NewzIntel.com

Category: DJF

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The discovery of archaeologists from China and Uzbekistan is included in the list of important achievements in the field of archaeometry and protection of cultural heritage

    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 28 (Xinhua) — A discovery made by a joint Chinese-Uzbek archaeological team during excavations at the Munchaktepa site in Uzbekistan has been listed as an important achievement in archaeometry and cultural heritage protection, the Chinese Academy of History said on its Weibo microblogging site.

    The discovery at the Munchaktepa archaeological site and six other achievements were announced at a press conference organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CAS) in Beijing on Tuesday.

    The Munchaktepa settlement and burial ground, which were discovered in 1986, are located in the Namangan region of Uzbekistan, on the banks of the Syr Darya River. Since September last year, joint excavations have been conducted by researchers from the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences of China and the State Archaeological Center of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.

    Experts discovered bronze wushu coins /editor’s note: more precisely, wu-zhu, meaning “five zhu”, zhu is a unit of mass in ancient China/, a mirror with arched ornaments, and a fragment of twill brocade.

    Let us recall that the coins “wushu” were in circulation in the Celestial Empire from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century. Brocade is a complex patterned artistic and decorative fabric, usually with a silk base with metal threads with gold, silver or materials imitating them in the weft of the fabric. Its production was known at the beginning of our era in China, from where this art passed to the countries of Asia Minor and later to Europe.

    According to experts, a fragment of twill brocade found in Uzbekistan indicates that China may have mastered the method of producing such twill fabric a hundred years earlier than previously thought.

    The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that the results of the research at the Munchaktepa site provide new sources on cultural and material exchanges along the Silk Road from the 3rd to the 6th centuries. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chengdu and Yekaterinburg signed an Action Plan to develop sister city relations

    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 28 (Xinhua) — A ceremony to sign the Action Plan for Further Development of Sister City Relations between Chengdu and Yekaterinburg for 2025-2027 was held in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the Chengdu Daily reported on Tuesday.

    According to the document, the parties set the task of deepening bilateral friendly relations and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the two cities. The priority areas of cooperation included economics, trade, culture, tourism, education, youth exchanges, training of specialists, urban development, ecology and environmental protection.

    Since the establishment of sister city relations between Chengdu and Yekaterinburg in 2024, mutual visits between the cities’ representatives have become more frequent, and there has been a constant deepening of their trade and economic cooperation.

    Before the ceremony, Chengdu Mayor Wang Fengchao met with a Russian delegation led by Yekaterinburg Mayor Alexei Orlov. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Funding for the scientific and technological development program from the Russian federal budget in 2025 has been increased by 14 percent.

    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

    Moscow, May 28 /Xinhua/ — Under the state program “Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation,” 14 percent more funds have been allocated from the Russian federal budget for science in 2025 than a year earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said at a general meeting of members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

    The increase amounts to 83.3 billion rubles. Of these, 50.1 billion rubles are allocated for additional funding of fundamental scientific research.

    According to D. Chernyshenko, the Russian government will continue to support the initiatives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, including in terms of developing fundamental research in Russia. According to him, it is important to ensure the continuity of fundamental science and applied solutions necessary for the creation of the most important science-intensive technologies. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Cases of infection with a new variant of coronavirus have been identified in Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Moscow, May 28 /Xinhua/ — Four cases of infection with the new NB.1.8.1 coronavirus variant have been identified in Russia, Anna Popova, head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, told reporters.

    According to her, the disease proceeds in the same way as when infected with other known subvariants of the Omicron strain. There are no plans to introduce additional measures in the country in connection with the spread of the new genovariant.

    According to Vladimir Chulanov, a freelance specialist in infectious diseases at the Russian Ministry of Health, the risk to public health associated with NB.1.8.1 is assessed as low at the global level.

    According to the World Health Organization, cases of infection with the NB.1.8.1 genovariant have been reported in 22 countries. Current data do not indicate that it leads to a more severe course of the disease. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Number of listed companies in China reaches 5,420

    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 28 (Xinhua) — There were 5,420 companies listed on China’s stock market as of the end of April 2025, according to data released by the China Association of Listed Companies.

    At the end of April, 2,284 companies were listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, 2,871 on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and 265 on the Beijing Stock Exchange.

    The number of companies with state and non-state control is 27 percent and 73 percent, respectively.

    Three provinces – Guangdong (in southern China), Zhejiang and Jiangsu (both in eastern China) – account for 42.58 percent of the total number of companies listed on China’s stock market.

    There are 119 companies with a market capitalization of over 100 billion yuan (US$13.89 billion), and 1,398 companies with a market capitalization between 10 billion and 100 billion yuan.

    In April, 10 new companies launched IPOs on the domestic market, raising a total of RMB 8.27 billion; 4 companies were delisted. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China, UAE to Expand Cooperation on Cross-Border Payments

    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 28 (Xinhua) — China’s cross-border interbank payment system CIPS and the United Arab Emirates’ central bank have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in cross-border payments, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), which acts as the regulator and administrator of CIPS, said Wednesday.

    According to a statement by the PBC published on its official website, the signing of the agreement is expected to improve the payment infrastructure and increase the efficiency of cross-border settlements.

    Under the agreement, CIPS and the UAE Central Bank will jointly develop a cross-border payment systems interconnectivity programme to provide foreign exchange clearing services to financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa.

    As noted in the statement, the parties will deepen the exchange of experience in risk management and regulatory compliance, as well as enhance the security and stability of cross-border payment systems. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The results of the XVI All-Russian Interuniversity Personnel Forum named after A.Ya. Kibanov have been summed up

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    The XVI All-Russian Interuniversity Personnel Forum named after A.Ya. Kibanov “Innovative Personnel Management” was held at the State University of Management.

    More than 230 students, young scientists, authoritative teachers and experts in the field of personnel management took part in the forum’s in-person events. In total, over 450 people from different regions of Russia became participants in the event this year.

    The concept of the A.Ya. Kibanov Personnel Forum this year was based on the idea that HR specialists, like legendary Russian heroes, stand guard over the interests of the company and, armed with knowledge and skills, are ready to bring glory and prosperity to their organization, and create and strengthen its HR brand.

    Read about the opening and first day of the forum in this article.

    Participants discussed how to build effective and trusting communications within a company, which become the foundation for a cohesive and motivated team. Particular attention was paid to creating a unique and attractive employer brand for candidates, which would reflect the values of the organization and arouse genuine interest in talented specialists.

    Modern approaches to attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel were discussed, as well as strategies for increasing human capital through training, development and involvement. Experts shared practices for developing a corporate culture that helps to unlock the potential of each employee and create an atmosphere of mutual respect and support.

    The HR Forum became a platform for exchanging experiences and inspiration, where future HR specialists received new tools and ideas for creating a strong HR brand and building communications that can lead the company to sustainable growth and prosperity.

    Over the course of three days, the participants of the Student Olympiad immersed themselves in the world of HR: conducted analytical research, developed strategies, exchanged experiences, generated innovative ideas, fought in battle mode and presented their solutions to the expert jury. The victory went to the most goal-oriented and creative. In addition to the main assessment of the works by the expert jury, the Student Olympiad also included a Competition for the Audience Award, which was held in person: experts, speakers, teachers and jury members voted for the most liked homework from the teams participating in the Olympiad – the poster “HR-Bingo-Brand”.

    Also this year, the forum included an advanced training course on “Effective Methods of Training HR Specialists”, where 35 students studied and discussed current issues on the development of the use of effective methods in the process of training students in the field of “HR Management”.

    The XVI All-Russian Interuniversity Personnel Forum named after A.Y. Kibanov “Innovative Personnel Management” was held with the support of the Council for Professional Qualifications in Personnel Management, as well as with active interaction with such partners as: ANCOR, SuperJob, Roskachestvo, Aktion Students, Trivio, Perviy Bit, Independent Veterinary Laboratory “Chance Bio”, Educational Center Higher Veterinary School, City Clinical Hospital No. 67 named after L.A. Vorokhobov, Chernogolovka Group of Companies, SPILS.ART Creative Cluster, Aromapsychologist. Partner companies highlighted their nominations and provided participants and winners with valuable gifts and prizes.

    On the final day of the forum, the results were summed up, the winners were officially announced, and awards and gifts were presented.

    Results of the XVI All-Russian Interuniversity Personnel Forum named after A.Ya.Kibanov “Innovative Personnel Management”

    Correspondence competitions “Innovative personnel management – 2025”

    Competition “Best article on personnel management”

    1st place – Chulanova O.L., Savchenko A.Yu. (Surgut State University)

    Article “Tools for Overcoming the Shortage of Highly Qualified Personnel Based on the Bionic Approach and Sharing of Competencies”

    2nd place – Abdulova T.G., Gagarinskaya G.P., Khorovinnikova E.G. (Volga Region State Transport University)

    Article “Transformation of labor and human capital management in the context of digitalization: challenges, principles and trends”

    3rd place – Shumanskaya A.B., Obumova A.I. (Saint Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University))

    Article “Dependence of professional burnout on the social orientation of the profession and the level of empathy of the individual”

    Competition “Best article of a young scientist on human resource management”

    1st place – Zlobina N.K., Shanina E.V. (Penza State University)

    Article “Integration of Well-being approach into the organization’s personnel management”

    Scientific supervisor: Ekaterina Vladimirovna Shanina

    2nd place – Oglezneva E.E. (Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation)

    Article “Reverse Mentoring: Concept, Problems and Development Prospects”

    Scientific supervisor: Aleksashina Tatyana Viktorovna

    3rd place – Shkerina E.E., Goncharenko K.A. (Saint Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University))

    Article “Emotional intelligence of a manager as a factor in increasing the involvement of subordinates”

    Supervisor: Anna Anatolyevna Dorogovtseva

    Competition “Best educational and methodological development on personnel management”

    1st place – Lysenko E.V. INTERNATIONAL HR MANAGEMENT. Study guide for students studying in the direction 38.03.03 – Personnel Management (manuscript)

    2nd place – Learn to learn: features of working with information in the educational and scientific activities of university students: a teaching aid / E.A. Berezovskaya, O.V. Klimova, N.L. Krasnogor [et al.]; under the general editorship of I.Yu. Plotnikova; Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Ural Federal University. – Yekaterinburg: Publishing house of the Ural. University, 2024. – 260 p.

    3rd place – Fundamentals of project activities: textbook / Yu.A. Alekseeva, M.V. Gashkov, M.I. Imamverdieva; edited by O.L. Chulanova. – Moscow: INFRA-M, 2025 – 307 p.

    Competition “Best scientific work on personnel management”

    1st place – Milyaeva L.G. Modern technologies of personnel management: selected 2: monograph /L.G. Milyaeva. – Moscow: RUSAINS, 2024. – 212 p.

    Competition of innovative projects on personnel management and labor economics for students and postgraduates

    Winner in the nomination “Homo qui videt”

    Evseeva A.A., Le Thi My Linh, Petrishchev A.K. (Ulyanovsk State Technical University)

    Scientific supervisor: Natalia Mikhailovna Tsytsarova

    Project “Ageism in the Labor Market: A Modern View”

    Winner in the nomination “Homo aliena”

    Vdovichenko V.A., Fedchuk A.V., Potapova D.S. (Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation)

    Scientific supervisor: Natalia Valerievna Sakharova

    Project: “Animal ID. Paw HR”

    Winner in the nomination “Homo excitari”

    Gataullina A.I. (Surgut State University)

    Scientific supervisor: Chulanova Oksana Leonidovna

    Project: “Development of tools for motivating project teams”

    Winner in the nomination “Homo neiro”

    Dudnik E.V., Monul D.A., Fomenko M.V. (State University of Management)

    Scientific supervisor: Mitrofanova Alexandra Evgenievna

    Project: “Atlas of HR Professions”

    3rd place

    Smirnov D.R. (Surgut State University)

    Scientific supervisor: Chulanova Oksana Leonidovna

    Project: “Using a dashboard in working with the staff of the Admissions Office of Surgut State University”

    2nd place

    Kabanova Yu.I., Druzhinina S.A., Kutumova D.R. (National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky)

    Supervisor: Mariko Valeria Valerievna

    Project: “Chatbot for translation and explanation of Anglicisms “Info Motya””

    1st place

    Nikitina K.D., Druzhinina P.Yu., Nguyen Ngoc Ha Phyung, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, Fastovskaya M.S., Makarkin M.M. (State University of Management)

    Scientific supervisor: Ph.D., Associate Professor Lobacheva Anastasia Sergeevna

    Project: “HR in the Heart”

    Grand Prix

    Krapiventseva A.A. (State University of Management)

    Scientific supervisor: Ph.D., Associate Professor Ekaterina Viktorovna Kashtanova

    Project: “Development of a board business game for student adaptation”

    Student Olympiad “Human Resources Management: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”

    Best homework

    Team: “Mafia HR”.

    Team members: Arustamyan Nane Armenovna, Bakhteeva Alina Fyaimovna, Drobysheva Victoria Vitalievna, Tkacheva Irina Olegovna, Churikova Kristina Maksimovna (State University of Management)

    Scientific supervisor: Illarionova Ekaterina Sergeevna

    The best case

    Command: “NEXT PROFI”. Team composition: Aminov Danila Fanilievich, Vedeneeva Polina Dmitrievna, Kabanova Yulia Ivanovna, Zubova Ekaterina (National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N. I. Lobachevsky)

    Scientific supervisor: Ulmaeva Liliya Nailevna

    The best quest

    Team: “Adepts of Human Resources”. Team members: Snezhana Evgenievna Batayeva, Georgy Mikhailovich Solomatin, Vladislav Denisovich Abrashnev (Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University (MADI)

    Scientific supervisor: Olga Anatolyevna Peshkova

    3rd place

    Team: “Vedunya Kadrov” (Personnel Witches). Team members: Sokolovskaya Sofia Sergeevna, Sushkevich Yulia Dmitrievna, Chernikova Polina Vadimovna (Volga Region Institute of Management named after P. A. Stolypin – branch of RANEPA)

    Scientific supervisor: Moiseenko Natalia Vladimirovna

    2nd place

    Command: “Vector”. Team composition: Druzhinina Svetlana Andreevna, Negodnova Anastasia Sergeevna, Khakov Rinat Denisovich, Chabanyuk Elina Aleksandrovna, Kutumova Daria Romanovna (National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N. I. Lobachevsky)

    Supervisor: Mariko Valeria Valerievna

    1st place

    Team: “Polyanitsi”. Team members: Kvach Ekaterina Sergeevna, Kozhevnikova Darina Alekseevna, Sergeeva Polina Aleksandrovna (St. Petersburg State University)

    Scientific supervisor: Kulchitskaya Elena Valerievna

    Grand Prix

    Team: “Snake Icharych.” Team composition: AGlushkova Anastasia Sergeevna, Ishkova Olga Andreevna, Shchetinin Mark Alekseevich (State University of Management)

    Scientific supervisor: Ekaterina Viktorovna Kashtanova

    Detailed information about the Forum, its annual program, format and results is presented on the official website, and you can see more photos in the VKontakte community.

    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 United Kingdom: ARU Peterborough champions disabled entrepreneurs

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Picture: Richard Fraser Photography

    ARU Peterborough has played a key role in a landmark report that outlines strategies to better support disabled entrepreneurs across the UK, potentially driving significant economic growth.

    The Lilac Review, an independent, Government-backed review to address the inequality disabled entrepreneurs face, has concluded that significant financial, operational, and accessibility barriers are holding back the nation’s disabled-led businesses.

    Disabled entrepreneurs represent 25% of the UK’s 5.45 million small businesses, but just 8.6% of business turnover. The Lilac Review estimates that removing these obstacles could unlock an additional £230 billion in UK business revenue.

    The research for The Lilac Review report was supported by Professor Tom Williamson and Dr Cheryl Greyson from ARU Peterborough in collaboration with Small Business Britain, with support from Lloyds.

    The ARU Peterborough academics analysed survey data from 750 disabled entrepreneurs and found that despite their resilience, disabled founders face additional and complex barriers to growth and funding. Over half (57%) of respondents identified financial support as their critical need for the coming year.

    Alongside a range of targeted support and tailored solutions, a key recommendation from The Lilac Review is to enhance the reach and impact of the new Disability Finance Code launched last December.

    The Lilac Review also highlights the importance of greater access to peer-led business networks and mentorship, with 51% of respondents indicating that bridging this gap would benefit them.

    The need to embed inclusivity at the heart of all future business support to build equity and opportunity was emphasised, with data showing 35% of disabled entrepreneurs find current programmes inaccessible.

    The Lilac Review also advocates for greater investment and innovation in inclusive AI training and skills development and AI-powered assistive technology, as well as placing accessibility and inclusion at the heart of AI policy and product development. This recognises the transformative potential of AI to level the business playing field.

    Professor Williamson of ARU Peterborough took part in the review’s Steering Board, alongside a number of prominent disabled founders and representatives from the wider business community including: Small Business Britain, Lloyds, eBay, BT, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), The Entrepreneurs Network, and the Business Disability Forum.

    “We’re proud that ARU Peterborough has played a key role in this important new report. The recommendations could help empower millions of disabled entrepreneurs across the country, combat inequality and drive business growth, which could significantly benefit the UK economy.

    “The next phase of The Lilac Review will see us working closely with Small Business Britain over the next 12 months to develop the concept for The LILAC Centre for Disabled Entrepreneurship. This would be the UK’s first business incubator and research centre dedicated to advancing the success of disabled entrepreneurs, and our aim is for this to be hosted at ARU Peterborough.”

    Professor Williamson, Assistant Principal of ARU Peterborough and head of the Faculty of Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship 

    “I’m proud to have co-chaired The Lilac Review and welcome its valuable insights and recommendations to help empower disabled entrepreneurship, tackle inequality, and unlock growth opportunities.

    “Through our Plan for Change, this government is committed to delivering further and faster economic growth. A key part of this is ensuring that those with the ambition to start and scale up a business have the right support to do so, no matter their background or circumstances.”

    Gareth Thomas, Minister for Small Businesses and co-chair of The Lilac Review

    “Disabled entrepreneurs are innovative, impactful, and growing. Yet we remain underrepresented, underfunded, and underestimated.

    “The Lilac Review is a bold and necessary step toward recognising the unique challenges that disabled entrepreneurs face – and more importantly, toward removing them. The findings of this report are clear: change is needed – not later, but now. That means inclusive finance, accessible business support, and communities that empower rather than exclude.

    “It has been an honour to co-chair this review, and I hope the voices within it spark action, partnership, and a fundamental rethinking of what opportunity should look like – for everyone.”

    Victoria Jenkins, co-chair of The Lilac Review and founder of Unhidden

    “Our university is driving forward real change in the workforce not only in Peterborough, but across the whole of the UK. The Lilac Review represents a real opportunity to level the playing field for disabled entrepreneurs and to remove some of the unique challenges they face.

    “The whole city is really proud of those who have been involved in this pioneering project and are now re-shaping the future of business in the UK.”

    Councillor Nick Thulbourn, cabinet member for growth and regeneration at Peterborough City Council

    For more information on The Lilac Review visit https://lilacreview.com/final-report

    ARU Peterborough is a partnership between Anglia Ruskin University, Peterborough City Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Hundred Ninety-Five New Immigration Cases in Western District of Texas This Week

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 295 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 9 through May 15.

    Among the new cases, Mexican nationals Juan Jose Medrano-Escobedo and Rosendo Dominguez-Morales were arrested after allegedly entering the U.S. illegally through the Texas National Defense Area (Tx-NDA) less than half a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso. Medrano-Escobedo has been previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico twice, most recently July 30, 2024. He has been convicted of three felonies, including evading arrest in 2017 and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in November 2023. Dominguez-Morales was last removed on Aug. 20, 2024, following an Aug. 18, 2024 felony conviction for assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Medrano-Escobedo and Dominguez-Morales are each charged with two counts related to violating defense property security regulation and one count of illegal re-entry.

    Also in El Paso, two U.S. citizens are charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens after being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Fabens. Jared Isai Ramirez and Jesus Alberto Soriano, driving separate vehicles, allegedly attempted to flee from USBP. A criminal complaint alleges Ramirez lost control of his vehicle and collided into a rock wall. He and four passengers allegedly exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot before being apprehended. The four passengers were determined to be illegal aliens and were transported with Ramirez to the Clint Border Patrol Station for further investigation. Soriano eventually stopped the vehicle he was driving and was also transported to the Clint Border Patrol Station. The criminal complaint alleges that Ramirez admitted that he would be paid $300 for each of the four illegal aliens he was transporting. Soriano allegedly stated that he had agreed to scout the area for law enforcement during the smuggling scheme. 

    A Mexican national was encountered at the Bastrop County Jail and charged with illegal re-entry in Austin. Elisandro Enriquez-Sanchez has been removed from the U.S. to Mexico four times in addition to a voluntary return. He had been arrested in Bastrop and charged with driving while intoxicated with an open alcohol container. Enriquez-Sanchez’s lengthy criminal record includes two convictions for illegal re-entry as well as taking a weapon from an officer, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, and three DWIs in a two-year span.

    In Presidio County, Honduran national Angel Daniel Vasquez was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry. Vasquez has four prior removals, the last one being to Honduras May 27, 2024. He’s also a twice-convicted felon with a criminal record that includes assault causing bodily injury in Nashville, Tennessee in 2023 and a 2015 illegal re-entry conviction in Phoenix, Arizona. He was also convicted of a misdemeanor in Nashville for driving under the influence in April 2024.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

    These cases are 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).

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force Arrests Suspect in Violent Attack of NYPD Officer

    Source: US Marshals Service

    New York, NY – The U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF), assisted by the USMS Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF), on Tuesday apprehended a suspect wanted in the violent attack of an off-duty New York Police Department (NYPD) officer.

    Taveon Hargrove was identified in surveillance footage as one of two masked men armed with a knife attacking an off-duty police officer May 24.  They can be seen knocking the officer to the ground, striking him in the face and holding a knife to his throat before making off with the officer’s belongings, including his service weapon.  

    Investigators learned that shortly after the brutal assault and armed robbery of the off-duty NYPD officer, Hargrove fled the New York area and was possibly staying with a family friend.  Once the case was adopted by the NY/NJ RFTF, Deputy U.S. Marshals, along with Task Force Officers from the NYPD, developed information that Hargrove was in North Chesterfield, Virginia.  

    The NY/NJ RFTF immediately requested assistance from the CARFTF, and Tuesday they, along with members of the NY/NJ RFT, located and arrested Hargrove.

    “Today, members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Taskforce, the Capital Area RFTF, and NYPD arrested the suspect wanted in connection with the brutal assault of a police officer,” said Jhovanny Gomez, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York. “This arrest sends a clear message: assaults on law enforcement officers will not be tolerated and will be met with swift and decisive action.”

    U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of New York Vincent DeMarco added, “The assault of an off-duty NYPD officer was particularly brutal.  I am proud of the work done by the U.S. Marshals Service and the NYPD to track down and arrest one of the suspects today.  Violence against those who serve and protect will never be tolerated.  Justice will be pursued to the fullest extent.”

    The NY/NJ RFTF began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJ RFTF was the flagship that has allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJ RFTF has successfully apprehended over 95,000 fugitives since inception.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Investor Alert: Buygoldca, Cap Trade and PT Option Are Not Registered

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on May 28, 2025

    The Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) warns investors of the online entities known as Buygoldca, Cap-Trade and PT Option.

    “The FCAA urges Saskatchewan residents to check the registration status of investment entities at aretheyregistered.ca before investing with anyone,” FCAA Securities Division Executive Director Dean Murrison said. “Checking the registration status before considering investing with anyone is the quickest and easiest way to keep your investments safe.”

    Buygoldca, Cap-Trade and PT Option claim to offer Saskatchewan residents trading opportunities, including cryptocurrencies. Buygoldca additionally claims to sell commodities in the form of precious metals traded as futures or option contracts. Cap-Trade claims to sell stocks, forex, commodities and indices. PT Option also claims to sell stocks, forex, indices, commodities and precious metals.

    This alert applies to the online entities using “buygoldca com”, “cap-trade com”, and “pt-option com” (these URLs have been manually altered so as not to be interactive).

    Buygoldca, Cap-Trade and PT Option are not registered with the FCAA to trade or sell securities or derivatives in Saskatchewan. The FCAA cautions investors and consumers not to send money to companies that are not registered in Saskatchewan, as they may not be legitimate businesses. 

    If you have invested with Buygoldca, Cap-Trad, or PT Option or anyone claiming to be acting on their behalf, contact the FCAA’s Securities Division at 306-787-5936.

    In Saskatchewan, individuals or companies need to be registered with the FCAA to trade or sell securities or derivatives. The registration provisions of The Securities Act, 1988, and accompanying regulations are intended to ensure that only honest and knowledgeable people are registered to sell securities and derivatives and that their businesses are financially stable.

    Tips to protect yourself:

    • Always verify that the person or company is registered in Saskatchewan to sell or advise about securities or derivatives. To check registration, visit The Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Registration Search at aretheyregistered.ca.
    • Know exactly what you are investing in. Make sure you understand how the investment, product, or service works.
    • Get a second opinion and seek professional advice about the investment.
    • Do not allow unknown or unverified individuals to remotely access your computer.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul, Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Attend Pope Leo XIV’s Inaugural Mass

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — attended the inaugural Mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV along with a bipartisanCongressional delegation.

    “As a Catholic, chairman emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and a proud American, I was deeply honored to attend the inaugural Mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV — the first American pope — alongside leaders from around the world,” said Chair Emeritus McCaul. “Faith should be a great unifier — a force for peace, as Pope Leo powerfully reminded us today. On this historic morning, I join people of faith around the world in praying that his pontificate, guided by the Holy Spirit, may bring about a more peaceful, just, and compassionate world.”

    McCaul attends Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass

    McCaul’s photos from the Vatican

    McCaul lays a flower on Pope Francis’ tomb

    The Members of the Congressional Delegation are:

    1. The Honorable French Hill
    2. The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
    3. The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
    4. The Honorable Michael McCaul
    5. The Honorable Joe Courtney
    6. The Honorable Mike Kelly
    7. The Honorable Ann Wagner
    8. The Honorable Nanette Barragan
    9. The Honorable Madeleine Dean
    10. The Honorable Stephanie Bice
    11. The Honorable Michelle Fischbach
    12. The Honorable Andrew Garbarino
    13. The Honorable Mariannette Miller-Meeks
    14. The Honorable Jeff Hurd

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Secures Provision to Pay Border States Back for Border Security Costs Incurred Under Biden

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

     WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman emeritus and current vice chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, announced the House passage of a provision reimbursing border states — primarily Texas — with $12 billion for costs incurred to secure the border under the Biden administration. McCaul has championed the provision and advocated for its passage for months, working hand-in-hand with House GOP leadership and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.).  

    “It’s the federal government’s job to secure the homeland, yet the Biden/Harris administration abdicated its duty and abandoned our states on the frontlines of the border crisis. As Texans know, our state bore the brunt of that abject failure, both societally and financially,” said Vice Chairman McCaul. “Four years of chaos and suffering later, Congress is doing the right thing: paying Texas back. I’m extremely proud to have helped secure this provision, which sends a strong message to our border states that America has not forgotten the sacrifices they made. With these funds, Congress says ‘thank you’ — both to Texas’ leadership, who stood up Operation Lone Star to fill in the gap, and to Texas’ taxpayers, who should never have been on the hook for President Biden’s dereliction of duty.”

    “Thanks to Rep. McCaul, states that stepped up to protect Americans in the face of Biden’s border catastrophe will be reimbursed for doing the work the Biden Administration refused to do,” said Speaker Mike Johnson. “Had those patriotic governors not taken action and used the resources of their state, the devastation from Biden’s wide-open border would have been significantly worse. Our nation is safer because of these states, and it’s only right for the federal government to share in the costs states incurred while protecting America.”

    “Texas thanks the U.S. House and the Texas Congressional Delegation for including $12 billion in the reconciliation package that will help Texas in its response to the unprecedented illegal immigration in Texas,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “This is a national issue that Texas was proud to address, and we are grateful for the allocation that reduces the financial burden that Texas incurred.” 

    “Lurking behind the staggering number of illegal encounters of the last four years is the immeasurable toll a wide-open border has exacted on communities across the country,” said Chairman Mark Green. “Every state became a border state under the Biden-Harris administration’s open-borders policies, but in many ways, the communities along the Southwest border have been hit the hardest and have incurred tremendous law enforcement costs. In the absence of help from the Biden-Harris administration, states were forced to take extraordinary measures to mitigate the crisis and protect their communities by building barrier systems and increasing law enforcement activity. I applaud the inclusion of this funding and the House’s passage of the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ to put Americans first and keep our sovereign borders secure for years to come.”

    Background:

    The provision, which was added to House Republican’s reconciliation package through a manager’s amendment, sets aside $12 billion in grants for states’ “costs associated with actions taken after January 21, 2021, to assist the federal border security missions.”

    Most of these funds are expected to reimburse Texas, as no state did more to secure the border over the past four years. Operation Lone Star spent $11.1 billion on border security, including $5.87 billion on personnel costs associated with border security and $4.75 billion on border wall barriers.

    Click here for full text of the provision on page 15.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Discusses Importance of State Dept. Reauthorization with Secretary Rubio

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the committee’s hearing, titled “FY26 State Department Posture: Protecting American Interests.” McCaul and Rubio discussed how the committee’s work to reauthorize the State Department can help the Trump administration advance its foreign policy objectives, including restoring U.S. foreign aid to its core mission.

    Click to watch

    Full exchange below:

    Chair Emeritus McCaul: Let me express my deep sympathy to the family of Gerry Connolly. He was a dear friend of mine. I will miss him dearly and the Irish twinkle in his eye.

    Mr. Secretary, thanks for being here today. Under the last four years — under President Biden — the world is on fire now. From the debacle, the evacuation, poorly executed from Afghanistan, which then led, I believe, to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — the largest land invasion since World War II in Europe — to the Middle East on fire now, to October 7th. I commend you for trying to seek peace in these hotspots, including the Indo-Pacific, which probably presents the greatest threat.

    I would be clear-eyed with Mr. Putin. I personally don’t think he’s negotiating in good faith. The Ayatollah cannot be trusted. In fact, it was recently reported that they got their proxy, Hamas, to invade Israel on October 7th to derail the normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

    Let me go to the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act. It was initially created to counter the rise of the Soviet Union. Today, I believe it should be used to counter the influence of Communist China around the globe, and that’s a core mission I know you support, as do I. When I was chairman of this committee, I put holds on the programs the current chairman is talking about — that being the drag shows in Ecuador to grants to advance atheism in Nepal. These are not in the interest of the United States or our national security interests. 

    So, I think we need to return these agencies and programs to their core mission. I believe that you’re trying to do that by bringing them under your supervision at the State Department. It’s not a new idea. Madeline Albright tried to do that many years ago. And I do think under your supervision, that we’ll have transparency and accountability with the foreign assistance programs. 

    We are engaged in a reauthorization of the State Department. Sir, can you tell me how this would assist you, with respect to reorganization of these important agencies under your department?

    Secretary Rubio: Well, I think the key to reorganization — and by the way, we never did it in all the years that I was in the Senate either. It never happened. It needs to happen. We want it to happen. As you know, in our reorganization, we didn’t touch any of the statutory offices because we can’t. But there’s two advantages to it, or three advantages. 

    The first is it becomes permanent. We can create an organizational structure that becomes enduring, especially if it’s one that we believe in. Second, I think that it will help us with the input and ideas. Look, we provided the initial preliminary indication to Congress.

    We’ve been taking input — including from many on the minority — and some of those are going to be reflected when we put out our final approach that we want to take. But ultimately, we would love to work with the committee to find ways to improve on the streamlining.

    By the way, we’re also taking input from inside our building. Some of the ideas in our reorg — many of the ideas from our reorg — came from inside the State Department from career officials, including some that are still providing input for us on sort of how to structure it.

    But I think the advantage of doing it statutorily is that it becomes enduring and permanent and provides certainty in the days to come. Otherwise, you know, it can change over time and continue to bloat and expand to levels that it got to. It was an unreadable org chart. The org chart that I showed you — the initial org chart that I inherited — was just the top line. Within each one of those boxes, there were multiple boxes — some of them duplicative, redundant, and in many cases, no one could even tell us what they were doing, because it’s easy to grow. It’s much harder to reorganize and to streamline activity, and that’s what we want to do.

    Chair Emeritus McCaul: Well, it’s a very noble effort. With my one minute remaining, I authorized the Remain in Mexico program in this committee. I commend the administration; within a matter of months, [they] have restored order to the border, taking chaos and turned it into a safe border.

    I mean, the crossings have gone down 95%. There’s no longer catch and release. And I do think the executive order on Remain in Mexico is very important. I know you share that responsibility with the Department of Homeland Security — a committee I chaired as well. What is the latest on your negotiations with Mexico to bring that important program back?

    Secretary Rubio: Well, as you’re aware, I’m sure that we’ve had a number of what I recall, both irritants, but also areas of cooperation with the Mexican government. It’s been actually pretty positive. They have been very responsive on our security concerns. They’ve increased their security cooperation with us in ways that have been very productive.

    In fact, at some point here over the next few weeks, I intend to travel potentially to Mexico along with a couple other cabinet members to sort of finalize some of these areas of cooperation. This may be one we talk about, but we’ve been primarily focused with Mexico on two things.

    One is on trade — which is not my department — but obviously, our trade representative, Mr. Greer, and also Commerce Secretary Lutnick has been engaging with them. And then the other is on security cooperation. We have a mutual interest in Mexico. In essence, the cartels that operate within Mexico and threaten the state are armed from weapons that are bought in the United States and shipped there.

    We want to help stop that flow. The reverse is [that] those cartels threaten the state. There are parts of Mexico that are governed by cartels where there is — in fact, I think I heard last night — two more people were murdered in Mexico City associated with the mayor of Mexico City. The political violence there is real.

    They have a vested interest and a desire to go after these cartels, and we want to help equip them and provide them information. They’ve also been increasingly cooperative — more than ever before — in bringing back and extraditing people wanted in this country for crimes who are in their custody.

     So, I think we’ve got good areas of cooperation. We still have some more work to do on migration, but they’ve been cooperative. 

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Announces 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced the 2025 Congressional App Challenge — an annual competition that encourages students to learn coding by creating their own app. The challenge is open to middle and high school students in Texas’ 10th Congressional District through October 30th, 2025. 

    “In our modern world, no skill is more important than technological literacy,” said Rep. McCaul. “Education and student interest in STEM are essential for empowering the next generation to continue our nation’s legacy as a technological leader on the world stage. I am proud to provide an opportunity for our youth to explore their interests in coding and look forward to seeing all the creativity Texas–10’s students will bring to the table this year.”

    Background:  

    Students may code on any platform, on any topic, in any coding language, in teams of up to four. Each app is graded on creativity, concept, and design. The winning app will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and on House.gov, and winning students will be invited to a reception in Washington, D.C.

    To learn more, please visit https://mccaul.house.gov/serving-you/app-challenge.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Fox News Highlights McCaul’s Fight to Reimburse Texas for Border Security Efforts Under Biden

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus and current vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee — was featured in a Fox News article highlighting his successful push to secure $12 billion in federal funding to reimburse states for costs incurred to secure the border under the Biden administration. Texas, which has spent over $11 billion under Operation Lone Star to combat the border crisis, is expected to receive the majority of these funds.

    McCaul touts money in Trump tax bill to pay Texas back for fighting Biden border policies

    Fox News

    Elizabeth Elkind 

    May 24, 2025 

    There’s a provision tucked into President Donald Trump’s broadly ranging “big, beautiful bill” that could see Texas get billions of dollars in funds that it spent on the state’s border security under the Biden administration.

    The legislation earmarked $12 billion for a grant program allowing states to be reimbursed for costs they incurred trying to stem the flow of illegal immigration during the Democratic administration.

    The measure was added to the bill hours before the final vote – but Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the former chairman of the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees, told Fox News Digital it was a product of months of negotiation.

    “Early on, [Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., and I were discussing reconciliation going through the Homeland Security Committee. And, you know, there was about $70 billion for the border,” McCaul said. “Texas bore the brunt of the federal mission the last four years and deserves to be reimbursed. And so he agreed, had a conversation with Governor Abbott, and he agreed.”

    […]

    The state of Texas, Fox News Digital was told, had incurred just over $11 billion in costs from Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to keep the border in his state secure.

    “The fact of the matter is, when you look at the costs that were borne, Texas had the lion’s share of [the burden] carrying out the federal mission when the Biden administration completely failed to deliver on border security,” McCaul said. “My state built the border wall and built detention facilities. We bore a lot of costs.”

    […]

    Rather than add it to the initial text of the bill, McCaul said, leaders opted to include it in a “managers amendment” that was added on Wednesday night along with several other issues that lawmakers needed more time to negotiate.

    “The legislative process, it’s something I’ve gotten to know over my 20 years and how to get things done up here. And I thought, you know, the way we worked it was strategically very smart,” McCaul said. “It’s going to the Senate now. And Senator Cornyn is going to take it up, be the champion in the Senate.”

    The Texas Republican first met with Abbott and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on the matter in early February, Fox News Digital was told.

    McCaul said he also worked closely on the push with Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, who told Fox News Digital that “no state” carried more financial burden from the border crisis than Texas.”

    […]

    Johnson, for his part, thanked McCaul for his efforts in a public written statement.

    “Thanks to Rep. McCaul, states that stepped up to protect Americans in the face of Biden’s border catastrophe will be reimbursed for doing the work the Biden Administration refused to do,” the speaker said. “Had those patriotic governors not taken action and used the resources of their state, the devastation from Biden’s wide-open border would have been significantly worse.”

    […]

    McCaul told Fox News Digital that he was confident the measure would stay in the Senate bill after conversations with the Trump administration on the matter.

    “I anticipate it will go forward,” McCaul said. “I’m, just proud that we were able to get this done. I’m very proud of what my state did to stop the flow of illegals and dangerous actors coming into the country.”

    When reached for comment, Abbott told Fox News Digital, “This is a national issue that Texas was proud to address, and we are grateful for the allocation that reduces the financial burden that Texas incurred.”

    Click here to read the full article on Fox News

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Senior military official calls for high-level training support system 2025-05-28 23:00:27 Senior Chinese military official Zhang Youxia has called for accelerated efforts to build a high-level military training support system.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) — Senior Chinese military official Zhang Youxia has called for accelerated efforts to build a high-level military training support system.

      Zhang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a two-day event held from Tuesday to Wednesday by the People’s Liberation Army for observing and exchanging experience in the construction of military training sites.

      Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said efforts should be made to focus on improving the quality and efficiency of training and boosting combat capability.

      He stressed the need to align training support with real-combat standards and requirements, strengthen support for integrated joint training, and expand the use of IT applications.

      He added that priority should be given to building large-scale training bases and developing new-domain and new-quality training conditions, to continuously optimize the support pattern. 

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Most South African farmers are black: why Trump got it so wrong

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Johann Kirsten, Director of the Bureau for Economic Research, Stellenbosch University

    When world leaders engage, the assumption is always that they engage on issues based on verified facts, which their administrative staff are supposed to prepare. Under this assumption, we thought the meeting at the White House on 21 May between South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and US president Donald Trump would follow this pattern.

    Disappointingly, the televised meeting was horrifying to watch as it was based on misrepresenting the reality of life in South Africa.

    Issues of agriculture, farming and land (and rural crime) were central to the discussions. What is clear to us as agricultural economists is that the skewed views expressed by Trump about these issues originate in South Africa. This includes Trump’s statement: “But Blacks are not farmers.”

    In our work as agricultural economists, we have, in many pieces and books (our latest titled The Uncomfortable Truth about South Africa’s Agriculture), tried to present South Africans with the real facts about the political economy policy reforms and structural dimensions of South African agriculture.

    Writing on these matters was necessary given that official data – agricultural census 2017, as well as the official land audit of 2017 – all provide an incomplete picture of the real state and structure of South African agriculture. The reason is that the agricultural census, which is supposed to provide a comprehensive and inclusive assessment of the size and structure of the primary agricultural sector, and the land audit, which was supposed to record the ownership of all land in South Africa, are incomplete in their coverage.

    The incomplete and inaccurate official data provides fertile ground for radical statements by the left and the right – and novices on social media. This is why South Africa has to deal with falsehoods coming from the US. These include Trump’s statement that black people are not farmers in South Africa.

    South Africa is to blame for providing inaccurate data to feed these false narratives.

    The facts presented here should allow a more nuanced interpretation of South Africa’s farm structure. Firstly, there are more black farmers in South Africa than white farmers. And not all white commercial farm operations are “large-scale”, and not all black farmers are “small-scale”, “subsistence” or “emerging”. Most farm operations can be classified as micro, or small in scale.

    This is important so that one doesn’t view South Africa’s agriculture as mainly white farmers. Indeed, we are a country of two agricultures with black farmers mainly at small scale and accounting for roughly 10% of the commercial agricultural output. Still, this doesn’t mean they are not active in the sector. They mainly still require support to expand and increase output, but they are active.

    The facts

    In the wake of the circus in the Oval Office, we were amazed by the total silence of the many farmers’ organisations in South Africa. We have not seen one coming out to reject all of Trump’s claims. The only thing we can deduce from this is that these falsehoods suit the political position of some farmer organisations. But at what cost? Will many of their members be harmed by trade sanctions or tariffs against South Africa? The US is an important market for South Africa’s agriculture, accounting for 4% of the US$13.7 billion exports in 2024.

    When Ramaphosa highlighted the fact that crime, and rural crime in particular, has an impact on all South Africans and that more black people than white people are being killed, Trump’s response was disturbing, to say the least: “But Blacks are not farmers”. This requires an immediate fact check.

    We returned to the text from our chapter in the Handbook on the South African Economy we jointly prepared in 2021. In the extract below, we discuss the real numbers of farmers in South Africa and try to provide a sensible racial classification of farmers to denounce Trump’s silly statement.

    As highlighted earlier, the two latest agricultural censuses (2007 and 2017) are incomplete as they restricted the sample frame to farm businesses registered to pay value added tax. Only firms with a turnover of one million rands (US$55,500) qualify for VAT registration.

    We were able to expand the findings from the censuses with numbers from the 2011 population census and the 2016 community survey to better understand the total number of commercial farming units in South Africa. The Community Survey 2016 is a large-scale survey that happened between Censuses 2011 and 2021. The main objective was to provide population and household statistics at municipal level to government and the private sector, to support planning and decision-making.

    Data from the 2011 population census (extracted from three agricultural questions included in the census) shows that 2,879,638 households out of South Africa’s total population, or 19.9% of all households, were active in agriculture for subsistence or commercial purposes.

    Only 2% of these active households reported an annual income derived from agriculture above R307,000 (US$17,000). This translates into 57,592 households that can be considered commercial farmers, with agriculture as the main or only source of household income. This corresponds in some way with the 40,122 farming businesses that are registered for VAT as noted in the 2017 agricultural census report.

    If we use the numbers from the agricultural census it is evident almost 90% of all VAT-registered commercial farming businesses could be classified as micro or small-scale enterprises. If the farm businesses excluded from the census are accounted for under the assumption that they are too small for VAT registration, then the fact still stands that the vast majority of all farm enterprises in South Africa are small family farms.

    There are, however, 2,610 large farms (with turnover exceeding R22.5 million (US$1.2 million per annum) which are responsible for 67% of farm income and employed more than half the agricultural labour force of 757,000 farm workers in 2017.

    Another way to get to farm numbers is to use the 2016 Community Survey. Using the shares as shown in Table 2, we estimate there are 242,221 commercial farming households in South Africa, of which only 43,891 (18%) are white commercial farmers. (This is very much in line with the VAT registered farmers but also acknowledging the fact that many white farm businesses are not necessarily registered for VAT.)

    Let’s consider only the agricultural households with agriculture as their main source of income, surveyed in the 2016 community survey. We end up with a total of 132,700 households, of whom 93,000 (70%) are black farmers. This reality is something that policy makers and farm organisations find very difficult to deal with and it seems that Trump also found this too good to be true.

    We have tried here in a long winded way to deal with farm numbers and how to get to a race classification of farmers in South Africa. In the end we trust that we have managed to show that there are more black farmers in South Africa than white farmers. Their share in total output is smaller than that of their white counterparts. The National Agricultural Marketing Council puts black farmers’ share of agricultural production as roughly 10%. But these numbers are also incomplete and largely an undercount.

    It will always be challenging to get to the real number of black farmers’ share of agricultural output as nobody would ever know whether the potato or the cabbage on the shelf came from a farm owned by a black farmer or a white person but operated by a black farmer, for example. As South Africans know, the labour on farms, in pack houses, distribution systems and retail are all black. So, the sweat and hard work of black South African workers are integral to the food supply chain in South Africa.

    Let’s get these facts straight and promote them honestly.

    Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).

    Johann Kirsten 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. Most South African farmers are black: why Trump got it so wrong – https://theconversation.com/most-south-african-farmers-are-black-why-trump-got-it-so-wrong-257668

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Do biases affect assessment in kindergarten? Educators discuss strategies for mitigation

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Natalie Spadafora, Research Associate, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University

    Educators in a study agreed that the scarcity of dedicated resources, time, attention and training on bias affected their ability to assess their students’ development as accurately as they would like.
     (Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency/EDUimages), CC BY-NC-SA

    Teachers’ perceptions and judgments of student skills are key to measuring children’s academic progress. But educators’ own biases can distort these perceptions and judgments.

    For example, research in Canada has shown that racialized students were less likely to be perceived as “excellent” in their achievement and learning skills than white students, despite doing well academically. To our knowledge, no work has been done focusing specifically on teachers, assessment, bias and the Canadian kindergarten population.

    Our team at the Offord Centre for Child Studies set out to understand more about how educators perceive the system for assessing kindergarten children’s development, in the context of children’s race, gender and family socioeconomic status.

    In Ontario, kindergarten features five full days of play-based learning every week. Classes are led by a team of one teacher and one early childhood educator (ECE). Teachers have knowledge of the curriculum and are responsible for student learning and reporting to parents. ECEs have knowledge of early childhood development and plan age-appropriate activities to support development.



    Read more:
    A team approach makes full-day kindergarten a success

    As part of our study, we conducted a series of four focus groups with kindergarten educators (five kindergarten teachers and one designated early childhood educator) from a school board in Ontario.

    To be eligible to participate, educators had to have previously participated in cultural responsiveness initiatives and administered a teacher-completed developmental health checklist for kindergarten students at least once. All participants in our focus group were female, taught schools in urban neighbourhoods and five of the six were racialized.

    In Ontario, kindergarten features five full days of play-based learning every week.
    (Shutterstock)

    Educators discussed how their feelings and potential biases might creep into their assessments, and the strategies they use to limit this bias. Specifically, we asked about their use of the standard tool for assessing child development in kindergarten: The Early Development Instrument (EDI).



    Read more:
    ‘Dreams delayed’ no longer: Report identifies key changes needed around Black students’ education

    Five areas of child development

    The EDI asks teachers to evaluate children in five areas of development: physical health and well-being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development; and communication skills and general knowledge.

    Race-related data are not routinely collected with the EDI (such as asking teachers to report how a child’s family identifies a child’s race, or in reporting their own race), even though, as some researchers and educators have noted, race-related data could be used to inform provision of supports.

    While teachers complete this assessment for every child in their classrooms, the results are aggregated and reported at the population level. All publicly funded school boards in Ontario have collected the EDI roughly every three years since 2004.

    Key themes

    Several key themes emerged from our discussions with educators. First, educators admitted that the social identities and demographic characteristics of the students in their classrooms could impact how they interpret kindergarteners’ skills and behaviours.

    They explained that being exposed to a wide variety of students would increase their own awareness of children’s and their families’ identities, shaped by factors like race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status and language, and help broaden their perceptions. For example, this would allow them to have a greater understanding of the range of behaviours children display.

    Second, educators addressed the consequences of racial and gender biases in schools, some of them reflecting systemic racism. Educators acknowledged these systemic biases could impact their internal expectations of students, and potentially their reactions and interpretation of student behaviour.

    Recognizing the potential for such unfairness, educators also identified deliberate strategies they use to minimize the impact of individual and systemic biases on their assessment.

    They told us they pause and think critically about what may influence their perceptions of students, reframe how they might be looking at certain situations (that is, taking an “asset-based” approach, focusing on the students’ strengths) or check in with colleagues to be sure they’re being equitable.



    Read more:
    Children with special health needs are more likely to come from poorer neighbourhoods

    Scarcity of training about bias

    The educators we interviewed revealed many personal feelings come up as they complete assessments and interact with students. For example, educators noted that it can be hard to separate assessing a child from their history with the child, or that they felt they were judging the child’s family.

    In addition to the acknowledgement that biases and preconceived expectations could colour their assessments, they also acknowledged that these feelings, whether positive or negative, can make it difficult to assess their pupils objectively.

    Similar to exposure to a diverse group of students, having knowledge of the whole child and building trusting and reciprocal relationships with families are other ways educators can reduce the impact of bias. For example, if their family is going through hard times, it could be expected that the child might be sad or worried.

    Regarding the specific characteristics of the EDI, educators explained it was sometimes difficult to choose the most accurate responses to each item on a checklist when there were only two or three options.

    Educators said they often wished they could explain their responses more.

    Finally, educators agreed that the scarcity of dedicated resources, time, attention and training on bias affected their ability to assess their students’ development as accurately as they would like.

    Policy improvements needed

    While our study used the example of the EDI to elicit the discussion on assessment being influenced by student identities, the issues mentioned by educators go beyond this specific tool.

    In our study, educators were not only aware of this influence; they used strategies to overcome it. These educators acknowledge that their expertise in evaluating children’s skills and behaviours can improve with better knowledge of and relationships with individual children and their families, by collaborating with colleagues and by having more time and training.

    Our results suggest that policy improvements are necessary to make sure all educators have access to better strategies and opportunities to reduce unintended identity bias and provide more accurate assessments.

    Given that the educators in this study had already participated in cultural responsiveness initiatives, further research could examine how interventions mitigate occurrences of particular biases and their potential adverse effects on students.

    This research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Council Partnership Engagement Grant.

    Magdalena Janus receives funding from SSHRC.

    – ref. Do biases affect assessment in kindergarten? Educators discuss strategies for mitigation – https://theconversation.com/do-biases-affect-assessment-in-kindergarten-educators-discuss-strategies-for-mitigation-250580

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EU closing in on the 2030 climate and energy targets, according to national plans

    Source: European Union 2

    EU countries have significantly closed the gap to achieving the 2030 energy and climate targets, according to the European Commission. Following improvement to their national energy and climate plans, EU countries are on course to reduce net emissions by around 54% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Markey, Sen. Warren, Reps. Neal and McGovern Condemn Shuttering of Springfield SBA Office, Demand Accountability for Harms to Western Mass. Small Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)

    Boston (May 28, 2025) – Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today led his colleagues Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01) and Jim McGovern (MA-02) in writing to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler, slamming the closure of the Springfield, Massachusetts, SBA district office, which would leave Western Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley without access to vital SBA services and support.

    The Trump administration is continuing its nonsensical war against small businesses, dismantling the infrastructure that supports them, and undermining the foundation of American entrepreneurship. The lawmakers urge Administrator Loeffler to stand up to DOGE, insist it reverse course, and work to keep the Springfield district office fully staffed, open, and operational.

    In the letter, the lawmakers write, “The SBA’s Springfield district office is not just a convenience for Western Massachusetts and Pioneer Valley small businesses, it is a lifeline. The district office helps build small business ecosystems by connecting rural, underserved, and emerging markets to federal resources that support local economies. The Springfield district office has served for years as an essential partner for Massachusetts entrepreneurs, offering small businesses critical guidance and expertise on applying for SBA loans and disaster relief programs, among other services. Closing this office will place a tremendous burden on small business owners, forcing them to take time away from their work and drive hours—in some cases a six-hour round trip—to the nearest SBA district office in Boston.”

    According to DOGE’s website, it has terminated 10 commercial leases in Massachusetts that house federal offices. Among the terminated leases, effective June 1, is 894 square feet of office space located at 1 Federal Street in Springfield, home to the SBA’s district office.

    There are no longer any employees working at the Springfield district office, with the last remaining staff member having left in recent weeks—and no plans exist to relocate the office and hire new employees.

    The lawmakers request responses by May 30, 2025, to questions including:

    • Who specifically authorized or approved the decision to terminate the lease for the SBA district office located at 1 Federal Street, Springfield, Massachusetts?
    • Did DOGE, SBA, or another federal agency or office initiate this decision? Did SBA object to or oppose the lease termination at any point? If so, please provide any documentation or summary of its position.
    • How does SBA plan to ensure that small business owners in Western Massachusetts, including rural and underserved areas, retain access to the in-person services previously provided by the Springfield office?
    • What accommodations, if any, will be made for small business owners who now face significant travel burdens to access SBA services in Boston or elsewhere? Has SBA considered the economic and logistical hardship the closure imposes on these small business owners?
    • Was there any public notice, stakeholder consultation, or opportunity for comment provided prior to the decision to close the Springfield office? If so, when and in what form did the notice or consultation occur? What feedback, if any, did local businesses, elected officials, or community leaders provide?

    On March 20, Senators Markey and Warren sent a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian, asking what factors went into GSA’s decision to cancel or not renew 17 leases in Massachusetts, including the Springfield District Office.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK reaffirms its support for Ukraine’s self-defence, while President Putin rejects ceasefire as war deepens Russia’s economic and global isolation: UK Statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    UK reaffirms its support for Ukraine’s self-defence, while President Putin rejects ceasefire as war deepens Russia’s economic and global isolation: UK Statement to the OSCE

    UK Military Advisor, Lt Col Joby Rimmer, says that Russia’s invasion shatters European security and undermines peace. Despite President Putin’s claims, continued attacks show absolutely no intent to negotiate. The UK urges an immediate, lasting ceasefire to enable real dialogue and end the humanitarian crisis.

    Thank you, Madam Chair. The United Kingdom remains resolute in its commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing illegal invasion. Our immediate priority is to secure a ceasefire as swiftly as possible – one that endures long enough to create the conditions necessary for meaningful negotiations toward a robust and lasting peace.

    President Putin claims that he is interested in peace, all the while Russian attacks increasingly escalate the humanitarian crisis. These are not the actions of a government seeking peaceful resolution, but of one determined to prolong suffering and instability. Over the weekend, Russia launched a massive aerial assault involving 69 missiles and 298 drones, targeting over 30 cities and towns across Ukraine. At least 12 civilians, including children, were killed, and dozens more were injured. Kyiv was among the hardest hit, suffering casualties and significant damage during its Kyiv Day celebrations. A symbolic, cynical and deliberate act of aggression.

    At last week’s Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), Russia accused NATO of ‘pumping up military budgets and militarising at the expense of ordinary taxpayers.’ As it continues to escalate the conflict, the economic toll on Russia’s own population is becoming increasingly severe: Interest rates in Russia have surged to 21%, reflecting deep financial instability; 40% of Russia’s federal government spending in 2025 has been committed to defence; for the first time in post-Soviet history, defence spending has exceeded social spending; Russia has depleted two-thirds of the liquid assets in its National Wealth Fund; and due to international sanctions, Russia has lost an estimated $450 billion USD in energy revenues. These figures reveal a government that clearly prioritises war over the welfare of its own citizens. The Kremlin’s choices are impoverishing Russia. We stand ready to ratchet up the pressure on President Putin with new sanctions if our calls for a ceasefire are not answered now.

    The UK stands by its economic and military support to Ukraine – a sovereign nation defending itself against an unprovoked attack. We would remind Russia, that alongside the billions already committed in aid and military assistance, the UK is also investing in Ukraine’s long-term recovery and reconstruction through non-military support. It is estimated that Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction will require $524 billion USD over the next decade. It represents the cost of rebuilding homes, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure destroyed by Russian aggression. It is a moral and strategic investment in the future of a free and democratic Ukraine.

    The United Kingdom condemns Russia’s illegal invasion in the strongest possible terms. We will continue to stand with Ukraine – militarily, economically, and diplomatically -until peace is achieved, and Ukraine’s sovereignty is safeguarded. Russia’s invasion is a flagrant violation of international law, of the United Nations Charter and the principles enshrined in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, to which Russia is a signatory. These principles include the sovereign equality of states, the inviolability of frontiers, and the prohibition of the threat or use of force. Russia’s actions have shattered the foundations of European security. Thank you, Madam Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 May 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Russia’s continued contravention of OSCE principles: UK Statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Russia’s continued contravention of OSCE principles: UK Statement to the OSCE

    UK Counsellor, Ankur Narayan, says that in line with the OSCE Code of Conduct, the UK will continue to support Ukraine towards achieving a just and lasting peace, while continuing to urge Russia to return to full compliance – including withdrawing to within its own internationally recognised borders.

    Thank you, Madam Chair, for hosting this FSC Security Dialogue on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. Thank you also to the distinguished speakers for their interventions.

    My statement today will focus on the purpose of the Code, which democratic control is designed to ensure implementation of. Namely, the commitment of States to abide by the Helsinki Final Act and to respond when these principles are breached in the OSCE region.

    As per paragraph 1 of the Code, the “implementation in good faith of all commitments” are of “fundamental importance for stability and security”, and “consequently constitute a matter of direct and legitimate concern to all of them”. As we know, the Code spells these commitments out. Commitments such as “respect for each other’s sovereign equality and individuality”. Such as “the right freely to choose its own security arrangements … to belong or not to belong to … treaties of alliance”.

    The Code explicitly states: “No participating State will attempt to impose military domination over any other participating State”. This includes not stationing armed forces in the territories of other States without a freely negotiated agreement … in accordance with international law.

    Madam Chair, as detailed at the weekly FSC, Russia remains in breach of multiple commitments in the OSCE’s Zone of Application. Namely in Moldova, in Georgia and in Ukraine.

    The Code is clear about what States must do in response: “In the event of armed conflict, they will seek to facilitate the effective cessation of hostilities and seek to create conditions favourable to the political solution of the conflict.” It adds that States are determined to “act in solidarity if CSCE norms and commitments are violated” and to “facilitate concerted responses”. It provides that States will: “consult promptly … with a participating State seeking assistance in realizing its individual or collective self-defence”. It also provides that States will “consider jointly the nature of the threat and actions that may be required in defence of their common values.”

    In line with Code, we support Ukraine to defend itself, in line with the UN Charter and Helsinki Final Act principles. In line with the Code, we commend Ukraine’s steadfast commitment to reaching a just and lasting peace. And in line with the Code, we keep on calling on Russia to withdraw fully and unconditionally, from the whole territory of Ukraine, to inside its internationally recognised borders. And to return to the path of peace, starting with an immediate, unconditional ceasefire.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 May 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: River Gade returns to its natural course through Gadebridge Park

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    River Gade returns to its natural course through Gadebridge Park

    Works also include two new footbridges, a flood warning gauging station, and an innovative ultrasonic structure that allows fish and mammals to move freely.

    The moment the River Gade was diverted into the new channel.

    The River Gade has returned to its natural course in Gadebridge Park, following an ambitious river restoration project delivered by the Environment Agency, in collaboration with Affinity Water, Dacorum Borough Council and contractors BAM Nuttall.

    The project has reconnected the chalk stream to its natural floodplain, improving wildlife habitats, reducing the risk of localised flooding downstream of the white bridge in Gadebridge Park.

    Historically, the River Gade was diverted from its natural course to supply water to the former Bury Mill. This artificial channel, perched on the edge of the park, caused the river to become disconnected from the surrounding landscape, leading to reduced flow, water quality issues, and limited biodiversity.

    The restoration involved creating a new river channel through the centre of the park, bringing the Gade back to its natural position in the valley bottom. The works included the installation of two new footbridges, a gauging station to support the flood warning system, and an innovative ultrasonic structure that allows fish and mammals to move freely while also redirecting spring flows vital for chalk stream ecology.

    As a rare chalk stream, of which 85% globally are found in England, the River Gade is a valuable habitat. Chalk streams are known for their clear, mineral-rich water and stable temperatures, providing an ideal habitat for species such as water voles and brown trout.n Gadebridge Park is one of Hemel Hempstead’s largest and most popular green spaces, offering something for everyone. Alongside the newly restored river, the park features expansive open grass areas, a skate park, a play area and splash park for children and a walled garden with a rich history and impressive formal planting displays.

    Chris Wilson, area director at the Environment Agency, said:

    Getting to this stage marks the huge collective effort of a large number of people, not just at the Environment Agency, but from our partners, Dacorum Borough Council and Affinity Water, our contractors, JBA, BAM Nuttall and Arcadis and many, many others besides.

    I’d like to thank everyone involved for their perseverance and commitment to bringing such a complex and ambitious project to completion.

    Councillor Robin Bromham, portfolio holder for neighbourhood operations at Dacorum Borough Council, added:

    This is a landmark moment for Gadebridge Park and for our local environment. The return of the River Gade to its natural course not only restores an important ecosystem but also enhances the park experience for our residents and visitors. We’re proud to have worked with our partners to deliver this project that benefits both people and nature.

    To find out more about the project, visit https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/hnl/gadebridge-park-information-page/ or here Restoring Nature in Gadebridge Park: Chalk River Project and Community Access Features

    Background:

    The Environment Agency and Affinity Water funded the river restoration project and Dacorum Borough Council contributed to its recreational and amenity aspects for the park.

    A new channel was dug through the centre of the park and the project provided two new footbridges for the park.

    Extra gravel added to the channel to help shape the river and restore natural processes typical of a chalk stream. This includes riffles – shallower areas of the river where faster-flowing water pass over gravels and cobbles on the riverbed, adding oxygen to the water – and replicating natural ‘gravel bars’, which are deposits of gravel where the river’s energy is lower, creating varied water depths for river plants and animals to thrive.

    By creating vegetated margins along the banks of the new channel, we’ll provide important habitat for many species – for example, a habitat and a source of food for aquatic insects at different life stages, refuge from predators for juvenile trout and water vole, and even a migration corridor for otter. As well as providing habitat, vegetated margins also play an important role in filtering sediment and reducing nutrients entering the watercourse, helping to improve water quality. They can also slow flood flows and help to reduce erosion of the banks.

    The project is important for a number of reasons –

    Only 17% of chalk streams are in their natural state. Like many chalk streams, the River Gade faces pressure from low flows and historic modifications to its channel that limit the river’s habitats and the wildlife it can support.

    The artificial channel is much wider and straighter than a natural chalk stream would typically be. This often leads to a build-up of sediment along the bank and associated excessive vegetation growth, which gradually narrows the channel. The river had little resilience to drought conditions due to low volumes of flow, especially in late summer and early autumn.

    Most water we drink in the South East comes from rainwater stored deep beneath our feet in natural chalk ‘aquifers.’ These also feed our chalk streams. In 2018, Affinity Water reduced net abstraction in the Gade catchment by 2,342,400 m3/year – that’s an average of 6.4 million litres a day. However, demand for water in the South East remains high. We all need to reduce the amount of water we use – every drop wasted is water that could be sustaining our rivers, streams and lakes.

    Re-routing spring flows – which are currently diverted through a culvert, or underground tunnel, and discharged into a fishing lake at Kings Langley 5km downstream – into the new realigned channel. This will provide additional flow to the river, increasing its resilience to low flows, improve the river’s water quality and help to restore natural characteristics of a chalk stream such as a more alkaline PH and a stable temperature all year round.

    Because of their rarity and value, chalk streams in England have been designated a priority habitat, detailed within the qualifying criteria of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Priority Habitat Descriptions for Rivers. However, all chalk streams in England, including the River Gade, face vast challenges and pressures from decades of mismanagement.

    Contact us:

    Journalists only – 0800 141 2743 or communications_se@environment-agency.gov.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Part-time Sheriff removed from office

    Source: Scottish Government

    Tribunal found John Halley ‘unfit for judicial office’.

    Part-time Sheriff John Halley has been removed from office after an independent tribunal report found that his misbehaviour renders him unfit for judicial office.

    The tribunal reported to the First Minister that part-time Sheriff Halley’s conduct was improper and not consistent with the dignity of judicial office. Given the gravity of the tribunal’s findings, the First Minister accepted there are compelling reasons to remove part-time Sheriff Halley and has taken that decision.

    Background

    In November 2019, following a request from the Lord President, the then First Minister constituted a Tribunal under Section 21 of the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 to investigate and report on whether part-time Sheriff Halley was unfit to hold the judicial office by reason of misbehaviour.

    If a tribunal reports to the First Minister that a judicial office holder is unfit to hold office by reason of inability, neglect or misbehaviour, the First Minister may remove them from office. The First Minister has decided to remove Mr Halley from the office of part-time Sheriff with effect from 28 May 2025.

    The independent tribunal report into the fitness for judicial office of part-time Sheriff John Halley has been laid in Parliament by the First Minister, as required by the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

    Part-time sheriffs may sit in any of the sheriff courts in Scotland, except that a solicitor who is appointed may not sit in the court district containing their main place of business.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Anti-social tenant evicted by Court warrant

    Source: City of York

    Following a ruling by a District Judge, a council tenant was evicted on Thursday 22 May, after drug-related activities and anti-social behaviour caused misery for her neighbours.

    The council was granted a possession order by York County Court to end the tenancy of Nikkita Richardson, aged 29, of Pottery Lane, York. 

    This follows reports from local residents to the Council and North Yorkshire Police about drug-taking and dealing and anti-social visitors. This led to concerns about this address being used to transport illegal drugs from one area to another – known as County Lines activities.

    The anti-social behaviour in the home and area, including loud noise and arguments at the house, disrupted and concerned local people who worried about its impact on their families.

    Following work with residents and North Yorkshire Police, City of York Council served a legal warning of eviction on Ms Richardson, which she breached on numerous occasions. The Council then applied to York County Court for authority to evict its tenant and regain possession of the property.

    After considering evidence, the District Judge granted the Council permission to evict which was done in conjunction with North Yorkshire Police officers.

    Ms Richardson was advised where she could get information on her housing options, should she need it.

    Councillor Michael Pavlovic, Executive member for Housing and Safer Communities, said: 

    Local residents’ co-operation in reporting and working with our Community Safety Hub has played a significant part in tackling this unacceptable activity in our communities. 

    “Please tell us your concerns and, as this outcome shows, we can work with you and take action.”

    Chief Inspector Ryan Chapman, Operational Commander for Neighbourhood Policing in York and Selby, said:

    County Lines drug dealing is a blight on our communities and causes a great deal of harm.

    “Together with key partners including City of York Council, we are more determined than ever to clamp down on the criminal activity and the associated anti-social behaviour.

    “We hope this latest eviction is welcomed by residents and shows that we will take all necessary action to make our neighbourhoods as safe and secure as possible.

    “There will be no let-up and we will continue to act on information provided by residents and businesses, either directly to the police or council or provided anonymously to Crimestoppers.”

    Sergeant Charlotte Gregory from North Yorkshire Police, said: 

    This address has been subject of joint work and investigations with North Yorkshire Police and City of York Council in the Community Safety Hub since August 2024 due to anti-social behaviour and drug-related concerns. The address has been a focus under Operation Titan, the York and Selby Command’s response to County Lines.

    “The support from the Court in granting the Council possession of the property shows we are continuing to respond jointly to reports and information we get in a robust manner, through various approaches.”

    Reporting information about drug-related crime

    Anyone with any information about suspected drug-related crime are urged to make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101 and speaking to the Force Control Room.

    Always dial 999 if an emergency response is required.

    If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

    The signs of drug dealing can include:

    • Increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night
    • Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
    • Different accents at a property
    • Anti-social behaviour at a property
    • Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
    • Drug-related rubbish – small plastic bags, syringes
    • Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods

    Get professional support for drug and alcohol-related issues

    Report anti-social behaviour:

    at www.york.gov.uk/AntisocialBehaviour, call 01904 551555 or email: neo@york.gov.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thousands of youngsters take part in Aberdeen Big Sing 2025

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    An impressive 3,000 Primary Four pupils from across the city came together to sing as one big choir at the Aberdeen Big Sing 2025 spectacular in the Duthie Park today (Wednesday 28 May). 

    Now in its third year, Aberdeen Big Sing is a celebration event which offers children aged 8-10-years-old the opportunity to enjoy the feel good factor that music and song can offer, a positive shared experience, and the chance to make new friendships.   

    Councillor Martin Greig, Convener of Aberdeen City Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee, said: “The music and song from the young people was wonderful. It was lovely to hear the children from our twin city of Clermont-Ferrand taking part in this year’s Big Sing.  My thanks go to everyone involved who helped make this such an enjoyable event. This was a great opportunity to link up in advance of the Tall Ships which will travel from France to Aberdeen in July.”

    Councillor Jessica Mennie, vice-convener of the Education and Children’s Services Committee, said: “Aberdeen Big Sing 2025 was wonderful. It was clear from the fabulous performances by all the Primary Four pupils that they and the Aberdeen City Music Service vocal team have put in a lot of effort and enthusiasm to produce such a great event.”

    The children had been taught the songs by Aberdeen City Council’s Music Service specialist vocal team. Members of the team have been visiting schools since August 2024 with their time funded through Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative.

    Morag Macdonald, Youth Music Initiative Manager at Creative Scotland said: “Aberdeen Big Sing 2025 is a truly fantastic celebration of creativity, community, and the joy of making music with peers. It’s wonderful to see so many young people coming together through song, building confidence and connection along the way. Through the Youth Music Initiative, we’re proud to support the dedicated vocal team at Aberdeen City Music Service who make events like this possible. Congratulations to all the pupils, teachers and organisers for delivering such an inspiring day.”

    The pupils performed eight songs mostly themed around the sea to coincide with the city hosting The Tall Ships Race 2025 (19 July-21 July).  Songs included A Sea Journey, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, and Colour is a Beautiful Thing.

    The young singers were accompanied by the Big Sing Band which is made up of Aberdeen City Music Service and Robert Gordon College pupils, Charleston School and Ashley Road School Woodwind Ensembles, and the Robert Gordon College Pipe Band.

    Primary Four pupils from five schools in Clermont-Ferrand in France, which is twinned with Aberdeen, participated in the annual event for the first time.  The pupils from Ecole de Fournols; Ecole de Saint Georges sur Allier; Ecole élémentaire d’Aydat; Centre élémentaire d’Issoire and Ecole élémentaire Pierre Mendès France had taken part in various singing activities including a ‘live’ lesson and created recordings of their singing, which were broadcast at the event.

    Primary Four pupils at Muirfield School commented afterwards on how much they enjoyed being part of Aberdeen Big Sing 2025.  One pupil said: “I liked it. It was fun, my favourite song was “Thank You For The Music.”

    Another pupil added:  “It was scary and exciting being around so many other Primary Fours. I’m Still Standing was fun and I liked dancing to it.”

    An estimated 2,500 family members and friends of the young singers attended the event. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • Govt clears ₹3,399 crore railway projects in Maharashtra, MP to enhance connectivity

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved two significant railway infrastructure projects in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, with a combined estimated cost of ₹3,399 crore.

    The projects involve the construction of additional railway lines on the Ratlam–Nagda and Wardha–Balharshah routes. Aimed at improving connectivity and enhancing the seamless movement of passengers and freight, these projects are expected to play a vital role in regional development.

    Scheduled for completion by the fiscal year 2029–30, the projects will span approximately 176 kilometers, covering four districts across the two states These initiatives fall under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity. Enabled by integrated planning, the projects aim to provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods, and services.

    The enhanced capacity is expected to benefit approximately 784 villages, impacting a population of nearly 19.74 lakh. These corridors are vital for the transportation of key commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, gypsum, fly ash, containers, agricultural produce, and petroleum products.

    The capacity augmentation is projected to handle additional freight traffic of 18.40 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). This is expected to optimize supply chains, lower logistics costs, and accelerate economic growth.

    The multitracking work will also have a strong environmental impact. It is expected to reduce oil imports by 20 crore litres and cut CO₂ emissions by 99 crore kilograms, equivalent to the plantation of 4 crore trees. The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways.

    In terms of job creation, the projects are set to generate approximately 74 lakh person-days of direct employment during the construction phase.

    The projects align with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a “New India” and aim to make the local population Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) by enabling comprehensive regional development and improving employment and self-employment opportunities.

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Labour Market Ministers taking action to improve labour mobility in Canada

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    May 28, 2025

    Federal, provincial and territorial Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) met virtually on Monday to discuss progress on their joint commitment to breaking down barriers to labour mobility as one of the strategies to mitigate the negative effects of tariffs and unlock the full economic potential of free trade within Canada. The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Federal Minister of Jobs and Families and the Honourable Nolan Young, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration of Nova Scotia.

    Over recent months, the FLMM has accelerated efforts to address labour mobility barriers, strengthen Canada’s workforce and get individuals working faster. Ministers agreed that concrete progress has been made on labour mobility, with some jurisdictions having introduced legislation with more ambitious timelines and launched new initiatives to further break down barriers and reduce administrative burden.

    Ministers agreed on the actions to be taken by governments to build a more resilient, adaptable and mobile workforce to support stronger domestic economic growth.

    This aligns with a commitment made to the First Ministers earlier this year, to collaborate with the Committee on Internal Trade (CIT) on developing a plan for Canada-wide credential recognition that takes into account the unique characteristics of each jurisdiction, such as language provisions, by June 1, 2025. Ministers look forward to providing the CIT with an update on their action plan for labour mobility.

    Ministers discussed the value of conducting consultations to determine the best approach while continuing to explore additional opportunities to bolster economic growth, productivity and support for workers. Ministers also discussed possible collaboration with other ministerial tables to tackle areas linked to labour mobility, such as occupational health and safety training and licensing.

    Ministers committed to continued information sharing across orders of government and to meet regularly as part of their focused efforts to build a resilient Canadian workforce and economy.

    Finally, Ministers reiterated the vital role of Labour Market Transfer Agreements (LMTAs), which empower the provinces and territories to deliver tailored employment assistance and reskilling services that respond to the unique needs of their respective labour markets. Provincial and territorial ministers reaffirmed their position on the need for additional LMTA funding to support workers in Canada and ensure effective tariff-related responses at this critical time.

    The federal minister committed to further discussions with provincial and territorial ministers on LMTA modernization.

    About the Forum

    The FLMM was established in 1983 as an intergovernmental forum aimed at strengthening cooperation on federal, provincial and territorial labour market priorities.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: At African Development Bank Group 2025 Annual Meetings, young agripreneurs transforming Africa’s Agriculture in spotlight

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

    ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, May 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

    An Ivorian entrepreneur who started up a snack food business with about $100, then transformed it into a multinational supplier of a popular potato chip, is crediting the African Development Bank’s Enable Youth program for his success.

    Thirty-year-old “Mon chips” brand founder Koffi Amani François Xavier told an audience Tuesday on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group 2025 Annual Meetings, that his participation in the Enable Youth AgriPitch competition – which empowers young people in the agribusiness sector -helped him develop the skills he needed to scale up his business.

    Xavier was a featured speaker at the Annual Meetings side event focused on supporting African youth and innovation in Africa’s agriculture sector, held on Monday 26 May.  The“Mobilizing Africa’s Agripreneurs: Unleashing the Next Generation of Agricultural Innovators“ session showcased the transformational impact of the ENABLE Youth Program, which has supported more than 100,000 young people in agriculture across 18 African countries and has facilitated the estimated creation of 240,000 jobs.

    “Agriculture offers the largest scale and quickest wins for youth employment. That’s why the African Development Bank launched the ENABLE Youth Program in 2016. We knew that if we could support young people to become “agri-preneurs,” they would build businesses that not only feed Africa but employ millions of people,” Dr. Beth Dunford, African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development said in her remarks.

    The side event drew policymakers, private sector leaders, development partners, young agripreneurs and other participants to share insights on scaling up youth-led agribusinesses across Africa.  Xavier not only participated in the AgriPitch competition that offers business development training, mentorship and exposure to potential investors – he was an AgriPitch winner of $25,000 two years ago.

    “Thanks to the Bank’s AgriPitch competition, we were able to modernize our production, reach 150 points of sale [stores] in Côte d’Ivoire, and establish a presence in four countries,” Xavier said. He told side event attendees that since the competition, he expanded his work force to 26 employees, 80 percent of his employees are women, and that his operations now process 50 tons of potato chips per year.

    Bank Enable Youth Coordinator Edson Mpyisi moderated a  panel on creating opportunities for youth-led agribusinesses through policy reform, financing mechanisms, private sector mentorship, and access to markets. Panelists included: Dr. Martin Fregene, Bank Director for Agriculture and Agro-Industry; Diana Gichaga, Managing Partner of Private Equity Support; Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR; Frank Nyabundege, Managing Director at Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank; and AgriPitch winner Xavier, whose company is registered as Etoduma SARL.

    Africa is home to the youngest population in the world – with more than 60 percent of the continent’s population under the age of 25. By 2030, one out of every two new entrants in the global labour force will come from Africa.

    The gathering also delved into the prospects of a proposed “Enable Youth 2.0” – a scaling up of Enable Youth’s success that will focus on innovative and inclusive financing, capacity building, market linkages and climate resilience. The Enable Youth Program aligns with Bank commitments under its Ten-Year Strategy (2024 – 2033) – to place youth at the center of Africa’s agricultural and economic transformation.

    Organizing or sponsoring initiatives such as the African Youth Agripreneur Forum, AgriPitch Competition, and Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks, the African Development Bank continues to mobilize investment, innovation, and partnerships to help realize Africa’s agrifood potential.

    MIL OSI Africa –