handed down to these defendants should serve as a reminder that violent acts committed against U.S. Postal Service employees providing service to the community will not be tolerated and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, will ensure that those committing these acts will be pursued and justly punished for their crimes,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division.

    Bernard Jerome Davis III, 20, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., was sentenced to 192 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of armed Postal/U.S. property robbery, a single count of brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and Hobbs Act robbery.  

    Jalen Dennis Elliott, 19, of Port St. Lucie, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 2 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery.

    Jamal Travon Brown Weathers, 23, of Fort Pierce, was sentenced to 162 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, armed Postal/U.S. property robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    According to the court record, to include factual proffers in support of the defendants’ guilty pleas, between Nov. 19, 2022, and Oct. 21, 2023, Brown Weathers, Davis and Elliott robbed at least six USPS letter carriers in St. Lucie, Brevard, Orange and Miami-Dade counties in Florida.

    On Nov. 19, 2022, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail inside an apartment complex in Port St. Lucie. While the carrier was at the mailboxes, Brown Weathers demanded “Give me the key.” Brown Weathers then grabbed and started yanking the letter carrier’s keys, which were attached to her uniform pants. Brown Weathers then brandished a semi-automatic handgun and demanded “Give me the f—— key. You got five seconds to give up the key.” At that point the letter carrier unhooked her arrow key and handed it over to Brown Weathers, who fled in a vehicle driven by Davis. The vehicle, belonging to Brown Weathers’ mother, was later chased by a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputy in Fort Pierce. The occupants fled and a K-9 deputy recovered the firearm used in the robbery along the path of flight.

    A Postal arrow key is an accountable property assigned to U.S. Post Office(s) that is only authorized to be used by USPS employees in an official capacity. A Postal arrow key is used by USPS employees to open mail receptacles within a geographic area to collect and deliver mail.

    On May 12, 2023, Brown Weathers and Davis robbed two USPS letter carriers at gunpoint in the Middle District of Florida. At approximately 12:13 p.m., a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Melbourne, Fla., when Davis approached the letter carrier with a black firearm and demanded the letter carrier’s Postal arrow key. Once the letter carrier handed over the key, Davis fled the scene in a Nissan Altima that he rented. At approximately 1:20 p.m., another USPS letter carrier was on his mail delivery route in Orlando, Fla., when a Nissan Altima stopped behind his Postal vehicle. Brown Weathers exited the Nissan Altima, ran towards the letter carrier while holding a black firearm, grabbed the letter carrier by the shirt, and demanded the letter carrier give him the arrow key. The letter carrier removed the arrow key from his belt loop and gave it Brown Weathers, who fled in the vehicle rented and driven by Davis.

    On Aug. 1, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Fort Pierce when a white Pontiac Grand Prix began to follow her and pulled up behind her USPS vehicle. The letter carrier observed Davis carrying a black semi-automatic firearm and walking toward the Postal vehicle.  Fearing a robbery, the letter carrier quickly drove away and called 911. The same white vehicle followed another letter carrier, who also called 911.

    On Oct. 11, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Fort Pierce when Davis approached the driver’s side of the Postal vehicle brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded that the letter carrier give him the key. Once the letter carrier handed the Postal arrow key to Davis, he entered a white vehicle and drove away.

    On Oct. 21, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in an apartment community in Miami Beach, Fla. when she was confronted by Davis who shouted, “give me the keys.” Davis ripped the keys, including a Postal arrow key, from the letter carrier’s hand, causing an injury. Davis then fled to a waiting black BMW SUV, driven by Elliott.

    U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, Chief Wayne A. Jones of the City of Miami Beach Police Department, Sheriff Keith Pearson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Chief Diane Hobley-Burney of the Fort Pierce Police Department, Sheriff John W. Mina of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Wayne Ivey of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement. 

    The USPIS, Miami Beach Police Department, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Pierce Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Port St. Lucie Police Department provided assistance. Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Lineberger prosecuted the case.

    This case is the result of Project Safe Delivery (PSD), a joint U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service initiative aimed at countering postal crime and safeguarding postal employees. Announced in May 2023, in direct response to a rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents, PSD seeks to protect Postal employees and the mail stream, prevent incidents through education and awareness, and enforce the laws that protect our nation’s mail stream.  Since the launch of PSD, postal inspectors, working with law enforcement partners, have arrested more than 287 individuals for postal-related robberies through June 30, 2024. In the first six months of the fiscal year, the number of arrests for postal-related robberies rose 72% versus the same period the previous year, while the number of postal-related robberies dropped 21%. Meanwhile, the number of mail theft complaints received during that period decreased 35%, suggesting the PSD approach is achieving the intended result.

    Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at http://www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455. The Postal Inspection Service is authorized to issue monetary rewards for the forcible assault, robbery or attempted robbery of any custodian of any mail, money, or other property of the United States under the control and jurisdiction of the Postal Service.  Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report allegations of Postal Service employee misconduct, including attempts to corrupt a Postal Service employee, to the USPS OIG at 1-888-877-7644 or http://www.uspsoig.gov.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-14053.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Finds Man Guilty of Shooting a Man in Broad Daylight in Northwest DC

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Cornellius Ruffin, 41, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of assault with significant bodily injury while armed and other charges in a mid-day shooting that took place in Northwest in April of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                Ruffin also was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. The verdict was returned on October 24, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Pipe scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2025. Ruffin faces a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence on the charge of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 12:30 p.m., on April 12, 2021, Ruffin was standing near the intersection of Q Street, NW, and Florida Avenue, NW, when he fired a handgun four times at the victim. One of the bullets fired by Ruffin struck the victim in the left leg. After the shooting, Ruffin handed the firearm to a nearby woman and then fled the area on a red Capital Bikeshare bicycle.

                Eyewitnesses to the shooting provided police with descriptions and photographs of the shooter and the woman he handed the gun to after the shooting. Minutes after the shooting, police located and stopped the woman and recovered a firearm from one of her bags. Ruffin was located and arrested by police the following day, on April 13, 2021.

                This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Valerie Tsesarenko of the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking and Unlawful Re-Entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – On Oct. 24, a federal judge sentenced a Mexican national to 120 months in prison for armed drug trafficking and illegal re-entry.

    Mauricio Villalpando-Gaytan, 34, previously pled guilty to a five-count indictment, which charged him with possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien, and illegal re-entry after removal.

    According to the court record, Villalpando-Gaytan sold and attempted to sell cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer on two separate occasions. Specifically, on Jan. 28, 2024, while attending a local rodeo in Okeechobee County, Fla., Villalpando-Gaytan sold $100 worth of cocaine to an undercover officer. On Jan. 29, 2024, Villalpando-Gaytan was armed with a pistol when he attempted to sell a kilogram of cocaine to the same undercover officer. At the time of his arrest, Villalpando-Gaytan, a Mexican national, had been previously removed from the United States and illegally re-entered the United States without consent.

    U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Okeechobee County Sheriff, Noel E. Stephen announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

    DEA Miami Field Division and Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Breezye Telfair prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-14008.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Possession of Ammunition Leads to 15 Year Prison Sentence for Little Rock Man

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

          LITTLE ROCK—James Kasmire, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.

          On January 4, 2023, Kasmire, 46, of Little Rock, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Kasmire to three years supervised release. Kasmire was indicted on October 4, 2022, in a superseding indicting on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

          An investigation revealed that on October 20, 2020, officers from the Sherwood Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Jacksonville Cutoff Road. During the stop, officers detected the odor of marijuana and observed several open bottles of alcohol in the vehicle. Officers observed the passenger, Kasmire, who admitted there was marijuana in the vehicle, move his left hand near his seatbelt buckle. For the safety of the officers, he was then asked to step out of the vehicle. While conducting a search of Kasmire, officers located a 9mm Luger ammunition round in his pants pocket that he admitted belonged to him.

          During a search of the vehicle, officers located in the front passenger seat a bag containing methamphetamine and over 13 grams of marijuana. In between the seatbelt buckle and center console, officers located a Star, Bonifacio Echevarria S.A. model 30M1, PPU 9mm Parabellum caliber firearm. 

           Kasmire is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his criminal history that includes violent and drug-trafficking offenses, including multiple convictions for delivery of cocaine, delivery of  marijuana, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, conspiracy to deliver cocaine, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, aggravated assault, domestic battery third degree, possession of Xanax, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of Hydrocodone, and possession of firearms by certain persons. There is no parole in the federal system.

           The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Sherwood Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Peters.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Statement on President Biden’s Formal Apology for Indian Boarding School Era

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    10.25.24
    Cantwell Statement on President Biden’s Formal Apology for Indian Boarding School Era
    YAKIMA, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released this statement regarding President Biden’s formal apology for the federal Indian Boarding School era.
    “The Indian Boarding School era left lasting, intergenerational scars on tribal families and communities. I hope President Biden’s actions today will serve as an important step towards addressing these historical wrongs and healing the pain indigenous communities have endured.”
    In 2023, Sen. Cantwell, along with 26 Senate colleagues, introduced the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, which would establish a formal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge the injustices of the federal government’s Indian boarding school policies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Raises Concerns Over Onerous FINRA Rules

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today expressed concerns and requested information about the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) proposal to adopt its Rule 6500 Series, which would expand reporting requirements for broker-dealers. In a letter addressed to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler and Robert Cook, CEO of FINRA, Senator Hagerty warned that the proposal would unnecessarily increase costs for retail investors and broker-dealers.

    “The Proposed Rules are yet another example of FINRA acting beyond its traditional mandate as a member-driven self-regulatory organization,” wrote Senator Hagerty. “Approving the Proposed Rules as currently constituted would harm market participants, including retail investors, violate legal requirements around public notice and comment, and sanction FINRA’s unnecessary and potentially harmful overreach with respect to the securities lending market,” Senator Hagerty concluded.

    The letter explains that the proposal lacks adequate economic analysis, depriving the public of transparency around the potential impacts of the rule on the broker-dealer industry, capital markets, and investors. It also emphasizes that the proposal raises confidentiality concerns for lenders and borrowers. The letter concludes by requesting answers concerning FINRA’s rulemaking process and its justification for the proposal.

    Read the full text of the letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Manchin Tours Future Site of Nucor’s More Than $3 Billion Factory

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

    October 25, 2024

    Apple Grove, WV – Today, Senator Joe Manchin III (I-WV), toured the future site of Nucor Steel’s factory in Mason County. The planned more than $3 billion factory represents the single largest private investment in West Virginia history, and when completed, the factory will be one of the largest in the state.

    “Since our state’s founding in 1863, West Virginians have mined the coal that forged the steel that helped turn our country into the greatest industrial power the world has ever seen,” said Senator Manchin. “Thanks to Nucor’s historic investment, West Virginians will once again step forward and build a stronger America for the future.”

    To view photos from the event, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Service station robbed at Evandale

    Source: South Australia Police

    Police are investigating a robbery at an Evandale service station this morning.

    About 7.15am on Saturday 26 October, a man entered the Portrush Road, Evandale service station, threatened the attendant and demanded money.

    No weapons were sighted.

    The suspect stole the till containing and ran off north along Portrush Road, heading towards Payneham Road.

    He is described as of Caucasian appearance, tall, slim build, wearing a cap, with a light-coloured hoodie up over the cap, blue medical mask, black pants, white sneakers and carrying a black and white backpack.

    Police searched the area with the assistance of Police Dog Chaos but have not located the offender.

    Anyone with information, dashcam or CCTV footage of the suspect can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at http://www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard relieves commander and command senior enlisted leader of Sector San Diego

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    10/25/2024 06:02 PM EDT

    The U.S. Coast Guard temporarily relieved the commander and command senior enlisted leader of Coast Guard Sector San Diego Friday. Rear Adm. Joseph Buzzella, commander, District Eleven, temporarily relieved Capt. James Spitler and Master Chief Michael Dioquino following an investigation leading to a loss of confidence in both unit leaders.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former postal manager who stole drugs from the mail sentenced on drug and gun charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ralph Minni, 55, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, was sentenced to serve 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who handled the case, stated that on multiple occasions between May 2018, and May 2, 2022, Minni used his position as the Greece Post Office station manager to take parcels containing controlled substances, such as marijuana, out of the mail stream and into his private office, remove the contents, and then return the empty packages back into the mail stream. Minni then transported the controlled substances to his residence, where he would store and redistribute the narcotics to other individuals. On three occasions in March and April of 2022, Minni distributed quantities of cocaine to a coworker, who then proceeded to snort the cocaine off Minni’s office desk in his presence. On May 2, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Minni’s residence during which investigators recovered quantities of marijuana, approximately 700 grams of cocaine, approximately 40 firearms, and over 19,000 rounds of ammunition. Minni was arrested that same day after leaving the Greece Post Office. Officers recovered a quantity of marijuana from inside his vehicle, which he had removed from a mailed package and planned to take back to his residence for subsequent sale and distribution.

    The sentencing is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi; and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward. Additional assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller; the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Acting Troop Commander Kevin Sucher.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: SIMPPLE LTD. Announces Receipt of Nasdaq Staff Determination Letter

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Singapore, Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SIMPPLE LTD. (Nasdaq: SPPL) (the “Company” or “SIMPPLE”), an advanced technology solution provider in the emerging property-technology (“PropTech”) space, today announced that on April 26, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Listing Qualifications staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that based on the closing bid price of the Company for the period from March 14, 2024 to April 25, 2024, the Company no longer meets the continued listing requirement of Nasdaq under Nasdaq Listing Rules 5550(a)(2) (the “Rule”), to maintain a minimum bid price of $1 per share. The Company was provided 180 calendar days, or until October 23, 2024, to regain compliance.

    On October 24, 2024, the Company received written notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of Nasdaq notifying the Company that, the Company has not regained compliance with the Rule and was not eligible for a second 180 day period.

    The Company intends to request a hearing before the Panel. Such a request will stay any delisting action in connection with the notice and allow the continued listing of the Company’s Ordinary Shares on The Nasdaq Capital Market until the Panel renders a decision and any extension the panel grants. At the hearing, the Company intends to present a plan to regain compliance with the Rule and request that the Panel allow the Company additional time within which to regain compliance. While the Company believes that it will be able to present a viable plan to regain compliance, there can be no assurance that the Panel will grant the Company’s request for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, or that the Company’s plans to exercise diligent efforts to maintain the listing of its common stock on Nasdaq will be successful.

    About SIMPPLE LTD.

    Headquartered in Singapore, SIMPPLE LTD. is an advanced technology solution provider in the emerging PropTech space, focused on helping facilities owners and managers manage facilities autonomously. Founded in 2016, the Company has a strong foothold in the Singapore facilities management market, serving over 60 clients in both the public and private sectors and extending out of Singapore into Australia and the Middle East. The Company has developed its proprietary SIMPPLE Ecosystem, to create an automated workforce management tool for building maintenance, surveillance and cleaning comprised of a mix of software and hardware solutions such as robotics (both cleaning and security) and Internet-of-Things (“IoT”) devices. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: http://www.investor.simpple.ai. 

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    SIMPPLE LTD.

    Investor Relations Department
    Email: ir@simpple.ai 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ERO Houston removes Honduran fugitive wanted for murder

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston, with assistance from ERO Honduras and the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement in Honduras, removed Fredy Rufino Aguilar-Hernandez, a 38-year-old unlawfully present Honduran national, from the United States Oct. 25. Aguilar-Hernandez is wanted in Honduras for murder.

    Aguilar-Hernandez was flown aboard a flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit from the Alexandria Staging Facility in Alexandria, Louisiana, to the Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Upon arrival, he was transferred into the custody of Honduran authorities.

    On Sept. 12, 2018, Aguilar-Hernandez entered the United States as a nonimmigrant in Atlanta, Georgia. He was authorized to remain in the country until March 11, 2019, but failed to depart.

    On Jan. 29, 2019, ERO Houston was notified by the ICE National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center that Aguilar-Hernandez was wanted in Honduras for murder. Based on that alert, ERO Houston fugitive operations officers immediately began actively working leads to locate him.

    On May 23, 2024, ERO Houston fugitive operations officers successfully located Aguilar-Hernandez at a residence in Galveston, Texas, and he was taken into custody. On July 31, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Aguilar-Hernandez removed from the United States to Honduras. ICE officers carried out that order and he was removed to Honduras Oct. 25.

    “For more than five years, ERO Houston fugitive operations officers tirelessly pursued this foreign fugitive to eradicate any threat he might pose to public safety,” said ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret A. Bradford. “In May, they successfully tracked him down and safely took him into custody. As someone who knows first-hand the challenges that they face to execute our increasingly complex mission, it is humbling to watch the passion and dedication that they bring every day to their jobs. Without their unyielding commitment to uphold the integrity of our nation’s immigration system, this dangerous fugitive would still be free in the community and his alleged victims in Honduras would be deprived of the justice they deserve.”

    The SAFE Program is a fugitive enforcement and information sharing partnership that was created in 2012 to better use subject information derived from local in-country investigative resources and leads to locate, apprehend, detain and remove individuals residing in the United States illegally who were subject to foreign arrest warrants. The SAFE Program operates under the respective host nation’s AAR, which constructs a SAFE task force composed of relevant foreign law enforcement agencies, immigration authorities, attorneys general, and national identification repositories — as well as other regional, national, state and local government agencies. The managing AAR ensures that each task force member complies with SAFE policies and standards consistent with the program’s standard operating procedures. Once established, the AAR-led SAFE task force generates new leads and vets existing SAFE fugitive referrals for ERO action.

    Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives should contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

    For more news and information on how the ERO Houston field office carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Southeast Texas follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROHouston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice to attend Extraordinary General Meeting in Anoto Group AB (publ)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The shareholders of Anoto Group AB (publ) (the “Company”) are hereby invited to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting (the “EGM”) to be held on Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 10 a.m. at the premises of Setterwalls Advokatbyrå, Sturegatan 10 in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Notification of participation

    Shareholders wishing to attend the EGM must

    • be entered as shareholders in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB no later than on Monday 18 November 2024,
    • notify the Company of their intention to participate no later than on Wednesday 20 November 2024.

    Attendance is to be notified by phone by e-mail to eric.torstensson@setterwalls.se. The notification should state name, social security number/corporate identification number and registered number of shares. To facilitate admittance to the EGM, proxies, registration certificates and other authorisation documents should be submitted by email to eric.torstensson@setterwalls.se no later than Wednesday 20 November 2024. The Company provides proxy forms on the Company’s web page http://www.anoto.com.

    To be entitled to participate at the EGM, shareholders who has had their shares registered through nominees (Sw. förvaltare) must, in addition to notifying the Company of their intention to participate at the EGM, have their shares registered in their own name so that the shareholder is entered into the share register per Monday 18 November 2024. Such registration may be temporary (so-called voting rights registration) (Sw. rösträttsregistrering) and is requested with the nominee in accordance with the nominee’s routines at such time in advance as the nominee determines. Voting rights registrations made no later than Wednesday 20 November 2024 are considered when preparing the share register.

    Proposed agenda

    1. Opening of the meeting
    2. Election of Chairman
    3. Preparation and approval of voting list
    4. Approval of the agenda
    5. Election of one or two persons to verify the minutes
    6. Determination of whether the Meeting has been duly convened
    7. Resolution regarding adoption of new articles of association
    8. Resolution regarding reduction of the share capital without redemption of shares
    9. Approval of the Board of Directors’ resolution on a new share issue of ordinary shares with deviation from the shareholders preferential rights
    10. Approval of the Board of Directors’ resolution on a rights issue of ordinary shares
    11. Approval of the Board of Directors’ resolution on a new share issue of ordinary shares against payment through set-off of claim
    12. Resolution on an authorization for the Board of Directors to increase the share capital to enable over-allotment in the rights issue
    13. Resolution on an authorization for the Board of Directors to increase the share capital to enable payment of consideration to guarantors in the form of new ordinary shares in the Company
    14. Resolution regarding bonus issue
    15. Resolution regarding reduction of the share capital without redemption of shares
    16. Determination of number of Board members
    17. Determination of fees for Board members
    18. Election of Board member
    19. Closing of the Meeting

    Proposals (items 7 – 18)

    Resolution regarding adoption of new articles of association (item 7)

    As a consequence of the proposed reduction of share capital under item 8 below, the Board of Directors proposes that the EGM resolves upon adopting new articles of association pursuant to which the share capital limits set out in § 4 in the articles of association are changed to not less than SEK 29,000,000 and not more than SEK 116,000,000. Furthermore, the Board of Directors proposes an amendment to the limits on number of shares set out in § 5 in the articles of association to be not less than 322,222,222 and not more than 1,288,888,888 shares.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving to reduce the share capital as set out in item 8 below.

    Resolution regarding reduction of the share capital without redemption of shares (item 8)

    The Board of Directors proposes that the EGM resolves upon reducing the Company’s share capital with SEK 109,513,491.78. The reduction of the share capital will be made without redemption of ordinary shares by changing the share quota value from approximately SEK 0.42 to SEK 0.09 per share. The reduction amount shall be allocated to a non-restricted reserve to be used in accordance with the shareholders’ resolution.

    The reduction is carried out in order to reduce the quota value of the ordinary shares to enable the adjustment of the subscription price in the new share issues suggested for approval in items 9 – 11 below and the potential new share issues in items 12 and 13 below. After the reduction, the share capital will amount to SEK 29,867,315.94 divided into 331,859,066 ordinary shares (prior to the share issues), each share with a quota value of SEK 0.09. The resolution to reduce the share capital is conditioned on that the share issues under items 9 – 11, any new issues pursuant to the authorizations under items 12 and 13 and the bonus issue under item 14, entailing an increase of the share capital with at least as much as the reduction amount, are registered at the Swedish Companies Registration Office and that the reduction of the share capital, the share issues and the bonus issue together do not result in a decrease in the Company’s share capital. The resolution to reduce the share capital is conditioned by a change of the articles of association as set out in item 7 in the notice.

    Approval of the Board of Directors resolution on a new share issue of ordinary shares with deviation from the shareholders preferential rights (item 9)

    The Board of Directors has on 25 October 2024, subject to the subsequent approval of the general meeting, resolved to increase the Company’s share capital by up to SEK 11,253,937.50 through the issue of up to 125,043,750 new ordinary shares, each with a quota value of SEK 0.09.

    The following terms and conditions shall apply to the issue of shares. The subscription price per ordinary share amounts to SEK 0.12. The share premium shall be transferred to the unrestricted premium reserve. With deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, the new shares may only be subscribed for by institutional and other qualified investors. Subscription for new shares shall be made on a separate subscription list no later than 25 October 2024. Payment for the subscribed shares shall be made through payment in cash or through set-off of claim no later than on 27 November 2024. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to extend the subscription period and the time of payment. The new shares do not entitle to participation with preferential rights in the new share issue in item 10 below. The new shares convey right to dividends for the first time on the first record date set for dividends after the registration of the new shares with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

    The reason for the deviation from the shareholders‘ preferential rights is that the Company is in great need of capital and the Board of Directors considers that the expected proceeds from the directed issue in a timely and cost-effective manner will enable the Company to (i) ensure continued operations until a rights issue has been completed, and (ii) diversify and strengthen the Company’s shareholder base with institutional or other qualified investors, which justifies the directed issue’s deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights. The directed issue will broaden the shareholder base and provide the Company with new reputable owners, which the Board of Directors believes will strengthen the liquidity of the share and be favorable for the Company. In light of the above, the Board of Directors has made the assessment that the share issue with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights is favorable for the Company and in the best interest of the Company’s shareholders.

    The subscription price has been determined through arm’s length negotiations with the subscribers in the share issue. The Board of Directors has also taken into account that the proposed rights issue according to item 10 below is carried out with a subscription price of SEK 0.12 per ordinary share and has therefore deemed it reasonable that the new share issue with deviation from the shareholders preferential rights pursuant to this paragraph 9 is carried out on equivalent terms.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 and 8 and 10 – 14 in the notice.

    Approval of the Board of Directors resolution of a rights issue of ordinary shares (item 10)

    The Board of Directors has on 25 October 2024, subject to the subsequent approval of the general meeting, resolved to issue new ordinary shares on the following terms and conditions.

    The Company’s share capital may be increased by up to SEK 37,334,144.70 through the issue of up to 414,823,830 new ordinary shares, each with a quota value of SEK 0.09. The subscription price per ordinary share amounts to SEK 0.12. The share premium shall be transferred to the unrestricted premium reserve.

    The shareholders of the Company shall have preferential rights to subscribe for the new shares in relation the number of shares previously held. In case not all shares have been subscribed for, the Board of Directors shall decide that allotment of shares subscribed for without subscription rights shall take place up to the maximum amount of the issue, whereby the Board of Directors primarily will allot shares to those who also subscribed for shares based on subscription rights, and in the event of over subscription, pro rata to their subscription based on subscription rights. Secondly, the Board of Directors will allot shares to those who subscribed for shares without subscription rights, and if full allotment cannot be made, pro rata to their subscription. To the extent not possible, allotment shall be made through drawing of lots, and finally, subject to such allocation being required in order for the issue to be fully subscribed, to the guarantors of the issue with allotment in relation to their respective subscription (based on the guarantee undertakings).

    The record date for determining which shareholders shall be entitled to subscribe for new ordinary shares on a preferential basis shall be 28 November 2024.

    Subscription for new shares based on subscription rights shall be made through payment in cash or through set-off of claim during the period from 2 December 2024 until and including 16 December 2024. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to extend the subscription period.

    Subscription without subscription rights shall be made through notice on special application form during the period from 2 December 2024 until and including 16 December 2024. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to extend the subscription period. Payment for the new shares shall be made at the latest three business days through payment in cash or through set-off of claim following the date of the dispatch of a contract note to the subscriber, specifying allocation of shares, or such later date as the Board of Directors may decide.

    The new ordinary shares shall entitle to dividends as from the first record date for dividends following registration of the new share issue with the Swedish Companies Registration Office. Trading with subscription rights will take place during the period from 2 December 2024 until and including 13 December 2024. Trading in BTA (Paid Subscribed Shares) is expected to take place from 2 December 2024 and is expected to finish during week 52 2024.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 – 9 and 11 – 14.

    Approval of the Board of Directors’ resolution on new share issue of ordinary shares against payment through set-off of claim (item 11)

    The Board of Directors has on 25 October 2024, subject to the subsequent approval of the general meeting, resolved to increase the Company’s share capital by up to SEK 20,757,249.99 through the issue of up to 230,636,111 ordinary shares, each with a quota value of SEK 0.09, against payment through set-off of claim.

    The following terms and conditions shall apply to the issue of shares. The subscription price per ordinary share amounts to the share’s quota value, i.e., SEK 0.09. With deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights, the new shares may only be subscribed for by Mark Stolkin, DDM Debt AB, Gary Butcher, BLS Futures Limited, Rocco Homes Ltd., Machroes Holdings Ltd and Adrian Weller. Subscription for new shares shall be made on a separate subscription list no later than 25 October 2024. Payment shall be made by set-off of the claim on 28 November 2024. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to extend the subscription period and the time of payment. The new shares do not entitle to participation with preferential rights under the new share issue according to item 10 above. The new shares convey right to dividends for the first time on the first record date set for dividends after the registration of the new shares with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

    The subscription price has been determined in accordance with the investment agreement entered into between the Company and above-mentioned lenders.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 – 10 and 12 – 14.

    Resolution on authorization for the Board of Directors to increase the share capital to enable over-allotment in the rights issue (item 12)

    The Board of Directors proposes that the EGM resolves on an authorization for the Board of Directors to – during the period until the next annual general meeting and at one or more occasions – resolve upon issuance of new shares with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights. The purpose of the authorization is to, if necessary, be able to increase the rights issue according to item 10 above through a so-called over-allotment option. Payment may be made in cash, through set-off of claims or otherwise be conditional. The number of shares issued under the authorization may correspond to maximum 20 percent of the maximum number of shares issued in the rights issue under item 10 above. Upon exercise of the authorization, the subscription price per share shall correspond to the subscription price in the rights issue according to item 10 above.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 – 11 and 13 and 14.

    Resolution on an authorization for the Board of Directors to increase the share capital to enable payment of consideration to guarantors in the form of new shares in the Company (item 13)

    The Board of Directors proposes that the EGM resolves on an authorization for the Board of Directors to – during the period until the next annual general meeting and at one or more occasions – resolve upon issuance of new shares with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights. The purpose of the authorization is to enable payment with shares in the Company as guarantee consideration to guarantors in the rights issue according to item 10 above. Payment may be made through set-off of claims.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 – 12 and 14.

    Resolution regarding bonus issue (item 14)

    The Board of Directors proposes that the EGM resolve to carry out a bonus issue thereby increasing the share capital with SEK 109,513,491.78 by making use of the Company’s non-restricted equity. The bonus issue is carried out without issuing new shares.

    The resolution is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 and 8 above.

    Resolution regarding reduction of the share capital without redemption of ordinary shares (item Error! Reference source not found.)

    The Board of Directors proposes that the EGM resolves upon reducing the Company’s share capital by an amount in SEK corresponding to the increase in the share capital pursuant to the resolutions on the share issues under items 9 – 11 and any issues pursuant to the authorizations under items 12 and 13 above minus the minimum amount required for the share’s quotient value after the reduction to correspond to a whole number of öre. The reduction of the share capital will be made without redemption of shares by changing the share quota value. The reduction amount shall be allocated to a non-restricted reserve to be used in accordance with the shareholders’ resolution.

    The reduction of share capital by changing the quota value is carried out under the condition that the resolution to reduce the share capital in item 8, the resolutions on the share issues in items 9 – 11, and any issues pursuant to the authorizations under items 12 and 13 and the resolution on a bonus issue in item 14 together do not result in an decrease in the Company’s share capital.

    The resolution to reduce the share capital is conditioned by the EGM resolving on the proposals set out in items 7 – 14 above.

    Determination of number of Board members (item 16)

    It is proposed that the Board of Directors until the end of the next Annual General Meeting shall consist of four ordinary board members without deputies, meaning that the EGM shall appoint an additional member.

    Determination of fees for Board members (item 17)

    At the Annual General Meeting on 15 July 2024, it was resolved that remuneration to the Board of Directors would be paid with a total of SEK 1,500,000, of which SEK 900,000 to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and SEK 300,000 to each of the other Board members who are not employees of the group.

    It is proposed that the resolution on remuneration to the Board of Directors as set out above shall continue to apply to the Chairman and the other members of the Board of Directors and that the new Board member shall be entitled to a remuneration of USD 75,000 per annum (i.e. the remuneration shall be reduced proportionally taking into account that the new Board member will not serve for the full term of office). The remuneration is paid in advance. The proposed board member has undertaken to acquire shares in the Company for an amount equal to at least the remuneration less tax.

    Election of Board member (item 18)

    It is proposed to newly elect Adrian Weller as a member of the Board of Directors for the period until the end of the next Annual General Meeting.

    In the event that the EGM Meeting resolves in accordance with the proposal, the Board of Directors of the Company will consist of the following members: Kevin Adeson (Chairman), Alexander Fällström, Gary Stolkin and Adrian Weller.

    Miscellaneous

    The Board of Directors, or a person appointed by the Board of Directors, will be authorised to make the minor changes in the resolutions under items 7 – 18 on the agenda and which may prove necessary in connection with registration of the resolutions with the Swedish Companies Registration Office and Euroclear Sweden AB.

    Complete proposals and documentation in accordance with the Swedish Companies Act (2005:551) will be kept available at the Company’s office as well as at the Company’s website http://www.anoto.com no later than 5 November 2024 and will be sent free of charge to those shareholders who request it and provide their postal address.

    According to Chapter 7, section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act, at a general meeting the shareholders are entitled to require information from the Board of Directors and CEO regarding circumstances which may affect items on the agenda.

    Number of shares and votes in the Company

    As of 25 October 2024, the total number of ordinary shares and votes in the Company was 331,859,066. The Company is not holding any own shares.

    Stockholm, October 2024

    Anoto Group AB (publ)

    The Board of Directors

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tenney, Stefanik Advocate for Fort Drum to Host Small Modular Reactor

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Oswego, New York – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) sent a letter to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth advocating for the Army to host a small modular reactor (SMR) at Fort Drum.

    “As Mayor of the City of Watertown, I’m proud to express my support for Fort Drum’s nomination as the site for the Army’s first small modular reactor. Fort Drum is not only a cornerstone of national defense but also a vital partner to the North Country. We are grateful for the steadfast leadership of Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whose unwavering advocacy for Fort Drum and its soldiers has been instrumental in securing resources and opportunities that strengthen both the installation and our community.Establishing a secure, independent power source at Fort Drum would not only enhance military readiness but also bring lasting benefits to Watertown and the North Country by boosting energy security and economic stability, and I am pleased to support this critical initiative,” said Mayor Sarah Compo Pierce.

    “Advocate Drum stands firmly in support of Fort Drum being the initial location for the employment of an SMR as part of the Army’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations Plan,” said Executive Director of Advocate Drum Michael McFadden. “Energy independence is absolutely crucial to ensure Fort Drum remains the premier power projection platform for the United States military, and to enhance the combat readiness of the 10th Mountain Division.”

    In the letter, the lawmakers state, “Fort Drum stands out as an ideal location for an SMR due to the Army’s unique ownership of the utilities and infrastructure on the installation. This ownership would simplify the deployment of an SMR, making it far easier compared to other locations where the Army does not control the utilities. Additionally, Fort Drum has a skilled workforce with significant experience in on-site energy generation, thanks to years of operating its biomass facility. The installation’s power demands, and the extreme temperatures of the North Country would also offer valuable data for the SMR pilot program.”

    The lawmakers continued, “Fort Drum also enjoys robust support from its surrounding community to host the small modular reactor. This significant investment in Upstate New York will provide the Northeast’s power projection platform with independent and secure power, bolster U.S. energy security, and cement Fort Drum’s importance to the modernization efforts of the Army.”

    Read the full letter here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Casey Secures $40 Million to Support Conservation at PA Farms

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Bob Casey

    New investments will help PA farms improve water quality, reduce air and water pollution, and increase energy efficiency

    Funding made possible by the Farm Bill and Inflation Reduction Act, both of which Casey fought to pass

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) delivered $40 million to support conservation efforts at Pennsylvania farms. The funding will be divided between two projects in the Commonwealth, $21.2 million to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Land O’ Lakes farmer cooperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve water quality on more than 50 farms across Pennsylvania, and $19.6 million to the National Hemp Association to implement conservation measures that will prevent water quality degradation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The investments are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which was funded by Senator Casey’s votes for the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.

    “Pennsylvania’s constitution guarantees our people clean air, pure water, and the preservation of our state’s natural beauty, and our farmers play a critical role in upholding this constitutional right,” said Senator Casey. “I fought for this funding to provide farmers the resources they need to implement conservation practices while simultaneously improving their bottom line. I will always fight to protect Pennsylvania’s environment and uplift our farming communities.”

    Senator Casey has long supported Pennsylvania farmers and their efforts to feed the Commonwealth. In 2018, Casey championed provisions in the Farm Bill to increase funding for the RCPP, expand dairy margin coverage, protect crop coverage, strengthen the community safety net, and make conservation programs more accessible. Senator Casey also established the Farm to Food Bank program to ensure farmers are able to recover some of the costs that would be lost otherwise from food waste. This program reimburses farmers for the costs to produce, harvest, process, and transport agricultural products that are donated to food banks. Since then, Casey has delivered historic investments to Pennsylvania farmers to support everything from climate-smart agriculture to reducing operational costs. Earlier this year, Casey introduced the Farm to Food Bank Reauthorization Act, to reauthorize a program he authored in the 2018 Farm Bill that reimburses farmers for their production when donating to local food banks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New protections from sexual harassment come into force

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Employers now have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and create a safe working environment.

    • New duty under the Equality Act 2010 will require employers to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.
    • New guidance for employers on how they can protect their staff.
    • New measure comes into force as further legislation goes through Parliament to boost economic growth by tackling poor productivity, insecure work and broken industrial relations.

    From today (26 October 204), employees can expect their employers to take reasonable steps to protect them from sexual harassment as a new duty comes into force.

    Employers now have a duty to anticipate when sexual harassment may occur and take reasonable steps to prevent it. If sexual harassment has taken place, an employer should take action to stop it from happening again. This sends a clear signal to all employers that they must take reasonable preventative steps against sexual harassment, encourage cultural change where necessary, and reduce the likelihood of sexual harassment occurring.

    Anneliese Dodds, Minister for Women and Equalities, said:

    This government is determined to ensure that we not only Make Work Pay; we also make work safe. Too many people feel uncomfortable or unsafe at work due to sexual harassment and we are putting every effort into putting a stop to it. The preventative duty is an important step on the journey, and we will continue to improve protections for workers until everyone can thrive.

    The Equality Act provides legal protections against sexual harassment in the workplace. Despite this, persistent reports and revelations in recent years indicate that it remains a problem. So from today employers will be required to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. We will strengthen this duty through our Employment Rights Bill, which had its Second Reading this week, and will boost economic growth by tackling poor productivity, insecure work and broken industrial relations.

    Guidance for employers on developing appropriate plans and policies has been published by the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. This includes what behaviour needs to be addressed and how complaints should be handled, to help employers protect their staff and avoid tribunals.

    Notes to editors

    1. An individual cannot bring a claim against their employer for the preventative duty. An individual must first bring a claim against their employer for sexual harassment. If the claimant is successful, a breach of the employment duty will automatically be examined.
    2. If an employment tribunal has found an employer liable for sexual harassment, it can also consider whether the employer has failed in its duty to prevent it, and if so, the tribunal can order an uplift in compensation paid to the employee. A breach of the duty may lead to an uplift in compensation by up to 25%. The amount awarded should reflect the gravity of the breach. A breach of the duty is also enforceable by the Equality and Human Rights Commission under its existing enforcement powers.
    3. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance on sexual harassment for employers has been updated to reflect the new legal requirements under the WPA: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/sexual-harassment-and-harassment-work-technical-guidance
    4. The Acas guide for employers to creating a sexual harassment policy is here: https://www.acas.org.uk/sexual-harassment.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: London Poppy Factory prepares nation to mark Remembrance

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Defence Secretary John Healey paid tribute to the thousands of personnel and military veterans across the country as he made a poppy wreath for Remembrance.

    Defence Secretary John Healey with veterans at the Poppy Factory.

    • With military veterans at the heart of their workforce, The Poppy Factory has made tens of thousands of wreaths for Remembrance
    • Hundreds of Armed Forces personnel will support the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal and lead the nation in Remembrance
    • Cadets and veterans joined the Defence Secretary in making a poppy wreath at the factory

    Located in Richmond-upon-Thames, The Poppy Factory is a charity that helps military veterans with health conditions and their families to move back to employment.

    During a visit to the Factory, Defence Secretary John Healey paid tribute to the thousands of Armed Forces personnel and military veterans leading Remembrance tributes across the country as he made a poppy wreath.

    Cadets from Middlesex and North-West London ACF joined the Defence Secretary on the factory floor in a reminder of how the commemorations pass on the story of Remembrance to new generations.

    Defence Secretary John Healey said:

    “Every November the nation unites in remembrance of those who gave their lives to defend the freedoms we enjoy today.

    “I’m proud that members of our Armed Forces will be at the forefront of commemorations at the Cenotaph, across the UK and on operations around the world.

    “Organisations like The Poppy Factory show that remembrance makes an impact all-year round, supporting the veterans community and recognising their service and sacrifice.”

    The charity has been at the heart of Remembrance for more than a century.

    Military veterans employed by The Poppy Factory make poppy wreaths which are laid at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and maintain the poppies surrounding the grave of the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey.

    The charity also offers one-to-one support in communities across the UK for veterans and family members who face significant challenges to employment.

    Chief Executive of The Poppy Factory Amanda Shepard said:

    “Our charity has always played a vital part in the Remembrance tradition and I am very proud that our factory team is still performing that role after more than a century.

    “I am also proud of our progress in helping veterans and family members across England and Wales find a way back into work after leaving service. Every year we help hundreds of members of the Armed Forces community to overcome significant barriers to employment. I appreciate the Secretary of State taking the time to visit and hear about some of those challenges.”

    Cadet Corporal Razwan Ciocan, who made a poppy wreath to lay at the Cenotaph on Armistice Day, said:

    “A lot of people my age may not be familiar with life in the Armed Forces or the work they do around the world to protect us. I’m glad that at remembrance time there is an opportunity to learn more about the military and remember their sacrifice.”

    The Defence Secretary met Amanda Shepard to discuss the support offered by the Ministry of Defence and military charities to Armed Forces personnel.

    The Government is committed to supporting Armed Forces personnel throughout their careers, with improvements to recruitment, retention, and support following their service.

    Armed Forces personnel are at the heart of Remembrance commemorations every November.

    Thousands of service personnel will volunteer their time to sell poppies and collect donations for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

    Hundreds of members of the Armed Forces will also join thousands of veterans at the annual service at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

    Updates to this page

    Published 26 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Well-being guide boosts positivity

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The “Well-being design” guide consists of eight booklets that cover well-being concepts, namely “Health & Vitality”, “Green Living & Sustainability”, “Age-Friendliness”, “Intergenerational & Inclusive Living”, “Family & Community Connection”, “Urban Integration”, “Upward Mobility” and “Perception & Image”.

     

    Enhancing happiness

    Housing Department Assistant Director (Project) Max Wong explained that while they were compiling the guide, the department had already begun introducing such concepts at ongoing public housing developments.

    “For example, in Hin Fat Estate, which has just been completed recently andis located near the Dragon Kiln, which was previously a famous pottery and ceramic workshop. With this historical and cultural background, we incorporate this design element in our estate design.

    “Another example is Yip Wong Estate, also in Tuen Mun. It is located alongside the Tuen Mun River and with this special context, we have placed our bicycle parking spaces near the cycling track so that residents can conveniently take their bikes to the cycling track and enjoy cycling along the river.”

     

    Diverse concepts

    The “Well-being design” guide also integrates the Housing Authority’s successful building and management experience from the past 50 years.

    It enables Housing Department staff across various professional streams to apply such elements when designing public housing.

    Additionally, the team conducted research in 26 housing estates and collected first-hand opinions from over 3,000 residents to ensure useful and practical suggestions are contained in the guide.

     

    Age-friendly communities

    Taking the entrance lobby as an example, besides enhancing the natural ventilation and lighting, the guide proposed to provide leaning benches for residents to rest on.

    Also, hand rails and hanging hooks can be installed next to mailboxes so that residents are able to free their hands while collecting their letters.

    Heart-warming designs

    The Housing Department also dedicated time and regular resources to carry out facade beautification and minor improvement projects at 10 housing estates, as well as to complete landscaping improvement works for 20 housing estates.

    For example, in Butterfly Estate, the improvement project has adopted the “Perception & Image” concept in the guide.

    The idea of using a butterfly as the design theme was fully adopted.

    Environmental wellness

    Housing Department Maintenance Surveyor (Project) Sylvia Mok pointed out that they bring in the arts to the communities as a way to encourage residents to come out of their homes and visit the neighbourhood.

    “We have murals on the external walls. You can see we shared the view of a butterfly theme.

    “Also for those unpleasant pipe works and the rodent control guards, we tactfully change them to look like tree trunks and tree houses.”

    Another fine example of such improvement works at Butterfly Estate is a newly renovated canopy at the amphitheatre. On its interior roof is a painting which features a bird’s-eye view of different attractions and natural scenery in Tuen Mun when butterflies are fluttering over the district.

    The department hopes the painting can encourage the residents to better understand their communities.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Assaults at Marion and Mitchell Park

    Source: South Australia Police

    Police are investigating after a woman was assaulted in her Mitchell Park home overnight.

    Police were called to a disturbance in Maldon Avenue, Mitchell Park at 3am on Saturday 26 October.

    Patrols arrived to find a front window had been smashed and the occupant, a 68-year-old woman, had been assaulted with a stick.

    She was taken to hospital for medical treatment.  Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

    Police searched the area for the three suspects; however, they have not been located at this time.

    Detectives are investigating whether the same group of people were involved in an incident at a Marion service station a short time earlier.

    Police had been called to the services station on Marion Road, Marion just before 2am by reports that four people had been assaulted by two suspects.

    Two of the victims, and 18-year-old man and a 24-year-old man, were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

    Crime scene investigators attended and examined the scenes and investigations are continuing to try to identify and locate the suspects.

    They are described as young men of Aboriginal appearance, wearing hoodies and dark clothing.

    Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at http://www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    MIL OSI News –