Category: Africa

MIL-OSI Economics: Members discuss decarbonization, traceability, packaging, medical devices; address notifications

Source: WTO

Headline: Members discuss decarbonization, traceability, packaging, medical devices; address notifications

Thematic session: Traceability requirements for bulk agricultural commodities
The session recognized that traceability systems are becoming an important tool to demonstrate that agricultural products meet sustainability standards and regulations. Speakers discussed how such schemes could restrict market access and reviewed the challenges businesses face in complying with such requirements, especially in developing economies. They emphasized the role of public-private collaboration, national strategies, and the availability of traceability-related data to facilitate compliance with these schemes. The TBT Agreement disciplines, particularly transparency and the need to avoid unnecessary trade restrictions, were underscored as crucial for designing balanced and effective traceability schemes.
Thematic session: Regulatory cooperation between members on food contact packaging
Balancing multiple objectives when designing and implementing measures for reducing food contact packaging is a challenge, the session stressed. The discussion noted that food packaging serves a unique and essential role in preserving the shelf-life and safety of food we consume. Speakers identified various considerations to address these challenges, including avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches, leveraging international standards, ensuring transparency, using the best available scientific information and avoiding unnecessary costs for businesses.
Thematic session: Decarbonization standards
Speakers recognized that standards and regulations are vital in supporting decarbonization objectives, with international standards playing an important role in ensuring interoperability in international markets. The importance of developing economies’ participation in developing international standards was acknowledged, alongside the necessity of coherence and periodic updates to standards.
Thematic session: Regulatory cooperation between members on medical devices regulation
Speakers emphasized the essential role of regulatory cooperation and convergence for ensuring timely access to safe and effective medical devices, particularly in times of public health emergencies. International standards were highlighted as a foundation for facilitating trade in safe medical devices, and the importance of avoiding duplication of regulatory efforts was underscored. Speakers stressed the TBT Agreement as a key tool to guide regulatory cooperation and reduce unnecessary trade barriers for medical devices.
TBT cross-cutting information session on trade and environment
The TBT Committee held a cross-cutting information session on trade and environment with the participation of delegates from the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) in an effort by members to find synergies across the work of relevant WTO bodies. Members shared their views on possible ways in which the TBT Committee can continue enhancing members’ understanding of TBT matters at the intersection of trade and environment.
As the TBT Committee’s agenda will continue to include issues related to environmental protection and TBT measures, members expressed support for closer cooperation between the TBT Committee and the CTE, noting the benefits of fostering synergies and cross-committee learning, while avoiding duplication.
Adoption of improved TBT notification formats
Following action taken by the Transparency Working Group, and in particular by Australia, Namibia, Paraguay, the United Kingdom and the United States, significant changes to TBT notification formats were adopted to streamline and modernize information contained in these documents.
Notifications resulting from actions of Transparency Working Group
Guyana, for the first time, submitted a notification on measures it has put into place to ensure the implementation of the TBT Agreement (Article 15.2). This follows last year’s adoption of a template and accompanying guidelines to help members prepare these notifications. The new notification facilitates access to information on government agencies involved in standards and regulations and the publications and websites they use to disseminate information about their work. Canada and Colombia also shared information on their recently submitted notifications.
ePing translations
The WTO Secretariat announced the launch of a new ePing feature that allows users to request unofficial translations of the full text of notified draft regulations into English, Spanish or French. This function is now available to all WTO members and ePing users. Additionally, the Secretariat encouraged members to update their enquiry point information on ePing, emphasizing the importance of keeping contact details up to date.
International Standards Organization (ISO)/ International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) terms and definitions
In conformity with a decision members took at the 10th Triennial Review of the TBT Agreement in November 2024 and following the Secretariat’s consultations with the ISO and IEC, access to their Guide containing standardization terms and definitions is now available on the WTO website. The Guide is expressly referred to in Annex 1 of the TBT Agreement.
Specific trade concerns
Members raised eight new trade concerns and 53 previous ones.
The new trade concerns addressed proposed measures related to eco-design requirements for electrical products such as chargers and sustainable products. They also covered regulatory issues on self-driving vehicles, restrictions on use of hazardous substances in certain electrical products, and recycling and recovery of materials from waste batteries. Concerns also addressed measures related to food and liquor labelling.
Members also shared progress in their discussion of trade concerns. The United States announced progress with respect to its concerns on Mexico’s measures affecting yoghurt and cheese. Mexico and the United States reported the resolution of their trade concern regarding Saudi Arabia’s technical regulation for electric vehicles.
Annual review
Every year, the TBT Committee carries out an annual review of activities relating to the implementation and operation of the TBT Agreement, including notifications, specific trade concerns, technical assistance activities and TBT related disputes. A brochure highlighting the Committee’s key results in 2024 is available here. These results include the MC13 Declaration on Regulatory Cooperation and the adoption of the 2025-2027 workplan.

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MIL OSI Economics –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the immediate risk of further repression by Lukashenka’s regime in Belarus – threats from the Investigative Committee – RC-B10-0219/2025

Source: European Parliament

pursuant to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of the Rules of Procedure
replacing the following motions:
B10‑0219/2025 (Verts/ALE)
B10‑0221/2025 (S&D)
B10‑0223/2025 (ECR)
B10‑0227/2025 (Renew)
B10‑0229/2025 (PPE)

Sebastião Bugalho, Miriam Lexmann, Michael Gahler, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Tomas Tobé, Dariusz Joński, Luděk Niedermayer, Seán Kelly, Vangelis Meimarakis, Andrey Kovatchev, Wouter Beke, Danuše Nerudová, Loránt Vincze, Jessica Polfjärd, Sandra Kalniete, Łukasz Kohut, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Tomáš Zdechovský, Inese Vaidere
on behalf of the PPE Group
Yannis Maniatis, Francisco Assis, Robert Biedroń
on behalf of the S&D Group
Adam Bielan, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Mariusz Kamiński, Bogdan Rzońca, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Rihards Kols, Michał Dworczyk, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Maciej Wąsik, Reinis Pozņaks, Ivaylo Valchev, Marlena Maląg, Aurelijus Veryga, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Assita Kanko, Alexandr Vondra, Roberts Zīle
on behalf of the ECR Group
Michał Kobosko, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Helmut Brandstätter, Olivier Chastel, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Engin Eroglu, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Ľubica Karvašová, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Jan‑Christoph Oetjen, Urmas Paet, Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, Eugen Tomac, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas
on behalf of the Renew Group
Mārtiņš Staķis
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
Merja Kyllönen, Jonas Sjöstedt, Hanna Gedin, Per Clausen, Jussi Saramo, Li Andersson

European Parliament resolution on the immediate risk of further repression by Lukashenka’s regime in Belarus – threats from the Investigative Committee

(2025/2629(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Belarus,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Lukashenka regime has been escalating internal and transnational repression to dismantle the structures representing the democratic forces of Belarus;

B. whereas UN experts recently confirmed arbitrary arrests and detentions, accompanied by torture or ill treatment and even reported evidence for crimes against humanity; whereas more than 1 200 political prisoners, including Viktoryia Kulsha, Volha Mayorava, Alena Hnauk and Andrzej Poczobut, are still jailed;

C. whereas the Belarusian Investigative Committee has opened ‘special proceedings’ against hundreds of Belarusians who joined rallies in various European cities or ran in the Coordination Council’s elections; whereas the families of the Belarusian diaspora were threatened with imprisonment and asset confiscation if they participated in Freedom Day protests;

D. whereas Lukashenka’s regime is exploiting the expiry of many Belarusian passports to force the diaspora to return to Belarus;

E. whereas the Belarusian regime’s increasing cooperation with Russian security services heightens the risk of coordinated repression, surveillance and hybrid threats in EU territory;

F. whereas Belarusian state media dominates the information landscape; whereas US funding cuts have severely affected Belarus’s civil society and free media;

1. Demands that Lukashenka’s regime immediately cease its repression, including the surveillance of exiles and demonstrators, and release and rehabilitate all political prisoners;

2. Strongly condemns the continued expansion of repression by the Lukashenka regime, which now targets Belarusians abroad with criminal prosecution, asset seizures and other measures designed to silence dissent;

3. Calls for EU-wide legal support and protection for exiled Belarusians by simplifying procedures for obtaining visas, resident permits and provisional IDs for individuals made stateless by extraterritorial persecution;

4. Reiterates its non-recognition of Lukashenka and considers the persecution of Belarusian citizens for peaceful democratic activities abroad via Investigative Committee ‘special proceedings’ to be a direct violation of the Member States’ territorial sovereignty; urges, therefore, the countries concerned to disregard Interpol arrest warrants for the extradition of Lukashenka’s political opponents;

5. Welcomes the sanctions on the President Property Management Directorate and the Central Election Commission, which issued politically motivated judgments;

6. Urges the Member States to impose further sanctions equal to those imposed on Russia, particularly on officials responsible for transnational repression;

7. Urges the EU and its Member States to increase political, financial and technical support for the independent media, human rights defenders, trade unions and civil society initiatives operating within and outside Belarus, including monitoring trials and increasing the visibility of political prisoners;

8. Calls on the VP/HR to use INTCEN and EDMO to counteract Belarusian intelligence operations and disinformation;

9. Urges the International Criminal Court to expedite proceedings on crimes against humanity by Lukashenka’s regime and demands that Member States pursue accountability through national proceedings, based on the principle of universal jurisdiction;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces and the Belarusian de facto authorities.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the prosecution of journalists in Cameroon, notably the cases of Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad – RC-B10-0230/2025

Source: European Parliament

Sebastião Bugalho, Tomáš Zdechovský, Michael Gahler, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Tomas Tobé, Luděk Niedermayer, Seán Kelly, Vangelis Meimarakis, Andrey Kovatchev, Wouter Beke, Danuše Nerudová, Loránt Vincze, Jessica Polfjärd, Łukasz Kohut, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Miriam Lexmann, Inese Vaidere
on behalf of the PPE Group
Yannis Maniatis, Francisco Assis, Marta Temido
on behalf of the S&D Group
Waldemar Tomaszewski, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Assita Kanko, Alexandr Vondra, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Adam Bielan
on behalf of the ECR Group
Jan‑Christoph Oetjen, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Olivier Chastel, Engin Eroglu, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar
on behalf of the Renew Group
Catarina Vieira
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
Rima Hassan
on behalf of The Left Group

European Parliament resolution on the prosecution of journalists in Cameroon, notably the cases of Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad

(2025/2627(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas press freedom in Cameroon is deteriorating; whereas the Cameroonian Constitution recognises freedom of expression and fundamental rights; whereas journalists are routinely detained, attacked, censored, and imprisoned on anti-state, criminal defamation, ‘fake news’, and retaliatory charges while reporting on the crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions;

B. whereas Cameroon uses lengthy pre-trial and arbitrary detention; whereas journalists have been held incommunicado and convictions are handed down by military courts, among other serious violations of fair trial and due process rights;

C. whereas the UN Committee against Torture, Freedom House and the Committee to Protect Journalists recently reported that Cameroon’s police, gendarmes and other government agents have arrested, detained, physically attacked and intimidated journalists and that, once detained, journalists are often ill-treated, tortured and killed;

D. whereas Tsi Conrad, Mancho Bibixy, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka and Thomas Awah Junior are journalists who reported on the situation in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, including on abuses perpetrated during the armed conflict and ongoing civil unrest; whereas Amadou Vamoulké, a journalist in poor health, was sentenced to 32 years in prison for his independent management of the state broadcaster;

E. whereas the journalists Martinez Zogo, Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe, Samuel Wazizi and Anye Nde Nsoh were killed between August 2019 and May 2023, and serious questions about accountability remain unanswered;

F. whereas the EU is Cameroon’s leading trade partner;

1. Condemns the structural violations of journalists’ human rights by the Cameroonian authorities, calls on those authorities to ensure that press freedom is respected, particularly in the run-up to Cameroon’s 2025 presidential elections, and urges them to immediately and unconditionally release Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad and ensure, in the meantime, that their basic rights are upheld and that they have access to medical treatment;

2. Calls for the EU and the Member States to raise cases of detained journalists with the Cameroonian authorities; calls for the EU to use its diplomatic and economic leverage to achieve tangible improvements in human rights in Cameroon;

3. Urges the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States’ diplomatic missions to actively respond to restrictions against journalists, including by ensuring comprehensive observation of trials, visiting journalists in detention and maintaining active contact with marginalised or at-risk journalists and with their families and colleagues;

4. Urges the Cameroonian authorities to end their practice of trying civilians in military courts, which does not comply with international law, and to stop abusively invoking terrorism, anti-state and ‘fake news’ charges in cases against journalists;

5. Reiterates its call on the Member States to support a UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to Cameroon, particularly in light of the conflict in the North-West and South-West Regions;

6. Calls on the Member States to facilitate humanitarian visa applications for Cameroonian journalists at risk of persecution;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR and the President, Government and Parliament of Cameroon.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the execution spree in Iran and confirmation of the death sentences of activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani – RC-B10-0220/2025

Source: European Parliament

pursuant to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of the Rules of Procedure
replacing the following motions:
B10‑0220/2025 (Verts/ALE)
B10‑0224/2025 (Renew)
B10‑0225/2025 (S&D)
B10‑0226/2025 (ECR)
B10‑0228/2025 (PPE)

Sebastião Bugalho, Loucas Fourlas, Michael Gahler, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Tomas Tobé, Davor Ivo Stier, Luděk Niedermayer, Seán Kelly, Vangelis Meimarakis, Andrey Kovatchev, Wouter Beke, Danuše Nerudová, Loránt Vincze, Jessica Polfjärd, Łukasz Kohut, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Tomáš Zdechovský, Miriam Lexmann, Inese Vaidere, Milan Zver
on behalf of the PPE Group
Yannis Maniatis, Francisco Assis, Daniel Attard, Evin Incir
on behalf of the S&D Group
Adam Bielan, Mariusz Kamiński, Reinis Pozņaks, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Rihards Kols, Michał Dworczyk, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Maciej Wąsik, Aurelijus Veryga, Dick Erixon, Charlie Weimers, Beatrice Timgren, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Waldemar Tomaszewski, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Assita Kanko, Alexandr Vondra
on behalf of the ECR Group
Helmut Brandstätter, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Olivier Chastel, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Engin Eroglu, Bart Groothuis, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Urmas Paet, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar
on behalf of the Renew Group
Hannah Neumann
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

European Parliament resolution on the execution spree in Iran and confirmation of the death sentences of activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani

(2025/2628(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A whereas Iran has the highest death sentence rate per capita in the world; whereas since the Women, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022, the Iranian authorities have embarked on an execution spree, including against dissidents, women, journalists and minorities;

B whereas the human rights situation in Iran is worsening, including the systemic targeting of women, children and ethnic and religious minorities, such as Christians, Baha’is, Kurds and Baluchis;

C. whereas according to Iran Human Rights, at least 975 people were executed in Iran in 2024, the highest number in more than two decades; whereas this includes individuals arrested as minors, as well as European citizens;

D. whereas political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani were arrested in November 2022 and subjected to torture and prolonged solitary confinement, denied their basic rights during their incarceration and sentenced to death on charges of ‘armed rebellion against the state’, ‘enmity against God’ and ‘corruption on earth’;

E. whereas several human rights defenders, including Pakhshan Azizi, Wirishe Moradi, Mahvash Sabet and Sharifeh Mohammadi, face severe persecution in Iran, with some sentenced to death and others imprisoned;

1. Reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty; urges the Iranian Government to introduce an immediate moratorium leading to its abolition;

2. Condemns the decision by Iran’s Supreme Court to uphold the death sentence against Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, detained under inhumane conditions and subjected to unfair trials;

3. Calls for their release, together with all prisoners currently on death row for political activism; recalls, in particular, the urgent cases of Pakhshan Azizi, Wirishe Moradi, Sharifeh Mohammadi and Mahvash Sabet;

4. Condemns the unprecedented rise in executions and the systematic targeting of human rights activists and minorities through the death penalty and persecutions, in particular Christians, Baha’is, Kurds and Baluchis; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals detained on account of their religion or belief;

5. Demands the immediate release and repatriation of and dropping of all charges against condemned EU nationals, including Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Ahmadreza Djalali; condemns Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy;

6. Calls on the Council and Member States to make the abolition of the death sentence and the release of political prisoners and EU nationals a condition for improving relations with Iran;

7. Reiterates its call on Iran to give the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and the UN Fact-Finding Mission unimpeded access to the country;

8. Reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation and continue identifying and sanctioning Iranian officials responsible for human rights violations;

9. Encourages the Commission and Member States to expand technical and financial assistance for Iranian civil society;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Container port in Lamu, Kenya – E-001225/2025

Source: European Parliament

Question for written answer E-001225/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Siegbert Frank Droese (ESN)

What does the Commission make of the fact that EU tenderers lost out in the call for tenders for the container port in Lamu, Kenya – especially after leaders in Kenya criticised ubiquitous EU requirements regarding ‘values’ and supply chains?

Submitted: 24.3.2025

Last updated: 2 April 2025

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: Orezone Gold Announces Closing of Private Placement with Nioko

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE, OTCQX: ORZCF) (the “Company” or “Orezone”) announces that further to its news release dated March 17, 2025, to maintain a 19.6% ownership in the Company following the recent closing of the Company’s bought-deal financing, Nioko Resources Corporation has subscribed for 10,719,659 common shares on a non-brokered private placement basis at a price of C$0.82 per share (the “Private Placement”).

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement to accelerate both stage 2 of the hard rock expansion and additional exploration at its Bomboré Gold Mine, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The Private Placement is a “related party transaction” as such term is defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101”). The Company is relying on an exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements set out in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Orezone Gold Corporation

Orezone Gold Corporation (TSX: ORE OTCQX: ORZCF) is a West African gold producer engaged in mining, developing, and exploring its flagship Bomboré Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. The Bomboré mine achieved commercial production on its oxide operations on December 1, 2022, and is now focused on its staged hard rock expansion that is expected to materially increase annual and life-of-mine gold production from the processing of hard rock mineral reserves. Orezone is led by an experienced team focused on social responsibility and sustainability with a proven track record in project construction and operations, financings, capital markets and M&A.

The technical report entitled Bomboré Phase II Expansion, Definitive Feasibility Study is available on SEDAR+ and the Company’s website.

Contact Information

Patrick Downey
President and Chief Executive Officer

Kevin MacKenzie
Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

Tel: 1 778 945 8977
info@orezone.com / www.orezone.com

For further information please contact Orezone at +1 (778) 945-8977 or visit the Company’s website at www.orezone.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws (together, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “potential”, “possible” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may”, “will”, “could”, or “should” occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the use of proceeds of the Private Placement.

All such forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management and the qualified persons believe are appropriate in the circumstances.

All forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, delays caused by pandemics, terrorist or other violent attacks (including cyber security attacks), the failure of parties to contracts to honour contractual commitments, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, the possibility of unanticipated costs and expenses, accidents and equipment breakdowns, political risk, unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general economic, market or business conditions, the failure of exploration programs, including drilling programs, to deliver anticipated results and the failure of ongoing and uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, and other factors described in the Company’s most recent annual information form and management discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR+. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan: Sexual violence used as weapon of terror against women and girls

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

2 April 2025 Women

Amid alarming reports of sexual violence being used as a weapon of terror across Sudan, UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, is warning that over 12 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are estimated to be at risk.

It is nearly two years since the brutal war between the forces of the military government in Khartoum and the Rapid Support Forces militia erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Human rights abuses have been committed on both sides and more than 30.4 million Sudanese require urgent assistance, with millions displaced, and tens of thousands killed. Nearly 25 million people face acute hunger.

According to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, there have been increasing and alarming reports of sexual violence being used to terrorise civilians.

Layla’s story

In late 2024, in the northern state of Sudan, armed men forced their way into Layla’s* home in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, while she was alone with her children. “They arrested my son and took me to a separate car. I noticed they were looking at my daughter in a disturbing way – she’s 18 years old. Probably they took me away to keep her alone.”, she told UNFPA.

Layla’s fears for her daughter were a precursor of what she would later confront at an overcrowded prison, where she was held for nearly three weeks.

© UNFPA Sudan

A woman, who has fled conflict in Sudan, washes clothes.

‘Unimaginable horrors’

Recounting that they brought her son back and started beating him in front of her, Layla added that they interrogated her, accused her of being a spy and claimed that her husband was working for the army.

Although the Sudanese army has recently retaken strategic areas of Khartoum, at that time opposition paramilitary forces were in control. Layla described being strip-searched, beaten and detained without charge.

“I witnessed unimaginable horrors,” she said. “When the officers left, the soldiers would begin raping prisoners. They would take young women out into the yard, and all night long we would hear the screams of girls and women.”

Over 12 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are estimated to be at risk of assault, an 80 per cent increase from the previous year.

A growing health crisis

Since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, the situation has worsened dramatically, with almost 13 million people forcibly displaced – nearly one third of the population – and the health system all but obliterated.

Across Sudan, UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services through 90 mobile health teams, more than 120 health facilities, and 51 safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence.

This assistance includes clinical treatment and psychological counselling following rape, sexual abuse and assault, as well as referrals for legal assistance and awareness raising among communities of the risks of sexual violence, coercion and trafficking.

At a UNFPA-supported safe space, Layla explained how she struggled to endure the ordeal in prison. “One day, a 16-year-old girl was brought back to the cell, bleeding heavily,” she recalled. “She came to me, hugged me, and we cried together for an entire day.”

© UNFPA Sudan

UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services in dozens of locations in Sudan.

After nine days in prison, Layla stopped eating and drinking, hoping to die instead of being raped as well. Eventually becoming very sick, Layla was released.

Although Layla and the young survivor were able to find physical and mental health support through the safe space, they are not among the majority.

According to UNFPA, there have been more than 540 attacks on health facilities reported over the last two years, supplies and equipment are frequently looted, and health workers, patients and ambulances are targeted with violence and intimidation.

‘No longer safe havens’

Maha Mahmoud, a social worker at a UNFPA-supported safe space in Dongola in Northern State, said health facilities are no longer safe havens.

“I was informed that a young woman had been raped at a maternity hospital,” she told UNFPA. “She’s 18, divorced with one daughter and had been living with her family when opposition forces entered her area. They took her, along with many other women, and raped them.”

“She lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself surrounded by other girls, all of whom had also been raped. They were then left in the street.”

The woman would later discover she was pregnant. “She made her way to the safe space, where we provided her with psychological support and all the necessary medical care,” said Ms. Mahmoud, adding that the woman and her baby are slowly recovering. “Since then, we have continued to help her cope with the trauma.”

Listen to an interview with UNFPA’s Representative ad interim in the country, Argentina Matavel Piccin:

Soundcloud

Urgent appeal

UNFPA is calling for $119.6 million for its work in Sudan and a further $26 million to assist refugees in the country. In the northern state, UNFPA’s sexual and reproductive health programmes and safe spaces operate with funding from Canada, the European Union, Japan, Norway and Sweden.

Yet unprecedented funding cuts by many leading donors are throwing into jeopardy the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls.

The United States has been a crucial supporter of the people of Sudan, but recent funding cuts will leave some 250,000 women without reproductive health services.

Training for frontline medical workers has also been halted, and 10,000 women will lose access to safe spaces that provide medical, legal, and psychosocial support.

* Name changed for privacy and protection.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Inclusion Not Optional’, Deputy Secretary-General Says in Message to Disability Summit

Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message at the opening of the Global Disability Summit in Berlin today:

I am truly sorry that I could not join you in person today, but it is a true honour to open this third Global Disability Summit. More than that, I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to shape a more just world.

Expanding hope and opportunities for people with disabilities is close to my heart — and that of the Secretary-General. It is a matter of dignity, of humanity, of human rights. It is a test of our common values. And it is also plain common sense.

When persons with disabilities can fully participate in society, societies are stronger. When we unlock potential and recognize talents, economies and communities thrive. When we advance human rights, all of humanity moves forward.

Disability rights are human rights — and everyone one wins when we make them real. And so I thank the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan for bringing us together.

You are meeting at a crucial time — with the five-year clock ticking on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I was involved in the shaping of that agenda — and saw firsthand how so many of you helped put the rights and hopes of persons with disabilities front and centre.

In doing so, you gave deeper meaning to the promise of leaving no one behind — and laid the foundation for the progress we strive to advance today.

The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, reinforces that call for a more peaceful, inclusive, accessible and equitable world — with persons with disabilities a full and equal part of our shared effort to advance sustainable development, climate action and digital transformation.

Yet today, we face a sobering truth.

Progress is not just slow — in some cases, we are moving backward. The UN Disability and Development Report found that about 98 per cent of the SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] indicators for persons with disabilities are off track.

This is far more than a statistic — it is a wake-up call. Persons with disabilities are being left behind. The world is failing them.

We are seeing growing and stark inequalities across the board — with higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to digital technologies.

Women, Indigenous Peoples, rural residents with disabilities, and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face even greater exclusion.

Not to mention those in humanitarian and emergency situations. In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, countless civilians have sustained permanent injuries and deep psychological trauma. Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable. Gaza alone has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services — an assault on their human rights and dignity. Many are deprived of the assistive devices critical to their survival. When I think of people with disabilities in conflict, I think of people like Mai. Mai was a young Palestinian, and a proud employee of the United Nations, living and working in Gaza. Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams.

She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for the United Nations. When given the opportunity, she excelled — bringing skill and determination to all she did. Unfortunately, she was killed along with her family in November 2023. Her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.

I share it not only to honour her memory, but because it reminds us both of what is possible when barriers are removed and of the terrible truth that persons with disabilities are often among the first casualties in conflict.

Despite the challenges, we have much to build upon. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has led to significant legislative progress worldwide. Yet, implementation is lagging.

The problem is not always a lack of will, but a lack of resources. Nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities — yet only about one third of those countries have accessible schools.

Meanwhile, almost half of all persons with disabilities in these countries face inaccessible transportation. Behind these figures are people. Children shut out of classrooms.

Adults who cannot get to work. Families denied essential services. This must change. And we must all be part of it. The United Nations is committed to leading by example.

Our UN Disability Inclusion Strategy is striving to drive action across the system. We are working to strengthen institutional capacities, mainstream disability inclusion across our work, and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

At the country level, we are working to ensure that our cooperation frameworks with Governments are fully inclusive of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.

And we are committed to supporting Member States turn global commitments into local progress — for and with persons with disabilities. This Summit presents opportunities to strengthen cooperation with all partners — and reaffirm the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.

Development assistance for disability inclusion has been growing — but it is still far from enough. And in today’s troubling context, it is under increasing threat. So too, perversely, is the very concept of accessibility.

Developed countries in particular have a responsibility to step up support. Now is the time to recommit to the 2030 Agenda by securing decent work and dignified livelihoods, fostering inclusive education and career opportunities, building accessible and affordable housing, promoting equitable health systems and harnessing technologies that enable autonomous living for all.

That means investing in inclusive public institutions, empowering representative organizations as full partners in policy and implementation, and integrating disability inclusion into national development plans backed by clear targets and real funding.

I know so many of you have spent years, even decades, breaking down barriers and opening doors — for all of us. Let this Summit help drive that action forward.

As we look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and beyond, let’s together send a clear message: Inclusion is not optional. Rights are not negotiable. Accessibility is essential. Promises made must be promises kept. Let’s keep fighting for the inclusive, just, sustainable future for all that our world needs.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Mozambique Delegation Explores India’s Decentralized Governance Framework

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 02 APR 2025 6:40PM by PIB Delhi

On April 1, 2025, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj hosted an interactive session on Decentralized Governance & Public Administration for a distinguished delegation from Mozambique. The delegation was hosted by Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), and Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, MoPR. The Mozambique delegation was headed by Prof. Benigna Zimba, Coordinator of Commission of Reflection on the Model of Decentralisation (CREMOD), established by the Government of Mozambique. This delegation is visiting India specifically to study the country’s decentralization framework and the Panchayati Raj system in India.

During the interaction, Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, MoPR shared a comprehensive overview of the Panchayati Raj system in India. He emphasized upon the constitutional framework that supports local self-governance in India and elaborated upon the journey of decentralization since the 73^rdConstitutional Amendment. Shri Lohani also highlighted the significant role and representation of women in the Panchayati Raj system. He underlined the activities and transformative changes in the governance mechanism during the last ten years, which have brought about positive transformation at grassroots level.

Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, MoPR shared his valuable insights on the operational aspects of Panchayati Raj Institutions and the various initiatives undertaken by the Ministry to strengthen local governance across the country. He particularly emphasized on the role of digital transformation in enhancing transparency and efficiency in PRIs.

Issues of Capacity Building & Training (CB&T) of PRIs, good practices adopted by various States and Union Territories, e-Governance at the Panchayat level, digital governance, integration of e-GramSwaraj with Government e-Market place (GeM) were also elaborated upon. The session also emphasized how digital platforms have improved service delivery and reduced bureaucratic hurdles. Citizen Charter of PRIs was another focal point of the discussion, highlighting its significance in establishing clear expectations between citizens and PRIs. Key themes like Own Source Revenue mobilization, Finance Commission Grants, localization of SDGs, and PESA Act etc. were also discussed during the session.

Prof. Benigna Zimba and other members of the Mozambique delegation actively participated in the interactive session, sharing the distinct features of the Decentralized Governance model in Mozambique, providing insights into their country’s governance structure, ongoing reforms, and future prospects. The delegation expressed particular interest in India’s digital governance initiatives and capacity-building programs, recognizing their potential applicability in the Mozambican context.

The Mozambique delegation included Prof. Benigna Zimba (Member and Coordinator, CREMOD), Mr. Francisco Eliseu de Sousa (Member), Mr. Flavio Mulamdo (Secretariat), and Mr. Tuarique Abdala (Secretariat). Mr. Orlando Rodolfo, Minister Counsellor, High Commission of Mozambique, New Delhi.

***

Aditi Agrawal

(Release ID: 2117959) Visitor Counter : 45

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: $61.5M Thruway Pavement Improvement Project Underway

Source: US State of New York

overnor Kathy Hochul today announced a $61.5 million pavement improvement project is underway on the New York State Thruway, Interstate 90, in Ontario and Monroe counties. The project includes pavement rehabilitation and safety enhancements on a 4.3-mile stretch of the Thruway just east of Exit 44 to west of Exit 45 — Canandaigua, Victor, NY Route 332 to Rochester, Victor, Interstate 490. More than 60,000 vehicles per day travel on this stretch of the interstate daily.

“We are making important investments in infrastructure to provide motorists with a safe and dependable roadway,” Governor Hochul said. “The improvements made on this section of the Thruway will benefit the thousands of New Yorkers who travel through Ontario and Monroe counties and strengthen our transportation infrastructure.”

Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank G. Hoare said, “The I-90 corridor in the Finger Lakes region is a busy section for commuters, tourism and the commercial trucking industry. Investing in these critical infrastructure projects enhances the safety and reliability of the Thruway system, offers some of the lowest toll rates in the nation for customers and maintains the Thruway as one of the safest superhighways in the country.”

State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “This project will be vital for the safety of drivers who rely on our New York State Thruway each and every day. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to bolstering our infrastructure statewide and am proud to be her partner in providing the kind of transportation system New Yorkers deserve.”

Assemblymember William B. Magnarelli said, “Investing in pavement rehabilitation and safety improvements on our highways ensures that they remain safe and sustainable for all users. The New York State Thruway system helps encourage statewide commerce and travel. I am happy to see it and other roads and infrastructure being maintained and strengthened.”

Ontario County Board of Supervisors Chair Jared Simpson said, “This project will go a long way to enhance the safety of this well-traveled corridor. This section of the Thruway is one of the main gateways into Ontario County, whether for visitors shopping at Eastview Mall, tourists visiting Canandaigua Lake, or people travelling to and from work. The tens of thousands of people who traverse this section of highway each day will appreciate a new, modern and safe roadway. Thank you to our leaders in Albany and to the New York State Thruway Authority for implementing the project.”

Monroe County Executive Adam J. Bello said, “I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for continuing to invest in New York State’s infrastructure, and this latest road improvement project on the New York State Thruway covering the roadway between Exits 44 and 45 is particularly important for local motorists. This section of the Thruway is used by tens of thousands of Monroe County residents each year, whether for commuting to work or heading out on vacation. These improvements will make Thruway driving safer and more pleasant for people who live, work and visit in Monroe County.”

To improve the driving surface, crews will utilize a method called “crack and seat” in both directions on I-90 from milepost 347.1 to milepost 351.4. “Crack and seat” involves cracking the concrete pavement, rolling the concrete with a heavy proof roller and overlaying the surface with asphalt. After the crack and seat is completed, the area will be paved with asphalt on the mainline and shoulders.

Additional work includes milling and replacing the asphalt pavement on the Exit 44 and Exit 45 interchange ramps, replacing the concrete median barrier and replacing the Variable Message Sign (VMS) structure at milepost 349.51 with a new digital sign structure that can display important real-time safety information for drivers.

The project also includes work at four bridge culverts located at mileposts 350.77, 349.97, 348.67 and 347.81. Concrete repairs will be made to the deck of the bridges, which will then be covered with a waterproof membrane and asphalt wearing surface. Repairs will also be made to the existing bridge railing and drainage systems. These improvements will extend the life of the Thruway and the culverts and enhance safety for motorists. The four bridge culverts included in this project carry traffic on I-90 eastbound and westbound, and conduct traffic on Willowbrook Road, High Street, Victor Egypt Road, and Brownsville Road below the Thruway. During work on the bridge culverts, a section of Willowbrook Road and Victor Egypt Road will be closed with a posted detour for several weeks. The closures on a section of Brownsville Road and High Street at the bridge culvert locations will be conducted at a later date.

Other improvements in the project include installing a snow fence to prevent blowing snow at Exit 44, a new guiderail, new traffic signs — such as milepost markers, delineators and snow plow markers — and adding new reflective line striping along the mainline and Exit 44 and Exit 45 ramps.

Villager Construction, Inc. of Fairport, New York is the project contractor following a competitive bidding process. The project is expected to be complete in the fall of 2026.

Motorists may encounter lane closures on the highway along with traffic shifts and stoppages while construction is underway. All work is weather dependent and subject to change. Motorists are urged to be alert and follow the posted work zone speed limits. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone.

To further enhance safety for workers in a work zone, Governor Hochul signed legislation establishing the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program. The safety enforcement program began in April 2023 and is in effect in various active construction zones on the Thruway. Work zones with speed camera enforcement will have clear signage leading up to it and motorists violating the posted speed limit within the work zone will be fined.

For up-to-date travel information, motorists are encouraged to download the Thruway Authority’s mobile app which is available to download for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic and navigation assistance while on the go. Travelers can also visit the Thruway Authority’s interactive Traveler Map which features live traffic cameras. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert emails, which provide the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway.

About the Thruway Authority

The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, built in the early 1950s, is one of the oldest components of the National Interstate Highway System and one of the longest toll roads in the nation. The maintenance and operation of the Thruway system is funded primarily by tolls. The Thruway Authority does not receive any dedicated federal, state or local tax dollars and is paid for by those who drive the Thruway, including one-third of drivers from out of state.

In 2024, the Thruway Authority processed more than 400 million transactions and motorists drove 8.2 billion miles on the Thruway. The Authority’s approved 2025 Budget invests a total of $477.3 million in dedicated funding for capital projects across the Thruway system beginning in 2025, an increase of more than $33 million compared to the approved 2024 budget. The increased investment will lead to work on approximately 61 percent of the Thruway’s more than 2,800 pavement lane miles as well as the replacement or rehabilitation of 20 percent of the Thruway’s 817 bridges.

The Thruway is one of the safest roadways in the country with a fatality rate far below the nationwide index, and toll rates are among the lowest in the country compared to similar toll roads. The Thruway’s base passenger vehicle toll rate is less than $0.05 per mile, compared to the Ohio Turnpike ($0.06 per mile), the New Jersey Turnpike (up to $0.39 per mile) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ($0.16 per mile).

The Thruway Authority’s top priority is the safety of our employees and customers. In 2024, two Thruway Authority employees died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents while working on the Thruway. The lives of Thruway Authority employees, roadway workers and emergency personnel depend on all of those who travel the highway. Motorists should stay alert and pay attention while driving, slow down in work zones and move over when they see a vehicle on the side of the road. New York State’s Move Over Law, which was expanded in March 2024, requires drivers to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped along the roadway. Safety is a shared responsibility.

For more information, follow the Thruway on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram, or visit the Thruway website.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa convenes second G20 Sherpa Meeting

Source: South Africa News Agency

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

South Africa’s Group of 20 (G20) Sherpa, Zane Dangor, will chair the second meeting of the G20 Sherpas, which will be held virtually on 3 and 4 April 2025.

The meeting will focus on the theme: “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability”.

The first G20 Sherpa Meeting under South Africa’s Presidency took place in December 2024 in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Sherpas are the personal representatives of the G20 leaders, while Working Groups are made up of representatives from member countries’ Ministries.

Sherpas coordinate the G20 process, while Working Groups analyse and discuss issues relevant to the intergovernmental forum.
At the meeting in December, Dangor described the session as “very successful” and “robust”.

“We’ve just completed the first Sherpa meetings, so it’s day two of plenty. It was a very successful Sherpa meeting. The discussions were robust but very inclusive,” he said at the time.

READ | First G20 Sherpa meetings ‘robust’

The opening session will be streamed on the G20 social media platforms, including Facebook – G20 South Africa and YouTube – G20 South Africa, https://m.youtube.com/@g20SouthAfrica25. – SAnews

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MIL OSI Africa –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Parliament adopts 2025 budget framework

Source: South Africa News Agency

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Parliament has voted to adopt the 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals, following a debate in the house.

Parliament also debated on and adopted the report of the Standing Committee on Finance related to the national budget, on Wednesday afternoon.

Members of Parliament voted as follows:
•    182 members voted against
•    194 voted in favour
•    there were no abstentions.

“The question that the 2025 Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals and the report of the Standing Committee is thus adopted,” Presiding officer Cedric Frolick said after the votes were counted.

Earlier in the debate, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance Mkhacani Maswanganyi outlined the steps taken since Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the Budget Speech in March.

“The Minister, together with the commissioner of SARS [South African Revenue Service], briefed the committee on the 14th of March. On 18 March…the committees of Finance, both in the NCOP [National Council of Provinces] and the NA [National Assembly] received the post-budget input from the Parliamentary budget office and the financial and fiscal commission.

“The committee issued adverts for public hearings…on websites, social channels and print media. The committees held public hearings on 25 March 2025 [and] we received 51 submissions – 29 written and 22 orally.

“National Treasury and SARS responded to the issues raised during the public hearings and engaged with the committees and stakeholders on the 28th of March 2025,” he said.

Following that, the committee secretariat sent out a draft report and set an agenda meeting for both the Standing and Select committees on Finance to consider and adopt the report.

“The report…is a result of an extensive process,” Maswangayi explained. – SAnews.gov.za

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MIL OSI Africa –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: France holds the presidency of the UN Security Council during the month of April 2025

Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

Today, April 1, 2025, France takes over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for a period of one month.

The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, as a permanent member, France is committed to working with its partners to enable it to respond to current challenges and conflicts.

France succeeds Denmark, which effectively assumed the presidency of the UNSC last month, and precedes Greece, which will take up this function in May, and the French presidency of the Council is therefore at the heart of a “European quarter” of the presidency of the Security Council, through which we mark, together, our commitment to effective multilateralism and respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

In the face of current challenges, the guiding principle of our presidency will be to make multilateral dialogue prevail over power relations.

The war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine since February 2022, in defiance of the most fundamental principles of international law, will be at the heart of our mobilization, and France will continue its efforts in favour of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

The situation in the Middle East will be the subject of a ministerial meeting at the end of the month, chaired by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, to which international and regional partners will be invited, which will illustrate France’s commitment to peace in that region, and will be part of the preparations for the international conference on the two-state solution co-organised in New York by France and Saudi Arabia.

Given the seriousness of the ongoing conflicts, France will pay particular attention to the situation in the Great Lakes, those in Sudan and South Sudan, as well as in Haiti.

The French presidency will also be at the initiative with meetings devoted to peacekeeping operations and the protection of humanitarian workers, two strong commitments to support those who, on the ground, provide assistance to vulnerable populations, and to ensure effective multilateralism, France will continue to demonstrate its commitment to the reform of the Security Council in order to improve its representativeness.

Throughout its presidency, France will have as its sole compass its commitment to multilateralism, the United Nations system and respect for international law for the maintenance of international peace and security.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Flies are masters of migration – it’s about time they got some credit

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Will Hawkes, Insect Migration Researcher, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter

As I sprinted across the flower-rich meadow on the eastern coast of Cyprus, I could barely see my car. The air was full of tiny black dots, pelting like bullets past me. I hauled open the car door and breathed a sigh of relief once inside. I was surrounded by millions of flies, amid the most incredible migration event I have ever seen.

The migration cameras my team and I use to monitor these insects counted nearly 6,000 flies per metre per minute. Being hit by a fly travelling over 25mph (helped by the wind) hurts enough to make you want shelter quickly.

All of these flies had just travelled at least 60 miles (100km) across open sea from the Middle East to Cyprus. This journey forms part of their springtime migration towards northern Europe.

Butterflies and dragonflies are well-known insect migrants, but not because they’re the most numerous. That title is given to the flies. I have studied all of the insects migrating through Cyprus and the Pyrenees on the France-Spain border. Flies make up nearly 90% of all migrants. Yet they have been consistently overlooked by scientists and their ecological contribution has been hugely underappreciated.

My colleagues and I set out to change this. We have spent months collecting written sources that mentioned fly migration from anywhere in the world. Our findings, now published in Biological Reviews, could change our perception of flies forever. Previously, nobody really knew the extent to which flies migrated, yet they are the most numerous and most ecologically important of all terrestrial migrants.

Fly migration has been part of written human history for millennia. In the book of Exodus, when the pharoah of Egypt didn’t let Moses’s people go, God sent a plague of flies to change his mind. Then God removed flies from the land until “not a fly remained”. This last biblical quote is key.

If these flies had been misidentified mayflies coming out of the river Nile, which are known to amass in huge numbers, their exhausted bodies would have remained for days. Because they all disappeared without a trace, this suggests a huge migration of flies. Egypt is on an important fly migration route. So perhaps fly migration was significant enough to be the subject of divine intervention.

Flies migrate to reproduce, moving to exploit seasonal food resources. All over the world, it’s mostly females that migrate. They have been recorded migrating through mountain passes high in the Himalayas, on ships hundreds of miles out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico and in their millions migrating through western Europe. Amazingly, while on fieldwork in the Maldives, I saw Forcipomyia midges use their soft foot hairs to stick to dragonfly wings to hitch a lift over the Indian Ocean.

Vital roles

Flies are so important to the planet and to us. No other group of terrestrial migrants (including vertebrates such as mammals) are as ecologically diverse as flies. More than half (62%) of all migrating flies, including hoverflies, are pollinators. Without them, food crop production would decline.

As they migrate, flies transport and disperse pollen between flowers. This could help plants adapt to climate change by maintaining genetic diversity.

Many migratory fly species (34%) are decomposers, ensuring the planet isn’t covered in rotting carcasses and animal dung. One study showed that the larvae of just 50 houseflies (Musca domestica), – the very ecologically similar and equally abundant autumn housefly Musca autumnalis migrate south through the Pyrenees in their millions – can decompose up to 444kg of pig manure.

The ecological roles of flies are not all positive, though. My latest study shows that monoculture crops provide lots of food for some migratory fly species (18%) that have subsequently become crop pests. Some (16%) carry diseases, such as mosquitoes that migrate huge distances and bring diseases such as malaria.

But migratory flies have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the planet. Hoverfly larvae eat trillions of aphids each year in southern England. Insect migration is already known to be the most important way that the nutrients plants need to grow are moved across the land and flies make up the majority of the insects that transport the nutrients.

The movement and subsequent death of trillions of migrating flies, whose bodies contain elements, such as phosphorous and nitrogen which plants need to grow, could be vital to soil health of the soils too. Migratory birds have been noted feeding on and moving at the same time as migratory flies, perhaps using them as fuel for their journeys.

We’re only just waking up to the significance of flies. Hopefully, it’s not too late to protect them. One German study found that the number of aphid-eating migratory hoverflies declined by 97% over the last 50 years. Fewer aphid-eating hoverflies means more crop-eating aphids and also fewer pollinators. So that’s a terrifying statistic that could have drastic consequences.

A sunrise of hope exists, however. These brilliant migratory flies have so many young that if we improve landscape connectivity, reduce pesticide usage and provide suitable habitat, they can bounce back really quickly. We need these flies as much as we need the air we breathe. So next time you see a fly up against your window, open it and let it out. It has a long way to go and such important work to do.

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

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

Will Hawkes receives funding from The Royal Society.

– ref. Flies are masters of migration – it’s about time they got some credit – https://theconversation.com/flies-are-masters-of-migration-its-about-time-they-got-some-credit-253254

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Attacks on aid workers must end,’ Security Council told

Source: United Nations 4

2 April 2025 Peace and Security

Two senior UN officials appealed in the Security Council on Wednesday for an end to attacks against humanitarians and personnel working for the global organization.

Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General with UN aid coordination office OCHA, and Gilles Michaud, head of the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) were speaking during a meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Debate focused on Council Resolution 2730 (2024) which calls for upholding the safety of UN and humanitarian staff.

“Allow me to go straight to the point,” said Ms. Msuya. “Attacks on aid workers must end. Perpetrators must be held to account.”

Deadliest year ever

She told the Council that humanitarian workers are being killed in unprecedented numbers, and 2024 was the worst year on record with 377 fatalities across 20 countries.

This was nearly 100 more than in 2023, which already saw a 137 per cent increase over 2022. Meanwhile, many more aid workers were injured, kidnapped, attacked and arbitrarily detained.

The past two years have been particularly brutal, she continued. At least 85 humanitarians have been killed in Sudan since war broke out in April 2023. All were Sudanese nationals.

Killings in Gaza

Furthermore, just three days ago, teams from OCHA and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society recovered the bodies of 15 emergency and aid workers from a mass grave in Gaza who had been killed several days earlier by Israeli forces while trying to save lives.

She added that “this tragedy comes just 11 days after another deadly incident – on 19 March, when yet another United Nations colleague was killed, and six others were injured in Gaza.”

These deaths bring the number of aid workers killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023 to more than 408, making it the most dangerous place for humanitarians ever.

Appeal to Council members

Ms. Msuya issued a challenge to ambassadors.

“Since we are here today to discuss the protection of aid workers, I must ask this Council: what are you going to do to help us find those answers and achieve justice – and avoid more killings?”

While there is no shortage of robust international legal frameworks to protect humanitarian and UN personnel, she said political will to comply is lacking.

Local staff mostly affected

Ms. Msuya noted that the vast majority of those killed, roughly 95 per cent, are local aid workers who are the cornerstone of relief efforts.

“These colleagues deserve our highest respect. Yet, conduct harming our local staff rarely elicits reaction or makes the news,” she remarked.

Criminalization and misinformation

Humanitarians also face other challenges, such as the criminalization of their work. They are increasingly being detained, interrogated and accused of supporting terrorism simply for delivering aid to people in need.

Aid organizations are also targets of disinformation and misinformation campaigns in places such as Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Yemen.

Moreover, funding shortfalls threaten to make matters worse, forcing the humanitarian community to make impossible choices, Ms. Msuya underscored.

Respect and accountability

She described the adoption of Resolution 2730 as an important step in the right direction, then made three requests to the Council and Member States at large.

“First, act to ensure respect for international law and to protect humanitarian and UN workers,” she said, listing tangible steps such as Security Council visits, fact-finding missions, or withholding of arms transfers.

She also called for speaking out and condemning harm to UN and humanitarian personnel, including local staff, because “silence, inconsistency, and selective outrage only embolden perpetrators.”

Her final request was for accountability, highlighting the need to strengthen domestic and international legal frameworks to prosecute international crimes.

“The Security Council should play a key role in pushing for accountability; for instance, by asking concerned governments to pursue justice and by following up with them,” she suggested.

“When national jurisdictions fail, the Council can use international mechanisms, including by referring situations to the International Criminal Court.”

Focus on survivors

Ms. Msuya insisted that accountability is not only about prosecution but must also centre on those who survive.

In this regard, she reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s recommendation to adopt a survivor-centered approach to ensure that affected aid workers have a say in global discussions.

In his briefing, Mr. Michaud noted that progress has been elusive in getting more countries to join the Convention on the safety of UN and associated personnel, while attacks on humanitarian workers have continued unabated.

Impunity now ‘a pervasive normal’

“Impunity for attacks on humanitarian personnel has become the new normal,” he said. “A pervasive normal. An accepted normal. One perpetuated not only by non-State actors, but also by governments and their proxies.”

He said that against a backdrop of widespread disregard for international humanitarian law, UN agencies are now forced to significantly reduce assistance due to budget cuts imposed by several Member States.

Humanitarian agencies are among the most affected, and the situation could lead to further insecurity.

Funding shortfall risks

“And if, where and when the United Nations and its partners are forced to deliver less aid, the risks to UN and humanitarian personnel will grow,” he warned.

“We are already seeing signs of this in Gaza and elsewhere. Humanitarian personnel may become the first target of people’s despair.”

Mr. Michaud said that the UN must – and will – adapt, adding that budgetary pressures will also impact the level of security support available.

UN Security commitment

“We will need to adjust our footprint. And in some areas, we may even be compelled by resource constraints to completely withdraw,” he said.

“But the UN Security will do its part through these turbulent times. We will be present wherever our humanitarian partners need us.”

He said UN Security will also continue to engage with the Council and Member States, including to protect investments made in the humanitarian, peace and security, and development spheres.

He underlined that the Department will always be a steadfast and reliable partner to the humanitarian and development community, as well as Member States.

“But we need attacks on United Nations and humanitarian personnel to stop,” he declared.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: We must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

We must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

We welcome this session on implementing UNSCR2730.

I think it is critical that the Council maintains momentum on the safety, security and well-being of aid workers.

And I pay tribute to those on the frontline and extend, again, my condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.

In the first 3 months of 2025, the Aid Worker Security Database has already recorded 64 deaths, 36 injuries and 8 kidnappings.

The majority were local or national aid workers.

The most dangerous place to deliver humanitarian assistance is Gaza, with over 400 aid workers reportedly killed since the beginning of the conflict.

That is followed by Sudan and South Sudan.

We are also concerned about the aid workers detained by the Houthis in Yemen and call for their release.

And we stress the need for the safety of aid workers in Myanmar, who are bringing essential responses for the victims of the devastating earthquake.

At the one-year anniversary of the attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, which killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens, we continue to call for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s consideration of the incident, including determining whether criminal proceedings should be initiated.

Tragically, just last week, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that eight of its medics were killed in Gaza, alongside first responders and a UN aid worker.

We call for a thorough and swift investigation with meaningful accountability for those responsible.

PRCS medic Asaad Al-Nasasra is still missing and we call on Israel to support the search for him.

Three actions are essential.

First, all parties to a conflict must comply with International Humanitarian Law.

This includes compliance with obligations relating to the passage of humanitarian supplies, equipment and personnel, and respecting and protecting aid workers.

States must investigate attacks on aid workers and hold perpetrators to account.

Effective, trusted deconfliction mechanisms must be set up and used.

Second, we must strengthen international commitments to protect aid workers.

The UK is proud to be part of the Australian–led Ministers Group to develop a political declaration to galvanise collective action to protect aid workers.

And we encourage others to join and demonstrate unity to drive action beyond the Council that enhances protection for aid workers.

Third, we must do all we can to support humanitarian organisations, including local organisations, to work safely.

Actors who play a fundamental role in aid worker safety face operational risks due to inadequate funding.

The UK supports organisations, such as the Aid Worker Security Database and INSO, who play a central role in aid worker security.

We urge others to consider supporting fundamental ‘enabler’ organisations.

In conclusion, President, the UK remains steadfast in our commitment to allowing aid workers to do their job in safety and preventing violence against aid workers from becoming the new normal.

Updates to this page

Published 2 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Another chance to win £1,000 off your Council Tax bill
Source: City of Derby

Derby residents are getting another chance to win £1000 off their Council Tax bill if they sign up for paperless billing.

Five winners are now celebrating after their names were drawn at random from hundreds of successful entries in a recent prize draw that closed in February.

Venkata Inguva from Mickleover won first prize of a £1000 off his Council Tax bill for the 2025/26 year. Four runner-up prizes of up to £500 went to Katrina Borrington of Huntingdon Green, Megan Gregory of Alvaston, Sam Inziria of Chellaston and Yasmin Ihugba of Chaddesden.

Electronic billing is another way to receive your Council Tax bill. Instead of getting a paper bill in the post, you can view your bill online. Those who make the switch by 30 April 2025 will be entered in to a new prize draw.

The first prize is £1000 off your Council Tax bill for the 2025/26 year.

The Council’s secure online portal lets you check your Council Tax around the clock. Day or night, seven days a week, you can log in to view your bill, manage your Direct Debit, make a payment arrangement, or keep your contact details up to date.

To be in with a chance to win, you need first to register for myAccount. As soon as your account is activated, you can select the electronic billing option.

How to enter
- Sign in or Register to myAccount
- Select the option to “Manage Council Tax and Benefits”
- Then select “Manage Your Services”
- If you’re already subscribed to the Council Tax online service, choose “Show Account Details” then select the “Paperless Ebilling Sign Up” option.
- If you haven’t subscribed to the Council Tax online service before, choose “Add Service” and then “Council Tax”. You will need to enter your 9-digit Council Tax reference number (you can find this on your Council Tax bill) and answer a few questions about your bill to confirm your identity.
- Once you’ve linked your Council Tax account you’ll be asked “Would you like to go Paperless?” Follow the link to complete your e-billing sign up.
- That’s it! If you’re already registered for Ebilling, you’re automatically entered!
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, Cabinet Member for Digital and Organisational Transformation, said:

I’d like to congratulate our winners. The previous prize draw helped to raise awareness that we’re a digital council and encouraged a significant number of residents sign up to eBilling. This will save time for them and keep costs down and reduce paper waste for us.

I’m thrilled to confirm that we’re running the competition again so would encourage residents to sign up for eBilling now, if they haven’t already, to be in with a chance of winning £1000 off their Council Tax.

Terms and Conditions apply. See the prize draw details
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy Secretary-General’s video message at the Opening of the Global Disability Summit

Source: United Nations secretary general

His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,

H.E. Mr. Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

Mr. Nawaf Kabbara, Chair and President, International Disability Alliance,

Excellencies, Dear friends,

I am truly sorry that I could not join you in person today but it is a true honor to open this third Global Disability Summit.

More than that, I want to thank you for your leadership and commitment to shape a more just world.

Expanding hope and opportunities for people with disabilities is close to my heart – and that of the Secretary-General.

It is a matter of dignity… of humanity… of human rights.

It is a test of our common values.

And it is also plain common sense.

When persons with disabilities can fully participate in society, societies are stronger.

When we unlock potential and recognize talents, economies and communities thrive.

When we advance human rights, all of humanity moves forward.

Disability rights are human rights – and everyone one wins when we make them real.

And so I thank the International Disability Alliance and the Governments of Germany and Jordan for bringing us together.

You are meeting at a crucial time – with the 5-year clock ticking on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I was involved in the shaping of that agenda – and saw firsthand how so many of you helped put the rights and hopes of persons with disabilities front and center.

In doing so, you gave deeper meaning to the promise of leaving no one behind – and laid the foundation for the progress we strive to advance today.

The Pact for the Future, adopted last year, reinforces that call for a more peaceful, inclusive, accessible and equitable world – with persons with disabilities a full and equal part of our shared effort to advance sustainable development, climate action and digital transformation.

Yet today, we face a sobering truth.

Progress is not just slow – in some cases, we are moving backward.

The UN Disability and Development Report found that about 98 per cent of the SDG indicators for persons with disabilities are off track.

This is far more than a statistic – it is a wake-up call.

Persons with disabilities are being left behind.

The world is failing them.

We are seeing growing and stark inequalities across the board – with higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to digital technologies.

Women, Indigenous Peoples, rural residents with disabilities, and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face even greater exclusion.

Not to mention those in humanitarian and emergency situations.

In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, countless civilians have sustained permanent injuries and deep psychological trauma.

Children with disabilities are especially vulnerable.

Gaza alone has the highest number of child amputees in modern history.

Too often, persons with disabilities also face inaccessible evacuation routes, shelters, and services – an assault on their human rights and dignity.

Many are deprived of the assistive devices critical to their survival.

When I think of people with disabilities in conflict, I think of people like Mai.

Mai was a young Palestinian, and a proud employee of the United Nations, living and working in Gaza.

Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or her wheelchair confine her dreams.

She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for the United Nations.

When given the opportunity, she excelled – bringing skill and determination to all she did.

Unfortunately, she was killed along with her family in November 2023.

Her story still weighs heavily on our hearts.

I share it not only to honour her memory, but because it reminds us both of what is possible when barriers are removed – and of the terrible truth that persons with disabilities are often among the first casualties in conflict.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Despite the challenges, we have much to build upon.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has led to significant legislative progress worldwide.

Yet, implementation is lagging.

The problem is not always a lack of will, but a lack of resources.

Nearly 90 per cent of developing countries have laws or policies protecting education for persons with disabilities – yet only about one-third of those countries have accessible schools.

Meanwhile, almost half of all persons with disabilities in these countries face inaccessible transportation.

Behind these figures are people.

Children shut out of classrooms.

Adults who cannot get to work.

Families denied essential services.

This must change.

And we must all be part of it.

The United Nations is committed to leading by example.

Our UN Disability Inclusion Strategy is striving to drive action across the system.

We are working to strengthen institutional capacities, mainstream disability inclusion across our work, and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

At the country level, we are working to ensure that our cooperation frameworks with governments are fully inclusive of the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.

And we are committed to supporting Member States turn global commitments into local progress – for and with persons with disabilities.

This Summit presents opportunities to strengthen cooperation with all partners – and reaffirm the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities.

Development assistance for disability inclusion has been growing – but it is still far from enough.

And in today’s troubling context, it is under increasing threat.

So too, perversely, is the very concept of accessibility.

Developed countries, in particular, have a responsibility to step up support.

Now is the time to recommit to the 2030 Agenda by:

Securing decent work and dignified livelihoods;

Fostering inclusive education and career opportunities;

Building accessible and affordable housing;

Promoting equitable health systems;

And harnessing technologies that enable autonomous living for all.

That means investing in inclusive public institutions;

Empowering representative organizations as full partners in policy and implementation;

And integrating disability inclusion into national development plans – backed by clear targets and real funding.

Dear friends,

I know so many of you have spent years, even decades, breaking down barriers, and opening doors – for all of us.

Let this Summit help drive that action forward.

As we look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and beyond, let’s together send a clear message:

Inclusion is not optional.

Rights are not negotiable.

Accessibility is essential.

Promises made must be promises kept.

Let’s keep fighting for the inclusive, just, sustainable future for all that our world needs.

Thank you.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Father and Son Executives Charged with Defrauding Sports Park Bondholders

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

Former Chairman and CEO Raised More Than $280 Million Using Forged Documents and Fake Revenue Projections

Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging RANDY MILLER, former Chairman and President of Legacy Sports, and his son, CHAD MILLER, former CEO of Legacy Sports, with engaging in a scheme to defraud investors of more than $280 million in two municipal bond offerings. RANDY MILLER and CHAD MILLER were arrested today and will be presented tomorrow in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.

Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “As alleged, Randy Miller and Chad Miller swindled investors out of over a quarter of a billion dollars by selling municipal bonds they knew were backed by forgeries and lies. Municipal bonds fund critical public projects and investors rely on accurate financial disclosures to make informed decisions. This Office is committed to protecting the integrity of the public finance system. When individuals abuse that system and investors’ trust, we will hold them accountable.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Fathers and sons have found shared bonds in sports for generation. Randy and Chad Miller allegedly chose to use a planned sports complex as a means to exploit and defraud investors. The Millers allegedly executed the scheme using fraudulent documents to lie about the status of the proposed project in order to raise hundreds of millions of dollars which they used to enrich themselves. The FBI will continue to ensure a level playing field by holding fraudsters accountable in the criminal justice system.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:[1]

From November 2019 through May 2023, RANDY MILLER and CHAD MILLER engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in municipal bonds used to fund the development of a major sports complex in Mesa, Arizona called Legacy Park. The defendants worked together and with others to lie to potential bond investors about the interest sports organizations and other potential customers had in using or relocating to Legacy Park. The defendants and their associates forged and altered purported “binding” letters of intent and other documents from those potential customers to make it appear that the customers were committing to holding many events at Legacy Park, with a significant number of spectators, and agreeing to pay large fees – all far beyond what the organizations were considering, if they were considering Legacy Park at all. In some instances, RANDY MILLER and CHAD MILLER signed and directed others to sign customers’ names without the customers’ knowledge or permission. At other times the defendants copied and directed others to copy the signatures of other customers onto the fabricated letters, again without the customers’ knowledge or permission. As part of their scheme, the defendants forged documents on behalf of numerous persons and organizations, including an organization that promotes sports for disabled athletes.

RANDY MILLER and CHAD MILLER presented the fraudulent documents to prospective bond investors and incorporated them into their solicitation materials by claiming that Legacy Park would be 100% occupied at opening and would generate nearly $100 million in revenue in its first year of operations, more than enough to cover the bond payments.

After the Legacy Park bonds were sold to investors, RANDY MILLER and CHAD MILLER used some of the proceeds to pay for personal expenses such as a home and SUVs. The defendants also paid themselves inflated salaries and withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to their salaries.

While the defendants enriched themselves, Legacy Park struggled to survive. The park opened in 2022, but within months failed to generate enough revenue to make the monthly bond payments, and by October 2022 it was in default. On May 1, 2023, the project filed for bankruptcy and was later sold for less than $26 million. Of those proceeds, less than $2.5 million went to repay the approximately $284 million owed to Legacy Park bondholders. Accordingly, because of the defendants’ fraud, bondholders were left with near total losses.

* * *

RANDY MILLER, 70, and CHAD MILLER, 41, both of Phoenix, Arizona, were both charged in the Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, which carries a maximum term of five years in prison; one count of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison.

The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the FBI. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed a parallel civil action.

The case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney L. Heavey and Matthew R. Shahabian are in charge of the prosecution.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

MIL Security OSI –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: PART 2:National Assembly Debate on Fiscal Framework

Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)

PART 2: National Assembly Debate on Fiscal Framework

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

MIL OSI Video –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: PART 2: National Assembly Debate on Fiscal Framework

Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

PART 2: National Assembly Debate on Fiscal Framework

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p6ODJbgFDM

MIL OSI Video –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Tariffs Work — and President Trump’s First Term Proves It

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
For the first time in decades, the United States will see fair trade as President Donald J. Trump announces tariffs to level the playing field for American workers and businesses.
Despite the rhetoric from politicians and the media, studies have repeatedly shown tariffs are an effective tool for achieving economic and strategic objectives — just as they did in President Trump’s first term.
A 2024 study on the effects of President Trump’s tariffs in his first term found that they “strengthened the U.S. economy” and “led to significant reshoring” in industries like manufacturing and steel production.
A 2023 report by the U.S. International Trade Commission — which analyzed the effects of President Trump’s Section 232 and 301 tariffs on more than $300 billion of U.S. imports — found the tariffs reduced imports from China, effectively stimulated more U.S. production of the affected goods, and had very minor effects on downstream prices.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the tariffs implemented by President Trump during his first term “clearly show[ed] no correlation with inflation” and had only a fleeting effect on overall prices.
Economic Policy Institute: “Following implementation of Sec. 232 measures in 2018—and prior to the global downturn in 2020—U.S. steel output, employment, capital investment, and financial performance all improved. In particular, U.S. steel producers announced plans to invest more than $15.7 billion in new or upgraded steel facilities, creating at least 3,200 direct new jobs, many of which are now poised to come online.”

An analysis by the Atlantic Council found that “tariffs would create new incentives for US consumers to buy US-made products.”
Former Biden Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen affirmed last year that tariffs do not raise prices: “I don’t believe that American consumers will see any meaningful increase in the prices that they face.”
A 2024 economic analysis found that a global tariff of 10% would grow the economy by $728 billion, create 2.8 million jobs, and increase real household incomes by 5.7%.
President Trump’s first term steel tariffs led to thousands of jobs gains in the metal industry, along with wage increases.
The tariffs were hailed as a “boon” for Minnesota’s iron ore industry, with state officials crediting them for bolstering the local economy.
Steel and aluminum imports drastically decreased during President Trump’s first term, falling by nearly one-third from 2016 to 2020.
The tariffs led to a wave in investment across the United States, with more than $10 billion committed to build new mills.

The Hill: “The Trump tariffs keep working, to the consternation of many economists”
S&P Global: “Global Trade At A Crossroads: Trump Tariffs Forge Better Credit Quality For U.S.-Based Steel And Aluminum Producers With A Protectionist Stance”
IndustryWeek: “Tariffs Are Keeping US Steel Production Strong”
“With steel imports down, America’s steelmakers have started investing at home. In addition to Nucor and US Steel, companies like Cleveland-Cliffs, Steel Dynamics, CMC, and AK Steel have invested billions of dollars in at least 16 major new projects throughout the nation. The top five US steel companies more than doubled their total annual investments between 2017 to 2019, from $1.5 billion to $4.2 billion.”

Predictably, the media was wrong.
PBS (2018): “Trump tariffs may imperil a delicate global economic rebound”
“President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday that the United States would impose heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminum — with some countries potentially exempted — suddenly raised a fear that few had anticipated: That U.S. tariffs could trigger a chain of tit-for-tat retaliation by America’s trading partners that could erupt into a full-blown trade war and possibly threaten the global economy.”

NPR (2018): “Trump Plan To Impose Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Raises Trade War Fears”
“Chad Bown, an economist and trade specialist, says the tariffs will drive up the price of steel and aluminum for the multiple other industries that use the metals. Those industries actually employ more people than the steel and aluminum sectors, he says, ‘so this is a really big concern, just from an economic perspective.’”

The New Yorker (2019): “Trump’s Trade War Could Make the Trump Recession a Reality”
“What we do know for sure is that, the longer Donald Trump persists in his trade war, the greater the chances are of an outright slump developing.”

Politico (2018): “Trump blasted at home and abroad for plan to impose steel, aluminum tariffs”
“President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum reverberated across the world Thursday, spurring retaliatory threats from some of the nation’s closest allies and sending stock prices plummeting on investors’ fears of the global economic fallout.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of Guinea Presents Credentials

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

The new Permanent Representative of Guinea to the United Nations, Mohamed Dabo, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Dabo served in his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Guineans Living Abroad as Coordinator of Economic Diplomacy, Strategic Intelligence and International Cooperation, from January 2022 to December 2024.

Before that, from April 2019 to January 2022, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, African Integration and Guineans Abroad, as Adviser responsible for diaspora and international careers.

From October 2017 to April 2019, he served as a member of the Minister’s cabinet and Special Assistant to the Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad. Before that, from August 2013 to October 2017, he served in the Permanent Mission of Guinea to the United Nations as First Secretary and Special Assistant to the Permanent Representative.

Mr. Dabo holds a master’s degree in political science, policies and strategies of international public action and a bachelor’s degree in political science, international relations and security defence, both from the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3, France. He also holds a degree in law and political science from the University Lumière Lyon 2 and a degree in law from the University of Lille 2, both in France.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Representative of Liberia Presents Credentials

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

The new Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, Lewis Garseedah Brown II, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

Mr. Brown returns to the post after a previous tenure from March 2016 to September 2018. During that time, he served as Vice-President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly and chaired the Assembly’s Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization). Throughout his career, he has held several key Government positions. He served as the Government’s Chief Spokesperson in the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism. He was also Liberia’s Chief Negotiator at the Accra Comprehensive Peace Conference.

In 2003, Mr. Brown served as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Prior to that, he held roles in the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs as National Security Advisor and Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company. Additionally, he was a member of Liberia’s Transitional Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Brown holds a Master of Science in management from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Liberia.

__________

* This supersedes Press Release BIO/4854 of 30 June 2016.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: New Permanent Observer for Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa Presents Letter of Appointment

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

The new Permanent Observer for the Pan-African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa, Nabhit Kapur, presented his letter of appointment to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

Since 2016, Mr. Kapur has been Founder and Chairman of the Peacfulmind Foundation, which uses workshops and outreach programmes to advocate for the awareness of mental health. The organization engages with policymakers and Government officials to support mental health initiatives.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Kapur worked as Director of the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDG) Program, National Association of Somalia between 2023 and 2024. From 2021 to 2023, he served as Adviser to the Vice-President of Liberia.

He holds a Master of Arts in psychology from Kalinga University, a Master of Science in counselling and psychotherapy from the Institute for Behavioural and Management Sciences Chittoor and a Bachelor of Arts in applied psychology from Amity University.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI: MEXC Dominates 2024 Perpetuals Surge, Secures Top 5 Global Ranking
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, experienced a substantial rise in perpetual futures trading volume throughout 2024. According to CoinGecko’s latest annual report, MEXC captured the highest market share in perpetual trading and open interest (OI) volume among all centralized exchanges.
Key Takeaways:
- MEXC’s share of perpetual trading volume increased from 3% to 11% in 2024.
- The exchange’s OI market share doubled in Q4 2024, leading all competitors.
- MEXC entered the top five exchanges, with the total annual perpetual trading volume reaching $58.5 trillion.
MEXC’s share of the perpetual futures market grew from just 3% at the start of 2024 to 11% by year-end — a notable achievement driven by the platform’s deep liquidity, competitive fee structure, and innovative trading features. This performance placed MEXC among the top five centralized perpetual exchanges, collectively recording $58.5 trillion in trading volume for the year. This makes 2024 the most active year in the history of futures trading on the crypto market.

Throughout the year, MEXC showed steady growth across key metrics. Its perpetual trading volume share nearly quadrupled, while its OI market share doubled by Q4. The exchange’s strong focus on listing the most trending and in-demand tokens, combined with low fees in both futures and spot trading, has made it a go-to option for many traders worldwide.

The exchange received additional recognition from institutional reports such as TokenInsight, which stated the exchange captured the largest market share among centralized exchanges in February 2024, earning it a spot among the top 5 exchanges in overall market share. By identifying trends faster than its competitors, MEXC continues to strengthen its position among top-tier exchanges.

MEXC’s substantial growth in perpetual trading and open interest volume market share demonstrates the exchange’s emerging role as a major force in the cryptocurrency derivatives market. According to CoinDesk data, the exchange also captured the largest market share among centralized exchanges in February 2024, securing a place in the global top five for overall trading volume.

These achievements, supported by the platform’s comprehensive token offerings and methodical approach to capturing market trends, position MEXC as a key player in driving the evolution of cryptocurrency trading. MEXC remains dedicated to enhancing its platform, expanding its offerings, and upholding the highest standards of security and user experience.

About MEXC
Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto.” Serving over 34 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, everyday airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.

MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC

For media inquiries, please contact MEXC PR Manager Lucia Hu: lucia.hu@mexc.com

Source

Disclaimer: This press release is provided by MEXC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc3af021-ac3a-488a-a154-918fef1cbd89

The MIL Network –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Peter Twesigye, Research Lead: Power Market Reforms and Regulation, University of Cape Town

Uganda’s electricity sector is at a turning point, as Umeme Limited’s 20-year concession draws to a close. Umeme was the first private distribution operator in anglophone Africa. For nearly two decades, the listed company was the dominant distributor of electricity to the country’s 2.3 million clients. However, Uganda decided in 2022 not to renew the licence on expiry, citing high power tariffs and low electricity access rates.

Umeme’s departure and the transfer of distribution assets back to the state-owned Uganda Electricity Distribution Company (UEDCL) has sparked controversy. It centres on a US$235 million compensation claim by Umeme. The final settlement could shape power tariffs, the sector’s financial sustainability and investment needs in the country. Peter Twesigye, who researches power market reform, regulation and utility performance in Africa, examines the big questions.

The numbers behind the controversy

The flashpoint is the amount the government must pay Umeme to bring the business back under state control. Umeme has demanded US$235.96 million. It says this amount represents its undepreciated and unrecovered investments: costs it hasn’t got back through electricity tariffs or transfers from government.

The auditor general, representing the government, initially pegged unrecovered investments at US$190.99 million and gave parliament the green light to seek loans to repay Umeme. This was however revised down to US$118 million, which the government has paid. The outstanding gap is more than US$117 million, a 50% difference, which is very large.

Umeme has, for now, accepted the US$118 million, but has disputed this as the final settlement. It will claim more money and potentially also penalties arising from the government’s failure to pay in full by 31 March 2025. Umeme’s board has a fiduciary duty not to lose shareholders’ capital.

The buyout amount is more than just a settlement. It will serve as the initial asset base for Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, which will allow it to provide a service in the future. It will influence the setting of electricity tariffs and the company’s ability to secure funding for investments to ensure service continuity. This benefit is often misunderstood.

What’s at stake

At the heart of this debate lies a complex interplay of legal, financial, economic and national risk exposure.

It will have far-reaching implications for affordability and industrial competitiveness in Uganda, particularly for energy-intensive sectors. A higher asset base reflects greater invested capital, enabling revenue sufficiency to cover the cost of capital, operating expenses and depreciation. This financial strength allows the utility or sector to maintain service delivery, improve electricity reliability and quality, and expand the network to meet demand without relying on subsidies.

A lower asset base on the other hand reflects under-investment. This could create the risk of poor service delivery and limit the company’s ability to expand or modernise infrastructure. Most importantly it could deter private investors in the sector due to the limited revenue recovery opportunities. The sub-sectors affected could include electricity generation, transmission or distribution.

Uganda’s prior success in attracting investments in generation was partly due to the presence of Umeme. The utility provided robust governance, commercial and revenue collection guarantees. With its exit, Uganda will find it more challenging to draw in private capital under public governance arrangements.

For now, the government has adopted the auditor general’s lower valuation of US$118 million. Based on my tariff model analysis, this will give rise to a long-term equilibrium distribution tariff – reflecting cost and state subsidies – of 9.2 cents cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). That is 7.94% lower than Umeme’s 10 cents per kWh.

It may appear to be a small reduction in tariff in the short term. But it may prove unsustainable in the long term as there are significant infrastructure investment needs. To meet them, the company will need continued direct state subsidies, which Umeme did not get.

It remains to be seen whether the government can keep providing subsidies.

Read more:
Why merging Uganda’s electricity sector agencies is a bad idea

Beyond tariffs, how Uganda handles this transition matters. It could send a signal to international investors about its reliability as an investment destination. A harmonious resolution would reassure current and prospective investors.

A contentious fallout, such as arbitration or judicial proceedings, could heighten perceptions of risk to foreign investors. It could also push up the cost of capital to 15.82%, or 582 basis points higher than the base estimate of 10%. This would stem from perceived fears of expropriation of investments by the government.

Any default on Uganda’s part could trigger punitive financial penalties immediately. These are contractual commitments and obligations, so it’s up to courts of arbitration to decide. If the government fails to pay (in full) within 30 days of 31 March, penalties and interest rates on overdue amounts will escalate from 10% to as high as 20%, depending on the delay period.

Failure to honour these commitments could also lead to lawsuits in international courts or debt collection efforts by ruthless venture capital firms. These scenarios would impose even greater costs on Uganda’s economy and global reputation.

Penalties could add to Uganda’s financial obligations and strain public resources further.

Limited options for Uganda

The avoidable financial and legal penalties would be costly for consumers and the national treasury. Another potential impact to watch is the country’s overall investment risk profile. This could influence the future cost of capital (interest rates) and premiums that investors would charge.

Read more:
Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

It is imperative not to raise the cost of capital for Uganda, which still lacks adequate electricity infrastructure. If the dispute over the buyout price results in investors wanting a higher return for their risk, the impact on tariffs would be even worse than paying the price Umeme wants.

What Uganda should do

By addressing these challenges decisively and transparently, Uganda can turn this transition into an opportunity. It can strengthen its energy sector and set a precedent for effective management of public-private partnerships. The government should explore these recommendations:
- establish a negotiation team of legal, financial, regulatory and energy experts to reconcile valuation differences transparently and negotiate amicably with Umeme
- secure financing proactively to avoid penalty interest and ensure timely payment
- keep stakeholders informed, to maintain public trust and investor confidence
- equip Uganda Electricity Distribution Company to take over and prevent service disruptions
- build strong governance systems within the utility
- work in partnership with the private sector.
The choices made now will be felt for years to come.

Peter Twesigye does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake – https://theconversation.com/ugandas-electricity-distribution-is-changing-hands-whats-at-stake-253412
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Fake online shops rely on tech skills: what drives Cameroon’s web developers to assist online fraudsters
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Suleman Lazarus, Visiting Fellow, Mannheim Centre for Criminology, London School of Economics and Political Science

When people discuss online fraud, the focus is often on those who directly deceive victims. Little attention is given to those who enable these crimes by providing the digital infrastructure necessary for deception.

This digital infrastructure includes reliable access to electricity and the internet, as well as digital tools such as proxy servers, spoofing software, phishing kits and virtual private networks. Those involved must possess technical competencies in areas like web development, social engineering and systems maintenance, skills that are critical for sustaining fraudulent operations behind the scenes.

Research on cybercrime is expanding in west Africa, particularly studies of Nigeria and Ghana. But Cameroon is understudied. This gap in research has obscured a pervasive problem in Cameroon: website developers who create digital storefronts for fraudsters.

Pet scams are a particularly common type of online fraud perpetrated by Cameroonian fraudsters. This is a form of non-delivery fraud in which victims are tricked into paying for animals that do not exist. Typically, these fake pet websites target prospective pet buyers in countries like the US, Canada and Australia by advertising nonexistent pedigree puppies and kittens as well as exotic animals such as parrots, macaws and tortoises.

Rather than focusing on the fraudsters themselves, our study examined the infrastructure that enables this fraud to happen and the hidden networks of actors who make deception possible. Our research sheds light on a little-known group of enablers: website developers in anglophone Cameroon who knowingly build fake shopping websites.

Through interviews with 14 website developers engaged in this illicit trade, we explored the socio-economic and political forces that drive their participation.

Our findings showed that a mix of economic hardship, social norms and cultural beliefs drive fraud enablement in Cameroon. Our study highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of cybercrime. The website developers in Cameroon do not fit the typical profile of a fraudster. They see themselves as skilled workers navigating a complex socio-political landscape where survival often comes before morality, given that Cameroon, under Paul Biya’s presidency of more than 40 years, has experienced widespread poverty, instability and an uncertain succession struggle.

To address fraud effectively, interventions must go beyond simply punishing offenders. Instead, efforts should focus on dismantling the structures that allow fraud to thrive, starting with those who enable it.

Why fraudsters choose this activity

A central theme emerging from our interviews was the impact of the Ambazonian Crisis, an ongoing separatist conflict in Cameroon’s anglophone regions. The crisis began as peaceful demonstrations in 2016 when trade unionists and lawyers protested against the mandatory use of the French language in schools and law courts. By 2017, these protests had turned violent as armed separatist groups emerged within the anglophone regions, engaging in sporadic conflict with government forces. The separatists called for the secession of the two anglophone regions, referring to them as Ambazonia. The conflict has since escalated. Reports estimate that the violence has led to approximately 6,000 civilian deaths, the displacement of 600,000 people within Cameroon, and the forced migration of over 77,000 people into Nigeria as refugees.

The website developers we interviewed described how daily gunfire, displacement and political instability had made it difficult to secure stable employment and find clients.

Interviewees cited frequent power outages and internet blackouts as barriers to working with legitimate clients.

As one developer put it:

There are times when we go without electricity or network for days. I might have a legitimate client, but if the power goes out, I lose the job. Fraudsters, on the other hand, don’t care about delays. They are always there with another request.

Ghost-town protests, where separatists enforce economic shutdowns and force people to stay in their homes, further limit opportunities for legitimate business. In this unstable environment, undertaking website development for fraudsters became one of the few steady income streams.

A second theme was spiritual beliefs. We found that spiritual beliefs had an impact on decision-making. Developers rationalised their work by distinguishing between fraud and fraud enablement. Directly perpetrating fraud against victims, they believed, carried spiritual consequences, while simply building websites for fraudsters did not. Some fraudsters in west Africa visit a so-called “juju priest”, who may demand animal sacrifice and even murder in return for their blessing. The website developers we spoke to did not want to get involved in this.

One of the developers shared his fears about spiritual repercussions:

Scammers who do rituals for money, they don’t last. Most of the time, you see them dying at the age of 20 or 30. I don’t want to be involved in that. But making websites? That’s different. I’m not the one taking the money.

A third theme in our findings was the Big Boy culture, a subculture that glorifies online fraud as a symbol of success. In some west African communities, fraudsters who display their wealth through expensive cars, clothes and lifestyles are seen as role models rather than criminals.

Vanesa, a developer, explained:

Everybody wants to chill with the Big Boys. Fraudsters want to be seen as superstars, and that means spending money like celebrities.

The normalisation of internet fraud in some circles has created a perception that financial success justifies the means by which it is achieved. While some developers disapproved of fraudsters’ extravagant lifestyles, others saw it as a model of economic survival to aspire to.

Rethinking fraud prevention

These findings challenge the simplistic notion that the internet inherently enables fraud. Instead, fraud thrives within a complex ecosystem that includes not just the perpetrators but also the enablers who facilitate deception for economic, political, and cultural reasons.

A more effective fraud prevention strategy should address the enablers of cybercrime, not just the scammers.

This means:
- providing alternative economic opportunities for tech-savvy youth
- investing in reliable infrastructure to support legitimate business development
- understanding cultural attitudes to create more effective awareness campaigns
- recognising the role of spiritual beliefs in shaping perceptions of crime and morality.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Fake online shops rely on tech skills: what drives Cameroon’s web developers to assist online fraudsters – https://theconversation.com/fake-online-shops-rely-on-tech-skills-what-drives-cameroons-web-developers-to-assist-online-fraudsters-252429
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Peter Twesigye, Research Lead: Power Market Reforms and Regulation, University of Cape Town

Uganda’s electricity sector is at a turning point, as Umeme Limited’s 20-year concession draws to a close. Umeme was the first private distribution operator in anglophone Africa. For nearly two decades, the listed company was the dominant distributor of electricity to the country’s 2.3 million clients. However, Uganda decided in 2022 not to renew the licence on expiry, citing high power tariffs and low electricity access rates.

Umeme’s departure and the transfer of distribution assets back to the state-owned Uganda Electricity Distribution Company (UEDCL) has sparked controversy. It centres on a US$235 million compensation claim by Umeme. The final settlement could shape power tariffs, the sector’s financial sustainability and investment needs in the country. Peter Twesigye, who researches power market reform, regulation and utility performance in Africa, examines the big questions.

The numbers behind the controversy

The flashpoint is the amount the government must pay Umeme to bring the business back under state control. Umeme has demanded US$235.96 million. It says this amount represents its undepreciated and unrecovered investments: costs it hasn’t got back through electricity tariffs or transfers from government.

The auditor general, representing the government, initially pegged unrecovered investments at US$190.99 million and gave parliament the green light to seek loans to repay Umeme. This was however revised down to US$118 million, which the government has paid. The outstanding gap is more than US$117 million, a 50% difference, which is very large.

Umeme has, for now, accepted the US$118 million, but has disputed this as the final settlement. It will claim more money and potentially also penalties arising from the government’s failure to pay in full by 31 March 2025. Umeme’s board has a fiduciary duty not to lose shareholders’ capital.

The buyout amount is more than just a settlement. It will serve as the initial asset base for Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, which will allow it to provide a service in the future. It will influence the setting of electricity tariffs and the company’s ability to secure funding for investments to ensure service continuity. This benefit is often misunderstood.

What’s at stake

At the heart of this debate lies a complex interplay of legal, financial, economic and national risk exposure.

It will have far-reaching implications for affordability and industrial competitiveness in Uganda, particularly for energy-intensive sectors. A higher asset base reflects greater invested capital, enabling revenue sufficiency to cover the cost of capital, operating expenses and depreciation. This financial strength allows the utility or sector to maintain service delivery, improve electricity reliability and quality, and expand the network to meet demand without relying on subsidies.

A lower asset base on the other hand reflects under-investment. This could create the risk of poor service delivery and limit the company’s ability to expand or modernise infrastructure. Most importantly it could deter private investors in the sector due to the limited revenue recovery opportunities. The sub-sectors affected could include electricity generation, transmission or distribution.

Uganda’s prior success in attracting investments in generation was partly due to the presence of Umeme. The utility provided robust governance, commercial and revenue collection guarantees. With its exit, Uganda will find it more challenging to draw in private capital under public governance arrangements.

For now, the government has adopted the auditor general’s lower valuation of US$118 million. Based on my tariff model analysis, this will give rise to a long-term equilibrium distribution tariff – reflecting cost and state subsidies – of 9.2 cents cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). That is 7.94% lower than Umeme’s 10 cents per kWh.

It may appear to be a small reduction in tariff in the short term. But it may prove unsustainable in the long term as there are significant infrastructure investment needs. To meet them, the company will need continued direct state subsidies, which Umeme did not get.

It remains to be seen whether the government can keep providing subsidies.

Read more: Why merging Uganda’s electricity sector agencies is a bad idea

Beyond tariffs, how Uganda handles this transition matters. It could send a signal to international investors about its reliability as an investment destination. A harmonious resolution would reassure current and prospective investors.

A contentious fallout, such as arbitration or judicial proceedings, could heighten perceptions of risk to foreign investors. It could also push up the cost of capital to 15.82%, or 582 basis points higher than the base estimate of 10%. This would stem from perceived fears of expropriation of investments by the government.

Any default on Uganda’s part could trigger punitive financial penalties immediately. These are contractual commitments and obligations, so it’s up to courts of arbitration to decide. If the government fails to pay (in full) within 30 days of 31 March, penalties and interest rates on overdue amounts will escalate from 10% to as high as 20%, depending on the delay period.

Failure to honour these commitments could also lead to lawsuits in international courts or debt collection efforts by ruthless venture capital firms. These scenarios would impose even greater costs on Uganda’s economy and global reputation.

Penalties could add to Uganda’s financial obligations and strain public resources further.

Limited options for Uganda

The avoidable financial and legal penalties would be costly for consumers and the national treasury. Another potential impact to watch is the country’s overall investment risk profile. This could influence the future cost of capital (interest rates) and premiums that investors would charge.

Read more: Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

It is imperative not to raise the cost of capital for Uganda, which still lacks adequate electricity infrastructure. If the dispute over the buyout price results in investors wanting a higher return for their risk, the impact on tariffs would be even worse than paying the price Umeme wants.

What Uganda should do

By addressing these challenges decisively and transparently, Uganda can turn this transition into an opportunity. It can strengthen its energy sector and set a precedent for effective management of public-private partnerships. The government should explore these recommendations:
- establish a negotiation team of legal, financial, regulatory and energy experts to reconcile valuation differences transparently and negotiate amicably with Umeme
- secure financing proactively to avoid penalty interest and ensure timely payment
- keep stakeholders informed, to maintain public trust and investor confidence
- equip Uganda Electricity Distribution Company to take over and prevent service disruptions
- build strong governance systems within the utility
- work in partnership with the private sector.
The choices made now will be felt for years to come.

– Uganda’s electricity distribution is changing hands – what’s at stake
– https://theconversation.com/ugandas-electricity-distribution-is-changing-hands-whats-at-stake-253412

MIL OSI Africa –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Fake online shops rely on tech skills: what drives Cameroon’s web developers to assist online fraudsters

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Suleman Lazarus, Visiting Fellow, Mannheim Centre for Criminology, London School of Economics and Political Science

When people discuss online fraud, the focus is often on those who directly deceive victims. Little attention is given to those who enable these crimes by providing the digital infrastructure necessary for deception.

This digital infrastructure includes reliable access to electricity and the internet, as well as digital tools such as proxy servers, spoofing software, phishing kits and virtual private networks. Those involved must possess technical competencies in areas like web development, social engineering and systems maintenance, skills that are critical for sustaining fraudulent operations behind the scenes.

Research on cybercrime is expanding in west Africa, particularly studies of Nigeria and Ghana. But Cameroon is understudied. This gap in research has obscured a pervasive problem in Cameroon: website developers who create digital storefronts for fraudsters.

Pet scams are a particularly common type of online fraud perpetrated by Cameroonian fraudsters. This is a form of non-delivery fraud in which victims are tricked into paying for animals that do not exist. Typically, these fake pet websites target prospective pet buyers in countries like the US, Canada and Australia by advertising nonexistent pedigree puppies and kittens as well as exotic animals such as parrots, macaws and tortoises.

Rather than focusing on the fraudsters themselves, our study examined the infrastructure that enables this fraud to happen and the hidden networks of actors who make deception possible. Our research sheds light on a little-known group of enablers: website developers in anglophone Cameroon who knowingly build fake shopping websites.

Through interviews with 14 website developers engaged in this illicit trade, we explored the socio-economic and political forces that drive their participation.

Our findings showed that a mix of economic hardship, social norms and cultural beliefs drive fraud enablement in Cameroon. Our study highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of cybercrime. The website developers in Cameroon do not fit the typical profile of a fraudster. They see themselves as skilled workers navigating a complex socio-political landscape where survival often comes before morality, given that Cameroon, under Paul Biya’s presidency of more than 40 years, has experienced widespread poverty, instability and an uncertain succession struggle.

To address fraud effectively, interventions must go beyond simply punishing offenders. Instead, efforts should focus on dismantling the structures that allow fraud to thrive, starting with those who enable it.

Why fraudsters choose this activity

A central theme emerging from our interviews was the impact of the Ambazonian Crisis, an ongoing separatist conflict in Cameroon’s anglophone regions. The crisis began as peaceful demonstrations in 2016 when trade unionists and lawyers protested against the mandatory use of the French language in schools and law courts. By 2017, these protests had turned violent as armed separatist groups emerged within the anglophone regions, engaging in sporadic conflict with government forces. The separatists called for the secession of the two anglophone regions, referring to them as Ambazonia. The conflict has since escalated. Reports estimate that the violence has led to approximately 6,000 civilian deaths, the displacement of 600,000 people within Cameroon, and the forced migration of over 77,000 people into Nigeria as refugees.

The website developers we interviewed described how daily gunfire, displacement and political instability had made it difficult to secure stable employment and find clients.

Interviewees cited frequent power outages and internet blackouts as barriers to working with legitimate clients.

As one developer put it:

There are times when we go without electricity or network for days. I might have a legitimate client, but if the power goes out, I lose the job. Fraudsters, on the other hand, don’t care about delays. They are always there with another request.

Ghost-town protests, where separatists enforce economic shutdowns and force people to stay in their homes, further limit opportunities for legitimate business. In this unstable environment, undertaking website development for fraudsters became one of the few steady income streams.

A second theme was spiritual beliefs. We found that spiritual beliefs had an impact on decision-making. Developers rationalised their work by distinguishing between fraud and fraud enablement. Directly perpetrating fraud against victims, they believed, carried spiritual consequences, while simply building websites for fraudsters did not. Some fraudsters in west Africa visit a so-called “juju priest”, who may demand animal sacrifice and even murder in return for their blessing. The website developers we spoke to did not want to get involved in this.

One of the developers shared his fears about spiritual repercussions:

Scammers who do rituals for money, they don’t last. Most of the time, you see them dying at the age of 20 or 30. I don’t want to be involved in that. But making websites? That’s different. I’m not the one taking the money.

A third theme in our findings was the Big Boy culture, a subculture that glorifies online fraud as a symbol of success. In some west African communities, fraudsters who display their wealth through expensive cars, clothes and lifestyles are seen as role models rather than criminals.

Vanesa, a developer, explained:

Everybody wants to chill with the Big Boys. Fraudsters want to be seen as superstars, and that means spending money like celebrities.

The normalisation of internet fraud in some circles has created a perception that financial success justifies the means by which it is achieved. While some developers disapproved of fraudsters’ extravagant lifestyles, others saw it as a model of economic survival to aspire to.

Rethinking fraud prevention

These findings challenge the simplistic notion that the internet inherently enables fraud. Instead, fraud thrives within a complex ecosystem that includes not just the perpetrators but also the enablers who facilitate deception for economic, political, and cultural reasons.

A more effective fraud prevention strategy should address the enablers of cybercrime, not just the scammers.

This means:

– Fake online shops rely on tech skills: what drives Cameroon’s web developers to assist online fraudsters
– https://theconversation.com/fake-online-shops-rely-on-tech-skills-what-drives-cameroons-web-developers-to-assist-online-fraudsters-252429

MIL OSI Africa –

April 3, 2025