NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Cantwell, Lummis, Wicker Reintroduce Bill to Clear Space Junk, Protect Space Exploration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
    ORBITS Act would create landmark program to clean up dangerous orbital debris threatening space exploration, satellites, and commercial space operations
    Bill unanimously passed Senate last Congress
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Maria Cantwell, Cynthia Lummis, and Roger Wicker reintroduced the bipartisan Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act to establish a first-of-its-kind demonstration program that would reduce the nearly 1 million pieces of space junk in orbit.
    “Dangerous debris in Earth’s orbit threatens American satellites and jeopardizes future space exploration missions,” said Hickenlooper. “It’s time we clean up the clutter and protect our critical space operations.”
    “The Orbital Sustainability or ORBITS Act will jumpstart the technology development we need to address the very serious problem of orbital debris that threatens our scientific satellites, human space exploration and commercial space services,” said Cantwell.  “The longer we delay in taking meaningful action, the less safe our activities in orbit become.”
    “Space is getting more and more crowded with debris that poses a real threat to our satellites,” said Lummis. “People in Wyoming and across the country depend on satellites for our national security, weather forecasting, wildfire monitoring, GPS navigation, and communications essential for our way of life. The ORBITS Act addresses this growing challenge and helps maintain safe human spaceflight operations above the earth. This bipartisan solution will protect America’s interests in space for generations to come.”
    “The ORBITS Act would address a key aspect of the complex space debris problem. We should be empowering NASA to partner with the U.S. space industry in active debris removal technology to tackle space junk threats. The United States is the world’s premier spacefaring nation, and I look forward to continuing our leadership,” said Wicker.
    The ORBITS Act passed the Senate in the 118th Congress.
    Space junk, or orbital debris, currently threatens human space exploration, scientific research missions, and emerging commercial space services. There are approximately 8,000 metric tons of debris currently in orbit, including at least 900,000 individual pieces of debris that are potentially lethal to satellites. Because of the threats from debris already in orbit, simply preventing more debris in the future is not enough. The ORBITS Act will jumpstart a program focused on research, development, and the demonstration of technologies capable of safely carrying out successful Active Debris Remediation (ADR) missions to create a robust commercial market for these services.
    In recent years, NASA canceled a planned spacewalk and maneuvered the International Space Station (ISS) to avoid colliding with orbital debris. Due to growing amounts of debris, the ISS has performed numerous Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuvers (PDAM) in the past year alone. 
    Specifically, the bill contains the following provisions:
    Orbital Debris Remediation List
    Directs NASA, in coordination with the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and the National Space Council, to publish a list of debris objects that pose the greatest risk to the safety of orbiting spacecraft and on-orbit activities

    Active Orbital Debris Remediation Demonstration Program
    Directs NASA to establish a demonstration program to partner with industry in developing technology for remediating debris objects through repurposing or removal from orbit
    The NASA program will promote competition by incentivizing  two or moreteams of technology developers to conduct demonstrations of successful debris remediation

    Asks NASA to partner with other nations to address debris in orbit that belongs to them

    Active Debris Remediation (ADR) Services
    Encourages the U.S. government to buy ADR services from  industry partners once they succeed in the demonstration and are commercially available
    Requires an economic assessment of the long-term demand for ADR services

    Uniform Orbital Debris Standards
    Directs the National Space Council to update the Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP) used by U.S. government space missions
    Encourages the FAA and FCC to use the updated standards and practices as the basis for federal regulations applicable to all space activities
    Directs the U.S. to encourage other nations to align their regulations with ours to encourage effective and non-discriminatory regulation worldwide

    Space Traffic Coordination Standard Practices
    Directs the Department of Commerce, in coordination with the National Space Council and the FCC, to develop and promote standard practices for avoiding near misses and collisions between spacecraft in orbit

    Key supporters of the bill include the Aerospace Industry Association, Secure World Foundation, and CONFERS.
    Full text of the ORBITS Act is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at the White House and is received by President Donald Trump.

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)

    President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at the White House and is received by President Donald Trump, President of the United States

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGFdBa9hhhY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hinson Named Co-Chair of Biofuels Caucus, Will Use Position to Advocate for Iowa Biofuels

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson was announced as a co-chair for the Congressional Biofuels Caucus alongside Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL).

    “Biofuels are key to Iowa’s economy and key to American energy dominance,” said Co-chair Hinson. “Since coming to Congress, I have worked tirelessly to expand access to Iowa biofuels and support Iowa’s biofuels producers by fighting to secure permanent year-round E15, increase biofuels blending targets, and replace foreign energy with homegrown biofuels. I’m honored to co-lead the biofuels caucus and will continue working with President Trump and other caucus members to increase domestic energy production and support Iowa agriculture.”

    “Increasing the production and availability of homegrown biofuels is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to the all-of-the-above energy policy we need to stay ahead,” said Co-chair Craig. “I’m proud to be relaunching the Biofuels Caucus alongside my bipartisan colleagues this Congress so we can continue our work to lower prices at the pump, create opportunities for local producers and strengthen our energy security.”

    “American biofuel producers have an untapped ability to power the future of liquid fuels, whether ethanol blends, biodiesel, or sustainable aviation fuel,” said Co-chair Smith. “Advancing sound policy can unlock billions of dollars in savings at the pump and hundreds of thousands of added jobs for the American people. I thank Co-chairs Craig and Pocan and congratulate Co-chairs Hinson, Fedorchak, and Budzinski for joining me to strengthen this bipartisan caucus and continue working to inform our colleagues in the House of the value of biofuels for American energy abundance.”

    “I am glad to join my colleagues in the Congressional Biofuels Caucus,” said Co-chair Pocan. “Corn growers in Wisconsin deserve to have an even playing field in the market dominated by the oil and gas industry. This Caucus will showcase how biofuels can help us reach our emissions reduction goals while investing in rural jobs and infrastructure.”

    “Biofuels are a growing part of America’s energy strategy and another way North Dakota is helping fuel the world,” said Co-chair Fedorchak. “It’s an honor to serve as a co-chair of this bipartisan caucus to advance policies that will help expand domestic energy production, empower rural America, and deliver practical solutions for North Dakotans.”

    “I came to Congress to be a strong voice for the people of Central and Southern Illinois—especially our hardworking farmers. Few issues are more critical to their success than strengthening the biofuels industry and expanding market opportunities,” said Co-chair Budzinski. “That’s why promoting the use of homegrown, sustainable biofuels has been a central focus of my work in Congress, and I’m looking forward to continuing that commitment as co-chair of this bipartisan caucus.

    The Congressional Biofuels Caucus advocates for policies which reflect the capacity of American biofuels producers to meet the demand for reliable and affordable liquid fuels while growing rural economies, high-paying jobs, and value-added markets for agricultural commodities. The caucus recognizes biofuels are key to American energy independence and responsible stewardship of our resources.

    Additional members of the caucus include: Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Jim Baird (R-IN), Scott Peters (D-CA), Tom Emmer (R-MN), Andre Carson (D-IN), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), James Comer (R-KY), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sam Graves (R-MO), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mike Bost (R-IL), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Marianette Miller Meeks (R-IA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Mark Alford (R-MO), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), Brian Jack (R-GA), and Mark Messmer (R-IN).

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: A Reset Relationship and New Opportunities for Northern Ireland

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    A Reset Relationship and New Opportunities for Northern Ireland

    Secretary of State Hilary Benn MP underlines the benefits for Northern Ireland of recent trade deals, and a new intended partnership agreement with the European Union.

    Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn.

    It has been a momentous month – both for Northern Ireland and for the entire United Kingdom. First came the Government’s trade deals with India and the USA which will open up new opportunities for Northern Ireland exporters. 

    Next, on Monday, the UK played host to the first-ever UK-EU summit at Lancaster House in London as we set out to build a new partnership with the European Union. In recent years, our relationship with the EU has – at times – been strained, but in an era in which global instability is rising, it makes sense to build stronger ties with our European friends and neighbours.

    And then, on Thursday, we marked the anniversary of the referenda on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement held in Northern Ireland and Ireland. By voting ‘yes’, the people chose and secured a chance for peace in Northern Ireland; a peace which has lasted in the almost three decades since and helped pave the way for Northern Ireland’s transformation. It was an agreement which remains to this day proof of the power of courageous political leadership, and people’s willingness to compromise in hope of a better future.

    The agreement with the European Union will help to create growth and lower household bills across the UK as a whole. 

    It is a particularly good deal for Northern Ireland. Our economy is already vibrant – think of our aerospace, life sciences, manufacturing, and film and television industries – and this agreement will further help Northern Ireland which experienced stronger growth than the United Kingdom as a whole last year. Peace has delivered real economic benefits.

    Of particular significance will be the deal we reached on agrifood and plants, which will smooth flows of trade, ease the frictions for businesses and protect the UK internal market. Applying the same rules across the UK will give businesses greater certainty, and mean we can eliminate paperwork and mandatory identity and physical checks on goods moving under these arrangements. 

    All of this will save up to £1 million a month for those firms using the ‘red lane’ and we’ll see a real difference in garden centres, with bans on so-called ‘high risk’ plants being eliminated – a commitment made in Safeguarding the Union – and plants being able to move within the UK without barriers. 

    This deal will also maintain Northern Ireland’s unique access to both the UK and EU markets and the advantages that the Windsor Framework offers to businesses and the economy. So, it’s no surprise that businesses have welcomed it. The Ulster Farmers Union called it ‘a major step forward for Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry’. The Horticultural Trades Association have said that their sector will save millions. And big name retailers such as Asda and M&S have praised the removal of frictions too. The message is clear from business – this is good news for Northern Ireland and good news for you.

    The other outcomes of Monday’s summit are also good for Northern Ireland. Our new security and defence partnership with the EU will support our national security and the aerospace, defence and space industry which is already home to more than 9,000 jobs in Northern Ireland. Our closer law enforcement relationship with the EU will help prevent crime. Closer cooperation on decarbonisation and energy will lower prices and make our country greener and more resilient. And it’ll become easier to travel to mainland Europe through e-Gates. 

    Northern Ireland’s prosperity is intrinsically linked to its strong relationship with the rest of the UK, and it can only benefit further from our new partnership with the EU. The steps we are taking will bring practical benefits, and Monday’s summit makes me even more confident that Northern Ireland’s economy will continue to flourish as a thriving and growing part of the UK.

    This article also featured in the Belfast Telegraph.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: AI experiments see “Humphrey” help townhalls cut costs and improve services

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    AI experiments see “Humphrey” help townhalls cut costs and improve services

    AI experts are experimenting to build new AI within “Humphrey” to help speed up admin in areas like planning and social care, as 25 councils trial new AI tech from Whitehall.

    • AI experts are experimenting to build new AI within “Humphrey” to help speed up admin in areas like planning and social care, as 25 councils trial new AI tech from Whitehall.
    • Early research on the tech shows officials are saved from 60-minutes of admin for each hour-long meeting, saving staff from what half say is the worst thing about their job.
    • Comes as “Humphrey” is taking notes in the Prime Minister’s Council of Nations and Regions meeting taking place today, with talks covering recent trade deals and how AI can improve public services.

    Local councils across the country are trialling a new AI tool called ‘Minute’ – part of the “Humphrey” suite being rolled out across Whitehall – to cut burdensome admin tasks to improve services for citizens as part of the UK government’s Plan for Change.

    It comes as the Prime Minister brings together Heads of the devolved governments and elected English Mayors today at the Council of the Nations and Regions for talks on recent trade deals, as well as how AI can improve public services and maximise the technology’s benefits for people across UK. ‘Minute’ has been used to take notes in the meeting, marking the first time AI has been used in a meeting chaired by a UK Prime Minister.

    25 local councils are currently taking part in the early-stage trial of ‘Minute’ to speed up note taking across the services they provide, including West Berkshire Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. This includes streamlining burdensome admin tasks in the planning process to help hit the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes by 2030.

    This could help speed up actions after planning meetings, allowing officers to focus on the task at hand, rather than paperwork, and make informed decisions to get homes built. This will support approvals, so bricks can be laid and homes built faster.

    The tool also helps take detailed notes in meetings between social care workers and their supervisors, allowing workers to focus on offering more support instead of being bogged down by bureaucracy.

    The trial comes as alongside a push from government to help local councils use technology to improve the dozens of essential services they are responsible for delivering to local residents – from planning approvals to housing, pest control and parking permits. It includes a new AI Knowledge Hub published today, sharing exciting examples of how local councils are using technology so others can learn from them – such as an AI assistant that speeds up the reporting of fly-tipping and graffiti in central London.

    ‘Minute’ is part of ‘Humphrey’, the package of AI tools built to help civil servants deliver for ministers and the public more effectively. It uses generative AI to turn meetings into notes and adds unique tools to help tweak and correct summaries more efficiently. Early tests of the technology in central government showed that officials were saved, on average, from one hour of admin per one hour meeting, with nearly half of them saying note-taking is the least enjoyable part of their job.

    In the pilot, the tool helps local councils automate requirements for note taking and record keeping so officials can focus on helping residents more quickly.

    The trial announced today follows the Prime Minister setting out that he will “push forward with the digitisation of government services” to find £45 billion worth of productivity savings to make the state more productive and agile and deliver the Plan for Change.

    AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark said:

    From parking permits and planning permission, local councils handle some of the services that impact our daily lives most. For too long, they have been left to fend for themselves when keeping up with rapid innovations in AI and digital technology – when we know it has huge potential to help solve many of the challenges they face.

    That’s why “Humphrey”, a suite of exciting AI tools built in my department, is being sent to townhalls to help them fast track planning decisions, build 1.5 million homes and take meeting notes more quickly. This is just the first step as we are also going to work with local councils to help them buy and build the technology they need to deliver our Plan for Change and support their local communities more effectively.

    Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government Baroness Taylor said:

    Local councils are on the frontline of housing delivery, and we’re backing them with cutting-edge AI technology like ‘Minute’, so officers can spend less time buried in admin and more time helping to get Britain building.

    This is alongside our landmark reforms to deliver 1.5 million homes, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will get working people and families in to secure homes and boost economic growth right across the country.

    Earlier this year, the government’s State of Digital Government Review unveiled that local councils were spending £5 billion per year on technology, despite employing half the number of digital specialists they should be. The report also found that each of the 320 local authorities negotiate technology contracts with big tech companies independently – when many are buying exactly the same tools – making this spending much less effective.

    Work has also begun to look at how technology built by the UK government, like the upcoming GOV.UK App which will give people access to public services on their phones, can help councils save money while delivering a better, more consistent service for citizens. It will also aim to improve data sharing between councils and other public bodies, as well as helping councils negotiate contracts together and share best practices.

    It comes alongside a new AI Knowledge Hub being published, sharing practical examples of how AI is being used in government and across local councils so other organisations across the UK can take their work forward. The publication of the website delivers against a recommendation made in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, aiming to help the public sector adopt AI more quickly and effectively.

    Other areas set to be discussed today include how by working with devolved governments and mayors the UK can ensure it has the infrastructure and capability needed to power AI, and ways to facilitate better data sharing.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China is the world leader in total installed hydroelectric power capacity

    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

    CHENGDU, May 23 (Xinhua) — China ranks first in the world in the number of reservoirs and dams, as well as in the installed capacity of hydroelectric power plants (HPPs), according to the 28th Congress of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) held in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    Congress participants noted that China, in the process of responding to climate risks, has developed a comprehensive systemic solution that can be adopted by other countries around the world.

    According to the National Energy Administration of China, as of December 2024, China had built more than 94,000 dams, the highest number in the world. The country’s total installed hydroelectric power capacity reached 436 million kW, of which 377 million kW were conventional hydroelectric power plants.

    China’s annual hydroelectric power generation capacity was 1.42 trillion kilowatt-hours, accounting for 57 percent of the country’s total renewable electricity generation.

    The total capacity of China’s reservoirs is approaching 1 trillion cubic meters, including flood-control capacity of 185.6 billion cubic meters. The reservoirs provide an annual water supply of 270 billion cubic meters and support the irrigation of 532 million mu (about 35.5 million hectares) of farmland. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China makes stern representation to Japan over detention of Taiwanese fishing vessel

    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, May 23 (Xinhua) — China has made stern representations to Japan over the detention of Taiwan’s fishing vessel Hongzaitou 6 and demanded immediate correction of mistakes and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.

    A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman made the remarks at a regular press conference when asked about China’s reaction to Japan’s actions.

    “The Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese fishermen, including those from the Taiwan region. In accordance with the China-Japan Fisheries Agreement, the Japanese side has no right to take law enforcement measures against Chinese vessels in the relevant waters,” Mao Ning emphasized. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vice Chairman of China Meets with Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Mejlis

    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, May 23 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Turkmen Parliament (Mejlis) Chairwoman Dunyagozel Gulmanova in Beijing on Friday.

    Han Zheng noted that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Turkmenistan relations have been elevated to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, and a community of shared destiny has been realized at the bilateral level.

    China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, firmly support each other and accelerate cooperation in areas such as natural gas, digital economy, green development and new energy, Han Zheng said.

    According to him, China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to expand humanitarian exchanges, strengthen international cooperation and promote sustainable and long-term development of bilateral relations.

    D. Gulmanova, in turn, stated that the friendship between Turkmenistan and China has its roots in the distant past. Turkmenistan is ready to further increase exchanges and cooperation with China in such areas as legislation, environmental protection, youth, economy and trade, as well as in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, to achieve common development. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Breaking: Xi Jinping hopes Germany will provide fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese businesses

    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, May 23 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday expressed hope that Germany will provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese businesses, and called on China and the EU to send a positive signal of upholding multilateralism and free trade and deepening open and win-win cooperation.

    These words were spoken during a telephone conversation between Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China reports significant growth in online digital sales

    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, May 23 (Xinhua) — Online sales of digital goods in China grew 8.4 percent year on year in the first four months of 2025, data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed on Friday.

    In particular, according to the data, during the reporting period, sales of intelligent robots and smart home systems grew by 87.6 percent and 16 percent year-on-year, respectively.

    An official from the e-commerce department of the ministry attributed the growth to the high level of integration of domestic and foreign trade in e-commerce, as well as the strong potential of linking global production and supply chains.

    From January to April, online trade-in sales of 15 categories of home appliances and digital products increased by 11.5 percent year-on-year.

    The consumption of services also saw significant growth, with online sales in the arts and tourism sectors growing by 31.9 percent and 25.4 percent year-on-year, respectively. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by Prime Minister Carney commemorating the Komagata Maru incident

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, issued the following statement commemorating the Komagata Maru incident:

    “In 1914, the Komagata Maru steamship anchored in Vancouver’s harbour after a long journey across the Pacific. The 376 people aboard – of Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu faiths – arrived seeking refuge and dignity.

    “Canadian authorities however, using exclusionary and discriminatory laws, refused them entry. For two months, passengers were detained on the ship and denied access to food, water, and medical care. When they were forced to return to India, many were imprisoned or killed there.

    “The Komagata Maru tragedy is a stark reminder of how, in moments of our history, Canada fell short of the values we hold dear. We cannot rewrite the past, but we must confront it; to act with purpose, to ensure that such injustices are never repeated, and to build a stronger future where inclusion is not a slogan, but a reality – lived, practised, and defended.

    “Let this solemn anniversary serve as a call of remembrance and conscience. To honour the past is to learn from it, and to learn from it is to act.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • Russia and Ukraine start prisoner exchange, but not yet completed

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner swap on Friday that was agreed on at their first direct talks in more than three years, a Ukrainian military source said on Friday.

    U.S. President Donald Trump said the prisoner exchange had already been completed but Kyiv and Moscow did not confirm this and the military source said the swap was still under way.

    Russia and Ukraine each agreed at two hours of talks in Istanbul last week to swap 1,000 prisoners, but failed to agree to a ceasefire proposed by Trump. Previous prisoner swaps have been mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

    The prisoner swap was the only concrete step towards peace the two sides agreed at their talks in Istanbul.

    “Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

    Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe’s deadliest war since World War Two, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities.

    Ukraine says it is ready for a 30-day ceasefire immediately, but Russia, which launched the war by invading its neighbour in 2022 and now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, says it will not pause its assaults until conditions are met first. A member of the Ukrainian delegation called those conditions “non-starters”.

    Trump, who has shifted U.S. policy from supporting Ukraine towards accepting some of Russia’s account of the war, had said he could tighten sanctions on Russia if Moscow blocked a peace deal. But after speaking to Putin on Monday he decided to take no action for now.

    Moscow says it is ready for peace talks while the fighting goes on, and wants to discuss what it calls the war’s “root causes”, including its demands Ukraine cede more territory, and be disarmed and barred from military alliances with the West. Kyiv says that is tantamount to surrender and would leave it defenceless in the face of future Russian attacks.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Around the Air Force: Allied Fighter Training, Oracle-M Satellite Test, Real ID Compliance

    Source: United States Air Force

    Headline: Around the Air Force: Allied Fighter Training, Oracle-M Satellite Test, Real ID Compliance

    In this week’s look Around the Air Force, the newest hub for allied fighter training reaches initial operational capability, a milestone in monitoring space between Earth and the moon, and federal installations now require all visitors seeking base access to possess a REAL ID.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Man Found Guilty by Jury

    Source: US FBI

    SOUTH BEND – Late yesterday, Stephen Forte, 63 years old, of Lakeland, Florida, was found guilty of two felony counts after a one-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

    Specifically, Forte was found guilty of abusive sexual contact and interference with the duties of a flight crew member, both committed within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States for conduct occurring on a flight from St. Petersburg, Florida to South Bend, Indiana.

    Sentencing is scheduled for September 5, 2025, at 10:00 am. Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the St. Joseph County Airport Authority Department of Public Safety.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Hannah T Jones.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sin City Deciples Member Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    HAMMOND- Roger Lee Ervin Burton, age 55, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

    Burton was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. 

    According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.

    Burton served as a National Board Member of the entire club and was described by informants as one of the top three leaders in the criminal organization.  

    The agencies involved in this prosecution were: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department.   Also aiding were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and former Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly L. Schultz.  

    This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five ways to inspire ocean connection: reflections from my 40-year marine ecology career

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin Attrill, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Plymouth

    For 40 years, I’ve worked as a marine ecologist and, since 1992, I’ve been based in Plymouth, Devon – a global hub for coastal marine research and teaching. As I think back to how our understanding of life in our oceans has changed over that time, here are five lessons I have learnt.

    1. Start with the basics

    Back in the 1970s, the band America wrote: “The ocean is a desert with its life underground, and the perfect disguise above”. Many people I speak to actually don’t see much beyond that grey-blue surface.

    Back in 2014 my colleagues and I were quite shocked at the response to a big survey we did on public perception of the marine environment in the UK, particularly when we break out of our marine bubbles. If an organism was remotely colourful or interesting, most people assumed it didn’t live in UK waters.

    That reminded me not to underestimate how little most people know, or care, about UK seas. Make no assumptions.

    While Blue Planet and other beautiful TV series have undoubtedly helped raise the profile of the world’s seas, some have potentially reinforced this view of local waters – that you have to travel to far-off exotic locations to find any interesting and spectacular life.

    2. Inspire deep connection

    Research shows the almost unparalleled restorative power of being in, on, under or by the sea. You do not need to dive to feel a strong ocean connection – building sandcastles, catching crabs on a line in a harbour, skimming stones or letting the cold water wash over your feet can work wonders.

    Rockpooling is also an incredible window into the underwater world – suddenly all this weird and wonderful life opens up to us in a small, simple and accessible puddle.

    Rockpooling is a fun and easy way to explore marine life.
    Laura Schwormstedt/Shutterstock

    People need to be given more opportunities to form lasting connections with the ocean. Organisations such as Plymouth’s Ocean Conservation Trust and Devon Wildlife Trust are bringing young people to the sea, sometimes for the first time.

    Enabling ocean connection is just as important for people who don’t have the chance or ability to physically be there, for example through virtual reality. I’ve also been involved in transforming Plymouth Sound into the UK’s first national marine park – this concept is all about engaging people with this stretch of coastline, getting them connected to the ocean and inspiring them to care. And the marine park model could be replicated around the UK.


    Local science, global stories.

    This article is part of a series, Secrets of the Sea, exploring how marine scientists are developing climate solutions.

    In collaboration with the BBC, Anna Turns travels around the West Country coastline to meet ocean experts making exciting discoveries beneath the waves.

    3. Take the pressure off

    If you leave the ocean alone, it can recover. Very few shallow areas of our global ocean remain untouched. But, as demonstrated so well in David Attenborough’s latest film, Ocean, if you remove all the most damaging impacts (particularly physical fishing damage), then the sea has great powers of recovery.

    In the UK, bluefin tuna and humpback whales have returned as the pressure to hunt them has been better managed. The cold water reefs on the seabed in Lyme Bay off the south coast of England have recovered remarkably just four years after a ban on towed fishing gear was introduced.

    Today, there are so few properly protected areas where all damaging or extractive activities are completely removed to give nature a chance, particularly in the UK. Some habitats may need a bit of help from us – active restoration or replanting of seagrass beds and oyster reefs will help kickstart regrowth.

    What is seagrass? The Ocean Conservation Trust explains.

    4. Plastic is a distraction

    The flow of plastics into the ocean must certainly be stopped. But I worry that the plastic pollution problem is a bandwagon that so many businesses, media outlets and governments have jumped on. Has a decade-long focus on “solving” the plastic crisis been a troublesome distraction? Banning single-use straws can seem like an easy win because leaders can be seen to be taking action – but it does little to solve the ocean’s biggest problems.

    Meanwhile, the most complex and hard to resolve activities that seriously harm our seas, such as industrial overfishing, are still not being dealt with. The most damaging fishing practices such as trawling and dredging continue legally, astonishingly even within designated marine protected areas. Such highly damaging activities have no place near sensitive habitats and this has been so well demonstrated in Ocean.

    The recent UK ban on sandeel fishing gives me hope. This landmark decision was made to benefit nature (protecting food supply for seabirds), restricting a fishery that does not even supply food for humans. Sandeels are used to make fishmeal and fish oil to feed farmed fish and livestock.

    Yet, damaging fishing practices such as trawling and dredging continue legally, even within designated marine protected areas. Such highly damaging activities have no place near sensitive habitats.

    I firmly believe that the most effective and straightforward solution for the UK is to prohibit all towed fishing gear from within at least three miles of the coast – including developing a series of fully protected marine reserves.

    In Lyme Bay, this approach has led to a real win-win because the seas are now recovering, and local fishers, holidaymakers and coastal communities are benefiting too.



    Read more:
    David Attenborough’s Ocean reveals how bottom trawling is hurting sealife in horrifying detail

    5. Add a dose of ocean optimism

    Rising eco-anxiety, particularly in younger people, is not surprising given the state of the world. Faced with the nature and climate crisis, it is easy to feel utter despair.

    Climate change will undoubtedly change our planet. Yet, without oceans absorbing most of the carbon (while producing half the oxygen we breathe), this planet would already be uninhabitable for human civilisation. Making our oceans as healthy and resilient as possible is therefore crucial.

    Right now, we need some ocean optimism. Sharing the stories of progress and innovation that show how patches of the sea are recovering can demonstrate what’s possible and inspire further positive action. By showcasing areas now rich with diverse marine life now that industrial-scale damage has been stopped or whale populations that are booming now that harpoons are a thing of the past, a vision for a better, bluer future can become reality at scale.

    Listen to episode one of Secrets of the Sea here on BBC Sounds, presented by Anna Turns for The Conversation.

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Martin Attrill receives and has received funding from a series of government, NGO and private sector bodies, all of which is directed to the University of Plymouth, not personally. Current and recent funding includes from UK Government (NEIRF), Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural Environmental Research Council, EU INTERREG and ERDF. He is affiliated with Ocean Conservation Trust (Chief Scientific Advisor) and a trustee of the Manta Trust.

    – ref. Five ways to inspire ocean connection: reflections from my 40-year marine ecology career – https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-inspire-ocean-connection-reflections-from-my-40-year-marine-ecology-career-250162

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: West Nile virus found in the UK for the first time – what you need to know

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Hunter, Professor of Medicine, University of East Anglia

    Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock.com

    For the first time, traces of the West Nile virus have been found in mosquitoes in the UK, according to a report published this week by the UK Health Security Agency.

    Here’s what you need to know about the virus and the disease it causes.

    What is West Nile virus?

    West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne virus first identified in Uganda in 1937. It belongs to the same viral family as dengue and yellow fever. The virus is most commonly transmitted by Culex mosquitoes, particularly the species Culex pipiens, which mainly feeds on birds.

    Birds are the primary host for West Nile virus, and the virus spreads in a cycle from infected birds to mosquitoes and then back to birds. Occasionally, mosquitoes can transmit the virus to humans or other animals.

    Most human infections – around 80% – cause no symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they are usually mild: fever, fatigue, headaches, body aches and sometimes nausea. But in rare cases, around one in 150 infections, the virus can cause severe illness, including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis. Older adults, especially those over 50, are most at risk of serious complications.

    The virus cannot normally be spread from person to person, though rare cases of transmission have occurred through blood transfusions or from mother to baby during pregnancy.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    How did it get to the UK?

    Although the exact route isn’t known, experts believe the virus may have arrived in the UK via migratory birds infected elsewhere. The mosquitoes probably picked up the virus after feeding on these birds during their northward journey.

    The detection was made as part of a routine mosquito surveillance programme run by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Mosquitoes collected from marshlands in south-east England tested positive in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, which detect fragments of the virus’s genetic material.

    It’s important to note that a positive PCR test doesn’t necessarily mean the virus is infectious. After a mosquito becomes infected, the virus needs time – several days – to multiply inside the mosquito before it can be transmitted. And this process is highly temperature dependent.

    Can the virus spread in the UK?

    The UK’s relatively cool climate has, until now, helped keep mosquito-borne diseases at bay. At summer temperatures of around 15°C, it can take up to 100 days for the virus to develop inside a mosquito – longer than the insect’s lifespan. In contrast, in hotter climates (above 30°C), this process can take just a few days.

    For a local outbreak to occur, there would need to be a critical mass of infected birds and mosquitoes, with enough warm weather to sustain multiple cycles of transmission. So far, that hasn’t happened in the UK.

    But climate change could alter the equation. With rising global temperatures and longer, hotter summers, the conditions that allow viruses such as West Nile to spread may become more common in the UK.

    What’s happening elsewhere?

    West Nile virus was once limited to Africa and the Middle East but has spread significantly in recent decades. Large outbreaks have been recorded in countries including Greece, Romania, Israel, Russia and the US.

    The US outbreak began in New York City in 1999 when an unusual number of birds were found dead in a city zoo. A veterinary pathologist at the Bronx Zoo, Tracey McNamara, helped link the bird deaths to the human illnesses being reported.

    Since then, the virus has spread across most of the US, Canada and parts of South America, resulting in over 60,000 reported human cases, 28,000 hospitalisations and more than 3,000 deaths.

    In 2024, 19 European countries reported a total of 1,436 local cases, most in men over 65, with 125 deaths. Most were in Italy, Greece and Spain – countries with hot, mosquito-friendly summers.

    Outbreaks were also reported in birds and horses, which are both susceptible to the virus.

    Should UK residents be concerned?

    While the detection of West Nile virus in UK mosquitoes is noteworthy, experts emphasise that the public health risk remains very low. No human cases have been reported in the UK to date, and current summer temperatures are not yet conducive to sustained transmission.

    The greater risk for most British people probably comes from travel – particularly to southern Europe, where cases are rising.

    Travellers are advised to take standard mosquito precautions: wear light-coloured clothing, long sleeves and trousers, and use insect repellent, especially in the evening when mosquitoes are most active.

    For now, the virus is unlikely to spread widely in the UK. But as climate patterns shift, continued surveillance and public awareness will be key to staying ahead of the risk.

    Paul Hunter consults for the World Health Organization. He receives funding from National Institute for Health Research and has received funding from the World Health Organization and the European Regional Development Fund.

    – ref. West Nile virus found in the UK for the first time – what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/west-nile-virus-found-in-the-uk-for-the-first-time-what-you-need-to-know-257295

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Jury in Louisville Returns Superseding Indictment Charging Three Men with Murder of Federal Witness

    Source: US FBI

    Louisville, KY – On May 6, 2025, a federal grand jury in Louisville returned a superseding indictment charging three men with conspiring to kill, and ultimately murdering, a witness in a federal investigation. Two of the defendants were previously charged with drug trafficking and firearms-related charges.    

    U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.

    According to the superseding indictment, Anyelle Curtley, Sr., 47, of Louisville, Delrico Nelson, 48, of Macomb, Illinois, and Antoyne Penick, 48, of Louisville, are each charged with conspiracy to tamper with a witness or informant by killing and conspiracy to retaliate against a witness or informant by killing. The superseding indictment alleges that between December 28, 2023, and January 31, 2023, Curtley Sr., Nelson, and Penick conspired and agreed to kill Victim 1 with the intent to prevent the testimony of Victim 1 in an official proceeding and to prevent Victim 1 from communicating with a law enforcement officer or judge information relating to the commission of a federal offense. Additionally, the superseding indictment alleges that the three men conspired and agreed to kill Victim 1 in retaliation for providing information to a law enforcement officer relating to the commission of a federal offense.

    Also, according to the superseding indictment, Curtley Sr. and Nelson, aided and abetted by each other, killed Victim 1, who was a person assisting a federal investigation, while that assistance was being rendered and because of it. Finally, the superseding indictment alleges that Curtley Sr. and Nelson aided and abetted each other in the murder of Victim 1 through the use of a firearm.

    This indictment supersedes an indictment returned March 5, 2024, charging Curtley, Sr. and others with drug trafficking and firearms related charges.

    The March 5, 2024, indictment charged Carl Delph, 53, of California, Curtley, Sr., Anyelle Curtley, Jr., 26, Adrian Richie, 35, Joseph Cousins, 39, Alandro O’Neal, 50, Jeroy Boyd, 44, Ameer Ellis, 45, Paul Butler, Jr., 35, and Susan Jenkins, 41, all of Louisville, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Beginning as early as May 9, 2023, and continuing through February 21, 2024, the defendants conspired to possess with the intent to distribute and distributed over 50 grams of methamphetamine, over 400 grams of fentanyl, and over 500 grams of cocaine.

    Delph and Curtley, Sr. were also charged with a money laundering conspiracy.

    Delph was also charged with distributing over 500 grams of cocaine and distributing over 400 grams of fentanyl.

    Curtley, Sr. was also charged with distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, attempting to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On December 28, 2023, Curtley, Sr., possessed a Glock, model 27, .40 caliber handgun. Curtley, Sr. was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted the following felony offense.

    On May 19, 2010, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Curtley, Sr. was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

    Curtley, Jr. was also charged with distributing fentanyl and cocaine.

    Richie and Cousins were also charged with distributing fentanyl.

    O’Neal, Ellis, and Jenkins were also charged with distributing methamphetamine.

    Boyd was also charged with distributing cocaine.

    Butler, Jr. was also charged with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    Cousins and O’Neal have pled guilty and are pending sentencing before a United States District Judge.

    An additional federal indictment was returned on March 5, 2024, charging Christopher Curtley, 50, and Penick, both of Louisville, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Beginning as early as January 9, 2024, and continuing through February 29, 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin.

    Christopher Curtley was also charged with distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

    Penick was also charged with distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin. Penick was also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On January 24, 2024, Penick possessed a Heritage Manufacturing Inc., Model Rough Rider, .22 caliber revolver. Penick was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

    On September 27, 2017, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Penick was convicted of flagrant non-support.

    On October 19, 2015, in Clark Circuit Court, Clark County, Indiana, Penick was convicted of theft.

    On November 1, 2010, in Clark Superior Court, Clark County, Indiana, Penick was convicted of theft, robbery (two counts), and dealing in marijuana.

    Those charges against Christopher Curtley and Penick remain pending.

    Curtley Sr. and Penick previously appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on the underlying drug and firearm charges. Nelson appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for Central District of Illinois on May 8, 2025. Curtley Sr., Nelson, and Penick have been ordered detained pending trial. If convicted of the offenses alleged in the superseding indictment, all three defendants face a potential sentence of death, life, or any term of years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    There is no parole in the federal system. 

    This case is being investigated by the DEA, FBI, HSI, ATF, IRS-CI, and the Louisville Metro Police Department, with assistance from the Kentucky State Police and Macomb, Illinois Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl and Josh Porter are prosecuting the case, with assistance from paralegal Aaron Cooper.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What’s it like being a raven or a crow?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Walter Veit, Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, University of Reading

    Corvids are no birdbrains. Mimmo Lusito/Pexels, CC BY-SA

    Many of us as children may have wondered what’s going on inside the mind of an animal – what are they thinking and feeling? Most animal researchers study science because of their fascination with animals, but for a long time scientific norms made it impossible to even raise the question of animal consciousness without losing scientific credibility.

    Fortunately, those days have ended, thanks in large part to pioneering work by scientists such as Donald Griffin, who argued from the 1980s to his death in 2003 that animal minds should be a topic for scientific study.

    We are philosophers who study consciousness, and in our recent research we worked with other scientists to explore what the world might be like from the point of view of corvids, the family of birds that includes ravens, crows, jays and magpies.

    “Birdbrain” used to be a common insult but corvids have such surprising intelligence that they are sometimes described by scientists and journalists as “feathered apes”. But we wanted to go beyond intelligence. To do this we examined five dimensions of their experience by combing through studies on their behaviour, cognition, brains, emotions and consciousness.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Corvids’ eyes have incredibly sharp resolution that allows them to navigate while flying at high speeds and to find potential sources of food. Their hearing is excellent, perhaps unsurprising for songbirds, allowing them to even distinguish reliable from unreliable group members by assessing and remembering their alert calls.

    They also have a good sense of smell, which they use to help them find nuts and other food they have hidden. Unfortunately, we do not know how their smell compares to a lot of other animals, because there are not enough studies on corvids’ sense of smell yet.

    Emotional lives

    Corvids show cognitive biases, similar to humans. They have negative moods and show signs of pessimism after observing similar states in others.

    But they also show positive moods after successfully using tools – just like humans. And they can also show neophobia – wariness of new objects.

    Even if you come with treats to give them, corvids are reluctant to fly close to someone they haven’t met before, but are confident with humans they know well – another common human trait.

    It is common for people to only attribute emotional lives to mammals, but corvids show that we should study the emotions of birds in more detail.

    Integrated experiences

    We humans have one stream of consciousness. But birds lack a corpus callosum, the structure that connects the two brain hemispheres in us and other mammals.

    Their brain halves show a lot of division of labour, such as using their different eyes to focus on different tasks. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that their experience is split into two selves – it could suggest a kind of partial unity different from our own.

    Perhaps their consciousness is more like split-brain human patients who have had their corpus callosum cut to reduce the effects of seizures. When two pictures are presented in their respective left and right visual fields, these people will draw what they see on the left side with their left hand, whereas they will verbally describe what is on the right, giving the appearance of two selves in one body.

    Consciousness across time

    Corvids show remarkable abilities in their sense of self across time. Because they often hide food (scientists call this caching), they can remember not just where they hid food, but also what kind of food it was and how long ago they hid it – which is relevant for more perishable foods such as insects, compared to longer-lasting nuts.

    Here their memory far outstrips our own or, for that matter, most other animals when it comes to hiding objects, with some corvids caching and remembering over a thousand food items in a month for later consumption. No human would be able to remember that many hiding spots.

    Corvids can even plan, collecting and storing a tool such as a spoon for future use.

    Is this magpie waiting for the photographer to go away before it hides its nut?
    Fercast/Shutterstock

    A rich sense of self

    They not only recognise themselves in mirrors, but also understand other minds. Research has shown corvids go back to remove cached food and hide it elsewhere if they know they have been observed – but only if they have stolen from others in the past.

    Male jays will watch the feeding behaviour of a female they want to court, so they can bring their preferred food. Even more solitary corvids, such as ravens, seem to have well-developed social skills, which scientists used to think were largely restricted to mammals.

    In all of this, there is still a great deal of uncertainty. Learning about the minds of other animals requires a great deal of inference from sparse and often ambiguous data. But we believe that there is scientific evidence for rich conscious experiences in corvids. For most species, it is a lack of research, not a lack of capacity, that keeps us silent on what their subjective experiences are like.

    This research also has implications for corvid welfare. Understanding what the world is like for an animal means understanding what feels good and bad for them. Their good memories may mean they suffer longer from a negative experience, neophobia will mean novel objects should be introduced slowly, their social abilities mean they should be housed in groups. Giving them tools could allow them enriching experiences.

    All this should be taken into account when deciding how to care for these birds when kept in cavity, and how to minimise welfare risks in other interactions with them.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What’s it like being a raven or a crow? – https://theconversation.com/whats-it-like-being-a-raven-or-a-crow-257171

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a work of art activism beloved by Banksy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sondeep Kandola, Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Cultural History, Liverpool John Moores University

    Oscar Wilde photographed by Napoleon Sarony (c. 1882). Library of Congress

    In 2021, Banksy revealed a mural of Oscar Wilde, clad in prisoner garb, making an escape from the abandoned Reading jail. The artist claimed that he would donate profits from the sale of the stencil he used to create the work (a projected £10 million) to set up an arts hub in the Grade II listed building.

    This hasn’t yet taken place, but speaking about the work at the time, Banksy dubbed Wilde “the patron saint of smashing two contrasting ideas together to create magic. Converting the place that destroyed him into a refuge for art feels so perfect we have to do it.”

    In 1895, Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labour for “gross indecency” after being convicted of “homosexual acts”. He was posthumously pardoned in 2017 under the Turing Law.

    The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which he wrote two years after his release, hypnotically details the psychological and physical horrors of living in isolation in unsanitary single-cells for 23 hours a day.

    It also reveals the mind-numbing conditions and physically exhausting jobs that were relentlessly inflicted on prisoners in Wilde’s day. They were required to ascend 56 steps a minute for nine hours a day on a treadmill, break stones and pick oakum (fibres from the ropes used on ships). And to do so in complete silence.

    This article is part of Rethinking the Classics. The stories in this series offer insightful new ways to think about and interpret classic books and artworks. This is the canon – with a twist.

    In the poem, Wilde details the intense surveillance techniques and harsh punishments adopted by the prison wardens against the “outcast men”.

    Oscar Wilde’s prison cell in Reading Gaol as it appears today.
    Jack1956/Wiki Commons

    “Like ape or clown, in monstrous garb,” he writes, the inmates silently trudge the prison yard in their one allotted hour of exercise per day. The poem focuses on one prisoner in particular, named only as CTW, who is sentenced to death for murdering his wife. It traces his walk to the “hideous” shed where he is to be executed, which ghoulishly sees him “cross his own coffin”.

    More gothic images abound. CTW’s impending burial in an unhallowed and anonymous grave is described as “with yawning mouth the horrid hole / Gaped for a living thing” while “the very mud cried out for blood”.

    Wilde also references a scene from Coleridge’s 1797 masterpiece The Rime of the Ancient Mariner as he envisions phantoms dancing a “grisly masque” in which they sing of inexorable triumph of sin in prison, “the Secret House of Shame”.

    Moreover, Wilde denies that the sacrifice that CTW has offered to the prison with his execution is ultimately redemptive for him as:

    He did not pass in purple pomp

    Nor ride a moon-white steed

    Three yards of cord and a sliding board

    Are all the gallows need.

    In the ballad, Wilde represents the prison experience as sadistic and unrelenting. Much like Banksy over a century later, Wilde used the degree of anonymity the poem afforded (he published it under his cell number, C33) to berate an inhumane society and the distressing penal policy of “hard labour, hard fare, hard board” that he was forced to endure.

    The Ballad of Reading Gaol can ultimately be read as a celebration of compassion, resilience and art activism. Through the poem and letters he wrote to the Daily Chronicle, Wilde publicly attempted to “try and change [prison life] for others”.

    Wilde and his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas in 1893.
    British Library

    Despite Wilde’s public notoriety, Irish MPs Michael Davitt and T.P. O’Connor even went as far as to quote the ballad in parliamentary debates, which led to the adoption of some of the recommendations that Wilde had made in his letters in the 1898 Prison Reform Act.

    Although Wilde, himself, was to suffer the psychological and physical effects of his imprisonment until the end of his short life two years later, the 1898 Act saw the treadmill abolished, ensured solitary confinement could only be used for a maximum of 28 days and children were separated from adult prisoners. And yet, sadly, Wilde’s description of “the foul and dark latrine” of “humanity’s machine” continues to reverberate today.

    On August 22 2024, “independent monitors” into the conditions at Wandsworth Prison (where Wilde was briefly held) found it to be “crumbling, overcrowded and vermin-infested, with inmates living in half the cell space available when it was first opened in 1851”.

    While Wilde’s “swan song” joins with Banksy’s escaped prisoner to expose the failings of modern penal practices, it also reminds us of the enduring power of art and imagination to foster change.

    Beyond the canon

    As part of the Rethinking the Classics series, we’re asking our experts to recommend a book or artwork that tackles similar themes to the canonical work in question, but isn’t (yet) considered a classic itself. Here is Sondeep Kandola’s suggestion:

    If you are looking for further reading on the topic of prison life and the prison experience, Andy West’s memoir The Life Inside (2022) offers a sobering and often witty reflection on living in the carceral state today. A philosophy teacher in prison, West explores the notion of freedom, redemption and our broken prison system.

    You might also be interested to read Brendan Behan’s powerful 1958 autobiography Borstal Boy and Bobby Sands’ courageous Writings from Prison (2020), two incarcerated Irish writers who shared Wilde’s republican sympathies and similarly questioned the ethics and integrity of the British government who imprisoned them.

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

    – ref. Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a work of art activism beloved by Banksy – https://theconversation.com/oscar-wildes-the-ballad-of-reading-gaol-is-a-work-of-art-activism-beloved-by-banksy-237581

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council complaint to Government over future for Tipner West

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    The Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Steve Pitt, has written a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, to complain in the strongest possible terms about her treatment of the Council in regard to the future direction of Tipner West and Horsea Island East in the emerging Portsmouth Local Plan.

    His letter is in response to two letters from the Secretary of State.  In the first letter dated 28 February 2025, the Secretary of State gave her opinion that Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (IROPI) for limited development at Tipner West had not been proved by the Council.  This opinion was challenged by the Council in a Pre-Action Protocol letter sent on 10 March 2025 which stated that the opinion was unlawful on three grounds:

    1. The Secretary of State misdirected herself in law by applying the wrong test to circumstances where no priority habitats or species are likely to be affected.
    2. The Secretary of State failed to give adequate reasons for her opinion that each of the grounds relied on by the Council, individually and cumulatively, did not constitute IROPI.
    3. The Secretary of State’s opinion was irrational because it was based on flawed reasoning and failed to have regard to obviously material considerations.

    The second letter sent on 9 May 2025 by the Secretary of State, withdrew the IROPI opinion.  This letter states that she does not accept the premise of the first ground and does not consider that she misdirected herself in law.  However, she does agree to withdraw the IROPI opinion based on grounds 2 and 3.

    The letter confirms that the original opinion has been formally withdrawn and so cannot be subject to a judicial review.  It also states that the matter is being re-considered by the Secretary of State with the intention of providing details of how to proceed as soon as possible.

    In his letter, Cllr Pitt states that the Council wants to move forward with its Local Plan including Tipner West which works for both people and nature.

    Cllr Pitt adds :

    “We have been forced to write this letter to the Secretary of State as we cannot move forward with any proposals for Tipner West, and finalise our Local Plan, until we have clarity from the Government.

    “The longer that this goes on, means a longer wait for much needed homes and jobs for local people, along with the sea defences to protect the wider area. I would urge the Government to meet with us as soon as possible so we can settle this matter and move forward constructively”

    The Leader of Portsmouth City Council also says in his letter that the Council wants to move forward on delivering the City Deal which was made with the Government in 2013 to create the new jobs and homes required for one of the most deprived areas of the country.  He asks to meet the Secretary of State as a matter of urgency to discuss these matters

    Cllr Pitt reiterated that Portsmouth City Council continues to work closely with Natural England and the Environment Agency, alongside the RSPB and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to find a solution for the site that works for both people and nature.

    The Portsmouth Local Plan is the statutory development plan that will guide development in the city up to 2040. This Plan allocates sites for development, sets targets for new homes and jobs. It also introduces city wide policies on design, greening and the climate emergency.

    For more information visit www.portsmouth.gov.uk/localplan 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: At the meeting of the public council of the Housing Committee at SPbGASU, personnel issues were in the spotlight

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Denis Udod, Georgy Abelev, Veronika Asaul and Yuri Kozlov

    On May 22, a meeting of the public council under the Housing Committee of the Government of St. Petersburg was held at SPbGASU on the topic of “Searching for and revealing the personnel potential of the city’s housing sector.” The presidium of the meeting included the chairman of the Housing Committee Denis Udod, the chairman of the public council under the Housing Committee Georgy Abelev, the head of the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Public Utilities of SPbGASU Veronika Asaul and the executive secretary Yuri Kozlov.

    Head of the Department for Civil Service and Personnel of the Housing Committee Elena Mayevskaya spoke about current issues in the development of human resources in the housing sector of the Northern capital. The main emphasis is on measures aimed at attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, especially in the field of cleaning urban areas and servicing housing stock. One of the key aspects is the development of a system of material and non-material incentives, including the establishment of competitive wages for janitors and machine operators, as well as improving working and rest conditions. The speaker noted the desire of the St. Petersburg authorities to ensure the stable functioning of the housing sector through an integrated approach to human resource management, including material compensation, professional development and the creation of attractive working conditions.

    Director of the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Educational Institution of Additional Professional Education “Educational and Methodological Center of the Housing Committee” Valery Sapozhnikov spoke about the activities of the center. An important point is the calculation of the required number of specialists undergoing retraining, and the actual training indicators for the previous period. The need for an annual increase in the number of students, the introduction of modern technologies and quality standards is noted, which will improve the efficiency of work in the housing sector. In addition, priority tasks are outlined, including expanding the range of educational services, holding seminars and conferences, introducing innovative approaches to training and practical application of knowledge. Particular attention is paid to the creation of a training center of competencies, which will become a platform for the exchange of experience, scientific research and the introduction of advanced technologies.

    Isa Magerramov, a postgraduate student at the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Public Utilities at SPbGASU, spoke about the personnel shortage in the housing and public utilities sector of St. Petersburg, noting the acute shortage of qualified specialists and the fact that the current personnel training system is not effective enough and needs deep reform.

    Isa Magerramov reported that one of the responses to the personnel shortage in the housing and utilities sector was the opening of a specialized program in “Housing and Utilities Economics” at SPbGASU within the framework of the educational program 38.03.01 Economics.

    “To solve personnel problems, it is necessary to form a new type of specialist who will have both technical and economic competencies necessary for effective management of the housing and utilities sector. To achieve this goal, a systematic approach is needed with a focus on modernizing the educational system, developing interdisciplinary competencies, interacting with employers and supporting young specialists, which will allow us to prepare competent professionals who are in demand on the labor market,” he noted.

    The postgraduate student added: one of the promising areas that contributes to the formation of in-demand management and economic competencies for the effective development of the housing and communal services sector in St. Petersburg is the integration of the scientific potential of SPbGASU, professional standards and new educational solutions.

    The participants of the meeting came to a unanimous opinion on the need for a systemic and interdepartmental approach to solving the problem of personnel shortage in the housing sector. It was decided to continue close cooperation between the Housing Committee, educational organizations and employers in the industry.

    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: Discovery May Flip the Genetic Script on Fungal Threat of Wheat

    Source: US Agriculture Research Service

    Discovery May Flip the Genetic Script on Fungal Threat of Wheat

    By: Jan Suszkiw
    Email: arspress@usda.gov

    May 23, 2025

    Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have discovered a breakthrough in the fight against Fusarium Head Blight, which is a major disease affecting U.S. wheat and other cereal crops.

    Farmers must be diligent for signs of Fusarium Head Blight, a disease of cereal crops that flourishes under wet conditions and high temperatures. Caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, the disease inflicts yield losses of more than one billion dollars annually in wheat and barley. The disease also produces mycotoxins that can contaminate the crops’ grain, limiting its marketability or even rendering it unfit for food or feed uses.  

    Now, an ARS-led team may have found a way to turn the tables on Fusarium Head Blight, potentially minimizing the threat it poses to consumer health, farmer profits, and a $5.94 billion U.S. wheat export market. 

    The team’s discovery, reported in the International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, centers around a key molecule that the fungus naturally produces, known as FgTPP1.

    “This molecule helps the fungus shut off the plant’s defenses or weaken them enough that it can grow in the rest of the plant,” explained Matthew Helm, team leader and a research molecular biologist with ARS’s Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit in West Lafayette, IN.

    The top half of this wheat head is infected with Fusarium Head Blight, a costly fungal disease that can diminish the grain yield and quality of wheat, barley and certain other cereal crops. (Photo Credit: Mathew Helm, ARS)

    FgTPP1 is one of hundreds of molecules that the fungus produces to help it infect wheat plants and cause Fusarium Head Blight.  The fact that other disease-causing species of Fusarium also produce FgTPP1 “suggests it serves an important function,” Helm said.

    To find out, Helm and his team of researchers used a standard procedure to “delete” the gene for FgTPP1 from the fungus. In the lab, the scientists then infected the wheat heads of a susceptible spring wheat variety with the gene-deleted fungus. They also infected a second group of wheat heads with fungus whose FgTPP1 remained intact. This enabled the researchers to compare the progress of Fusarium Head Blight in wheat heads exposed to the two fungus groups.  

    As expected, wheat heads exposed to the gene-deleted fungus fared far better than those exposed to the intact fungus—with the former causing disease in 18% to 27% of wheat heads versus 50% for the latter.  

    Helm and his team showed that, during infection, the fungus uses FgTPP1 to deactivate the plant defensive response, allowing the fungus to grow and cause Fusarium Head Blight.

    Now, Helm’s team has begun examining which proteins in wheat are important targets for FgTPP1 and whether removing them could slow the fungus’s advance to the rest of the plant.

    “The trick,” Helm noted, “will be to avoid hurting the plant by removing a protein that it also needs.”   

    The outcome of this research will benefit commercially grown wheat to naturally withstand the disease and keep its toxins out of grain destined for consumer and livestock uses. Ultimately, investing in and exploring novel approaches like this “adds another tool in the toolbox that U.S. farmers can use to manage Fusarium Head Blight in wheat and possibly barley,” Helm added.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

    ###

    USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PANAMA CITY COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN SENTENCED FOR KILLING DOLPHINS IN THE GULF OF AMERICA

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 30 days’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a $51,000 fine for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The sentence was announced by Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    “The Gulf of America is a vital natural resource,” said Acting United States Attorney Spaven. “The defendant’s selfish acts are more than illegally poisoning and shooting protected animals – they are serious crimes against public resources, threats to the local ecosystem, and a devastating harm to a highly intelligent and charismatic species. With our dedicated law enforcement partners, we will ensure that the coastal waters remain safe for our citizens and its wildlife.”

    According to court filings and statements made in court, Barfield has been a licensed charter and commercial fishing captain in the Panama City area for his entire adult life. From 2022-2023, he poisoned and shot bottlenose dolphins on multiple occasions.

    In the summer of 2022, Barfield grew frustrated with dolphins eating red snapper from the lines of his charter fishing clients. He began placing methomyl inside baitfish to poison the dolphins that surfaced near his boat. Methomyl is a highly toxic pesticide that acts on the nervous system of humans, mammals, and other animals, and is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to control flies in non-residential settings. Barfield recognized methomyl’s toxicity and impact on the environment but continued to feed poisoned baitfish to the dolphins for months.

    While captaining fishing trips in December 2022 and the summer of 2023, Barfield saw dolphins eating snapper from his client’s fishing lines. On both occasions, he used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot the dolphins that surfaced near his vessel, killing one immediately. On other occasions, Barfield shot, but did not immediately kill, dolphins near his vessel. On one trip he shot a dolphin while two elementary-aged children were on board, and another with more than a dozen fisherman on board.

    “Barfield was a longtime charter and commercial fishing captain,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children. This sentence demonstrates our commitment to enforcing the rule of law. It should deter others from engaging in such conduct.”

    “These cruel and unnecessary deaths may have gone unsolved without the determination and expertise of our investigator and the close working relationship we have with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida,” said Paige Casey, Acting Assistant Director, NOAA OLE Southeast Division. “The subject’s actions were intentional and heartless, and we’ll continue to pursue any harmful acts against marine mammals. Egregious crimes such as in this case have serious consequences.”

    Barfield’s prison sentence will be followed by a 1-year term of supervised release.

    “We are proud to work alongside our partner agencies to bring Zachary Barfield to justice,” said Captain Mike Godwin, FWC Investigations Northwest Region. “His actions were cruel, illegal, and a threat to the Gulf’s marine life. This case shows the power of teamwork and our shared commitment to protecting Florida’s wildlife and holding offenders accountable.”

    The National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation with assistance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The case was prosecuted by Environmental Crimes Section Senior Trial Attorney Patrick Duggan and Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo.

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    Public reporting of crimes is a crucial aspect of law enforcement. If you are aware of a violation of federal marine resource laws or federal pesticide laws, please contact NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964 or EPA’s National Response Center at (800) 424-8802.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Martin Elling to Serve Six Months in Federal Prison for Obstructing Justice Related to his Work with Purdue Pharma

    ABINGDON, Va. – A former senior partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm based in New York, N.Y., that agreed in 2024 to pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into the firm’s consulting work with opioids manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, L.P., was sentenced yesterday to six months in federal prison for obstructing justice related to his work on Purdue matters. In addition, Elling was ordered to serve two years of supervised release following his incarceration, which includes a requirement that he perform 1,000 hours of community service. The court also imposed a $40,000 fine.

    Martin Elling, 60, a U.S. citizen most recently residing in Bangkok, Thailand, pled guilty in January 2025 to a one-count Information charging him with knowingly destroying records with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice.

    “Martin Elling willfully destroyed records in order to obstruct a Department of Justice investigation related to the actions of McKinsey & Company, Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis that has devastated communities in this region. He will now have six months to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “This sentence should be an example to all individuals considering similar actions – if you destroy records, if you impeded a Department of Justice investigation, you will go to jail.”

    “Today’s sentencing sends a resounding message: those who attempt to obstruct justice and conceal the truth – no matter how senior, sophisticated, or well-connected – will be held accountable,” said Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. “Mr. Elling’s efforts to erase evidence tied to McKinsey’s work with Purdue Pharma were not just a breach of corporate integrity – they were a calculated effort to hinder a federal investigation into one of the most devastating public health crises in our nation’s history. Justice requires the truth, and our office will continue to pursue it wherever the facts lead.”

    “Knowingly destroying records and documents to impede a government investigation into the unlawful prescribing of opioids impairs the ability of law enforcement to do its job and endangers the public health,” said Special Agent in Charge George A. Scavdis of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who attempt to thwart these important investigations and whose actions put profits over patient safety.”

    “The opioid epidemic has left a trail of heartbreak across Virginia and the nation,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “I commend both the US Department of Justice and my office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their exemplary efforts and partnership to ensure justice is served.”

    According to court documents, in May 2013, Purdue engaged McKinsey to recover lost OxyContin sales. Purdue retained McKinsey to conduct a rapid assessment of the underlying drivers of OxyContin performance, identify key opportunities to increase near-term OxyContin revenue and develop plans to capture priority opportunities. This 2013 effort was called Evolve to Excellence, or “E2E,” and included McKinsey advising Purdue on how to “turbocharge” the sales pipeline for OxyContin by, among other strategies, intensifying marketing to High Value Prescribers.

    Elling served as the director of the client services team for approximately 30 of McKinsey’s engagements with Purdue. He had a senior, relationship-focused role with respect to the E2E engagement and was involved in securing the engagement for McKinsey.

    On July 4, 2018, Elling emailed another senior partner: “Just saw in the FT that [Purdue board member] is being sued by states attorneys general for her role on the [Purdue] Board. It probably makes sense to have a quick conversation with the risk committee to see if we should be doing anything other [than] eliminating all our documents and emails. Suspect not but as things get tougher there someone might turn to us.”

    According to court documents, forensic analysis of Elling’s McKinsey-issued laptop found that Elling in fact deleted materials related to McKinsey’s work for Purdue from the laptop, as well as a Purdue-related folder from his Outlook email account. On August 22, 2018, Elling emailed himself an apparent to-do list, with the subject line, “When home.” The items listed included: “delete old pur [Purdue Pharma] documents from laptop[.]” Forensic analysis of Elling’s laptop by the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section determined that between approximately April 2018 and September 2018, Elling removed a folder titled “Purdue” (which included a subfolder entitled “Strategy”) from his Windows operating system that contained more than 100 items for whom the filenames indicate they were from as far back as 2004 and included the name of the Purdue Pharma CEO at the time of the origination of the Purdue Pharma engagements with McKinsey. The CEO was among the former Purdue Pharma executives who, in 2007, pled guilty and was convicted of misbranding in United States District Court in Abingdon.

    On August 25, 2018, Elling emailed himself the following, “Remove Pur[due] folder from garbage[.]” Elling was aware of the investigations into Purdue Pharma’s conduct and knowingly deleted folders, documents, and emails from his McKinsey-issued laptop knowing these documents would be pertinent to those investigations.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia; Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda P. Masselam Strachan and William B. Brady of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts; Senior Trial Counsel Kristen M. Echemendia of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section); Trial Attorneys Jessica Harvey and Steven R. Scott of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch; and Special Assistant United States Attorneys and Assistant Attorneys General Kristin Gray and Kimberly Bolton of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

    The matter was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Office of Personnel Management, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Seconds from Disaster: Rescued from Submerged Car in McKenzie River

    Source: US Coast Guard (video statements)

    Darla West, sister of Linn West, was dramatically rescued by a Coast Guard Air Station North Bend aircrew after her car was swept into the frigid waters of the McKenzie River in Oregon. Trapped in her car as it was partially submerged, Darla clung to hope and remained remarkably calm while awaiting help. The swift response of the Coast Guard, navigating challenging terrain and swift currents, proved lifesaving.

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Drug Trafficking and Possessing AR-15 Pistol Inside Hospital

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –ERIC FALKINS (“FALKINS”), age 19, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025, before Chief U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846; possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

    According to court documents, FALKINS had been selling marijuana in New Orleans since at least 2023, and conspiring with others to help him sell drugs.  On January 24, 2024, FALKINS went to Touro Infirmary hospital in New Orleans to visit a patient.  FALKINS brought a backpack inside the hospital that smelled like marijuana.  Inside the backpack, were two plastic bags containing distributable quantities of marijuana; 17 sealed, pre-packaged bags of marijuana; a sealed bag of marijuana edibles; two digital scales; and a Radical Firearms Model RF-15, multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition. 

    As to each of his drug trafficking convictions, FALKINS faces up to 5 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and a minimum of two years of supervised release.  As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, and up to five years of supervised release.  Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms Offense

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LaMICHAEL JACKSON (“JACKSON”), age 26, was sentenced on May 8, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to thirty-nine (39) months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

    According to court documents, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers on patrol in Hollygrove saw JACKSON crossing the street holding a Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15 pistol. JACKSON fled in a vehicle before being cut off by an NOPD patrol car.  Inside the vehicle, officers recovered a second gun belonging to JACKSON, a Glock Model 43x, nine-millimeter handgun.  Both firearms were loaded when they were recovered.  JACKSON is prohibited from possessing a firearm by prior felony convictions for aggravated assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Caught on Video Firing Gun and Driving Stolen Car Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Machinegun and Drug Trafficking Crimes

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RENARD SANTIAGO (“SANTIAGO”), age 19, was sentenced on May 13, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to fifteen (15) years in prison, followed by four (4) years of supervised release, along with a mandatory $400 special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy, and possession with the intent to distribute, marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).

    According to court documents, in 2024, SANTIAGO was wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and the New Orleans Police Department.  Specifically, an arrest warrant had been issued for SANTIAGO for an armed robbery committed on October 10, 2023.  On December 25, 2023,he was captured on surveillance video firing a handgun with a drum magazine attached and then driving away in a stolen SUV.  During their investigation into his whereabouts, law enforcement officers saw stories on SANTIAGO’s social media account showing SANTIAGO in possession of a handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device, posing with large amounts of cash, and advertising the sale of marijuana.  The next day, officers executed a search warrant at SANTIAGO’s residence.  SANTIAGO hid in the attic for four hours before he was finally forced out of the house.  Inside the attic, officers found SANTIAGO’s handgun, with the machinegun conversion device still attached, a distributable quantity of marijuana, and over $400 in cash.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictment Charging Two Men Involved in Robberies at Stores in Shreveport

    Source: US FBI

    SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging two men for their involvement in the robbery of two stores in Shreveport. 

    Kevin Terrell Lewis a/k/a “Kelvin Lewis,” 38, of Arlington, Texas, and his brother, Larry Dewayne Lewis, 44, of Shreveport, have been charged with two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to using, carrying, brandishing and discharging firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence. Kelvin Lewis was also charged with two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

    The indictment alleges that on or about December 23, 2024, Kelvin Lewis and Larry Lewis, each aided and abetted by the other, committed robbery of personal property consisting of approximately $500 in United States currency from the victim owner/manager of the Pull-Up Liquor located at 5619 Hearne Avenue in Shreveport, as he was closing the store and walking to his car in the parking lot. 

    The indictment further alleges that on or about January 22, 2025, Kelvin Lewis and Larry Lewis, each aided and abetted by the other, committed robbery of personal property consisting of prescription drugs and a work van that was in the care, custody and control of victim B.J. as he was making a delivery from the Hackbarth Company to Walgreens located at 3124 Line Avenue in Shreveport. 

    Kelvin Lewis is charged in the indictment with using, carrying, and brandishing semi-automatic firearms during and in relation to these crimes of violence. The indictment also alleges that Kelvin Lewis and Larry Lewis conspired to use, carry, brandish and discharge a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, namely, robbery.

    If convicted, each defendant faces a sentence of not less than 10 years or more than life in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.  

    Larry Dewayne Lewis is currently in federal custody after being indicted on February 5, 2025, and charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

    This investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Shreveport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Aaron Crawford and William C. Gaskins.

    An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –