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Category: Africa

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: High Commissioner for Human Rights: Civilians in the East Democratic Republic of the Congo are Trapped in a Spiral of Violence in this Crushing Conflict

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    Human Rights Council Opens Special Session on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    The Human Rights Council this morning opened its thirty-seventh special session on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said since the beginning of the year, the M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces, had intensified its offensive in the provinces of North and South Kivu.  If nothing was done, the worst may be yet to come for the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also beyond the country’s borders.  Once again, civilians were trapped in a spiral of violence in this crushing conflict.  Since 26 January, nearly 3,000 people had lost their lives and 2,880 had been wounded.  Sexual violence had been an appalling feature of this conflict for a long time and was likely to worsen in the current circumstances.  The fighting had exacerbated a chronic humanitarian crisis, which was the upshot of persistent human rights violations.  

    Mr. Türk called on all parties to lay down their weapons and resume dialogue within the framework of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.  In the meantime, all parties to the conflict must respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law.  The M23, Rwandan forces and all those supporting them must facilitate access to humanitarian aid.  Air, land and lake routes must be reopened to establish humanitarian corridors and guarantee the safety of humanitarian actors.  In these circumstances, it was crucial to establish the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice.  An independent and impartial investigation must be opened up into human rights violations and abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law, committed by all parties 

    Surya Deva, Chair of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures, said the intensification of hostilities, particularly in North Kivu, following the renewed offensive by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group, had led to widespread violence, forced displacement and serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.  The scale and severity of the violence had reached unprecedented levels.  The humanitarian consequences were devastating.  Mr. Deva called for all parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law; for the immediate cessation of attacks against civilians; for the protection of civilian infrastructure; and for unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to deliver assistance to those in need.  

    Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chief of the United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said this conflict had continued for 30 years, and the population continued to live in fear.  The attacks and pillaging against the United Nations and the Blue Helmets were condemned.  It was urgent to restore peace and allow for a lasting rebuilding of the region.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda must pursue diplomatic negotiations, particularly in the context of the Luanda process.  Unless compelling measures were taken to cease the escalation of violence, there would be grave consequences.  Ms. Keita hoped the session would pave the way to an end to the conflict and inclusive and sustainable development.

    Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, Minister of Communication and Media of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking as a country concerned, expressed deep gratitude to the Human Rights Council for holding the Special Session, a response to the urgent situation and massive human rights violations and attacks on civilians in North and South Kivu.  Acts of unacceptable brutality compounded by unspeakable brutalities, like attacks against civilians, forced displacement, murders, rape, forced conscription of children and others were the responsibility of Rwanda as it supported its proxies.  Peacekeeping forces, as well as humanitarian facilities, had been targeted, undermining their ability to protect civilians.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo called for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate the human rights violations in the country, establish the truth as to who was responsible, and issue recommendations for holding them to account.  

    James Ngango, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations Office at Geneva, speaking as a country concerned, said the current session was called for at a time when the situation was evolving rapidly.  A chance should be given to regional initiatives to bear fruit before taking up the situation in the United Nations.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo had unilaterally decided to expel the East African Community Force, a peacekeeping force, replacing it with the Southern African Development Community Mission with an offensive mandate.  The current situation was due to imposing a military solution to a political problem.  Rwanda opposed the attempts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at portraying Rwanda as being responsible for the instability in that country, as this was a well-known deflection tactic used to escape being accountable for the atrocities Kinshasa and its allied armed forces were perpetrating against its own citizens.  Rwanda would respond appropriately to the actions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Speaking in the discussion, some speakers said they were deeply concerned about the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and urged the M23 to stop its advance and withdraw immediately.  Alarm was expressed about reports of widespread violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law by multiple actors, including sexual and gender-based violence, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and extrajudicial executions.  Innocent civilians, including women and children, were enduring extreme suffering due to widespread violence, displacement, and deprivation of essential services such as food, water, and healthcare.  Many speakers spoke in support of the establishment of an independent fact-finding mission to investigate serious human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law. 

    Speaking in the discussion were Sweden on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries, European Union, Morocco, Kenya, France, North Macedonia, Spain, Ghana, Germany, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Belgium, Costa Rica, Burundi, Japan, Brazil, Republic of Korea, China, Ethiopia, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, Algeria, Gambia, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, Malawi, Bolivia, Colombia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Ireland, Russian Federation, Republic of Moldova, United Kingdom, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Italy, Holy See, Austria, Ukraine, Cameroon, Uruguay, Uganda, Canada, Australia, Paraguay, Türkiye, Guatemala, Zambia, Pakistan, India, Mauritania, Angola, Malta, Peru, Zimbabwe, Timor-Leste, Slovenia, Tanzania, and South Sudan. 

    Also speaking were Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, World Organization against Torture, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de l’homme, Interfaith International, Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement, Amnesty International, International Bar Association, International Federation of ACAT (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture), International Catholic Child Bureau, International Human Rights Council, and TRIAL International. 

    The session was called for by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was supported by 27 Member States of the Council and 21 Observer States.

    The next meeting of the special session of the Human Rights Council will be at 3 p.m. on Friday, 7 February, when it will conclude the session after adopting a resolution on the situation of human rights in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    Keynote Statements

    VOLKER TÜRK, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said his Office had long been sounding the alarm about this crisis, and he was deeply disturbed to see the violence escalate once again.  Since the beginning of the year, the M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces, had intensified its offensive in the provinces of North and South Kivu.  If nothing was done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also beyond the country’s borders.  There had been attacks by the M23 and their allies, with heavy weapons used in populated areas, and intense fighting against the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their allies.  This raised serious concern in terms of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. 

    Once again, civilians were trapped in a spiral of violence in this crushing conflict.  Since 26 January, nearly 3,000 people had lost their lives and 2,880 had been wounded.  Sexual violence had been an appalling feature of this conflict for a long time and was likely to worsen in the current circumstances.  According to judicial authorities, during the prison break from Muzenze Prison in Goma on 27 January, at least 165 female prisoners were raped.  Most of them were subsequently killed in a fire, the circumstances of which remain unclear.  The High Commissioner said his team was also currently verifying multiple allegations of rape, gang rape and sexual slavery throughout the conflict zones.  Hundreds of human rights defenders, journalists and members of civil society had reported that they had been threatened or were being pursued by the M23 and Rwandan forces.  

    Mr. Türk was also very concerned about the proliferation of weapons and the high risk of forced recruitment and conscription of children.  The fighting had exacerbated a chronic humanitarian crisis, which was the upshot of persistent human rights violations.  More than 500,000 people had been displaced since the beginning of January, in addition to the more than 6.4 million already displaced.  The risk of violence escalating throughout the sub-region had never been higher.  All those with influence over the parties involved, be they States or non-state actors, must step up their efforts to avert a conflagration and to support peace processes. 

    Mr. Türk called on all parties to lay down their weapons and resume dialogue within the framework of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.  In the meantime, all parties to the conflict must respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law.  The M23, Rwandan forces and all those supporting them must facilitate access to humanitarian aid.  Air, land and lake routes must be reopened to establish humanitarian corridors and guarantee the safety of humanitarian actors. 

    In these circumstances, it was crucial to establish the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice.  An independent and impartial investigation must be opened up into human rights violations and abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law, committed by all parties.  The military path was not the answer to the roots of this conflict.  States must ensure that any support, financial or otherwise, did not fuel serious human rights violations.  All those with influence must act urgently to put an end to this tragic situation.

     SURYA DEVA, Chair of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures, said the intensification of hostilities, particularly in North Kivu, following the renewed offensive by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group, had led to widespread violence, forced displacement, and serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.  The scale and severity of the violence had reached unprecedented levels.  The humanitarian consequences were devastating, as those displaced often found themselves with no access to shelter, water, sanitation, food, medical care or education.  Women and children were particularly at risk, facing heightened exposure to gender-based violence and trafficking for purposes of sexual slavery. There was also concern for the devastating impact on children, who were at serious risk of all six grave violations against children in armed conflict.

    Mr. Deva called for all parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law; for the immediate cessation of attacks against civilians; for the protection of civilian infrastructure; and for unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to deliver assistance to those in need.  All parties involved in the conflict should refrain from supporting or using mercenary-related actors, as they would prolong the conflict. 

    The international community had a moral and legal obligation to act decisively. Member States should increase humanitarian funding to ensure the continued provision of essential services and assistance to displaced populations.  Coordinated diplomatic efforts must be intensified to support peace negotiations and to hold accountable those responsible for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. 

    The international community should step up efforts to support humanitarian operations, ensuring that adequate resources were allocated to assist displaced populations and those affected by violence.  Women should be fully included in conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts. There must be independent investigations into all reported human rights violations, including attacks on civilians, sexual and gender-based violence, and other abuses perpetrated during the conflict. 

    BINTOU KEITA, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chief of the United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), said this conflict had continued for 30 years, and the population continued to live in fear.  The attacks and pillaging against the United Nations and the Blue Helmets were condemned.  Since the beginning of the year, an unprecedented advance of the M23 and the Rwandan forces had been seen, preceded by violent clashes between the two sides, injuring thousands, and with alarming mid- and long-term consequences.  The risks of gender-based violence and violence against children were of great concern.  Violations and abuse of human rights had increased, and the humanitarian situation declined.  Agricultural and mining activities were paralysed. 

    Fighting impunity against the serious crimes committed could be impeded due to the damage done to the judicial forces in Goma.  It was urgent to restore peace and allow for a lasting rebuilding of the region.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda must pursue diplomatic negotiations, particularly in the context of the Luanda process.  Unless compelling measures were taken to cease the escalation of violence, there would be grave consequences. 

    The clashes in densely settled areas, including Goma, had had devastating consequences on the human population, with an increase in crime and violence.  Civil society actors and human rights defenders were a major population at risk.  The suspension of social networks was an infringement of the right to information. In a region with a sensitive history, ethnically motivated attacks remained a serious concern.  The humanitarian situation in Goma was catastrophic.  The international community must advocate for humanitarian access to Goma immediately. Ms. Keita hoped the session would pave the way to an end to the conflict and inclusive and sustainable development. 

    Statements by Countries Concerned

    PATRICK MUYAYA KATEMBWE, Minister of Communication and Media of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking as a country concerned, expressed deep gratitude to the Human Rights Council for holding the special session, a response to the urgent situation and massive human rights violations and attacks on civilians in North and South Kivu, the result of attacks and offenses by the Rwandan Defence Forces and their M23 and AFC proxies. Indiscriminate attacks had deliberately targeted the vulnerable, a flagrant violation of international obligations.  Areas of shelter had been turned into military targets, imperilling the lives of thousands of innocent people.

    Acts of unacceptable brutality compounded by unspeakable brutalities, like attacks against civilians, forced displacement, murders, rape, forced conscription of children and others were the responsibility of Rwanda as it supported its proxies.  Peacekeeping forces, as well as humanitarian facilities, had been targeted, undermining their ability to protect civilians.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo called for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate the human rights violations in the country, establish the truth as to who was responsible, and issue recommendations for holding them to account. 

    It was vital to strengthen early-warning mechanisms and prevent further escalations of violence.  There must be immediate and unfettered humanitarian access to evacuate the injured and reduce the risk of the spread of epidemics. The Council must hold Rwanda accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.  It was vital that international pressure be applied to Rwanda so that it ceased to support the armed groups and withdrew from Congolese territory. 

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo remained ready to work with all regional and international actors to put a stop to this crisis and an end to the suffering in the east of the country, calling on Rwanda to act responsibly and take immediate measures to cease supporting armed groups. 

    JAMES NGANGO, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations Office at Geneva, speaking as a country concerned, said the current session was called for at a time when the situation was evolving rapidly.  A chance should be given to regional initiatives to bear fruit before taking up the situation in the United Nations.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo had unilaterally decided to expel the East African Community Force, a peacekeeping force, replacing it with the Southern African Development Community Mission with an offensive mandate.  The current situation was due to imposing a military solution to a political problem. This was due to the preservation of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda that had perpetrated genocide in Rwanda and then fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they continued to spread their genocidal ideology, and also to the marginalisation of the Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese communities, particularly Tutsi, by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    There had been no condemnation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo leadership.  There was no special session of the Human Rights Council when a Special Rapporteur had warned about war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo previously.  Rwanda opposed the attempts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at portraying Rwanda as being responsible for the instability in that country, as this was a well-known deflection tactic used to escape being accountable for the atrocities Kinshasa and its allied armed forces were perpetrating against its own citizens.  Rwanda would respond appropriately to the actions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    Discussion

    Some speakers said they were deeply concerned about the escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and urged the M23 to stop its advance and withdraw immediately.  Rwanda must cease its support for the M23 and withdraw its armed forces.  Rwanda’s military presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was strongly condemned as a clear violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Alarm was expressed about reports of wide-spread violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law by multiple actors, including sexual and gender-based violence, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and extrajudicial executions.  Innocent civilians, including women and children, were enduring extreme suffering due to widespread violence, displacement, and deprivation of essential services such as food, water, and healthcare.  Reports of explosive weapons used in populated areas and attacks on internally displaced person sites were particularly alarming.

    Some speakers said all sides must prioritise the protection of civilians, ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and fully respect their obligations under international law, including human rights law and international humanitarian law.  For decades, the area had witnessed instability and conflict, for a range of causes.  Reports of grave human rights violations, including summary executions, demanded immediate attention.  The attacks on peacekeepers constituted violations of international law.  The Rwandan Government must respect the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which latter must cease cooperation with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. 

    All parties must reopen negotiations, respect international law, and honour their commitments made under the Nairobi and Luanda process, committing fully to the peace process.  All allegations of human rights violations and abuses must be investigated, and perpetrators held accountable for their crimes.  An independent fact-finding mission must be established to investigate all accounts.  Acts of violence targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure were condemned, and must come to an end. 

    The role of the Blue Helmets was essential, speakers said, and they must be protected, with several speakers expressing condolences to the families of those Blue Helmets who paid the ultimate price in defence of the fundamental rights of the Congolese people.  The United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) must ensure the protection of civilians, and a speaker called for its mandate to be supported and renewed further. The international community must strengthen its support for peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance. A sustainable solution demanded coordinated efforts, including dialogue, reconciliation, and development initiatives that fostered stability and social cohesion.

    A number of speakers said this was a critical juncture in the region, with a potential for over-spill in the region as a whole. Dialogue and cooperation must be encouraged and supported, including through the Luanda and Nairobi processes. The deliberations in the Council must not undermine these, and instead support a return to peace, with the discussions aimed at building consensus and agreement.  Political fragmentation must be addressed in Rwanda, with an end put to public negative ethnic discourse, and the international community must work together to build a just and peaceful world.  The Council must address the challenges under its mandate.  Members of the Council must work to ensure that there was no further deterioration of the situation. 

    The M23 must immediately withdraw from the territories under its control, a speaker said, and there must be a return to the negotiating table: all efforts must be made to put an end to the humanitarian disaster. All those involved in the conflict must put an end to human rights violations and protect the rights and lives of civilians.  The population was exhausted from the decades of suffering.  Rwanda must withdraw its support for the M23, which must immediately cease its attacks and withdraw. 

    Some speakers said the sovereignty and territoriality of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must be protected and supported, and many speakers supported this, urging all sides to respect it and for the international community to support it.  All armed groups must lay down their weapons and withdraw from the sovereign territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and respect the United Nations Charter, engage in dialogue, and work towards re-establishing peace and stability in the country.  There was a risk of this igniting the Great Lakes region, a speaker said, supporting the peaceful coexistence of nations. 

    Many speakers spoke in support of the establishment of an independent fact-finding mission to investigate serious human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law committed in North and South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as stipulated in the proposed resolution.  The humanitarian community must rally support to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population, in particular women and children.   The fact-finding mission must be fully funded and staffed appropriately, a speaker urged.  Given the sheer scale of human suffering, the Council could not afford to turn a blind eye to the earnest appeal of the country concerned to ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes were held accountable.

    Profound alarm was expressed with regard to the increasing risk of violence against women and girls and the recruitment of children into the conflict.  It was imperative that those responsible for human rights violations and atrocities were brought to justice.  There was no military solution to the crisis, and only a political, negotiated solution could bring an end to the situation.  Those who put their economic interests above human dignity must cease to do so.  Peace and security must be brought to the region. 

    At this critical juncture, all parties must exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and prioritise dialogue to prevent further loss of life, uphold international humanitarian law and human rights, ensure the protection of civilians, and safeguard fundamental freedoms.  It was vital to ensure immediate and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population. 

    It was crucial that the Human Rights Council provided necessary support for thorough investigations into grave human rights violations and abuses, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring comprehensive accountability.  A sustained and inclusive dialogue was crucial to achieving a long-term and peaceful resolution to the crisis.  Diplomatic negotiations were, a speaker said, the only way to resolve the situation. All parties must respect international humanitarian law, and must support the mediation efforts made both internationally and regionally.  A political solution must be found that respected the independence and territoriality of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    The need for the Council to make efforts to alleviate the sufferings of victims of human rights violations and abuses was crucial, and all parties involved must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.  There must be an immediate end to hostilities and a permanent solution found through peaceful means and inclusive dialogue among all parties concerned, and speakers pointed out the need for “African solutions to African problems”, supporting the Luanda and Nairobi processes.  African regional solutions were fully supported by several speakers, who spoke of the efforts of the Southern African Development Community Mission. 

     

     

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

    HRC25.002E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: MoU signed between ISLRTC and NBT at World Book Fair for making NBT Books Accessible in Indian Sign Language

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 07 FEB 2025 5:56PM by PIB Delhi

    An MoU was signed between the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), under D/o Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), M/o Social Justice & Empowerment, and the National Book Trust (NBT), at the NBT Pavilion during the World Book Fair 2025.

    This MoU aims to convert 500 NBT storybooks, general reading materials, and other engaging books into accessible formats for Deaf children through Indian Sign Language (ISL).

    The MoU was signed by Shri Kumar Raju, Director, ISLRTC and Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT in the presence of Shri Rajeev Sharma, Joint Secretary, DEPwD, and Professor Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairperson, NBT.

    Addressing the gathering, Shri Rajeev Sharma and Professor Milind Sudhakar Marathe emphasized that this is a great joint venture by ISLRTC and NBT, highlighting its significance in developing accessibility and inclusivity in education.

    Director ISLRTC and Director NBT also addressed the audience, reaffirming their commitment to making reading literature available for deaf children across the country. They expressed that this collaboration is a step forward in ensuring that Deaf children have access to quality reading materials in their preferred mode of communication.

    The signing and exchange of the MoU mark a significant milestone in promoting accessible inclusive education. Officials from ISLRTC and NBT were also present at the event, showing their collective dedication to this initiative.

    *****

    VM

    (Release ID: 2100735) Visitor Counter : 49

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Embargo on minerals labelled as originating from Rwanda – P-000489/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-000489/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Majdouline Sbai (Verts/ALE), Sara Matthieu (Verts/ALE), Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE)

    On 19 February 2024, the European Union and Rwanda signed a memorandum of understanding on sustainable critical raw materials value chains. The memorandum provides for measures to intercept smuggled minerals entering the country and repatriate them to their country of origin. Thus the EU has implicitly recognised the risk of being supplied, via Rwanda, with ‘blood minerals’ from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, in the light of the serious ongoing attacks, the memorandum’s measures are not sufficient guarantee.

    In view of this state of affairs, is the Commission planning to:

    • 1.impose an immediate embargo on minerals labelled as of Rwandan origin, with a view to putting pressure on Rwanda to ensure that the M23 Movement and the Rwandan army withdraw from the DRC and to prevent the import of minerals of that kind into the European market;
    • 2.suspend, with immediate effect, the memorandum of understanding, the roadmap being drafted with Rwanda and all existing or future strategic projects within the framework of the Critical Raw Materials Act that involve Rwanda;
    • 3.make continued cooperation with Rwanda on critical raw materials conditional on Rwanda joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and on the withdrawal of its troops?

    Supporters[1]

    Submitted: 4.2.2025

    • [1] This question is supported by Members other than the authors: David Cormand (Verts/ALE), Mélissa Camara (Verts/ALE), Marie Toussaint (Verts/ALE)
    Last updated: 7 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Latest news – Next meeting: 13 February 2025 – Delegation to the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly

    Source: European Parliament

    On Thursday, 13 February 2025 (10.00-11.30), the DAFR delegation will hold a meeting in Strasbourg (DE MADARIAGA S5) on the risk of the regionalisation of the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    The meeting will be webstreamed.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The Grand Mosque of Paris has a monopoly on EU companies’ exports to Algeria – E-000265/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000265/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    François-Xavier Bellamy (PPE)

    According to press reports, the Grand Mosque of Paris has sole control of halal certification under an agreement with the Algerian Government. The agreement forces EU producers to pay money to a commercial company owned by the mosque’s leaders if they want to export any products, including non-food products, to Algeria. This raises a number of serious questions.

    A private company holding such a monopoly is clearly completely unacceptable under EU law. An estimate based on the pricing system used puts the annual cost to EU farmers and industry at several million euros. This levy does not bring any added value or even involve any actual act of certification – it is simply an unmonitored moneymaker. As the Algerian Government, in conjunction with the Grand Mosque of Paris, is increasing its threats and acts of hostility towards France, the fact that this source of funding exists is also concerning from a security point of view.

    • 1.Has the Commission, as the guarantor of transparency in EU trade, investigated this clear distortion and its consequences? Does it know how these funds are used?
    • 2.On 11 December 2024, the Commission was represented at a meeting on this issue at the Grand Mosque of Paris; what was the outcome of that meeting?
    • 3.What criteria would lead the Commission to consider this certification requirement to be a violation of the EU-Algeria Agreement?

    Submitted: 22.1.2025

    Last updated: 7 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Man arrested in Salisbury Park after pursuit

    Source: South Australia Police

    A man has been arrested following a pursuit through the northern suburbs.

    About 8pm on Friday 7 February, police attempted to stop a silver Holden sedan on Montague Road, Pooraka after officers noticed the number plates didn’t match the vehicle.

    The driver refused to stop and immediately sped off. The Holden was last seen heading north on Bridge Road.

    PolAir was up at the time and commenced tracking the vehicle as is drove through the backstreets of Salisbury East.

    Police were able to spike the car’s tyres on Main North Road, but it continued driving on to Saints Road.

    The tyres were successfully spiked a second time in Malinya Drive, Salisbury Park.  The driver then abandoned the vehicle in Riversdale Drive, Salisbury Park and fled the scene.

    He was quickly arrested after being found in a reserve adjacent to Smedley Place.

    A 40-year-old man from Richmond was charged with driving dangerously to escape police pursuit, driving while disqualified and unassigned plates. He was bailed to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on 27 March.

    The vehicle was impounded and towed from the scene.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Women’s rights are human rights, with Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda | UN ‘Awake at Night’ podcast teaser

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Having grown up in war-torn rural Zimbabwe, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda overcame extreme hardship to pursue a career at the highest levels of the United Nations. Now UN Assistant Secretary-General, and one of two deputy executive directors of UN Women, she wants little girls everywhere to aspire to the same heights.

    “Peace is a prerequisite. It’s so critical for development… for unleashing the potential of the little girls. Peace is so important for enabling mothers, widows to give the best they can.”

    UN Women works to uphold women’s human rights and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential. In this episode, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda reflects on a childhood touched by war, poverty and disease, on a lifelong love of learning, and on how a recent accident gave her a new perspective on inequality.

    Full podcast: https://youtu.be/u3cDm1iYBVQ

    Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
    #podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #UNWomen #womensrights

    About Awake at Night
    Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s press encounter on the Democratic Republic of the Congo [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Good morning. 

    I wanted to say a few words about the deeply concerning situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    We are at a pivotal moment and it is time to rally together for peace. 

    Tomorrow, leaders from the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community will take part in a Summit in Tanzania. 

    The focus will be addressing the crisis in the face of the offensive by the M23, supported by the Rwandan Defence Forces.

    Next week, in Addis Ababa, I will take part in a Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council where this crisis will be also front and centre.

    In advance of these crucial gatherings, I want to make a special appeal for peace.  

    Thousands of people have been killed – including women and children – and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes in the eastern DRC.

    We also see the continued threat by other armed groups, either Congolese or foreign.

    All of this is having an enormous human toll. 

    We have countless reports of human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment, and the disruption of lifesaving aid.

    The humanitarian situation in and around Goma is perilous.

    Hundreds of thousands of people are on the move, with many of the previous sites hosting displaced people north of the city now looted, destroyed or abandoned. 

    Healthcare facilities are overwhelmed. 

    And other basic services – including schools, water, electricity, phone lines and the internet – are severely limited.

    Meanwhile, the conflict continues to rage in South Kivu and risks engulfing the entire region. 

    I want to pay tribute to all those who have lost their lives, including MONUSCO blue helmets and regional forces. 

    And I express my solidarity with the Congolese people who find themselves yet again the victims of a seemingly endless cycle of violence.

    As the Summit in Tanzania gets underway, and as I prepare to leave for Addis Ababa, my message is clear: 

    Silence the guns. 

    Stop the escalation.

    Respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Uphold international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

    There is no military solution.

    It is time for all the signatories of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region to honour their commitments.

    It is time for mediation.  It is time to end this crisis.  It is time for peace. 

    The stakes are too high.

    We need the active and constructive role of all players — namely neighbouring countries, subregional organizations, the African Union and the United Nations.

    Let us all act together for peace.

    Thank you.

    ***
    [French translation]

    Bonjour

    Je tenais à dire quelques mots sur la situation extrêmement préoccupante en République démocratique du Congo.

    Nous sommes à un tournant décisif et le moment est venu d’agir ensemble pour la paix.

    Demain, les dirigeantes et dirigeants des pays membres de la Communauté d’Afrique de l’Est et de la Communauté de développement de l’Afrique australe participeront à un sommet en Tanzanie.

    Le Sommet sera consacré aux moyens de faire face à la crise provoquée par l’offensive menée par le M23 avec l’appui des Forces de défense rwandaises.

    La semaine prochaine, à Addis-Abeba, je prendrai part à une réunion au sommet du Conseil de paix et de sécurité de l’Union africaine qui aura aussi cette crise pour sujet principal.

    Avant ces rencontres indispensables, je tiens à lancer un appel spécial à la paix.

    Des milliers de personnes ont été tuées – notamment des femmes et des enfants – et des centaines de milliers de personnes vivant dans l’est du pays ont été contraintes de fuir leur foyer.

    Nous constatons également que d’autres groupes armés, congolais ou étrangers, continuent de représenter une menace.

    Le coût humain de tout cela est énorme.

    D’innombrables cas d’atteintes aux droits humains nous sont signalés, dont des actes de violence sexuelle et fondée sur le genre, des cas de recrutement forcé et des entraves à l’acheminement d’une aide vitale.

    La situation humanitaire à l’intérieur et autour de Goma est précaire.

    Des centaines de milliers de personnes sont déplacées, et un grand nombre de sites accueillant des personnes déplacées dans le nord de la ville ont été pillés, détruits ou abandonnés.

    Les structures de soins sont débordées.

    D’autres services essentiels – dont les écoles, l’alimentation en eau et en électricité, les lignes téléphoniques et le réseau Internet – sont extrêmement limités.

    Dans le même temps, le conflit continue de faire rage au Sud-Kivu et risque d’engloutir l’ensemble de la région.

    Je tiens à rendre hommage à toutes les personnes qui ont perdu la vie, y compris les casques bleus de la MONUSCO et les membres des forces régionales.

    Et j’exprime ma solidarité avec le peuple congolais qui se retrouve une fois de plus victime d’un cycle de violence apparemment sans fin.

    À la veille du Sommet en Tanzanie, et alors que je suis sur le point de me rendre à Addis-Abeba, mon message est clair :

    Il faut faire taire les armes,

    Arrêter l’escalade,

    Respecter la souveraineté et l’intégrité territoriale de la République démocratique du Congo,

    Faire régner le droit international des droits humains et le droit international humanitaire.

    Il n’y a pas de solution militaire.

    Il est l’heure pour tous les signataires de l’Accord-cadre pour la paix, la sécurité et la coopération pour la République démocratique du Congo et la région d’honorer leurs engagements.

    Il est temps de recourir à la médiation et de mettre fin à cette crise. L’heure de la paix est arrivée.

    L’enjeu est trop élevé.

    Tous les acteurs – à savoir les pays voisins, les organisations sous-régionales, l’Union africaine et l’ONU – doivent jouer un rôle actif et constructif.

    Mobilisons-nous tous et toutes pour la paix.

    Je vous remercie.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Speaks Out Against Trump Nominee Russell Vought, Calling Him Unfit and Unqualified to Serve as OMB Director

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing the nomination of Russell Vought, the chief architect of Project 2025, a radical, right-wing agenda, to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. You can watch her full remarks here.  

    Key Quotes from Senator Shaheen:

    • “Either the OMB, under Russell Vought’s direction, deliberately stopped funding for 2,600 programs, for water and sewer projects, for housing, for meals for seniors, or they were so incompetent that without meaning to they sent a memo to the whole federal government that had that effect.”
    • “There’s no question that Russ Vought and President Trump intend to take away some of the funding that Congress has provided on a bipartisan basis to help families in New Hampshire and around the country save money.”
    • “It’s beyond ridiculous that anyone could propose these cuts with a straight face, while also supporting trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and corporations in this country.”
    • “It’s important to all Americans to make sure that our government runs effectively and efficiently, but indiscriminately freezing hiring across the board, pushing out thousands of civil servants, makes that problem worse not better.”
    • “We’re not talking about political appointees here. We’re talking about the people who write the checks at the Social Security Administration, about the caseworkers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development who make sure that people have roofs over their heads and food to eat. We’re talking about doctors and therapists at VA hospitals who work around the clock to provide lifesaving care and benefits to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country and program operators at the Small Business Administration.”

    Remarks as delivered can be found below:

    I’d like to go back to my concerns about the nomination of Russ Vought to be the head of the Office of Management and Budget, because that’s an office that determines the services that millions of families and small businesses rely on. 

    And yet, he supported unilaterally taking away those services and help for more than 2,600 federal programs that were ordered to cease activities with less than 24 hours notice. 

    And in every state in the country, we heard confusion and panic and chaos. 

    Since then, I’ve heard from thousands of Granite Staters who are worried about what those cuts mean for them and their families. 

    I’ve heard from health care providers, from our community health centers, from our nonprofits, from our police departments, from so many people who provide services to the state of New Hampshire. 

    And it’s now been more than a week, and despite not one but two federal judges ordering the Trump Administration to stop holding up funds, we are still hearing reports of frozen payment systems and missed reimbursements. 

    Now, I know my Republican colleagues are hearing those concerns too. 

    But despite this outpouring, we’re still here today contemplating confirming Russell Vought, the architect of this reckless, unprecedented and misguided policy. 

    He was directly involved in drafting the memo that OMB sent out that started all of this last Monday. 

    That memo was so extreme that it provoked concern and outrage from both sides of the aisle about the breadth of payments that were being halted. 

    Russ Vought then had to walk back parts of the memo that he’d worked on just the day before. 

    And all of this happened, and he wasn’t even a confirmed nominee. 

    So, I’m very worried about what he’s going to do if he actually gets confirmed for this job. 

    We know that what we saw last week was just a short preview of what he plans to do. 

    And the justification that we’ve heard since that memo is that that memo wasn’t meant to cut off funding to all of the programs that saw their funding halted. 

    It wasn’t meant to stop Medicaid in every state or to shut down HUD’s system of rental assistance or homelessness funding. 

    But I’ll tell you, if that’s your defense, that just means that OMB sent a memo that was so poorly drafted that agencies across the federal government thought it required them to cut off all these programs that people and towns depend on. 

    So, either the OMB under Russell Vought’s direction, deliberately stopped funding for 2,600 programs for water and sewer projects, for housing, for meals for seniors, or they were so incompetent, that without meaning to, they sent a memo to the whole federal government that had that effect. 

    Well, regardless of which answer it is, I think the person who’s behind that, Russ Vought, the man leading that effort, should not be running the Office of Management and Budget that determines how funding goes out in the federal government. 

    And I think this is especially true because there’s no question that Russ Vought and President Trump intend to take away some of the funding that Congress has provided on a bipartisan basis to help families in New Hampshire and around the country save money on things like their energy bills, to help address pollution like PFAS. 

    And I would just remind folks that we passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on a strong bipartisan vote—19 Republican senators voted with the Democrats to invest in our communities.  

    We worked shoulder to shoulder, Republicans and Democrats, to prioritize things like energy efficiency, water infrastructure, funding that this administration says it’s looking at cutting off, even though communities are depending on it. 

    Well, I plan to continue to stand up and defend funding that Congress provides to make necessary investments in all of our communities, and I hope my Republican colleagues will do the same. 

    And then this past weekend, we learned that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who’s never been elected, along with unelected, unconfirmed DOGE employees, the DOGE boys we call them, now have access to the payment system at the Treasury Department. 

    That is a system that processes more than $5 trillion worth of payments every year. 

    That’s everything from tax refunds and Social Security checks to reimbursing towns for work that they’re doing on sewers or roads. 

    They have access to Social Security numbers, to health information, and to so much more. 

    This is a system that the vast majority of people working at Treasury can’t access, and they shouldn’t be able to, because this is private information. 

    You may have heard that Treasury only gave “read only”, I say that in quotes, “read only” access.

    But if that’s the case, why is Elon Musk talking about using this access to stop payments to a charity that helps seniors with housing? 

    What’s he doing in the Treasury records anyway? 

    Why does he need that information? 

    This week, we’re hearing confirmation that Musk’s team didn’t just have “read access”. 

    In fact, they had administrator level access, giving them the ability to make changes to this payment system. 

    One specific Treasury employee refuted Treasury leadership’s denial that they gave a DOGE staffer “write access”, that’s the ability to change the code and to change the checks that get sent out by Treasury. 

    The employee said, and I quote, “I am looking at his access right now, and it has the Deputy Assistant Commissioner instructing the team to disregard all previous instructions and assign him,” the DOGE person, “read/write privileges for the database,” so he can change what’s in that database. 

    That doesn’t sound like “read only” access to me. 

    I think it’s unacceptable for an unelected billionaire to be taking over the payments system that our government relies on, that millions of Americans rely on, and trying to stop those payments. 

    Now, fortunately, the original OMB memo was rescinded. 

    But this fight is not over. 

    Instead, this access to the Treasury’s payment system could be the next front in stopping funds going out to the American people. 

    We can, and we do, intend to continue to push back on these illegal actions to stop funding that’s required by law. 

    And despite knowing better, Russell Vought has never shied away from his belief that the executive branch can disregard the law and override spending decisions that are made by Congress.

    He clearly believes that this administration should be above the law and should be able to take away funding that helps millions of Americans. 

    Russ Vought is the architect of Project 2025. 

    That proposed a budget that would cut Medicaid, just Medicaid, by $2.1 trillion over ten years.

     It would slash SNAP, the food program, by $400 billion. 

    We have people in New Hampshire who count on the SNAP program in order to be able to feed their kids. 

    His proposal would cut funding that helps low-income Americans go to college by more than $250 billion.

    It would eliminate the Affordable Care Act tax credits that help millions of Americans afford health care. 

    These are not cuts that lower costs. 

    These are not cuts that create jobs. 

    These are not cuts that enhance public safety and make it easier for people to afford their rent and their groceries. 

    It’s beyond ridiculous that anyone could propose these cuts with a straight face while also supporting trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and corporations in this country. 

    You know, I’m not one to claim that the federal government can’t be run more efficiently. 

    I think we can always do everything better. 

    And it’s important to all Americans to make sure that our government runs effectively and efficiently, but indiscriminately freezing hiring across the board, pushing out thousands of civil servants, makes that problem worse, not better. 

    And last week, more than 2 million federal employees received emails offering to pay their salaries for the rest of the fiscal year in exchange for resigning now. 

    I mean, that in and of itself is questionable because this Congress hasn’t appropriated dollars to pay those employees. 

    And why would somebody who wants to improve effectiveness and efficiency in government, pay people to go home and not work? And that’s what this email said. 

    At the time, it included hundreds of thousands of individuals working in critical national security roles and included, for example, every single air traffic controller in the country, just days before we tragically saw the worst aviation incident in nearly 30 years. 

    Now, they’ve since walked that offer back, stating that it should not apply to employees who are critical to national security. 

    But, like the claim of the funding freeze, they say that that was always their intent, they must have made a mistake, but I’m not sure which option is worse. 

    That while we’re short more than 3,500 air traffic controllers, Russell Vought really wanted to pay the ones we do have not to work, or that he blasted out an irresponsible, reckless, non-targeted effort that could have had devastating consequences for critical positions without taking the time to think it through. 

    What’s more, they tried to convince us this offer will save money, making it clear that even if we lose thousands of key employees with no plans to replace them, we’ll be better off. 

    Well, tell that to the people in New Hampshire who are trying to get answers on their Social Security or their income tax checks. 

    Tell that to the students who need help with their FAFSA form so that they can apply and get help to go to college. 

    Vought has relentlessly attacked the millions of career civil servants who show up every day, no matter who’s in power, to keep the lights on and the wheels turning. 

    Some of these people have served our country for 30, 40, even 50 years through countless presidents and Congresses. 

    We’re not talking about political appointees here, we’re talking about the people who write the checks at the Social Security Administration, about the caseworkers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development who make sure that people have roofs over their heads and food to eat. 

    We’re talking about doctors and therapists at VA hospitals who work around the clock to provide lifesaving care and benefits to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country, program operators at the Small Business Administration who helps entrepreneurs get loans. 

    They’re the forest rangers who show up in all weather conditions in the White Mountain Forest in New Hampshire to ensure there is safe and enjoyable recreation opportunities for hundreds of millions of visitors to our national parks and forests.

    And speaking of the weather, they’re the meteorologists at the National Weather Service, the people we rely on to prepare for hazardous storms. 

    These employees contribute to the maintenance of nuclear submarines, which is an essential tenet of our national security, a crucial part of our capability to deter major conflicts. 

    And any impact to our shipyards, we have the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard between New Hampshire and Maine that does maintenance on our nuclear submarines, any impact to that workforce will strain our shipbuilding industrial base that’s already saturated with demand to meet the requirements of our Navy.

    So, why did they get an email giving those employees the option to resign? 

    This administration has said repeatedly that it wants to “restore the warrior ethos” at the Pentagon. 

    But if Russell Vought gets his way, there isn’t going to be anybody left at the Pentagon. 

    And now we’re hearing that Elon Musk’s team is plugging in to our air traffic control system. 

    The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has repeatedly asked for what they need: more funding, targeted investments and workforce development, shorter hours and upgraded technology. 

    We need to get to work in this Senate, in this Congress, on legislation that addresses these issues. 

    But handing the keys to the nation’s air traffic control system over to an unelected, inexperienced billionaire who cuts first and asks questions later, isn’t the solution. 

    Now, Russell Vought will tell you over and over again that government doesn’t work. 

    But he says this at the same time that he’s doing everything in his power to break it with zero regard for how that’s going to hurt you and your family. 

    And this week, we’ve seen and we’ve heard more horrifying parts of Russell Vought’s agenda. 

    He’s teaming up with Elon Musk. 

    And last year, for the first time, thanks to PEPFAR, more than half of new HIV infections were outside of Sub-Saharan Africa. 

    One of the most successful health programs ever in U.S. history, put in by George W. Bush.

    And one of the only things that has stood between Americans and so many of the diseases that come from overseas is USAID. 

    Now, I was listening to the prayer breakfast this morning, and I heard President Trump talking about his admiration for Billy Graham, for Franklin Graham, for the good work that they do. 

    Then a few minutes later, I heard the morning news, and I heard them talking about what’s happening in Sudan, where we have a famine and millions of people desperate because of the conflict there and what’s happening.

    And the news report said, if we don’t get our foreign assistance turned back on to help the Sudanese, eight million people are going to starve to death in the coming months. 

    I can’t imagine that Billy Graham or Franklin Graham support the idea of eight million Sudanese dying, because we’ve turned off the foreign assistance that we provided because Elon Musk doesn’t like the United States Agency for International Development. 

    I think Billy Graham and Franklin Graham, Billy Graham, when he was alive, and his son Franklin would say, these are also God’s children and it’s important for us to support people around the world who are dying. 

    And you know, it’s not just those kinds of situations like we have in Sudan. 

    We have significant diseases that are breaking out in parts of the world, and we don’t have people on the ground to make sure that the people who—the outbreak of Ebola that’s happening in Africa, some of us remember in 2014 when about what came to the United States—we don’t have any aid workers anymore because under Elon Musk’s order, they’ve shut down those programs. 

    They’re bringing those people home, so there’s nobody there to make sure that that Ebola outbreak doesn’t go across borders and doesn’t wind up in the United States. 

    There’s a Marburg outbreak, another hemorrhagic disease that’s happening in Africa. 

    It has a 90% mortality rate, and right now, we have no real treatment and no vaccination for the Marburg virus. 

    And yet again, we’ve taken our teams of people who help in-country to treat the Marburg virus and we’ve taken them home. 

    We’ve said, “go ahead cross whatever country lines you want. Come to the United States, because we’re not going to prevent that.” 

    And, you know, we’ve got a bird flu epidemic now. 

    You may have heard there’s a new strain that’s just been discovered in cows in Nevada. 

    We’ve had, about 70 people who have been infected with bird flu. 

    We’ve had somebody die from that. 

    We used to monitor bird flu outbreaks around the world, but under this shutdown of USAID and its programs, we’re not monitoring bird flu anymore. 

    So, that bird flu can come to the United States? 

    We don’t know. 

    Nobody seems to care in the Trump Administration if that happens. 

    These things don’t just happen overseas. 

    They affect us here in America. 

    It’s in our interest to ensure that these efforts that help with diseases, that help prevent Vladimir Putin and Russia from its nefarious activities in Europe, in Moldova, in Romania, in Ukraine—that’s also happened the aid to help Ukraine in this war against Russia.

    That’s all been cut off. 

    That doesn’t make America safer. 

    That doesn’t make us stronger.

    That doesn’t make us more prosperous. 

    I hope my colleagues will stand against Russell Vought, who has been the architect of so much of this carnage. 

    Sadly, I don’t think my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will do that. 

    And I hope that we can reverse some of this, harm that’s been done to so many people around the world that is going to come home to roost in America if we don’t address it. 

    So, Mr. President, I have taken all of my time. 

    I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: State of the Nation Address 2025

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)

    State of the Nation Address 2025

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=837UHQ0v7-Q

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Towards a Common Future: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All, Minister Dodds’ remarks

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Minister Dodds gave opening remarks at a reception to reaffirm the importance of gender equality and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights to individuals, families and society.

    Welcome, everyone and thank you, Plan International UK, for helping to bring us together.

    I am grateful for this opportunity to share some reflections, because, as the UK’s Minister for Development, Women and Equalities, sexual and reproductive health and rights are a priority for me.

    We must keep working together to make sure everyone has power over their own bodies. That includes the choice of whether to have sex – if at all. That includes whether to continue with a pregnancy – and when to have children. And that includes the LGBTQ+ community.

    This is fundamentally the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do. Over the last 6 months, from South Sudan to Indonesia to Malawi, my conversations with those affected have underlined this powerfully.

    We know that when women, girls, and other marginalised groups are empowered, they lift up whole families, communities and economies.

    Yet, there is a great deal of work ahead of us, to close the gap between where we are and where we need to be.

    As hard-won rights are being rolled back, with more than a quarter of a million people lacking access to information and services and complications from pregnancy and childbirth remain the leading cause of death for around 12 million girls in lower-income countries.

    Not to mention the fact that women and girls are bearing the brunt of conflicts and humanitarian disasters around the world. Sadly, on every continent, including here in Europe, groups that are hell-bent on rolling back rights and denying women and girls choice, are sowing the seeds of division.

    In the face of such challenges, it is only by standing strong and working together that we can hope to turn things around.

    For our part, the UK reaches many millions of people every year, making sure that the poorest and most marginalised have access to life saving services, are heard, and have greater choice and control.

    This government is keeping that work at the top of the global political agenda – where it belongs. Be that the Prime Minister’s commitment to supporting local, national and global efforts on World Aids Day.

    Or the Foreign Secretary’s recent visit to Chad where he announced further support for women and girls – including refugees from Sudan – to access sexual and reproductive health services.

    Next month, I look forward to leading the UK’s delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, in New York, where once again, we will push to keep this vital work firmly in the international spotlight.

    In April, today’s panellist, Neisha will join the UK delegation at the Commission on Population and Development in New York, to make sure we hear from the next generation very directly.

    And today, I am proud to announce my role as a She Decides champion – part of a global movement advocating for every woman and girl’s right to choose what to do with her own body. I am very glad to add my voice to these efforts.

    Let me end by repeating that each and every one of us here has our own powerful part to play, and together, we can make a difference by listening to those affected, amplifying their voices, and taking action by challenging harmful practices and discrimination, calling out attempts to erode rights and breaking down barriers and sharing our knowledge, experience and expertise.

    That is why I am so glad we are here today to discuss all this – and  galvanise our efforts. So, thank you, once again, for joining us and for your dedication to this important work. I look forward to all that we can achieve together.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo: Rights chief warns crisis could worsen, without international action

    Source: United Nations 4

    Peace and Security

    UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday expressed profound concerns at the ongoing violent escalation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) caused by the ongoing Rwanda-backed M23 offensive. “If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern DRC, but also beyond the country’s borders,” he told a Special Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

    Since 26 January, nearly 3,000 people have been killed and 2,880 injured in attacks by the M23 and their allies “with heavy weapons used in populated areas, and intense fighting against the armed forces of the DRC and their allies”, the High Commissioner said, as UN Member States weighed setting up a fact-finding mission to investigate extreme rights violations still being committed in the DRC provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

    Hostilities have continued unabated in this mineral-rich region that has been unstable for decades amid a proliferation of armed groups, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. Fighting escalated in late January when majority-Tutsi M23 fighters seized control of parts of North Kivu, including areas near Goma, and advanced towards South Kivu and the eastern DRC’s second city of Bukavu.

    A draft resolution circulated before the Special Session – the 37th since the Council was created in 2006 – also condemned Rwanda’s military support of the M23 armed group and called for both Rwanda and M23 to halt their advance and to allow lifesaving humanitarian access immediately.

    Hospitals targeted

    Addressing the emergency session, Mr. Türk noted that two hospitals in Goma had been bombed on 27 January, killing and injuring multiple patients, including women and children.

    In a mass prison break at Muzenze Prison in Goma on the same day, at least 165 female inmates were reportedly raped and most were later killed in a fire under suspicious circumstances, he said, citing the authorities.

    “I am horrified by the spread of sexual violence, which has been an appalling feature of this conflict for a long time. This is likely to worsen in the current circumstances,” the UN rights chief continued, adding that UN staff were now verifying multiple allegations of rape, gang rape and sexual slavery in eastern DRC’s conflict zones.

    MONUSCO role

    Echoing those concerns, Bintou Keita, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and chief of UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) told the Council that dead bodies still lie in the streets of Goma, which M23 fighters now control. The situation is “catastrophic”, she continued.

    “While I am speaking, youth are being subjected to forced recruitments and human rights defenders, civil society actors and journalists have also become a major population at risk. MONUSCO continues to receive requests for individual protection from them as well as from judicial authorities under threat and at risk of reprisals from M23 in areas under its control.”

    She issued a stark warning on the health risks linked to ongoing fighting, “especially the resurgence of cholera and the high risk of mpox, the sudden interruption of children’s schooling, and the rise of conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence”.

    According to latest reports, medical personnel face electricity cuts and lack fuel for their generators for basic services, including morgues, Ms. Keita continued. “I again call on international community to advocate for humanitarian assistance to reach Goma immediately.”

    Countries respond

    In response to the ongoing crisis, DRC’s Minister of Communications and Media, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, spoke out against the continued logistical, military and financial support of countries including Rwanda “to armed groups operating on our territory”.

    The minister maintained that Rwanda’s support for the M23 had fuelled the violence in eastern DRC “for more than 30 years, exacerbating the war for reasons linked to the exploitation of the strategic mining resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo”.

    Dismissing that claim, Ambassador James Ngango of Rwanda to the UN in Geneva, insisted that a large-scale attack against Rwanda was “imminent”.

    He accused the “Kinshasa-backed coalition” of stockpiling a large number of weapons and military equipment near Rwanda’s border, mostly in or around Goma airport.

    “These weapons include rockets, kamikaze drones, heavy artillery guns capable of shooting precisely within the Rwandan territory. The weapons were not turned at the theatre of operations against the M23, rather they were pointed directly at Rwanda,” he said.

    ‘We are all implicated’

    Highlighting the need for international efforts to end the long-running conflict, Mr. Türk called for greater understanding of the political and economic background.

    “The population in the eastern DRC is suffering terribly, while many of the products we consume or use, such as mobile phones, are created using minerals from the east of the country. We are all implicated.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Washington Post Exposes Democrats’ Hypocritical Flip-Flop on USAID Reorganization

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, The Washington Post published an op-ed exposing how Democrats long championed merging the United States Agency for International Development with the State Department before their hypocritical U-turn.

    Marc A. Thiessen writes for the Post:

    “Shuttering USAID is not some evil MAGA plot. In fact, it was first proposed by a Democrat — Secretary of State Warren Christopher — who tried to close the foreign aid agency during the Clinton administration.”

    A move so MAGA it was championed by … Bill Clinton’s secretary of state?

    By Marc A. Thiessen

    February 6, 2025

    Democrats are in an uproar over President Donald Trump’s plan to abolish the U.S. Agency for International Development and move its functions into the State Department. At a rally in front of the shuttered agency, Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) declared that “this is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like,” while Rep. Jamie Raskin (Maryland) said Trump “is threatening lives all over the world.”

    Please. Shuttering USAID is not some evil MAGA plot. In fact, it was first proposed by a Democrat — Secretary of State Warren Christopher — who tried to close the foreign aid agency during the Clinton administration.

    In 1995, Christopher proposed a plan to eliminate three independent foreign policy agencies — USAID, the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) — and merge them into a “super State Department.” In a 15-page single-spaced memo, his State Department declared “the current organizational structures and activities of the department and other foreign affairs agencies … are increasingly redundant, bloated and unresponsive to policy makers.” It even produced an organizational chart showing the three abolished agencies absorbed into a new “Consolidated Department of International Relations.” This would have restored President John F. Kennedy’s original vision for USAID, which he established in 1961 by executive order as “an agency in the Department of State” — but has since grown into an massive, entrenched bureaucratic behemoth.

    Then, as now, the consolidation plan encountered fierce opposition from the foreign aid bureaucracy — USAID Director J. Brian Atwood told Christopher he would resign if his proposal went through — which managed to persuade Vice President Al Gore and his “reinventing government” team to torpedo the plan.

    But not before my then-boss, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina), got involved. In a Feb. 14, 1995, Post op-ed headlined “Christopher Is Right,” Helms declared he would not allow the Clinton administration to shelve “the most thoughtful reorganization of U.S. foreign affairs institutions since World War II.” USAID, Helms wrote, had become “an entrenched bureaucracy” that was “not functioning as part of a coherent, coordinated approach, maximizing the benefit of every dollar spent” and adding, “It is my intent to support Secretary Christopher against the bureaucrats who feel threatened by his long-overdue reorganization of Foggy Bottom.”

    Helms put forward a plan of his own to merge the three agencies into the State Department. Atwood went on the attack, declaring Helms an “neo-isolationist” who wanted to gut foreign aid. Big mistake. It turned out that many within USAID supported Helms’s reorganization, and some began leaking internal memos to Helms’s staff detailing waste, fraud and abuse inside the agency — which we released to the press as “Captured Enemy Documents.” Noting how Helms had famously blocked a National Endowment for the Arts grant for a performance artist who smeared her nude body with chocolate syrup, a Post article said the pugnacious senator was now “smearing AID’s nude body with chocolate syrup … pointing out AID’s supposed miscues in a series of press releases.”

    Among the captured documents was a cable from the U.S. ambassador to Chad complaining to the State Department about USAID’s attempt to fund a bizarre study on the “Viability of the Chadian State,” asking: “What exactly would we have done if they concluded that it wasn’t?” USAID projects, the ambassador said, deepened “the culture of dependency,” resulted in “little direct contact with poor people” and had “gestation periods longer than that of an African elephant.”

    Helms refused to allow a Senate vote on the Chemical Weapons Convention or payment of U.N. arrears until Clinton agreed to his reorganization plan. After a long standoff, they compromised: Congress passed, and Clinton signed, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, which eliminated two of the three agencies (USIA and ACDA) and allowed USAID to remain a distinct entity but took away its independence, putting its administrator “under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Secretary of State.” The bill was supported by none other than … wait for it … Sen. Joe Biden, then the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.

    Helms refused to allow a Senate vote on the Chemical Weapons Convention or payment of U.N. arrears until Clinton agreed to his reorganization plan. After a long standoff, they compromised: Congress passed, and Clinton signed, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, which eliminated two of the three agencies (USIA and ACDA) and allowed USAID to remain a distinct entity but took away its independence, putting its administrator “under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Secretary of State.” The bill was supported by none other than … wait for it … Sen. Joe Biden, then the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.

    Thanks to the Helms-Biden law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has full legal authority over USAID — including the power to serve as acting director, delegate his authority to a subordinate in the State Department, pause foreign aid spending, direct staff not to report to work and move USAID functions into the State Department — all of which he has done. To permanently dismantle USAID requires an act of Congress, but short of that Rubio has broad authority over its operations.

    He is right to exercise that authority. The fact is, none of the good things USAID does cannot be done from the State Department. But too many foreign aid bureaucrats don’t like the president’s team ensuring that their work keeps with Trump’s foreign policy objectives. As Rubio correctly put it during his visit to Central America, “In many cases, USAID is involved in programs that run counter to what we’re trying to do in our national strategy with that country or with that region. That cannot continue. USAID is not an independent nongovernmental entity. It is an entity that spends taxpayer dollars, and it needs to spend it, as the statute says, in alignment with the policy directives that they get from the secretary of state, the National Security Council and the president.”

    Trump, Elon Musk and Rubio are finally making sure, as Helms insisted three decades ago, that “every dollar spent on the conduct of U.S. foreign policy is spent wisely, efficiently and in support of our national interest.”

    Somewhere, Helms — and Christopher — are smiling.

    Read the story online here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Map wars in the Middle East: How cartographers charted and helped shape a regional conflict

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christine Leuenberger, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University

    A lot has changed since the publication of this 1750 map of Palestine. Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

    Maps are ubiquitous – on phones, in-flight and car displays, and in textbooks the world over. While some maps delineate and name territories and boundaries, others show different voting blocs in elections, and GPS devices help drivers navigate to their destination.

    But no matter the purpose, all maps have something in common: They are political. Making maps is about making decisions about what to omit and what to include. They are subject to selection, classification, abstractions and simplifications. And studying the choices that go into maps, as I do, can reveal different stories about land and the people who claim it as theirs.

    Nowhere is this more true than in the contested regions that today include modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, different governmental and nongovernmental organizations and political interest groups have engaged in what can best be described as “map wars.”

    Maps of the region use the naming of places, the position of borders and the inclusion or omission of certain territories to present contrasting geopolitical visions. To this day, Israel or the Palestinian territories may fall off some maps, depending on the politics of their makers.

    This is not exclusive to the Middle East – “map wars” are underway across the globe. Some of the more well-known examples include disputes between Ukraine and Russia, Taiwan and China, and India and China. All are engaged in controversies over the territorial integrity of nation-states.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displays a map of Israel indicating the Golan Heights are inside the state’s borders.
    Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images

    A short history of maps

    Traditionally, maps have been used to represent cosmologies, cultures and belief systems. By the 17th century, maps that represented spatial relations within a given territory beaome important to the making of nation-states. Such official maps helped annex territories and determine property rights. Indeed, to map a territory meant to know and control it.

    More recently, the tools for making maps have become more broadly accessible. Anyone with a computer and internet access can now make and share “alternative maps” that present different visions of a territory and make varied geopolitical claims.

    And maps produced in a conflict region, such as Israel and the Palestinian territories, tell a rich story about the relationship between mapmaking and politics.

    Mapping the Middle East

    During the British Mandate of Palestine from 1917 to 1947, British surveyors mapped the territories to exercise their control over the land and its people. It was an attempt to supersede the more informal Ottoman land claims of the time.

    By the founding of Israel in 1948, only about 20% of the total area of what is known as historic Palestine had been mapped – a fact that has fueled land disputes to this day. The British mapping efforts and their omissions enabled the newly established state of Israel to declare most of the territories as state land, thereby delegitimizing Palestinian land claims.

    A map shows the shaded areas of the Arab state recommended by the U.N. Special Committee on Palestine in 1947. The unshaded areas are parts of the proposed Jewish state.
    Underwood Archives/Getty Images

    Maps also helped build the Israeli state. Surveyors and planners mapped the land to allocate land rights, and they helped build the state’s infrastructure, including roads and railroads.

    But maps also helped create a sense of nationhood. Maps representing a nation’s shape by delineating its national borders are known as “logo” maps. They can enhance feelings of national unity and a sense of national belonging.

    Once established, the Israeli state remade the maps of the region. An Israeli Governmental Names Commission came up with Hebrew names to replace formerly Arab and Christian names for different towns and villages on the official map of Israel. At the same time, formerly Palestinian topographies and places were omitted from the map.

    Some Palestinian mapmakers, however, continue to make maps that include Palestinian named sites and depict pre-1948 historic Palestine – an area that stretches from River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Such maps are used to advocate for Palestinians’ right to land and foster a sense of national belonging.

    A Palestinian woman holds up a map of the British Mandate of Palestine during a protest in Gaza City on Feb. 27, 2020.
    Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

    At the same time, Palestinian cartographers who work with the Palestinian Authority – the government body that administers partial civil control over Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank – make official maps of the West Bank and Gaza in the hope of establishing a future state of Palestine. They align their maps with United Nations efforts to map the territories according to international law by demarking the West Bank and Gaza as separate from and as occupied by Israel.

    After the 1967 war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza. As a result, map wars intensified, especially between different fractions within Israel. The left-wing “peace camp,” which was dedicated to territorial compromises with the Palestinians, was pitted against an Israeli right wing committed to reclaiming the “Promised Land” for ensuring Israeli security.

    Such incompatible geopolitical visions continue to be reflected in the maps produced. “Peace camp” maps adhere to the delineation of the territories according to international law. For example, they include the Green Line – the internationally recognized armistice line between the West Bank and Israel. Official maps produced by the Israeli government, by contrast, stopped delineating the Green Line after 1967.

    Broader and border disputes

    Not only have different interest groups and political actors used maps of the region to put forth competing geopolitical claims, but maps have also played a central role in sporadic efforts to establish peace in the region.

    The 1993 Oslo Accords, for example, relied on maps to provide the framework for Palestinian self-rule in return for security for Israel. The aim was that after a five-year interim period, a permanent peace settlement would be negotiated based on the borders laid out in these maps.

    A map of the West Bank with proposed Palestinian-controlled areas in yellow, as per the Oslo II Accords.
    Wikimedia Commons

    Consequently, Palestinian planners and surveyors mapped the territory allocated to a future state of Palestine. With the Oslo Accords promising only a future state – but with its borders and level of sovereignty still uncertain – Palestinian experts nevertheless continue to prepare for governing the territories by mapping them.

    The Oslo maps are used to this day to delineate geopolitical visions of Israel and a future state of Palestine that are based on international law. But for many Israelis, the Oslo vision of a two-state solution has died – the attack by Hamas, the Palestinian nationalist political organization that governs Gaza, on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was its last blow.

    The subsequent war between Israel and Hamas, currently subject to a cease-fire, has from the outset involved maps.

    In December 2023, the Israeli military posted an online “evacuation map” that divided the Gaza Strip into 623 zones. Palestinians could go online – provided they have access to electricity and internet in a territory plagued by blackouts – to find out whether their neighborhood was called upon to evacuate. Israeli military commanders used this map to decide where to launch airstrikes and conduct ground maneuvers.

    But the map served a political aim, too: to convince a skeptical world that Israel was taking care to protect civilians. Regardless, its introduction caused confusion and fear among Palestinians.

    Charting a way forward

    Maps aren’t just for making sense of the past and present – they help people imagine the future, too. And different maps can reveal conflicting geopolitical visions.

    In January 2024, for example, various Israeli right-wing and settler organizations organized the Conference for the Victory of Israel. The aim was to plan for resettling Gaza and increase Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Speakers advocated for transferring Palestinians from the Strip to the Sinai through “voluntary emigration.” With Jewish settlers planning for the return to Gaza, and speakers citing both the Bible and Israeli security for justifications, an oversized map showed the location of proposed Jewish settlements.

    A man takes a photo with a map showing the Gaza Strip with Jewish settlements during a convention calling to resettle the Gaza Strip on Jan. 28, 2024, in Jerusalem, Israel.
    Amir Levy/Getty Images

    Similarly, the Israeli Movement for Settlement in Southern Lebanon has published maps of planned Jewish settlements in Southern Lebanon.

    Such maps reveal the desire by some in Israel for a “Greater Israel” – an area described in 1904 by Theodor Herzl, considered the father of modern-day Zionism, as spanning from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.

    Unsurprisingly, Palestinians make different maps for envisioning the future. Palestine Emerging – a Palestinian and international initiative that brings together various experts, organizations, and funders – uses maps that connect Gaza to the West Bank and the wider region.

    A map shows the proposed Gaza-West Bank corridor transport link.
    Palestine Emerging

    Their aim is to transform Gaza into a commercial hub for trade, tourism and innovation and to integrate it into the global economy. Accordingly, maps of urban projects, airports and seaports overlay the cartographic contours of Gaza; and a Gaza-West Bank corridor, which would be sealed for Israeli security, could connect the two geographically separate Palestinian territories.

    Such maps reflect the efforts by Palestinian stakeholders to continue surveying the territories that, since the Oslo Accords, were to make up the future state of Palestine.

    A new era of expansionist geopolitics

    With the current U.S. administration more aligned with right-wing Israeli policies, maps of Greater Israel may guide what Hagit Ofran from Peace Now calls the beginning of a new “Greater Israel” policy period.

    In a novel twist, U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 4, 2025, floated a plan for the U.S. to “take over” Gaza, moving its current inhabitants out and turning the enclave into “”the Riviera of the Middle East.”

    Such a move would amount to another attempt to remake borders across the Middle East. It would not, however, end the “map wars” in Israel/Palestine.

    This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through the Science and Technology Studies (STS) Program, award #1152322. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or any other entity.

    – ref. Map wars in the Middle East: How cartographers charted and helped shape a regional conflict – https://theconversation.com/map-wars-in-the-middle-east-how-cartographers-charted-and-helped-shape-a-regional-conflict-231668

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Young Trade Leaders: Nasubia, Malawi

    Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)

    The Young Trade Leaders Programme was established to connect young people with the work of the WTO. Nasubila Ng’ambi, from Malawi, is a 2024 participant. She earned her LLB with distinction from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.

    Nasubila shares what inspired her to join the programme and her aspirations as a Young Trade Leader.

    Download this video from the WTO website:
    https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rtlb209lDc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Catriona Waitt, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health, University of Liverpool

    Breastfeeding is so important for child health that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef recommend that babies should be breastfed within an hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then continue breastfeeding in combination with other foods for two years or more.

    Infectious disease emergencies can threaten breastfeeding and the lives of mothers and babies. Depending on the disease, there is a risk of passing infection to the baby by close contact or (rarely) through breastmilk. There is also the risk of harm to breastfed infants from medication or vaccination of their mothers.

    But separating mothers and babies or stopping breastfeeding also poses risks.

    Mothers need proper guidance on the best course of action during an Ebola outbreak.

    Threat to mothers and babies

    The symptoms of Ebola include fever, tiredness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and, later, bleeding from any part of the body.

    Ebola viruses are extremely contagious and people who become infected are at very high risk of death. Pregnant women and infants are more vulnerable and at greater risk than others.

    Ebola outbreaks most often occur in countries where breastfeeding is vital for child survival. They have occurred in several African countries and on 30 January 2025 Uganda declared an outbreak, the latest in several the country has endured.

    Breastmilk contains many ingredients that help to prevent and fight infection and that strengthen the baby’s own immune system. Replacing breastmilk with other foods or liquids (including infant formula) removes this protection from babies and makes them more likely to become seriously ill.

    Read more: Ebola: how a vaccine turned a terrifying virus into a preventable disease

    Protection or harm?

    It’s important to know which actions protect or harm babies and their mothers during outbreaks. Recommendations on infectious diseases must weigh up the risks related to the disease, medical treatments and the risks of not-breastfeeding.

    The World Health Organization has published guidelines on how to care for breastfeeding mothers and their infants when one or both have Ebola, but these recommendations are based on “very low quality” evidence, they are mostly expert opinion rather than research-based knowledge.

    Women and children have been largely neglected in Ebola research. More is known about Ebola and semen than Ebola and breastmilk.

    In a paper just published in the Lancet Global Health, we have outlined a roadmap for research on Ebola and breastfeeding so that mothers and babies can be protected.

    Read more: Ebola in Uganda: why women must be central to the response

    What we don’t know

    We know that Ebola is easily transmitted by close contact between people. So the close contact of breastfeeding is a risk to an uninfected baby or mother if one of them has Ebola.

    However:

    • We don’t know if breastmilk can be infectious and, if it is, for how long.

    • We don’t know whether expressed breastmilk can be treated so that it is safe.

    • We don’t know whether, if both mother and baby are infected, it is better for the baby if the mother keeps breastfeeding, if she is able to.

    • We don’t know if vaccinating mothers against Ebola helps to protect their breastfed infants from the virus.

    • We don’t know if there are any risks for breastfed infants if their mothers are infected.

    The result of this lack of knowledge is that decisions may be taken that increase risk and suffering for mothers and their babies.

    For example, mothers may refuse vaccination because they are fearful that it is risky for their baby. But by refusing vaccination they’d be making themselves vulnerable to Ebola.

    Alternatively, they may get vaccinated and stop breastfeeding, making their baby vulnerable to other serious infections.

    If mothers and babies who both have Ebola are separated and breastfeeding is stopped, it could reduce the chances of survival.

    Mothers and babies deserve better than this.

    No more excuses

    For many years people have called for more research on Ebola, breastmilk and breastfeeding, but this research has not been undertaken. It is not acceptable that women and children are deprived of breastfeeding because the needed research has not been done.

    Our experience providing medical care in Ebola outbreaks, developing guidance for breastfeeding mothers in emergencies and researching medications and breastfeeding prompted us to develop a plan to fill this research gap.

    In our paper, we describe the different groups of breastfeeding women affected by Ebola who must be included in research:

    • vaccine recipients

    • mothers who are ill with Ebola

    • mothers recovering from Ebola

    • mothers who are infected with Ebola, but have no symptoms

    • the wider population of breastfeeding mothers in communities experiencing Ebola outbreaks.

    The roadmap also includes the research questions that need answering and the study designs that would enable these questions to be answered.

    It is up to governments, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, funders and health organisations to act.

    Following the Ebola and breastfeeding research roadmap will not necessarily be easy. It is difficult to do research in the middle of an emergency.

    But research on vaccination safety can be done outside outbreaks. Putting research plans in place and gaining approvals before outbreaks will also make things easier.

    Closing the female data gap

    Women have the right to societal, family and health support to enable them to breastfeed.

    Lack of research is part of a problem called the “female data gap”, where knowledge of women’s bodies, experiences and needs is lacking.

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.”

    There just needs to be a commitment to make this research happen.

    – Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies
    – https://theconversation.com/breastfeeding-and-ebola-knowledge-gaps-endanger-mothers-and-babies-248356

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rebecca Ackermann, Professor, Department of Archaeology and Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

    Here’s how the story of the Taung Child is usually told:

    In 1924 an Australian anthropologist and anatomist, Raymond Dart, acquired a block of calcified sediment from a limestone quarry in South Africa. He painstakingly removed a fossil skull from this material.

    A year later, on 7 February 1925, he published his description of what he argued was a new hominin species, Australopithecus africanus, in the journal Nature. It was nicknamed the Taung Child, a reference to the discovery site and its young age.

    The international scientific community rebuffed this hypothesis. They were looking outside Africa for human origins and argued that the skull more likely belonged to a non-human primate. Dart was vindicated decades later after subsequent similar fossil discoveries elsewhere in Africa.

    Dart is portrayed as prescient in most retellings. He’s hailed for elevating the importance of Africa in the narrative of human origins.

    But is this a biased and simplified narrative? The discovery played out during a period marked by colonialism, racism and racial segregation and apartheid in South Africa. The history of human origins research is, therefore, intertwined with inequality, exclusion and scientifically unsound ideas.

    Viewed against this backdrop, and with a contemporary lens, the figure of Dart, and palaeoanthropology on the African continent more broadly, is complex and worthy of reflection.

    The South African Journal of Science has published a special issue to mark the centenary of Dart’s original paper.

    A group of African researchers and international collaborators, ourselves among them, contributed papers offering perspectives on the science, history and legacy of palaeoanthropology in South Africa and beyond.

    We were particularly interested in exploring how the history of the discovery of early hominins in South Africa influenced the scientific field of palaeoanthropology. Did it promote or limit scientific enquiry? In what ways? What were its cultural effects? And how do they play out now, a century later?

    The papers in the special issue unpack a number of issues and highlight ongoing debates in the field of human evolution research in Africa and beyond.

    Our goal is to celebrate the remarkable science that the discovery of A. africanus enabled. At the same time we are probing disciplinary legacies through a critical lens that challenges researchers to do science better.

    The marginalisation and erasure of voices

    Several key themes run through the contributions in the special issue.

    One is the unheard voices. The colonial framework in which most palaeoanthropological research in South Africa took place excluded all but a few groups. This is particularly true for Indigenous voices. As a legacy, few African researchers in palaeoanthropology are first authors on prominent research or leading international research teams.

    Too often, African palaeoanthropological heritage is the domain of international teams that conduct research on the continent with little meaningful collaboration from local African researchers. This is “helicopter science”. More diverse teams will produce better future work and those of us in the discipline must actively drive this process.

    Read more: Archaeology is changing, slowly. But it’s still too tied up in colonial practices

    The dominance of western male viewpoints is part of the colonial framework. This theme, too, threads through most of the work in the special issue.

    In a bid to redress some of the imbalances, a majority of the authors in the special issue were women, especially African women, and Black Africans more broadly. Many of the papers call for a more considered and equitable approach to the inclusion of African researchers, technicians and excavators in the future: in workshops and seminars, on professional bodies, as collaborators and knowledge creators, and in authorship practices.

    Community and practice

    Colonial legacies also manifest in a lack of social responsiveness – the use of professional expertise for a public purpose or benefit. This is another theme in the special edition. For example, Gaokgatlhe Mirriam Tawane, Dipuo Kgotleng and Bando Baven consider the broader effects of the Taung Child discovery on the Taung community.

    A map showing where the skull was discovered. HERI, Author provided (no reuse)

    Tawane is a palaeoanthropologist and grew up in the Taung municipality. She and her co-authors argue that, a century after the discovery of the fossil, there is little (if any) reason for the local community to celebrate it. They argue that more must be done not only to give back to the community, which is beset by socio-economic struggles, but also to build trust in science and between communities and scientists.

    Researchers need to understand that there is value in engaging with people beyond academia. This is not merely to disseminate scientific knowledge. It can also enrich communities and co-create a scholarship that is more nuanced, ethical and relevant. Researchers must become more socially responsive and institutions must hold researchers to higher standards of practice.

    Resourcing

    Another theme which emerges from this special issue is the value of and the need for excellent local laboratory facilities in which to undertake research based on the fossils and deposits associated with them.

    Increased investment in local laboratory facilities and capacity development can create a shift towards local work on the content being led by Africans. It can also increase pan-African collaboration, dismantling the currently common practice of African researchers being drawn into separate international networks.

    It is important for international funding bodies to increase investment within African palaeoanthropology. This will facilitate internal growth and local collaborative networks. International and South African investment is also needed to grow local research capacity. Fossil heritage is a national asset.

    This is an edited version of an article in the South African Journal of Science. Yonatan Sahle (Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, South Africa and Department of History and Heritage Management, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia) co-authored the academic article.

    – The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy
    – https://theconversation.com/the-fossil-skull-that-rocked-the-world-100-years-later-scientists-are-grappling-with-the-taung-finds-complex-colonial-legacy-248605

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Louisiana Doctor Sentenced for Illegally Distributing Over 1.8 Million Doses of Opioids in $5.4 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

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

    A Louisiana physician was sentenced yesterday to 87 months in prison for conspiring to illegally distribute over 1.8 million doses of Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, and for defrauding health care benefit programs of more than $5.4 million.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Adrian Dexter Talbot M.D., 59, of Slidell, owned and operated Medex Clinical Consultants (Medex), located in Slidell. Medex was a medical clinic that accepted cash payments from individuals seeking prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances. Talbot routinely ignored signs that individuals frequenting Medex were drug-seeking or abusing the drugs prescribed. In 2015, Talbot took a full-time job in Pineville, Louisiana, and although he was no longer physically present at the Slidell clinic, he pre-signed prescriptions, including for opioids and other controlled substances, to be distributed to individuals there whom he did not see or examine. In 2016, Talbot hired another practitioner who, at Talbot’s direction, also pre-signed prescriptions to be distributed to individuals in exchange for cash deposited into a Medex bank account. The evidence also demonstrated that Talbot falsified patient records to cover up the scheme and to make it appear as though he was routinely examining the patients. With Talbot’s knowledge, these individuals filled their prescriptions using their insurance benefits, thereby causing health care benefit programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, to be fraudulently billed for controlled substances that were prescribed without an appropriate patient examination or determination of medical necessity.

    On July 22, 2024, Talbot was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of Louisiana of one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances, four counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG)’s South Central Field Office, Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the FBI New Orleans Field Office, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill made the announcement.

    HHS-OIG, VA-OIG, FBI, and the Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.

    Trial Attorneys Sara E. Porter and Gary A. Crosby II, Assistant Chief Justin Woodard, and Deputy Chief Kate Payerle of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Catriona Waitt, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health, University of Liverpool

    Breastfeeding is so important for child health that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef recommend that babies should be breastfed within an hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then continue breastfeeding in combination with other foods for two years or more.

    Infectious disease emergencies can threaten breastfeeding and the lives of mothers and babies. Depending on the disease, there is a risk of passing infection to the baby by close contact or (rarely) through breastmilk. There is also the risk of harm to breastfed infants from medication or vaccination of their mothers.

    But separating mothers and babies or stopping breastfeeding also poses risks.

    Mothers need proper guidance on the best course of action during an Ebola outbreak.

    Threat to mothers and babies

    The symptoms of Ebola include fever, tiredness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and, later, bleeding from any part of the body.

    Ebola viruses are extremely contagious and people who become infected are at very high risk of death. Pregnant women and infants are more vulnerable and at greater risk than others.

    Ebola outbreaks most often occur in countries where breastfeeding is vital for child survival. They have occurred in several African countries and on 30 January 2025 Uganda declared an outbreak, the latest in several the country has endured.

    Breastmilk contains many ingredients that help to prevent and fight infection and that strengthen the baby’s own immune system. Replacing breastmilk with other foods or liquids (including infant formula) removes this protection from babies and makes them more likely to become seriously ill.



    Read more:
    Ebola: how a vaccine turned a terrifying virus into a preventable disease

    Protection or harm?

    It’s important to know which actions protect or harm babies and their mothers during outbreaks. Recommendations on infectious diseases must weigh up the risks related to the disease, medical treatments and the risks of not-breastfeeding.

    The World Health Organization has published guidelines on how to care for breastfeeding mothers and their infants when one or both have Ebola, but these recommendations are based on “very low quality” evidence, they are mostly expert opinion rather than research-based knowledge.

    Women and children have been largely neglected in Ebola research. More is known about Ebola and semen than Ebola and breastmilk.

    In a paper just published in the Lancet Global Health, we have outlined a roadmap for research on Ebola and breastfeeding so that mothers and babies can be protected.



    Read more:
    Ebola in Uganda: why women must be central to the response

    What we don’t know

    We know that Ebola is easily transmitted by close contact between people. So the close contact of breastfeeding is a risk to an uninfected baby or mother if one of them has Ebola.

    However:

    • We don’t know if breastmilk can be infectious and, if it is, for how long.

    • We don’t know whether expressed breastmilk can be treated so that it is safe.

    • We don’t know whether, if both mother and baby are infected, it is better for the baby if the mother keeps breastfeeding, if she is able to.

    • We don’t know if vaccinating mothers against Ebola helps to protect their breastfed infants from the virus.

    • We don’t know if there are any risks for breastfed infants if their mothers are infected.

    The result of this lack of knowledge is that decisions may be taken that increase risk and suffering for mothers and their babies.

    For example, mothers may refuse vaccination because they are fearful that it is risky for their baby. But by refusing vaccination they’d be making themselves vulnerable to Ebola.

    Alternatively, they may get vaccinated and stop breastfeeding, making their baby vulnerable to other serious infections.

    If mothers and babies who both have Ebola are separated and breastfeeding is stopped, it could reduce the chances of survival.

    Mothers and babies deserve better than this.

    No more excuses

    For many years people have called for more research on Ebola, breastmilk and breastfeeding, but this research has not been undertaken. It is not acceptable that women and children are deprived of breastfeeding because the needed research has not been done.

    Our experience providing medical care in Ebola outbreaks, developing guidance for breastfeeding mothers in emergencies and researching medications and breastfeeding prompted us to develop a plan to fill this research gap.

    In our paper, we describe the different groups of breastfeeding women affected by Ebola who must be included in research:

    • vaccine recipients

    • mothers who are ill with Ebola

    • mothers recovering from Ebola

    • mothers who are infected with Ebola, but have no symptoms

    • the wider population of breastfeeding mothers in communities experiencing Ebola outbreaks.

    The roadmap also includes the research questions that need answering and the study designs that would enable these questions to be answered.

    It is up to governments, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, funders and health organisations to act.

    Following the Ebola and breastfeeding research roadmap will not necessarily be easy. It is difficult to do research in the middle of an emergency.

    But research on vaccination safety can be done outside outbreaks. Putting research plans in place and gaining approvals before outbreaks will also make things easier.

    Closing the female data gap

    Women have the right to societal, family and health support to enable them to breastfeed.

    Lack of research is part of a problem called the “female data gap”, where knowledge of women’s bodies, experiences and needs is lacking.

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.”

    There just needs to be a commitment to make this research happen.

    Catriona Waitt receives funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Gates Foundation.

    Karleen Gribble is a long-term member and current steering committee member of the Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Core Group.

    Peter Waitt receives funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the UK Medical Research Council, thr UK National Institute of Health Research and the Wellcome Trust.

    Mija Ververs and Prince Imani-Musimwa 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. Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies – https://theconversation.com/breastfeeding-and-ebola-knowledge-gaps-endanger-mothers-and-babies-248356

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rebecca Ackermann, Professor, Department of Archaeology and Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town

    Here’s how the story of the Taung Child is usually told:

    In 1924 an Australian anthropologist and anatomist, Raymond Dart, acquired a block of calcified sediment from a limestone quarry in South Africa. He painstakingly removed a fossil skull from this material.

    A year later, on 7 February 1925, he published his description of what he argued was a new hominin species, Australopithecus africanus, in the journal Nature. It was nicknamed the Taung Child, a reference to the discovery site and its young age.

    The international scientific community rebuffed this hypothesis. They were looking outside Africa for human origins and argued that the skull more likely belonged to a non-human primate. Dart was vindicated decades later after subsequent similar fossil discoveries elsewhere in Africa.

    Dart is portrayed as prescient in most retellings. He’s hailed for elevating the importance of Africa in the narrative of human origins.

    But is this a biased and simplified narrative? The discovery played out during a period marked by colonialism, racism and racial segregation and apartheid in South Africa. The history of human origins research is, therefore, intertwined with inequality, exclusion and scientifically unsound ideas.

    Viewed against this backdrop, and with a contemporary lens, the figure of Dart, and palaeoanthropology on the African continent more broadly, is complex and worthy of reflection.

    The South African Journal of Science has published a special issue to mark the centenary of Dart’s original paper.

    A group of African researchers and international collaborators, ourselves among them, contributed papers offering perspectives on the science, history and legacy of palaeoanthropology in South Africa and beyond.

    We were particularly interested in exploring how the history of the discovery of early hominins in South Africa influenced the scientific field of palaeoanthropology. Did it promote or limit scientific enquiry? In what ways? What were its cultural effects? And how do they play out now, a century later?

    The papers in the special issue unpack a number of issues and highlight ongoing debates in the field of human evolution research in Africa and beyond.

    Our goal is to celebrate the remarkable science that the discovery of A. africanus enabled. At the same time we are probing disciplinary legacies through a critical lens that challenges researchers to do science better.

    The marginalisation and erasure of voices

    Several key themes run through the contributions in the special issue.

    One is the unheard voices. The colonial framework in which most palaeoanthropological research in South Africa took place excluded all but a few groups. This is particularly true for Indigenous voices. As a legacy, few African researchers in palaeoanthropology are first authors on prominent research or leading international research teams.

    Too often, African palaeoanthropological heritage is the domain of international teams that conduct research on the continent with little meaningful collaboration from local African researchers. This is “helicopter science”. More diverse teams will produce better future work and those of us in the discipline must actively drive this process.



    Read more:
    Archaeology is changing, slowly. But it’s still too tied up in colonial practices

    The dominance of western male viewpoints is part of the colonial framework. This theme, too, threads through most of the work in the special issue.

    In a bid to redress some of the imbalances, a majority of the authors in the special issue were women, especially African women, and Black Africans more broadly. Many of the papers call for a more considered and equitable approach to the inclusion of African researchers, technicians and excavators in the future: in workshops and seminars, on professional bodies, as collaborators and knowledge creators, and in authorship practices.

    Community and practice

    Colonial legacies also manifest in a lack of social responsiveness – the use of professional expertise for a public purpose or benefit. This is another theme in the special edition. For example, Gaokgatlhe Mirriam Tawane, Dipuo Kgotleng and Bando Baven consider the broader effects of the Taung Child discovery on the Taung community.

    Tawane is a palaeoanthropologist and grew up in the Taung municipality. She and her co-authors argue that, a century after the discovery of the fossil, there is little (if any) reason for the local community to celebrate it. They argue that more must be done not only to give back to the community, which is beset by socio-economic struggles, but also to build trust in science and between communities and scientists.

    Researchers need to understand that there is value in engaging with people beyond academia. This is not merely to disseminate scientific knowledge. It can also enrich communities and co-create a scholarship that is more nuanced, ethical and relevant. Researchers must become more socially responsive and institutions must hold researchers to higher standards of practice.

    Resourcing

    Another theme which emerges from this special issue is the value of and the need for excellent local laboratory facilities in which to undertake research based on the fossils and deposits associated with them.

    Increased investment in local laboratory facilities and capacity development can create a shift towards local work on the content being led by Africans. It can also increase pan-African collaboration, dismantling the currently common practice of African researchers being drawn into separate international networks.

    It is important for international funding bodies to increase investment within African palaeoanthropology. This will facilitate internal growth and local collaborative networks. International and South African investment is also needed to grow local research capacity. Fossil heritage is a national asset.

    This is an edited version of an article in the South African Journal of Science. Yonatan Sahle (Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, South Africa and Department of History and Heritage Management, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia) co-authored the academic article.

    Rebecca Ackermann receives funding from the National Science Foundation African Origins Platform (AOP240509218040) and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

    Lauren Schroeder receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2020-04159)

    Robyn Pickering receives funding from the NRF African Origins Platform (AOP240509218076) and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences (COE2024-RP)

    – ref. The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy – https://theconversation.com/the-fossil-skull-that-rocked-the-world-100-years-later-scientists-are-grappling-with-the-taung-finds-complex-colonial-legacy-248605

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHRC discusses 2024 ‘No Hate in Our State’ Report

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    February 05, 2025 – Harrisburg, PA

    PHRC discusses 2024 ‘No Hate in Our State’ Report

    The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) joined by state and local leaders at the state Capitol, discuss their newly released 2024 ‘No Hate in Our State’ report, which details trending discrimination statistics throughout the Commonwealth. The speakers discussed programs and initiatives offered by the PHRC and others to help eliminate hate and build a community of support and understanding.

    PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter said, “As the Commonwealth’s civil rights enforcement agency, it is our responsibility to not only investigate all complaints of discrimination, but to truly live up to our vision, ‘that all people in Pennsylvania will live, work, and learn free from unlawful discrimination.’”

    In 2025, the PHRC will mark 70 years since its creation. It was crafted from two pieces of legislation, the Pennsylvania Fair Employment Act of 1955 (later changed to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act in 1997) and the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act of 1961. In general, Pennsylvania law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age (40 and over), sex, national origin, familial status (only in housing), disability, and the use, handling, or training of support or guide animals for disability. Retaliation for filing a complaint, opposing unlawful behavior, or assisting investigations is also illegal.

    Speakers in Order:
    Amanda Brothman – Communications Director, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC)
    Chad Dion Lassiter – Executive Director, PHRC
    Senator Vincent Hughes – 7th District, Montgomery & Philadelphia Counties
    Michael Hardiman – Commissioner, PHRC
    Ahmet Tekelioglu – Executive Director, CAIR
    Yemi Baitista – Chair, Adams County Advisory Council to the PHRC
    Rep. Christopher Rabb – 200th District, Philadelphia County
    Rev. Marshall Mitchell – Senior Pastor of Salem Baptist Church

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Putin, Xi and now Trump are ushering in a new imperial age

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eric Storm, Senior Lecturer in General History, Leiden University

    Over the past few weeks the new US president, Donald Trump, has repeatedly claimed that the United States should “take back” the Panama Canal and that it should assume control of Greenland – one way or another. He has talked of Canada becoming America’s 51st state and now he even wants to “take over” the Gaza Strip to convert it into a “Riviera” on the eastern Mediterranean.

    It’s as if the US president believes that his country should be an empire. In this Trump seems to be emulating China’s Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin of Russia, leaders he has said he admires and who have themselves shown some clear imperial tendencies in recent years.

    Under Putin, Russia has supported secessionist regions, such as Transnistria and Abkhazia, fought wars in Georgia and Ukraine and actively interfered in the affairs of Syria and assorted African countries. In 2022 Russia even launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine was historically inseparable from Russia, but that hostile western influences were trying to destroy that unity.

    China, meanwhile, has militarised a number of small uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. It has built 27 installations on disputed islands in the Spratly and Paracel island group that are also claimed by other countries including Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines and Malaysia. This has prompted a flurry of development, as other countries in the region have raced to establish their own footholds in the disputed, but very resource-rich, region.

    Beijing also maintains its claim over Taiwan, which it says is an inalienable part of China which it wants to “come home”.

    Empires and nation states

    Most people assumed that the age of empires had been relegated to the dustbin of history. But this is by no means a straightforward proposition. Until relatively recently, the rise and fall of empires had dominated much of recorded history. Nation-states only appeared at the end of the 18th century. And as those states rose to prominence many too displayed imperial inclinations.

    So the US, fresh from throwing off the yoke of the British empire, wasted little time in expanding its borders westward, acquiring – whether by conquest or purchase – large swaths of new territory in what effectively turned a small group of east coast states into a continental empire.

    Meanwhile other newly minted nation-states such as Italy and Germany also aspired to acquire overseas empires and involved themselves, with varying success, building what turned out to be relatively shortlived colonial empires in Africa and elsewhere.

    Most traditional dynastic empires, meanwhile, began to adopt various aspects of the nation-state model, such as conscription, legal equality and political participation. The decades following the second world war are often seen by historians as a period of decolonisation by traditional imperial powers such as Britain and France. But the transition from empire to nation-states was far from smooth. Most imperial governments hoped to transform their empires into more egalitarian commonwealths, while retaining a degree of influence.

    This they did with varying degrees of success and often under extreme duress, as with France in Algeria and Vietnam, or under great economic pressure, such as with Britain and India. The real age of the nation-state didn’t begin until the 1960s.

    The return of empire?

    Today, the world consists of about 200 independent countries, the overwhelming majority nation-states. Nonetheless, one could argue that empires – or at least imperial tendencies – have never totally disappeared. France, for instance, frequently interfered in many of its former colonies in Africa. However, these military interventions were not meant to permanently occupy new territories.

    Today, imperial tendencies seem to resurface around the world. The past, however, tends not to repeat itself. Massive wars of conquest or attempts to create new overseas empires are unlikely in the immediate future. Most imperial expansions are currently sought close to home.

    What is striking is that Putin, Xi and Trump all use fierce nationalist rhetoric to justify their imperialist designs. Putin, as we have seen, claims the indivisibility of Ukraine and Russia and blames “Nazis” for trying to turn Russia’s sister state towards the west. He used it as a justification for invading Ukraine in February 2022.

    Xi, in turn, often maintains that Communist China has finally overcome the century of humiliation, in which the country was the plaything of foreign powers. They both seem to yearn for past imperial greatness. The Russian Federation aims to undo the dissolution of the Soviet Union, communist China looks back to the Qing empire. Interestingly, under its increasingly authoritarian leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey – another regional power with imperial inclinations – similarly finds inspiration in the Ottoman Empire.

    The US case seems to be more complex, but in fact is very similar. Thus, Trump argues that the Panama Canal, which has long been administered by the US, was foolishly returned to Panama by Jimmy Carter and claims that it is now controlled by China. He will, he says, return it to the US.

    Trump also refers to America’s “Manifest Destiny”, the 19th-century belief that American settlers were destined to expand to the Pacific coast. These days his aspirations are northwards rather than to the west. The president also wants to plant the US flag on Mars, taking his imperial dreams into outer space.

    If the US joins China and Russia in violating recognised borders, the international, rights-based order could be in danger. The signs are not very positive. Taking steps to illegally annex territories could blow up the entire international edifice.

    Eric Storm 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. How Putin, Xi and now Trump are ushering in a new imperial age – https://theconversation.com/how-putin-xi-and-now-trump-are-ushering-in-a-new-imperial-age-248160

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK to drive international cooperation on irregular migration as host of Western Balkans Summit

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    The UK will host Western Balkans leaders for the Berlin Process Summit in Autumn 2025.

    • UK to host major summit with Western Balkans leaders in Autumn 2025.
    • Summit will boost cooperation with Western Balkans partners to tackle irregular migration along key transit routes, delivering on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.
    • Diplomat Karen Pierce appointed as the UK’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans.

    The UK will host leaders of the six Western Balkans countries and other European leaders later this year for a crucial international Summit to support stability, security and economic co-operation in the region.

    It will also focus on how to work together to combat the region being used as a transit route for irregular migration, with the Government focussed on using every tool at its disposal to control the UK’s borders.

    Known formally as the Berlin Process, the Summit will strengthen cooperation with European partners to help deliver on the UK Government’s strategy to strengthen borders, smash the gangs, and get those with no right to be here returned to their countries.

    As one of the UK’s most experienced diplomats, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG has been appointed the UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, charged with driving forward the UK’s strategic objectives across the region, including preparations for the Summit.

    The summit comes as the UK develops a world first sanctions regime to snare people smugglers upstream.

    Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:

    The Western Balkans is of long-standing importance to the UK, and our partnerships in the region are central to our efforts to tackle irregular migration and bear down on the evil trade in human lives. Hosting the Berlin Process in the UK demonstrates our commitment to European Security, and to delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.

    With her experience and expertise, Dame Karen Pierce is the ideal person to drive this important work forward. I would like to thank Lord Peach for his personal dedication and service in advancing UK interests in the Western Balkans over the past 3 years.

    Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle said:

    Co-operation is key if we want to stop people making dangerous journeys to the UK. Which is why, through the Border Security Command, we are rebuilding strong relationships across Europe and beyond to address the common challenge of irregular migration and secure our borders.

    This government has already agreed new deals to increase operational co-operation on organised immigration crime with countries including North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo. Our international work, alongside a stronger immigration enforcement approach being taken in the UK, will ensure we are breaking the business model of the people-smuggling gangs at every level.

    The UK’s hosting of the Summit in partnership with Germany underlines this government’s commitment to resetting its relationships with Europe, and the latest step in the government’s strategy to build enduring partnerships to bear down on criminal groups facilitating irregular migration.

    The announcement follows the Prime Minister hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the weekend.

    Last month, the Foreign Secretary visited Tunisia to boost support for projects to tackle the drivers of small boat arrivals in Europe and the UK.

    In January, the UK also announced plans for the world’s first sanctions regime to take down people smuggling rings and starve them of illicit finance fuelling their operations.

    With three NATO allies present in the region, the Western Balkans is of critical importance for UK and European security. The risk of instability increasing: regional tensions are aided by malign

    Russian influence and there is an urgent need to crack down on criminal gangs who have made the region into a major transit route for irregular migration across Europe.

    The UK’s Special Envoy will also contribute to wider missions of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, including working to disrupt organised crime groups to make Britain’s streets safer and promote opportunities for British businesses to deliver economic growth.

    Before serving as British Ambassador to the United States, Dame Karen Pierce was the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York – the first female officer to hold each position.

    She will take up her new position in the Spring, taking over from Air Chief Marshal The Lord Peach KG GBE KCB DL.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: SPS Commerce Completes Acquisition of Carbon6 Technologies

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SPS Commerce, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPSC), a leader in retail cloud services, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Carbon6 Technologies, Inc. (Carbon6), a provider of software tools to Amazon sellers, including specialized offerings for revenue recovery for both first-party (1P) and third-party (3P) suppliers.

    “We are very excited to welcome Carbon6 employees and customers to SPS Commerce,” said Chad Collins, CEO of SPS Commerce. “Together, we believe we will deliver unmatched solutions for first-party and third-party sellers and establish SPS as a leading provider in the emerging category of revenue recovery.”

    About SPS Commerce

    SPS Commerce is the world’s leading retail network, connecting trading partners around the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all retail partners. We support data-driven partnerships with innovative cloud technology, customer-obsessed service, and accessible experts so our customers can focus on what they do best. Over 45,000 recurring revenue customers in retail, grocery, distribution, supply, manufacturing, and logistics are using SPS as their retail network. SPS has achieved 95 consecutive quarters of revenue growth and is headquartered in Minneapolis. For additional information, contact SPS at 866-245-8100 or visit www.spscommerce.com.

    SPS COMMERCE, SPS, SPS logo and INFINITE RETAIL POWER are marks of SPS Commerce, Inc. and registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with other SPS marks. Such marks may also be registered or otherwise protected in other countries.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements, including information about management’s view of SPS Commerce’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including our views regarding financial performance expectations, future execution within our business, and the opportunity we see in the retail supply chain world within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the results of SPS Commerce to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Certain of these risk factors and others are included in documents SPS Commerce files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, SPS Commerce’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on SPS Commerce’s future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. SPS Commerce cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, SPS Commerce expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

    Contact:
    Investor Relations
    The Blueshirt Group
    Irmina Blaszczyk
    Lisa Laukkanen
    SPSC@blueshirtgroup.com
    415-217-4962

    SPS-F

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Food 4 Less/Foods Co. and Ralphs Team Up with County of Los Angeles, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration to Support Communities & Businesses Impacted by Wildfires

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Food 4 Less/Foods Co. and Ralphs Team Up with County of Los Angeles, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration to Support Communities & Businesses Impacted by Wildfires

    Food 4 Less/Foods Co. and Ralphs Team Up with County of Los Angeles, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration to Support Communities & Businesses Impacted by Wildfires

    Los Angeles, CA – Food 4 Less/Foods Co. and Ralphs Grocery Company are continuing their support for local communities impacted by wildfires through a new partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and County of Los Angeles. The partnership was developed to provide critical recovery resources for businesses, employees, and residents impacted by the recent wildfires. Resource stations will be set up at Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores in Malibu, Venice, and Pasadena—including the Food 4 Less location closest to the heavily impacted Altadena area, where an estimated 9,400 residential and business structures have been affected.As part of this effort, FEMA and SBA representatives will be stationed at the following store locations to offer direct support between 9AM to 5PM PST until Saturday, February 8, 2025:Food 4 Less: 1329 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104Ralphs: 910 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291Ralphs: 23841 Malibu Rd, Malibu, CA 90265At these locations, FEMA will provide essential information and resources for individuals and families impacted by the fires, while the SBA will assist affected businesses, homeowners and renters with financial guidance and recovery support.​​“We know how overwhelming recovery can be after a disaster, and we want people to know they’re not alone,” said Curtis Brown, Federal Coordinating Officer. “By working with Ralphs and Food 4 Less, we’re bringing support directly to the communities that need it most—making it easier for families and businesses to get the help they need to rebuild and move forward.”This initiative is part of Ralphs and Food 4 Less/Foods Co.’s’ broader commitment to disaster recovery efforts, offering impacted associates and community members a direct link to federal assistance. Our primary role is to serve as a key access point for those seeking support.In addition, Bracken’s Kitchen will be on-site at the Pasadena Food 4 Less throughout the week, continuing their mission to provide free, hot meals to those affected by the fires, offering much-needed nourishment and support to the community*.“As a community-driven organization, we are dedicated to helping our associates, customers, and local businesses recover in the wake of these devastating wildfires,” said Salvador Ramirez, corporate affairs manager at Food 4 Less/ Foods Co. and Ralphs Grocery Company. “By teaming up with FEMA and the SBA, we’re ensuring our stores serve as accessible resource hubs for those in need during this challenging time.”In response to the fires, Food 4 Less/Foods Co., Ralphs Grocery Company, and The Kroger Family of Companies (NYSE:KR) have been working to provide essential support, delivering food, water, and supplies to evacuees, firefighters, and first responders. The Kroger Family of Companies is also raising $1 million for disaster relief and recovery, including $500,000 in company matching funds for customer donations to the American Red Cross and Feeding America’s local food banks.*While supplies last.# # #About Food 4 Less/Foods Co.:We are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. Food 4 Less/Foods Co is more than 9,000 associates serving customers in 121 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Illinois and Indiana, and Foods Co in Central and Northern California. From the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles County, Food 4 Less is a recognized leader in community service and giving. The company supports Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative aimed at ending hunger in our communities and eliminating waste within our company by the year 2025. Food 4 Less is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the world’s largest retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Food 4 Less/Foods Co, please visit our websites at www.food4less.com and www.foodsco.com.About Ralphs Grocery Company:Ralphs Grocery Company is dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are more than 18,000 associates serving customers in 184 supermarkets across Southern California. From the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles County, Ralphs is a recognized leader in community service and giving. The company supports Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative aimed at ending hunger in our communities and eliminating waste within our company by the year 2025. Ralphs is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the world’s largest retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our website at www.ralphs.com.
    brandi.richard…
    Fri, 02/07/2025 – 00:00

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/NIGERIA – Catholic priest kidnapped.

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – A Catholic priest was kidnapped yesterday morning, February 6. He is Fr. Cornellus Manzak Damulak, who studies at Veritas University in Abuja, the federal capital. According to the diocese of Shendam, to which the priest belongs, “Fr. Damulak was kidnapped in the early hours of February 6 from his home in Zuma 2, Bwari Area Council of the capital district.””We call on all believers in Christ and all people of good will to pray for his speedy and safe release from the hands of his kidnappers. We entrust our brother, Fr. Cornelius Manzak Damulak, to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, and all the saints, to give him strength and bring him back to us,” the diocese concluded.The diocese of Shendam is a suffragan of the diocese of Jos, in Plateau State (central Nigeria). The Bwari region, where the priest was kidnapped, is one of the regions most affected by kidnappings. Many residents of the area, especially farmers, were kidnapped and large sums of money were demanded for their release.The way in which the priest was kidnapped, namely by bandits who attacked him in his home, is not new either. At the end of January, an entire family was kidnapped by bandits armed with Kalashnikovs who entered their home in Chikakore, a town on the outskirts of Kubwa (also in the Bwari region), about 30 kilometers from the center of Abuja. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 7/2/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: USA: Trump’s sanctions on ICC are ‘vindictive and aggressive’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    ‘The sanctions constitute another betrayal of our common humanity’ – Agnès Callamard

    In response to the executive order announced by President Trump imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

    “This reckless action sends the message that Israel is above the law and the universal principles of international justice. It suggests that President Trump endorses the Israeli government’s crimes and is embracing impunity. 

    “This executive order is vindictive. It is aggressive. It is a brutal step that seeks to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries: global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all. The sanctions constitute another betrayal of our common humanity. 

    “The United States is ready to punish an institution that ensures the individuals most responsible for committing atrocities cannot escape justice. No one responsible for crimes under international law should be protected or aided in their attempts to escape individual accountability, least of all with the assistance of the US government based on President Trump’s political alliances.

    “At an historic moment when we are witnessing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the global rule of law coming under threat from multiple fronts, institutions like the Court are needed more than ever to advance human rights protections, prevent future atrocities and secure justice for victims.

    “This attack against the ICC seeks to damage the Court’s independent pursuit of international justice. The sanctions issued will harm accountability, a crucial ingredient to global and long-term security. They will embolden perpetrators, present and future. They will negatively impact the interests of all victims globally and those who look to the Court for justice in all the countries where it’s conducting investigations, including Darfur, Libya, the Philippines, Palestine, Ukraine and Venezuela.

    “The ICC performs a vital role by investigating crimes under international law, often committed by the most powerful individuals, in situations where – without its involvement – the perpetrators would benefit from perpetual impunity.

    “The sanctions are also an affront to 125 member states who have collectively resolved that the Court must be able to effectively pursue justice – which means it must be able to undertake independent judicial functions, such as issuing arrest warrants, for example, against Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin. 

    “Governments around the world and regional organisations must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of President Trump’s sanctions. Through collective and concerted actions, ICC member states can protect the Court and its staff. Urgent action is needed, like never before.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: USA: Sanctions against International Criminal Court betray international justice system 

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In response to the executive order announced today by President Trump imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

    “This reckless action sends the message that Israel is above the law and the universal principles of international justice. It suggests that President Trump endorses the Israeli government’s crimes and is embracing impunity.  

    “Today’s executive order is vindictive. It is aggressive. It is a brutal step that seeks to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries: global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all. The sanctions constitute another betrayal of our common humanity.  

    “The United States is ready to punish an institution that ensures the individuals most responsible for committing atrocities cannot escape justice. No one responsible for crimes under international law should be protected or aided in their attempts to escape individual accountability, least of all with the assistance of the US government based on President Trump’s political alliances.”

    “At an historic moment when we are witnessing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the global rule of law coming under threat from multiple fronts, institutions like the Court are needed more than ever to advance human rights protections, prevent future atrocities and secure justice for victims.

    No one responsible for crimes under international law should be protected or aided in their attempts to escape individual accountability, least of all with the assistance of the US government based on President Trump’s political alliances.

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    “This attack against the ICC seeks to damage the Court’s independent pursuit of international justice. The sanctions issued will harm accountability, a crucial ingredient to global and long-term security. They will embolden perpetrators, present and future. They will negatively impact the interests of all victims globally and those who look to the Court for justice in all the countries where it’s conducting investigations, including Darfur, Libya, the Philippines, Palestine, Ukraine and Venezuela.

    “The ICC performs a vital role by investigating crimes under international law, often committed by the most powerful individuals, in situations where – without its involvement – the perpetrators would benefit from perpetual impunity. The sanctions are also an affront to 125 member states who have collectively resolved that the Court must be able to effectively pursue justice – which means it must be able to undertake independent judicial functions, such as issuing arrest warrants, for example, against Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.  

    “Governments around the world and regional organizations must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of President Trump’s sanctions. Through collective and concerted actions, ICC member states can protect the Court and its staff. Urgent action is needed, like never before.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial burglars sentenced to twenty months in prison for thefts throughout Redbridge

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Two thieves arrested a mere 150 metres away from a house they burgled have been sentenced to 20 months in prison, following an investigation which linked them to multiple offences in Redbridge.

    On the evening of Sunday, 15 December officers responded to a break-in on Mansted Gardens, Chadwell Heath. In just half an hour, the responding officers blocked off escape routes, forcing the offenders to flee onto the High Road. This resulted in a chase on foot which ended with the pair in handcuffs.

    Upon searching the suspects, officers found two gold rings, two gold bangles and three gold necklaces, which were missing from the property.

    Further enquiries then enabled officers to place the two men at the scene of other break-ins, including an incident at a different address on Mansted Gardens, where a safe containing £25,000 worth of gold and £3,000 cash was stolen.

    Geani Bogonos, aged 42 (18.05.1982) of Freshwell Avenue, Chadwell Health and Vasile Filip, aged 26 (31.08.1998) of Southend Road, East Ham were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday, 3 February after pleading guilty at their first appearance hearing.

    PC David Izard, who was the officer in charge of the investigation, said:

    “Burglaries are a huge intrusion of privacy and have a lasting impact on communities. As highlighted here, our officers responded at speed and showed real bravery to track, chase and detain the suspects.

    “The team then conducted a thorough investigation which showed Bogonos and Filip to be serial offenders – and ultimately led to them being taken off our streets.

    “This is all part of the Met’s ongoing response to burglary. Our local community policing teams continue to conduct patrols in hot spot areas to provide a high visibility presence as well as crime prevention advice. If you do have any concerns please speak to officers or contact your local team, details of which are available via our website.”

    Bogonos was convicted of two burglaries, with a further three offences taken into consideration. Filip was convicted of one burglary with three further offences taken into consideration. All offences taken into account occurred throughout Redbridge between October and November 2024.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Palestine: WHO Warns of Severe Health Crisis in Gaza – Press Conference | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    World Health Organization (WHO) senior official in Gaza Rik Peeperkorn said that the health needs in the Strip are “immense” as functional health facilities and services are scarce.

    Peeperkorn today (06 Feb) spoke to reporters from Gaza via video link.

    On mental health, the WHO senior official said that that everyone in Gaza is affected by the conflict, with stress, anxiety, depression and feel of loneliness. He said that only two psychiatrists are in the north and a few mental health professionals.

    Peeperkorn also said that WHO started a training program. “As of now, 44 mental health humanitarian workers were trained on psychological first aid to provide immediate emotional and psychological support early and also ensure early detection and enable safe referrals.”

    On a positive note, the WHO official said that Shifa Hospital “bounced back in the middle of the severe destruction, some departments are working, and it’s working again as a referral hospital.”

    He said that WHO is supporting an emergency medical team. “There’s general surgery going on, trauma surgery going on, and more in child health. A lot is going on. And also some substantial renovations to expand the impatience department and the ICU,” Peeperkorn added.
    On medical evacuation, the WHO official said, “There should be more patients going through Rafah into Egypt. But we also want other medical corridors, and the first medical corridors we really want to see restored is the traditional referral pathway to West Bank and East Jerusalem. The hospitals are ready in East Jerusalem and West Bank to receive the patients.”

    Asked about the recent announcement on US withdrawing from his Organization, Peeperkorn said, “We need a strong World Health Organization which plays a crucial role in protecting the health security of the world people, including Americans, and addressing the root causes of disease, but also building stronger health systems, detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where we of us cannot go.”

    “And therefore, we really hope for this reconsideration and look forward to engaging in this constructive dialog, at all levels,” he concluded.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ypbD2e8ZuA

    MIL OSI Video –