NewzIntel.com

Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Festival of the Sea ship-shape and ready for launch

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    With the Tall Ships on the horizon, art, heritage, sport and leisure organisations across Aberdeen are set to present a raft of maritime-themed events for local people and visitors to the city.

    The Festival of the Sea takes place from 12 to 27 July, the two weeks either side of the Tall Ships Races Aberdeen (19-22 July). From sports camps to singing and storytelling, theatre and dancing to sea dragons and coastal discovery tours, and from exhibitions and creative writing to watercolour workshops, there’s something for all ages to discover and enjoy. Twenty organisations are presenting around 40 free and paid-for events in indoor and outdoor locations across the city.

    This is the second Festival of the Sea and it is hoped that it will become an annual event, creating a legacy for the Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen.

    Highlights of the programme include

    Pirates! Scottish Dance Theatre at His Majesty’s Theatre
    Saturday 19, Sunday 20 July, 2pm and 7pm
    Join best friends Tom and Daisy as they are swept away into the world of Captain Sandy Rogers and her rowdy crew! This unforgettable adventure features a bunch of slippery zombies, strange underwater creatures and a final, all-out duel with the wicked Captain O’Greed!

    Coastal Discovery Day at the Greyhope Bay Centre
    Monday 21 July, 10am-4pm
    Meet organisations connected to the coast and local area to learn about their work protecting the Aberdeen coast and species that call it home, take part in a beachcombing acvitity and a litter pick. 

    Viktor Wynd and the Museum of Curiosities at Aberdeen Art Gallery
    Thursday 17 July, 7pm-8pm
    Artist and writer Viktor Wynd offers a glimpse of his extraordinary, not to say infamous, curiosity museum in London’s West End. We may hear stories about mermaids, mandrakes, and monsters as well as travellers tales from his adventures

    Citymoves Dance Agency: Creatures of the Deep Summer Youth Camp
    Monday 21-Friday 25 July, ages 5-12
    Enjoy a high-energy creative camp that uses dance and creative expression to explore nautical topics, along with the funky routines, singing, and crafting activities.

    Deemouth Artist Studios Workshop Weekender 
    Wednesday 23 – Sunday 27 July, 10am-5pm
    A long weekend of workshops hosted by DAS creative residents, from pottery and jewellery, to weaving, screen printing and more, there’s something for everyone.

    Fittie Arts and Crafts Fair
    Saturday 19 July, 10am-4pm
    Stalls include sea-themed jewellery, handmade candles and rustic charm creations for the home. Fittie themed merchandise is also on offer along with a fundraising stall for the RNLI.

    Fish ‘n’ Ships
    Saturday 12 July–Wednesday 23 July
    Aberdeen Young Ambassadors will be popping up, in and around the city, to trade artworks in exchange for non-recyclable plastics.

    Ben Torrie, Director of Programming and Creative Projects at Aberdeen Performing Arts, said: “No Festival of the Sea would be complete without some swashbuckling pirate fun. Scottish Dance Theatre’s energetic and vibrant production at His Majesty’s Theatre is the perfect event for families to take in whilst visiting the city for the Tall Ships Races. Tickets are on SAIL now!”

    Lesley-Anne Rose, Creative Director of Open Road, said: “The Festival of the Sea is a perfect fit for Aberdeen and its harbourside communities. We’re excited to build on the success of last year and offer a programme of free family events, artist workshops, storytelling and music.”

    Hayley Durward, CEO of Citymoves Dance Agency, said: “We are delighted to be taking part in the Festival of the Sea with our children’s summer camp, Shaper/Caper pop up dance performances, What Moves You performance at Balnagask care home and intergenerational street performance in Torry. The Festival of the Sea programme will help extend the Tall Ships reach into communities and across generations.”

    Frances Coombey, Programmes at Operations Manager at Greyhope Bay Centre, said: “We’re really lucky to live in a city such an incredible and diverse coastline. The Festival of the Sea is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our connections to the coast through nature, heritage or creativity. We’re really excited to be working with our volunteers, local experts and artists to deliver a mix of fun and inspiring events for the Festival of the Sea programme.”

    Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, said: “Tall Ships Races Aberdeen is set to be Scotland’s biggest free family event this summer. I’m delighted that so many of Aberdeen’s art, culture, heritage and leisure organisations are supporting it with Festival of the Sea activities which are extending the impact of this major event for local people and visitors to the city.”

    Organisations taking part in the Festival:
    Aberdeen Art Gallery
    Aberdeen Arts Centre
    Aberdeen City Libraries
    Aberdeen Maritime Museum
    Aberdeen Sports Village
    Aberdeen Young Ambassadors
    Citymoves Dance Agency
    Clan Cancer Support
    Deemouth Artist Studios
    Fittie Community Development Trust
    Greyhope Bay Centre
    Harbour Voices Choir
    His Majesty’s Theatre
    Music Hall
    Old Aberdeen Library
    Open Road
    Pushing Out the Boat
    Stonehaven Folk Festival
    Torry Community Library
    University of Aberdeen
     

    For full programme details and booking information visit
    www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/festivalofthesea

    Image L-R: Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, Lesley-Anne Rose of Open Road, Hayley Durward of Citymoves, Frances Coombey of Greyhope Bay Centre

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada invests in new Boat School at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 20, 2025 — The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is getting an exciting new addition after a combined investment of more than $6.5 million from the federal government and the Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation.

    This funding is supporting the creation of a new Boat School, currently under construction, which has been integrated into the Maritime Museum site on the Halifax waterfront.

    Once complete, museum staff will provide workshops and programming in boatbuilding and sail training at the new facility for larger numbers of at-risk youth from the Mi’kmaw, African Nova Scotian, and immigrant and refugee communities, as well as young women. Programs for the Boat School are currently run out of smaller boat sheds on the Maritime Museum site, part of the Nova Scotia Museum family, which limit the number of youth who can take part.

    Due to its location over the harbour, the new Boat School will be exposed to possible flooding and hurricanes. As a result, the construction will incorporate climate resistance features, including being built high enough to withstand sea-level rise and strong enough to survive a Category 2 hurricane. The building will also incorporate energy-efficient features such as triple-pane windows and a high-efficiency heat pump system. The facility is projected to meet the standards of the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC).

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Samsung Partners With Electronic Arts and Xbox To Bring EA SPORTS FC™ 25 to Samsung Gaming Hub

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung today announced a partnership with Electronic Arts (EA) and Xbox to bring the action of EA SPORTS FCTM 25 to Samsung Gaming Hub. Samsung TV and monitor owners can now play EA SPORTS FC 25 through the Xbox app with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) on supported devices1. All players need to get started is a compatible controller and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes EA Play.
    As a special promotion, new Xbox Game Pass subscribers can receive a two-month Ultimate Game Pass subscription2. The offer is available to both existing Samsung TV and monitor owners and those who buy a new, qualifying product. To redeem, users can simply download the Samsung Promotions app on their Samsung TV, click the Xbox promotion banner or scan the QR code with their mobile device, and then follow the steps on the screen to activate their offer.
    “We are delighted to bring EA SPORTS FC 25 to Samsung TVs and monitors through cloud gaming on Samsung Gaming Hub,” said Hun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “As the world’s leading TV manufacturer, one of our goals is to immerse soccer fans around the world feel the thrill and enjoy the exciting game of soccer, whether they are playing the game or watching a match live on a Samsung TV.”

    EA SPORTS FC 25 gives players more ways to win for the club, by teaming up with friends across their favourite modes with 5v5 Rushand managing their clubs to victory as FC IQ delivers more tactical control than ever before. Fans will also continue to experience unrivalled authenticity with the most true-to-life experience of football’s biggest competitions, clubs and stars, with FC 25 featuring over 19,000+ athletes across 700+ teams in more than 120 stadiums and 30+ leagues from around the world.
    Samsung Gaming Hub, first introduced in 2022, has redefined home entertainment by giving players access to thousands of games directly on Samsung TVs and monitors. This includes the 2025 TV series, spanning Samsung Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, OLED, QLED, The Frame and The Frame Pro, which are powered by Samsung Vision AI for AI enhanced picture and sound, along with new personalized features that bring you closer to all the shows, movies and games you love.

    In a first for the TV industry, Samsung has partnered with Microsoft to integrate Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), and now supports a wide range of streamed games from partners including NVIDIA GeForce NOW, and Amazon Luna.
    For more information on Samsung Gaming Hub, please visit www.samsung.com.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Share your priorities to shape strong vision for future of council services in Norfolk

    Source: City of Norwich

    Communities are being invited to share their priorities to help shape a strong, shared vision for the future of local government in Norfolk.

    This vision puts local people, place and progress right at the heart of how council services are run. 

    Currently, services are split between the county council and seven borough, city and district councils. The Government wants to replace all eight with a reduced number of ‘unitary councils’, which would deliver all services, and has asked the existing authorities to make proposals for what future services could look like.  

    Breckland Council, Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, North Norfolk District Council, and Norwich City Council are working together and agree that having three unitary councils would best serve the people of Norfolk (as opposed to having one or two). 

    Over the summer, we are speaking with as many people as possible across Norfolk – residents, businesses, community groups and others – to champion our shared vision and invite everyone to complete our Future Norfolk survey to share their priorities and help shape a final submission to the Government this autumn. 

    Our joint proposal to have three unitary councils for Norfolk is based on the findings of an independent report – The Strength of Three – and our collective knowledge of our communities. The strength of having three unitary councils is they are about you: 

    • People: Local decisions by local leaders who understand your community. Three councils will strengthen local democracy, increase transparency, and make decision-making close to home  
    • Place: Services shaped by the strengths and needs of each area. Three councils will celebrate the unique identity, strengths, challenges, and heritage of different areas  
    • Progress: A future-ready Norfolk that works for everyone. Three councils will build a resilient, sustainable future for Norfolk that can adapt to changing needs. 

    In a joint statement, the Council Leaders of the six districts (below) said: “Having three unitary councils serving Norfolk is best for local democracy. People would be represented by councillors who live closer to their homes, understand their community and what matters to local people. It will ensure communities have their say and provide more strong, local voices to champion Norfolk at regional and national levels.

    “We know Norfolk isn’t the same everywhere, what works well in one place might not work in another, each area has strengths and needs, so three unitary councils can support each other while still enabling services to focus on what matters most to people in each area. 

    “At the same time, three councils will still be big enough to work well in delivering people’s priorities across all council services, making the most of opportunities for Norfolk to thrive, but agile enough to stay flexible to other national changes while maintaining our local focus.  

    “Any changes by Government to local councils could affect your services and who helps make decisions for your area – that’s why we want you and everyone in your community to complete our Future Norfolk survey and tell us about your priorities to help inform our submission to the Government.” 

    You can find out more about the survey and take part until 1 August 2025 at www.futurenorfolk.com

    This joint article is on behalf of:

    • Breckland District Council: Leader: Councillor Sam Chapman-Allen 
    • Broadland District Council: Leader: Councillor Sue Holland 
    • Great Yarmouth Borough Council: Leader: Councillor Carl Smith 
    • King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council: Leader: Councillor Alistair Beales 
    • North Norfolk District Council: Leader: Councillor Tim Adams 
    • Norwich City Council: Leader: Councillor Mike Stonard 
       

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coventry Very Light Rail welcomes Simon Lightwood, Minister for Local Transport

    Source: City of Coventry

    As part of Better Transport Week, Simon Lightwood MP visited the CVLR track in the city centre.

    Better Transport Week began on Monday, 16 June, and will run until 22 June. The annual event celebrates the importance of sustainable transport, which brings people together and connects communities.

    Simon Lightwood was welcomed by Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Mayor Richard Parker, and Ben Plowden, CEO, Campaign for Better Transport. He was introduced to CVLR and the track installation process, followed by a visit and ride on the innovative vehicle.

    Simon Lightwood, Minister for Local Transport, said: “I think it’s a fantastic innovation by the local authority, a really smooth, light, and airy ride. I can really see the benefits that it could bring, not only here in Coventry, but potentially to the rest of the world.”

    Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration, and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said: “There is no better place to celebrate Better Transport Week than in Coventry, where our innovation and manufacturing skills have enabled us to create a new very light rail system that has the potential to change how people move around small to medium sized cities. We are pleased to welcome Simon Lightwood, so we cannot only show him how brilliantly it works but also discuss the potential – that’s what’s really exciting.

    “This system will create jobs for local people, and this is just the beginning of our plans to put Coventry Very Light Rail at the heart of the growing green economy here in Coventry.”

    An interview with Simon Lightwood and Councillor O’Boyle is available to watch on YouTube.

    Friday, 20th June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Shenyang to host 2025 SCO People’s Diplomacy and Twin Cities Forum

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Public Diplomacy and Sister Cities Forum will be held from July 3 to 5 in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, local authorities said on social media on Friday.

    The event, titled “Deepening People’s Friendship and Promoting Sustainable Development,” will be attended by nearly 400 guests from more than 20 SCO countries, a press conference organized by the Shenyang City People’s Government Information Office was announced on Friday.

    The forum will include an exhibition of paintings by children from SCO countries, an exhibition of achievements of SCO countries in the field of people’s friendship and exchanges, as well as an exhibition of achievements in scientific and technical innovations and advanced manufacturing.

    The forum’s agenda will also include a sub-forum on exchanges between sister cities and trade and economic cooperation, a sub-forum on scientific and technological innovations and advanced manufacturing among young people, as well as a sub-forum dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

    The event is expected to see the publication of agreements on actions in the field of sustainable development of people-to-people exchanges between the SCO countries and the Shenyang Initiative following the forum. In addition, a number of agreements or protocols of intent on establishing sister city relations between relevant organizations and cities will be signed.

    The forum will be jointly organized by the SCO China Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People’s Government of Liaoning Province. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Singapore Prime Minister to Pay Official Visit to China /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will pay an official visit to China from June 22 to 26, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

    Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong chose China as the destination for his first visit outside ASEAN since taking office in May, fully demonstrating the importance he attaches to developing China-Singapore relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular ministry press conference.

    During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Liu Wong. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will hold talks with him, and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Zhao Leji will meet with him. According to Guo Jiakun, the two sides will hold in-depth exchanges of views on China-Singapore relations as well as international and regional issues of common interest.

    Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China-Singapore relations have maintained a positive momentum, the Chinese diplomat said. He added that in 2023, the leaders of the two countries announced the establishment of China-Singapore relations as a comprehensive high-quality prospective partnership, which clearly outlined the direction of development of bilateral relations.

    This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, Guo Jiakun said. He noted that through this visit, China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with Singapore, deepen cooperation in various fields, jointly uphold the principles of multilateralism and free trade, and promote the further development of China-Singapore relations from a new starting point. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Seasonal flights Kashgar-Khujand to resume in July

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    URUMQI, June 20 (Xinhua) — Passenger flights linking Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Tajikistan’s Khujand will resume on July 1 and will be operated regularly during the tourist peak season, the prefectural administration said, citing a statement from the Kashgar base of China’s Chengdu Airlines, which is headquartered in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    The roundtrip flights on this route will be operated by the domestically developed C909 regional passenger airliner, formerly known as the ARJ21, once a week on Tuesdays.

    According to the Kashgar Prefectural Checkpoint Management Office, the restoration of this route will facilitate international trade and economic cooperation and humanitarian exchanges, and will also increase the level of openness of Kashgar to the outside world, giving new impetus to the high-quality development of the regional economy.

    In June 2024, flight EU2977, operated by an ARJ21, departed from Laining International Airport, Kashgar County, to Khujand International Airport, Tajikistan, marking the launch of the route. This is the first route to Central Asia operated by the ARJ21, and the second international air service launched at Laining Airport that year.

    It should be recalled that Laining International Airport is the second largest air checkpoint in Xinjiang and one of the important hub airports of the Belt and Road Initiative. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China Ready to Develop High-Level Energy Cooperation with Russia — Vice Premier of the State Council of China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    ST. PETERSBURG, June 20 (Xinhua) — China is willing to work with Russia to continue to make full use of mechanisms such as the China-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Energy Cooperation and promote high-level energy cooperation, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Thursday.

    A high-ranking Chinese official made this statement during a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

    Ding Xuexiang said that in recent years, Chinese-Russian relations have remained stable, healthy and developed at a high level. He recalled that in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia and attended the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. During his visit, the heads of the two states reached a number of important agreements on the further development of Chinese-Russian relations and the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation at a high level, he added.

    China-Russia energy cooperation is an important cornerstone of practical cooperation between the two countries and a positive force in ensuring global energy security, Ding Xuexiang said, noting that China is willing to work with Russia to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen gas and oil cooperation, and enhance the role of mechanisms such as the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Commission to promote the formation of a high-level energy partnership.

    In turn, A. Novak stated that the creation of a Russian-Chinese energy community is a key area of their practical cooperation. According to him, Russia is ready to make joint efforts with the Chinese side to ensure the successful holding of the meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Chinese commission on energy cooperation, which will be held in Beijing this year, and to give new impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

    On the same day, Ding Xuexiang also met with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening cooperation between China and Russia in the gas sector. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: At least nine killed in car-truck collision in eastern India

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua) — At least nine people were killed on Friday when a car collided head-on with a truck in India’s eastern West Bengal state, local police said.

    The accident took place on National Highway 18 near Namshola in Balarampur police station area of Purulia district, about 284 km west of the state capital Kolkata.

    The car collided head-on with a truck traveling at high speed in the opposite direction. The incident killed all nine people in the car, a local police spokesman said. They were immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.

    A preliminary investigation has revealed that the driver of the vehicle lost control, causing a collision with a truck. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/UGANDA – “Voices of Peace”: campaign by Sudanese youth to launch a sustainable peace process

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Friday, 20 June 2025

    Internet

    Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – “Stopping the war has become a national demand”. This is the goal of a group of Sudanese youth who have launched the “Voices of Peace” campaign in Kampala, Uganda. Inaugurated on Saturday, June 14 by Sa’ad Mohamed, Executive Director of the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), seeks to engage young Sudanese in building a sustainable peace process.“Through this campaign, we plan to build a comprehensive peace process, with youth at its heart, benefiting from the power and influence of social media in shaping public opinion” said one of the young Sudanese present. The aim is to leverage social media and traditional arts to foster reconciliation and end the ongoing conflict in their homeland (see Fides, 17/4/2023).According to organizers, the initiative will use digital media and traditional arts – including the role of “Hakamats” (traditional female praise singers and storytellers) – to spread messages of peace and coexistence, while also monitoring and documenting human rights violations across Sudan.The note sent to Fides also states that Sudanese civil and political groups have extensive experience using digital media and social networking sites, which played a pivotal role in mobilizing the Sudanese Revolution from December 2018 to April 2019. Faced with media suppression, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp became crucial for organizing protests and coordinating actions. The revolution effectively broke the official media blockade, transforming social media into a popular tool for communication and unifying revolutionary slogans. Sudanese activists gained international support, particularly on Twitter, turning it into a space for global solidarity. Digital platforms also became a vital medium for youth to discuss state-building, transitional justice, and human rights, fostering a culture of digital resistance.Asjad Bahaa, a founder and participant in the campaign, said “Voices of Peace” is the second phase of an ACJPS project, which began in April focusing on documenting enforced disappearances. She explained that the campaign will train youth as monitors and documenters of human rights violations, addressing the exodus of many activists due to security threats.Youth are “the fuel of war and peace,” often easily recruited by armed groups. “We are trying to reverse this by training youth to be peace advocates,” she said. “We are also working to reorient the role of Hakamats to be symbols of peace instead of incitement,” she said.The campaign launches as the conflict between the Army and the Rapid Support Forces enters its third year, with violence escalating and little sign of a political settlement. Humanitarian conditions continue to worsen, and civilian violations are widespread.Examples from other countries highlight the potential of arts and media in peacebuilding. Following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda used traditional arts, community theater, and radio broadcasts to promote love, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Sierra Leone after the 2002 civil war, mobile youth music groups used traditional music to reintegrate child soldiers and foster tolerance. In Colombia media campaigns incorporating traditional arts and music played a role in ending the conflict with FARC rebels. These initiatives, using popular songs broadcast via planes, radio, and social media, encouraged dozens of fighters to disarm and rejoin society. In Niger the role of “Hakamats” was empowered in peacebuilding through folk songs. Trained in reconciliation concepts, these women became key messengers, using songs in markets and at weddings to informally convey messages urging an end to violence and promoting coexistence in pastoral communities. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 20/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Accusations of witchcraft and violence in society: Caritas’ commitment to combating them

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Caritas Papua Nuova Guinea

    Kundiawa (Agenzia Fides) – In the province of Simbu, in Papua New Guinea, so-called violence related to accusations of witchcraft represents one of the most serious and horrific forms of aggression between families and tribes. “It is a form of violence against individuals or families,” explains Judy Gelua, diocesan coordinator of Caritas in the Diocese of Kundiawa.“In the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, hundreds of cases are recorded each year that go unreported. Simbu is one of the most affected provinces, probably the place from which the torture and murder of women have spread to the entire region in the last twenty years,” writes Father Giorgio Licini, a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), in a note sent to Fides. Caritas in Simbu handled twenty-five cases in 2024, fifteen of which were reported to the legal office of the Diocese of Kundiawa, which offers free legal assistance. According to Gelua, the knowledge that one can be prosecuted for attacking someone accused of witchcraft acts as a deterrent. Msgr. Paul Sundu, bishop of the Diocese of Kundiawa, points out that these accusations are often instrumentally motivated: “Due to jealousy or greed, people are accused of witchcraft to get rid of enemies or block their success in business, education, or politics.” Father Christian Sieland, a biblical scholar and priest in Kundiawa, points out that beliefs about witchcraft “are deeply rooted in the mindset of both ordinary people and educated people.” “It will take more than a generation to eradicate them,” he says. He explains that these beliefs are fueled by a lack of scientific knowledge about the true causes of illnesses. “People tend to blame members of the community. Doctors must intervene with proper education and always provide death certificates,” adds Father Licini. According to a group of Catholic mothers who meet regularly at the Kundiawa Cathedral points out that polygamy and marital infidelity play a significant role. When a man takes a younger wife, the first wife – often with adult children – becomes a victim of discrimination. The husband neglects her, and the new wife tries to displace her. Faced with a sudden death or an accident in the village, the young woman may accuse the helpless older woman of witchcraft and thus get rid of her. Violence stemming from accusations of witchcraft is often linked to gender-based violence, another serious concern for Caritas Simbu. “The roots of this violence must be sought in an ancestral tribal mentality that conflicts with current social and cultural conditions,” notes Father Licini. Poverty, lack of opportunities, marginalization, and the desperation of many young people fuel this phenomenon. “Traditional, well-structured village life has been replaced by the mobility, pluralism, and consumerism of modern culture.” Faced with this reality, some local organizations are trying to heal the conflict. One of them is the Kunabau Leaders Peace Team, which emerged from tribes in the Mingende area – of Catholic tradition – and has managed to restore peace to a remote community affected by a tribal war with victims.Judy Gelua emphasizes the importance of a broad network of contacts to promote change in the three main sources of violence: witchcraft, gender-based violence, and tribal conflicts. Thanks to collaboration with institutional agencies, Caritas Simbu provides guidance on human rights, peace building, and the protection of minors, women, and vulnerable people to students, teachers, parents, and school board members. As a result, the level of violence is slowly declining, although, according to Father Licini, “intensive education and awareness-raising work is still required.”Bishop Paul Sundu and Caritas coordinator Judy Gelua emphasize the need for a pastoral approach: “To defuse violence,” they affirm, “a personal change is necessary, starting from the heart. This change can come from sharing the Word of God, prayer, and cultural and spiritual formation. It is about beginning a process of purification from a deeply rooted inclination toward violence, centered on the dignity of the human person.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 21/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Met officers appeal for witnesses after man dies following a shooting in Croydon

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    An investigation has been launched after police were called to reports of a shooting on Imperial Way at 17:04hrs on Thursday, 19 June.

    A man in his 40s was found with gunshot wounds. He was treated by paramedics but sadly died at the scene.

    His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

    Detectives from the Met’s Major Incident team are leading the investigation and enquiries are ongoing.

    Detective Chief Inspector Dan Whitten, leading the investigation from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said:

    “This was a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the man’s family at this difficult time. Our team of specially trained officers are supporting them as are our investigation progresses.

    “Our enquiries are ongoing and we would urge any witnesses to come forward and share information with us.”

    Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information that could help the investigation, please contact the police on 101 quoting CAD 6530/19JUN.

    To remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Around the Air Force: AFAS Expands Support, DoD Child Care Initiative, Microreactor Pilot Project

    Source: United States Air Force

    In this week’s look Around the Air Force, the Air Force Aid Society announces new aid categories to support DAF families; DoD is expanding child care initiatives to provide more options to military families; and Eielson AFB reaches a groundbreaking milestone for U.S. energy security.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University

    Is this visitor to Antarctica going crazy or having a good time? Tim Bieber/Photodisc via Getty Images

    As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back.

    The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were “rocked” when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station’s nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored.

    The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness.

    Long hours of constant near-darkness take their toll in the Antarctic winter.
    Andrew Smith, via Antarctic Sun, CC BY-ND

    Early views

    The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime’s torment for doing so.

    In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of “Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure.

    H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “At the Mountains of Madness” was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that “made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.” One man even experiences an unnamed “final horror” that causes a severe mental breakdown.

    The 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others.

    Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States’ South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in.

    A trailer for the 1982 film ‘The Thing,’ set at an Antarctic research station.

    Real tales

    These stories of Antarctic “madness” have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia’s Vostok station in 1959.

    More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov’s tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped.

    In 2017, staff at South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague’s room with an ax over a romantic relationship.

    Mental health

    Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold.

    American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being “doomed” to the “mercy” of natural forces, and of his worries about the “unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects” in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the “Madhouse at the End of the Earth.”

    Cook’s fears became real. Most men complained of “general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.”

    “When at all seriously afflicted,” Cook wrote, “the men felt that they would surely die” and exhibited a “spirit of abject hopelessness.”

    And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, “There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.”

    Footage from 1913 shows the force of the wind at Cape Denison, which has been called ‘the home of the blizzard.’

    A traumatic trip

    A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month.

    A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition’s base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour.

    Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him.

    In Mawson’s account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing:

    “(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a ‘nervous breakdown.’”

    Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers.

    After five months of isolation in trying conditions on a remote Antarctic island, 22 men rejoice at their rescue in August 1916.
    Frank Hurley, Underwood & Underwood, via Library of Congress

    Wider problems

    Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems.

    In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity.

    As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind.

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

    – ref. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior – https://theconversation.com/at-antarcticas-midwinter-a-look-back-at-the-frozen-continents-long-history-of-dark-behavior-253906

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniella McCahey, Assistant Professor of History, Texas Tech University

    Is this visitor to Antarctica going crazy or having a good time? Tim Bieber/Photodisc via Getty Images

    As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back.

    The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were “rocked” when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station’s nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored.

    The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness.

    Long hours of constant near-darkness take their toll in the Antarctic winter.
    Andrew Smith, via Antarctic Sun, CC BY-ND

    Early views

    The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime’s torment for doing so.

    In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of “Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure.

    H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “At the Mountains of Madness” was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that “made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.” One man even experiences an unnamed “final horror” that causes a severe mental breakdown.

    The 1982 John Carpenter film “The Thing” also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others.

    Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States’ South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in.

    A trailer for the 1982 film ‘The Thing,’ set at an Antarctic research station.

    Real tales

    These stories of Antarctic “madness” have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia’s Vostok station in 1959.

    More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov’s tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped.

    In 2017, staff at South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague’s room with an ax over a romantic relationship.

    Mental health

    Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold.

    American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being “doomed” to the “mercy” of natural forces, and of his worries about the “unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects” in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the “Madhouse at the End of the Earth.”

    Cook’s fears became real. Most men complained of “general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.”

    “When at all seriously afflicted,” Cook wrote, “the men felt that they would surely die” and exhibited a “spirit of abject hopelessness.”

    And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, “There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.”

    Footage from 1913 shows the force of the wind at Cape Denison, which has been called ‘the home of the blizzard.’

    A traumatic trip

    A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month.

    A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition’s base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour.

    Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him.

    In Mawson’s account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing:

    “(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a ‘nervous breakdown.’”

    Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers.

    After five months of isolation in trying conditions on a remote Antarctic island, 22 men rejoice at their rescue in August 1916.
    Frank Hurley, Underwood & Underwood, via Library of Congress

    Wider problems

    Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems.

    In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity.

    As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind.

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

    – ref. At Antarctica’s midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent’s long history of dark behavior – https://theconversation.com/at-antarcticas-midwinter-a-look-back-at-the-frozen-continents-long-history-of-dark-behavior-253906

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, Baylor University

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, at a prayer during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.

    As a scholar of the Christian right, I have studied the CREC. Hegseth’s membership in a church that belongs to the CREC drew attention because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists, and because of its positions on issues concerning gender, sexuality and the separation of church and state.

    The CREC is most easily understood through three main parts: churches, schools and media.

    What is the CREC?

    The CREC church is a network of churches. It is associated with the congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who founded Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister.

    Wilson co-founded the CREC in 1993 and is the public figure most associated with the network of churches. Christ Church operates as the hub for Logos Schools, Canon Press and New Saint Andrews College, all located in Moscow. Logos is a set of private schools and homeschooling curriculum, Canon Press is a publishing house and media company, and New Saint Andrews College is a university, all of which were founded by Wilson and associated with Christ Church. All espouse the view that Christians are at odds with – or at war with – secular society.

    While he is not Hegseth’s pastor, Wilson is the most influential voice in the CREC, and the two men have spoken approvingly of one another.

    Pastor Douglas Wilson leads others at a protest in Moscow, Idaho.
    Geoff Crimmins/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News, CC BY-SA

    As Wilson steadily grew Christ Church in Moscow, he and its members sought to spread their message by making Moscow a conservative town and establishing churches beyond it. Of his hometown, Wilson plainly states, “Our desire is to make Moscow a Christian town.”

    The CREC doctrine is opposed to religious pluralism or political points of view that diverge from CREC theology. On its website, the CREC says that it is “committed to maintaining its Reformed faith, avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relevance and political compromise that destroys our doctrinal integrity.”

    CREC churches adhere to a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture. Wilson has said that in a sexual relationship, “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.”

    In a broader political sense, CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state. The most common reading of the establishment clause is that freedom of religion precludes the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office.

    The CREC broadly asserts that the government and anyone serving in it should be Christian. For Wilson and members of CREC churches, this means Christians and only Christians are qualified to hold political office in the United States.

    Researcher Matthew Taylor explained in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, “They believe the church is supposed to be militant in the world, is supposed to be reforming the world, and in some ways conquering the world.”

    While the CREC may not have the name recognition of some large evangelical denominations or the visibility of some megachurches, it boasts churches across the United States and internationally. The CREC website claims to have over 130 churches and parishes spread across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

    Like some other evangelical denominations, the CREC uses “church planting” to grow its network. Plant churches do not require a centralized governing body to ordain their founding. Instead, those interested in starting a CREC congregation contact the CREC. The CREC then provides materials and literature for people to use in their church.

    CREC schools, home schools and colleges

    The CREC’s expansion also owes a debt to Wilson’s entrepreneurship. As the church expanded, Wilson founded an associated K-12 school called “Logos” in September 1981, which since then has grown into a network of many schools.

    In conjunction with its growth, Logos develops and sells “classical Christian” curriculum to private schools and home-school families through Logos Press. Classical Christian Schools aim to develop what they consider a biblical worldview. In addition to religious studies, they focus on classic texts from Greece and Rome. They have grown in popularity in recent years, especially among conservatives.

    Logos’ classical Christian curriculum is designed to help parents “raise faithful, dangerous Christian kids who impact the world for Christ and leave craters in the world of secularism.” Logos press regularly asserts, “education is warfare.”

    According to the website, Logos schools enroll more than 2,000 students across 16 countries. Logos also has its own press that supplies the curriculum to all of these schools. On the heels of Logos’ success, Wilson founded the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accrediting body for like-minded schools. The ACCS now boast 500 schools and more than 50,000 students across the United States and around the world.

    Additionally, Wilson founded New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. New Saint Andrews is a Christian university that takes the classical Christian approach to education championed by Wilson into higher education.

    The New Saint Andrews College is consistent with other CREC institutions. It considers secularism a weakness of other universities and society more generally. Its website explains: “New Saint Andrews has long held a principled and clear voice, championing the truth of God’s word and ways, while so many other colleges veer into softness and secularism.” The school is governed by the elders of Christ Church and does not accept federal funding.

    CREC media

    In addition to the Logos Press, which produces the CREC school curriculum, Wilson founded Canon Press. Canon Press produces books, podcasts, a YouTube channel and assorted merchandise including apparel and weapons, such as a flamethrower. The YouTube channel has over 100,000 followers.

    Books published by Canon include children’s picture books to manuals on masculinity. A number of books continue the theme of warfare.

    The politics page of the press contains many books on Christian nationalism. Christian political theorist Stephen Wolfe’s book “The Case for Christian Nationalism” is one of the most popular among books on Christian nationalism. The website has dozens of books on Christian nationalism and media dedicated to the construction of a Christian government.

    Author Joe Rigney, a fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College and an associate pastor at Christ Church, warns of the “Sin of Empathy.” Rigney claims that empathizing with others is sinful because it requires compromise and makes one vulnerable in the fight against evil.

    CREC controversies

    Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    As the church network has grown, it has drawn attention and scrutiny. Wilson’s 1996 publication of a book positively depicting slavery and claiming slavery cultivated “affection among the races” drew national attention.

    Accusations of sexual abuse and the church’s handling of it have also brought national news coverage. Vice’s Sarah Stankorb interviewed many women who talked about a culture, especially in marriage, where sexual abuse and assault is common. The Vice reporting led to a podcast that details the accounts of survivors. In interviews, Wilson has denied any wrongdoing and said that claims of sexual abuse will be directed to the proper authorities.

    Hegseth’s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity and banning trans people from serving in the military, in addition to stripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. I believe that given Hegseth’s role as secretary of defense, his affiliation with the CREC will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout the Trump presidency.

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

    – ref. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support – https://theconversation.com/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-defense-secretary-pete-hegseths-support-258273

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Samuel Perry, Associate Professor, Baylor University

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, at a prayer during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches – commonly called the CREC – drew attention even before his confirmation hearings in January 2025. More recently, media reports highlighted a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.

    As a scholar of the Christian right, I have studied the CREC. Hegseth’s membership in a church that belongs to the CREC drew attention because prominent members of the church identify as Christian nationalists, and because of its positions on issues concerning gender, sexuality and the separation of church and state.

    The CREC is most easily understood through three main parts: churches, schools and media.

    What is the CREC?

    The CREC church is a network of churches. It is associated with the congregation of Doug Wilson, the pastor who founded Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister.

    Wilson co-founded the CREC in 1993 and is the public figure most associated with the network of churches. Christ Church operates as the hub for Logos Schools, Canon Press and New Saint Andrews College, all located in Moscow. Logos is a set of private schools and homeschooling curriculum, Canon Press is a publishing house and media company, and New Saint Andrews College is a university, all of which were founded by Wilson and associated with Christ Church. All espouse the view that Christians are at odds with – or at war with – secular society.

    While he is not Hegseth’s pastor, Wilson is the most influential voice in the CREC, and the two men have spoken approvingly of one another.

    Pastor Douglas Wilson leads others at a protest in Moscow, Idaho.
    Geoff Crimmins/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News, CC BY-SA

    As Wilson steadily grew Christ Church in Moscow, he and its members sought to spread their message by making Moscow a conservative town and establishing churches beyond it. Of his hometown, Wilson plainly states, “Our desire is to make Moscow a Christian town.”

    The CREC doctrine is opposed to religious pluralism or political points of view that diverge from CREC theology. On its website, the CREC says that it is “committed to maintaining its Reformed faith, avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relevance and political compromise that destroys our doctrinal integrity.”

    CREC churches adhere to a highly patriarchal and conservative interpretation of Scripture. Wilson has said that in a sexual relationship, “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.”

    In a broader political sense, CREC theology includes the belief that the establishment clause of the Constitution does not require a separation of church and state. The most common reading of the establishment clause is that freedom of religion precludes the installation of a state religion or religious tests to hold state office.

    The CREC broadly asserts that the government and anyone serving in it should be Christian. For Wilson and members of CREC churches, this means Christians and only Christians are qualified to hold political office in the United States.

    Researcher Matthew Taylor explained in an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, “They believe the church is supposed to be militant in the world, is supposed to be reforming the world, and in some ways conquering the world.”

    While the CREC may not have the name recognition of some large evangelical denominations or the visibility of some megachurches, it boasts churches across the United States and internationally. The CREC website claims to have over 130 churches and parishes spread across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

    Like some other evangelical denominations, the CREC uses “church planting” to grow its network. Plant churches do not require a centralized governing body to ordain their founding. Instead, those interested in starting a CREC congregation contact the CREC. The CREC then provides materials and literature for people to use in their church.

    CREC schools, home schools and colleges

    The CREC’s expansion also owes a debt to Wilson’s entrepreneurship. As the church expanded, Wilson founded an associated K-12 school called “Logos” in September 1981, which since then has grown into a network of many schools.

    In conjunction with its growth, Logos develops and sells “classical Christian” curriculum to private schools and home-school families through Logos Press. Classical Christian Schools aim to develop what they consider a biblical worldview. In addition to religious studies, they focus on classic texts from Greece and Rome. They have grown in popularity in recent years, especially among conservatives.

    Logos’ classical Christian curriculum is designed to help parents “raise faithful, dangerous Christian kids who impact the world for Christ and leave craters in the world of secularism.” Logos press regularly asserts, “education is warfare.”

    According to the website, Logos schools enroll more than 2,000 students across 16 countries. Logos also has its own press that supplies the curriculum to all of these schools. On the heels of Logos’ success, Wilson founded the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 1993 as an accrediting body for like-minded schools. The ACCS now boast 500 schools and more than 50,000 students across the United States and around the world.

    Additionally, Wilson founded New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. New Saint Andrews is a Christian university that takes the classical Christian approach to education championed by Wilson into higher education.

    The New Saint Andrews College is consistent with other CREC institutions. It considers secularism a weakness of other universities and society more generally. Its website explains: “New Saint Andrews has long held a principled and clear voice, championing the truth of God’s word and ways, while so many other colleges veer into softness and secularism.” The school is governed by the elders of Christ Church and does not accept federal funding.

    CREC media

    In addition to the Logos Press, which produces the CREC school curriculum, Wilson founded Canon Press. Canon Press produces books, podcasts, a YouTube channel and assorted merchandise including apparel and weapons, such as a flamethrower. The YouTube channel has over 100,000 followers.

    Books published by Canon include children’s picture books to manuals on masculinity. A number of books continue the theme of warfare.

    The politics page of the press contains many books on Christian nationalism. Christian political theorist Stephen Wolfe’s book “The Case for Christian Nationalism” is one of the most popular among books on Christian nationalism. The website has dozens of books on Christian nationalism and media dedicated to the construction of a Christian government.

    Author Joe Rigney, a fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College and an associate pastor at Christ Church, warns of the “Sin of Empathy.” Rigney claims that empathizing with others is sinful because it requires compromise and makes one vulnerable in the fight against evil.

    CREC controversies

    Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    As the church network has grown, it has drawn attention and scrutiny. Wilson’s 1996 publication of a book positively depicting slavery and claiming slavery cultivated “affection among the races” drew national attention.

    Accusations of sexual abuse and the church’s handling of it have also brought national news coverage. Vice’s Sarah Stankorb interviewed many women who talked about a culture, especially in marriage, where sexual abuse and assault is common. The Vice reporting led to a podcast that details the accounts of survivors. In interviews, Wilson has denied any wrongdoing and said that claims of sexual abuse will be directed to the proper authorities.

    Hegseth’s actions as secretary of defense concerning gender identity and banning trans people from serving in the military, in addition to stripping gay activist and politician Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship, have brought more attention to the CREC. I believe that given Hegseth’s role as secretary of defense, his affiliation with the CREC will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout the Trump presidency.

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

    – ref. What is CREC? The Christian nationalist group has a vision for America − and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s support – https://theconversation.com/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-defense-secretary-pete-hegseths-support-258273

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University

    Evidence suggests that insurance companies use AI to delay or limit health care that patients need. FatCameraE+ via Getty Images

    Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.

    One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to
    receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.

    These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.

    If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.

    As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.

    But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.

    A pattern of withholding care

    Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.

    Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.

    Insurers say that if they decline to cover a medical intervention, patients can pay for it out of pocket.

    This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”

    Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.

    Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.

    Moving toward regulation

    Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.

    That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.

    There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.

    Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.

    But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.

    A role for the FDA

    In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.

    The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.

    Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.

    If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.

    The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.

    Jennifer D. Oliva currently receives funding from NIDA to research the impact of pharmaceutical industry messaging on the opioid crisis among U.S. Military Veterans. She is affiliated with the UCSF/University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy and Georgetown University Law Center O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.

    – ref. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage – https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University

    Evidence suggests that insurance companies use AI to delay or limit health care that patients need. FatCameraE+ via Getty Images

    Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.

    One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to
    receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.

    These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.

    If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.

    As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.

    But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.

    A pattern of withholding care

    Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.

    Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.

    Insurers say that if they decline to cover a medical intervention, patients can pay for it out of pocket.

    This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”

    Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.

    Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.

    Moving toward regulation

    Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.

    That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.

    There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.

    Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.

    But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.

    A role for the FDA

    In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.

    The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.

    Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.

    If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.

    The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.

    Jennifer D. Oliva currently receives funding from NIDA to research the impact of pharmaceutical industry messaging on the opioid crisis among U.S. Military Veterans. She is affiliated with the UCSF/University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy and Georgetown University Law Center O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law.

    – ref. How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage – https://theconversation.com/how-artificial-intelligence-controls-your-health-insurance-coverage-253602

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Togo: African Development Bank strengthens partnership with civil society

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) held its first-ever Civil Society Open Day in Lomé, Togo, on 3 June. The event brought together representatives from the Togolese government, around 30 national and international civil society organisations (CSOs), and Bank staff — all committed to strengthening development partnerships in Togo.

    The key personalities at the event all emphasised this shared vision.

    Opening the event, Stéphane Akaya, Secretary General of Togo’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, stressed the importance of civil society: “This open day with the African Development Bank reaffirms our joint commitment to inclusive and transparent progress. We are seeking to strengthen a tripartite partnership, where civil society is engaged from conception through to evaluation in order to ensure effective, people-centred development.”

    Seconding Mr Akaya’s point, Wilfrid Abiola, Head of the Togo Country Office of AfDB Group, said: “The African Development Bank Group remains committed to strengthening collaboration with Togolese civil society, which is a key player in sustainable development.”

    The CSO Open Day in Lomé aimed to strengthen collaboration between the Bank and civil society by sharing information on the Bank’s development operations and projects in Togo. It also sought to encourage dialogue on the role of CSOs throughout the project cycle — from planning and preparation to implementation, supervision, and completion.

    “We are keen to strengthen our partnership with civil society organisations in Togo, encouraging open dialogue and promoting their full participation in the projects that we support,” Zeneb Touré, Head of the AfDB’s Civil Society and Community Engagement Division, said.

    Minemba Traore, Senior Civil Society Officer for West Africa at the Bank Group, shared information on the institution’s engagement with CSOs, while Ndey Oley Cole, Senior Programme Officer in the AfDB’s Gender, Women and Civil Society Department, presented a summary of the exchanges.

    Key outcomes and next steps from the discussions included:

    • Greater involvement of civil society: CSOs will be included in all phases of development projects.
    • Creation of a formal dialogue platform: The Bank, government, and CSOs will work together to establish a permanent forum for ongoing consultation.
    • Capacity building for CSOs: Training will be provided in project monitoring and evaluation, proposal writing, and market access strategies.
    • Improved communication: The Bank will share information on its activities in Togo in a more dynamic and accessible way, better meeting the needs of partners and the public.
    • Promotion of social inclusion and diversity: Efforts will be made to ensure greater participation of young people and women in development initiatives.
    • Development of a detailed action plan: Concrete deliverables and clear deadlines will guide follow-up and ensure effective implementation of commitments.

    The Open Day laid the foundations for closer partnerships, which can provide spaces for exchange, consultation and collaboration between the Bank, CSOs and other stakeholders in Togo.

    Such an approach will enable the AfDB to better understand local priorities, discuss partnership opportunities and receive input from civil society on the projects that it finances in Togo.

    The initiative is aligned with the Bank Group’s Civil Society Engagement Action Plan 2024-2028, which was approved last year. Under Pillar 3 of this action plan, particular attention will be paid to strengthening dialogue with civil society organisations in the countries where the Bank works. Holding of civil society open days in regional member countries of the Bank is a key mechanism for operationalising this commitment.

    – on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

    Link to photo album:
    https://apo-opa.co/4kMeIrx

    Media contact:
    Evelia Gadegbeku
    Communication and External Relations Department
    media@afdb.org 

    Media files

    Download logo

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby Visits BlackSea Technologies in Baltimore, Observes Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle Operations and Advanced Manufacturing Facility

    Source: United States Navy

    Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby visited the BlackSea Technologies (BlackSea) headquarters and production facilities in Baltimore, June 18, to see first-hand how BlackSea supports the U.S. Navy’s Small Unmanned Surface Vehicles (sUSV) program and how it plans to continue to expand its capabilities to support fleet operations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Outlining Maine Economic Benefits of Foreign Students, Senator King Urges Secretary of State Rubio to Reconsider Harmful Pause

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) called on the State Department to reinstate student visa programs for the benefit of Maine schools and the state’s local economy. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, King outlined the immediate impact of revoking student visas on schools in Maine like Thornton Academy, the University of New England (UNE), Foxcroft Academy, College of the Atlantic and the University of Maine (UMaine) System.

    Senator King began, “I write to underscore the critically harmful impacts that the Department of State’s decision to pause new visa interviews for international students, as well as the Department’s threats to revoke visas of Chinese students, are having on schools across the state of Maine.”

    “These actions are deterring international families from sending their students to the U.S.—the tuition of which contributes significantly to the revenue of secondary schools and institutions of higher education in Maine. Thornton Academy, which functions as the public high school for students in Saco, and its neighboring towns in Maine, has already seen a loss of $120,000 in revenue due to the withdrawal of Chinese education programs from their summer camp. Thornton Academy anticipates a potential annual loss of $6.6 million should the Administration’s policy remain in place—a loss of one third of the school’s annual budget for employee salary payments,” King continued.

    King concluded, “International students studying at schools in Maine are subsidizing the cost of local education, saving taxpayers money, and providing Maine students with unmatched opportunities. These are not funds coming from the pockets of our community, the taxes of our businesses, or from the federal government. These are funds brought in from outside of the United States and used to the benefit of all our students both domestic and international.

    King has long supported the impact and contributions of international students. Earlier this year, he introduced legislation to streamline the bureaucratic process for international students to obtain legal status and bolster the United States’ STEM labor force. 

    The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

    +++

    Dear Secretary Rubio:

    I write to underscore the critically harmful impacts that the Department of State’s decision to pause new visa interviews for international students, as well as the Department’s threats to revoke visas of Chinese students, are having on schools across the state of Maine.

    These actions are deterring international families from sending their students to the U.S.—the tuition of which contributes significantly to the revenue of secondary schools and institutions of higher education in Maine. Thornton Academy, which functions as the public high school for students in Saco, and its neighboring towns in Maine, has already seen a loss of $120,000 in revenue due to the withdrawal of Chinese education programs from their summer camp. Thornton Academy anticipates a potential annual loss of $6.6 million should the Administration’s policy remain in place—a loss of one third of the school’s annual budget for employee salary payments. College of the Atlantic, a small liberal arts college in Bar Harbor, Maine, projects a loss of thirty five percent of their net tuition due to these policies. These are just a few examples—schools across Maine report that real and projected reductions in international student enrollments, and the corresponding loss of revenue associated with their tuition, will almost certainly result in staff layoffs. These layoffs will not only harm students but also have a damaging ripple effect on our local economies.

    The non-monetary contributions of these students to Maine communities cannot be overstated. Our state university system hosts students from 85 countries. Foxcroft Academy, a day and boarding school in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, hosts about 20% of its entire student population from countries around the world. These students bring diverse cultures and perspectives to their new communities and create an opportunity for all Maine students to consider the world with a far greater exposure than otherwise possible.

    Not only does Maine benefit from these students, but the education that they receive in our state has also taken them far—international students who studied in Maine have participated in global academic competitions, become published authors, and have even become professors themselves. The Administration has yet to provide a compelling reason for its decision to rob our communities of this worthwhile exchange.

    International students studying at schools in Maine are subsidizing the cost of local education, saving taxpayers money, and providing Maine students with unmatched opportunities. These are not funds coming from the pockets of our community, the taxes of our businesses, or from the federal government. These are funds brought in from outside of the United State and used to the benefit of all our students both domestic and international.

    I urge you to reconsider the Department of State’s policies regarding international student visa pauses and revocations, for the benefit of Maine and the entire nation.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russia is becoming a key player in the new architecture of the global economy

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The geopolitical fragmentation of the global economy opens up new opportunities for Russia to cooperate with the countries of the Global South and strengthen its own role in global processes. This is stated in the HSE report presented at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as part of the VTB session.

    Analysts emphasize that the global economy is currently divided into three large blocs – the United States, China and non-aligned countries, which is accompanied by a reduction in trade and investment between them by 12% and 20% since 2022. Despite this, developing countries are increasing their share in world trade: the volume of trade between the countries of the Global South has grown from $2.3 trillion in 2007 to $5.6 trillion in 2023. This indicates the formation of new economic ties and growth centers.

    The report notes that the reversal of trade imbalances in 2024 – with the US deficit widening and China’s surplus rising, and the EU moving into positive balance – creates risks of new trade wars and investment reallocation, requiring companies to diversify supplies and expand their partner networks. Logistics challenges caused by conflicts in the Middle East and problems in the Suez and Panama Canals are stimulating the development of alternative routes, including the Northern Sea Route and “green corridors” for the accelerated delivery of critical cargo.

    Particular attention is paid to the role of the so-called connector countries – Malaysia, Vietnam and India, which are strengthening trade ties with individual partners, while Russia, Australia and the EU are reducing their dependence on traditional markets, which contributes to the formation of sustainable regional trade turnover.

    In the Russian context, experts note that human capital is becoming the main resource for economic growth: the average length of education for Russians aged 25–44 is 14 years, which is higher than in the US and Europe, but further investment in science and R&D is needed to realize this potential. In the context of the crisis, Russia has seen an increase in the production of high-tech products, the development of domestic tourism and paid services, as well as an increase in exports, which are less sensitive to sanctions.

    Investment activity is most noticeable in the small and medium enterprise sector and in the production of investment goods, which contributes to the diversification of the economy and the creation of new jobs. Key challenges include tightening monetary policy, rising credit costs, labor shortages and tax pressure, especially in the manufacturing industry.

    The authors of the report emphasize that a balanced budget policy and support for those employed in the public sector are necessary for macroeconomic stability, and sustainable growth is possible only with the simultaneous strengthening of the internal and external sustainability of the economy. In conditions of turbulence, Russia can play a key role in the formation of a new architecture of the global economy, focused on cooperation with the countries of the Global South and the creation of alternative development models.

    The report was prepared as part of the VTB session “In Search of New Sources of Growth: Is a Different Model of Global Financial and Trade Architecture Possible” at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The session was attended by: Andrey Kostin, President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB Bank; Yaroslav Kuzminov, Academic Director of the Higher School of Economics; Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayyed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of Qatar; Oleg Deripaska, Founder, En Group; Serhat Keksal, President of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank; Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank; Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller Hosts RESILIENCE Act of 2025 Roundtable

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) hosted a roundtable discussion with industry leaders to discuss her Repair Expenditures Support Infrastructure, Labor Investment, Energy Needs, and Creates Equity Act of 2025 (RESILIENCE Act of 2025). This bipartisan legislation introduced by Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) will allow utilities to deduct repair costs from the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax and will ensure that these companies are treated fairly.

    Click here for bill text.

    “The Inflation Reduction Act picked winners and losers in energy production, and hard-working Americans suffered the most by having to pay more for everything, including utilities. The Resilience Act of 2025 would fix the unfair tax treatment of utilities under the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax by allowing regulated utilities to fully deduct repair expenditures. This bill would increase energy affordability for consumers and ensures tax fairness, ultimately creating a more resilient and reliable energy grid,” said Congresswoman Miller. 

    The RESILIENCE Act of 2025 is supported by American Water, the Edison Electric Institute, Appalachian Power, Exelon, and FirstEnergy:

    “We were honored to host Congresswoman Miller at West Virginia American Water for this robust discussion on her RESILIENCE Act. Water utilities are capital-intensive industries. American Water and other providers invest billions to maintain and improve their systems, ensuring safe, clean and reliable service. As it stands without a repairs adjustment, costs for utilities are increased. Congresswoman Miller’s legislation would codify this adjustment, benefiting customers – we applaud her for this forward-looking policy,” said Christine Keck, Vice President, Chief Legislative and External Affairs Officer at American Water.

    “Electric companies make substantial investments in the nation’s energy grid every year—investments that are critical to meeting growing electricity demand and to maintaining the availability of reliable, affordable, and resilient energy for hundreds of millions of customers nationwide. We appreciate Representative Miller hosting a roundtable with industry and labor stakeholders to discuss the RESILIENCE Act. This important bipartisan bill will support our industry’s ability to enhance grid reliability while helping to keep customer bills as low as possible. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure this cost-effective, common-sense legislation is enacted into law,” said Kristen Siegele, Executive Director of Government Relations at the Edison Electric Institute.

    “Allowing Appalachian Power and other utility companies to deduct the cost of critical repairs saves our customers money.  Last year, Appalachian Power experienced devastating damage from severe weather events, where we replaced approximately 2,000 poles, 700 transformers and 270 miles of wire to get customers back up and running. Securing this common-sense solution for these activities would free up funds to invest in other areas of our operations to improve the resiliency and reliability of the power grid. We applaud Rep. Carol Miller’s continued focus on this important issue,” said Appalachian Power, an AEP company.  

    “We applaud Representatives Miller and Schneider for their bipartisan leadership and thank Congresswoman Miller for convening this important roundtable. The RESILIENCE Act of 2025 addresses a critical tax fairness issue and will help lower energy costs for our customers, freeing up resources to invest in a more reliable and resilient grid,” said Exelon.

    “Repair and maintenance are critical investments that provide a reliable and resilient electric grid. We applaud Congresswoman Miller for her bipartisan leadership and for bringing us together for yesterday’s important and timely discussion. The RESILIENCE Act will allow electric companies to deduct these investments, helping to keep rates manageable for customers while strengthening our electric infrastructure,” said Chris Beam, FirstEnergy Vice President of Generation Project Development.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025 Australian Antarctic Medals announced

    Source: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

    Medical practitioner, Dr Jan Wallace
    Dr Jan Wallace has been a pioneering force in Antarctic medicine, with a career spanning over 40 years as a general practitioner, remote medicine specialist, educator, and mentor.
    She has served across all Australian Antarctic stations, Macquarie Island, and aboard Antarctic vessels, providing medical care in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. Her roles have included not only direct clinical care, but also leadership in research, education, and support for both expeditioners and fellow medical practitioners.
    Dr Wallace’s research into first aid training for expeditioners directly shaped the Australian Antarctic Division’s first aid program, resulting in improved safety and operational protocols.
    She has guided generations of Antarctic medical practitioners and inspired many, including future doctors and women in medicine, to pursue careers in remote and expeditionary healthcare.
    “I felt quite overwhelmed and emotional that my fellow expeditioners considered me worthy of a nomination,” Dr Wallace said.
    “I am particularly proud that the medal citation mentions that my research into expeditioner first aid training has improved safety for our teams down south.”
    Dr Wallace’s dedication, compassion, and pragmatic leadership have helped set the standard for Antarctic medical care, strengthened the wellbeing of the Australian Antarctic community, and ensured the next generation of practitioners are well prepared for the unique challenges of polar medicine.
    “Receiving this honour is the cherry on top of my amazing Antarctic journey over many years, which would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of many others in the Antarctic family,” she said.

    Dr Jan Wallace (seen here at Mawson station) has been a pioneering force in Antarctic medicine. Photo: Geoff Wallace

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Tammany Parish Man Charged with Bribery and Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, on June 13, 2025, KENTRELL MAHONEY SCOTT (“SCOTT”), age 39, a resident of St. Tammany Parish, was charged, via bill of information, with one count of bribery of a  public official, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201, and two counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

    According to the charging document, SCOTT was a public official who, directly or indirectly, accepted something of value in return for being induced to do an act, and omit to do an act in violation of his official duty, and in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201(b)(2).  Specifically, in exchange for a $300 payment that he directly and corruptly sought and accepted from a supervisee under his charge, SCOTT agreed to assist a supervisee in violating the terms of supervision by obscuring the detection of the supervisee’s GPS monitoring.    

    Additionally, SCOTT was also charged with wire fraud, for advertising and selling unlawful brake tags and temp tags.  SCOTT, who was not licensed or approved by the City of New Orleans or the State of Louisiana, advertised the sale of brake tags and temp tags on Facebook and encouraged interested parties to message him. Thereafter, SCOTT met the purchasers in person to complete the transaction.

    Finally, SCOTT was charged with a second act of wire fraud, for making false and fraudulent submissions to the Louisiana Workforce Commission for the CARES Act Funded Unemployment Insurance Program. Specifically, in order to both remain eligible for unemployment insurance and to maximize the unemployment insurance benefits he received, SCOTT underreported his wages and later, falsely certified that he was unemployed. 

    If convicted of the bribery charge, SCOTT faces up to 15 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  As to each of the wire fraud counts, SCOTT faces up to 20 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Gorham Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Maine: A Gorham man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. 

    According to court records, Cody J. Merrill, 33, who had been previously convicted of unlawful sexual conduct involving a minor in York County Superior Court, sent a video file depicting child sexual abuse material to an undercover Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) over a messaging application. In February 2025, HSI executed a search warrant at his residence, resulting in the seizure of multiple digital media devices that contained child sexual abuse material files. During a recorded interview with investigators, Merrill admitted to accessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet.

    Merrill faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum supervised release term of life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    HSI investigated the case.

    To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Men Who Trafficked Pills Containing Meth and Fentanyl, Fentanyl Powder Mixed with Xylazine, Sentenced to Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that two men were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven for offenses related to their distribution of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, and fentanyl powder laced with xylazine.  MARKEYESE KELLY, also known as “Curry” and “Keyse,” 46, of West Haven, was sentenced to 138 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release, and JAQUAN PRICE, also known as “Sub,” 34, of New Haven, was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2023, the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force began investigating a drug trafficking organization led by Kelly.  The investigation, which included controlled purchases of narcotics in February and March 2024, revealed that Kelly, Price, and their associate Robert Covington sold various controlled substances, including multi-colored pills pressed to look like ecstasy that actually contained methamphetamine, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, powder fentanyl laced with xylazine, and PCP.

    Kelly, Price, and Covington were arrested on May 14, 2024.  On that date, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized more than a kilogram of methamphetamine pills, and an additional quantity of meth powder, more than 100 grams of fentanyl pills and powder, approximately 50 grams of cocaine, three handguns, two loaded gun magazines, ammunition, and more than $11,000 in cash.

    On February 21, 2025, Kelly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.  On March 21, 2025, Price pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

    Kelly and Price have been detained since their arrests.

    In April 2015, Price was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 30 months of imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

    Covington pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

    This matter has been investigated by the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, the West Haven Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The Task Force includes personnel from the East Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Wallingford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and Connecticut Department of Correction.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and Nathan Guevremont through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison Announces First National Defense Area Convictions in New Mexico

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico today announced the first two convictions under Title 50 U.S.C. § 797, Violation of Defense Property Security Regulations, and Title 18 U.S.C. § 1382, Military Trespass, following the recent designation of a military-controlled National Defense Area (NDA) along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    Title 50 U.S.C § 797 and Title 18 U.S.C. § 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas.  Title 50 USC § 797 refers to the willful violation of a defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC § 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the New Mexico National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is, illegal entry into the United States.  These laws allow for prosecution of unauthorized entry into the NDA as a federal misdemeanor, carrying penalties of up to one year in prison and/or a fine.

    In the first case, Andres De Los Santos-Martinez, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty to re-entry after deportation, willfully violating a defense property security regulation, and military trespass by entering the New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA), a restricted military zone established in April 2025. De Los Santos-Martinez was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents on June 1, 2025, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, after crossing the border at a location not designated as a lawful port of entry. De Los Santos-Martinez had previously been apprehended in the NMNDA on May 7, 2025, and was advised in Spanish that unauthorized entry into the restricted military area was prohibited and subject to federal prosecution.

    In the second case, Eduardo Herrera-Juvencio, also a Mexican national, pled guilty to re-entry after deportation, willfully violating a defense property security regulation, and military trespass by entering the New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA), a restricted military zone established in April 2025. Herrera-Juvencio was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents on June 1, 2025, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, after crossing the border at a location not designated as a lawful port of entry.  Herrera-Juvencio had previously been apprehended in the NMNDA on May 7, 2025, and was advised in Spanish that unauthorized entry into the restricted military area was prohibited and subject to federal prosecution.

    These are the first convictions in the District of New Mexico under the new federal enforcement strategy, which grants the military expanded authority over an approximately 60-foot-wide, 170-mile-long strip of land along the New Mexico border, now managed by the U.S. Army as a National Defense Area. The NDA is marked with signs in English and Spanish warning that unauthorized entry is prohibited and subject to federal prosecution.

    “These first convictions reflect the resolve of the United States Attorney’s Office to do its part in securing our nation’s southern border,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “I am tremendously proud of our staff in the Las Cruces Branch Office, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. military for their relentless efforts to secure our southern border. This partnership is a prime example of what can be accomplished through coordinated enforcement of existing federal laws. New Mexico—and the entire country—is more secure because of these efforts.”

    “Let this send the message that entering the United States illegally is a crime; and if you do so in an area marked as a National Defense Area, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and removed far from the border,” said Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar.

    The Court has ordered both defendants to remain in custody pending sentencing. Upon completion of their sentences, they will be subject to deportation proceedings.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement.

    The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Saltman and Alyson Hehr are prosecuting the cases.

    USA Ellison speaks during a news conference on the southern border

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