NewzIntel.com

Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Statement at Deputy Treasury Secretary Nomination Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at a hearing to consider the nomination of Michael Falkender to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
    As prepared for delivery:
    “Today we will consider the nomination of Mike Faulkender to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.  
    “Mr. Faulkender, congratulations on your well-deserved nomination and thank you for your willingness to serve in this important position.  
    “The U.S. Treasury Department is responsible for overseeing several issues of importance to the U.S. economy.  This includes economic policy and financial markets, managing the U.S. government’s finances and debt, the Social Security and Medicare trust funds and financial sanctions, to name just a few.  
    “The Deputy Treasury Secretary plays a primary role in the formulation and execution of Treasury policies and programs in all aspects of the Department’s activities.  Along with Secretary Bessent, the Deputy Treasury Secretary will be thoroughly involved in Congress’s efforts to craft pro-growth tax policies that will benefit all Americans and allow U.S. businesses to compete on the global stage.  If confirmed, I look forward to working with you to achieve these goals. 
    “Mr. Faulkender previously served as the Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the Treasury Department during the first Trump Administration.  During that time, he played a key role in important policy discussions, like the CARES Act, among other critical initiatives.  For his devoted service, he was awarded the Alexander Hamilton Award for Distinguished Leadership, the highest service award granted at Treasury.  
    “As a university professor and leading economist, Mr. Faulkender’s work has focused on an array of topics relevant to the position for which he has been nominated, including investment considerations for multinational corporations, the corporate capital structure, risk management, corporate liquidity and executive compensation. 
    “Mr. Faulkender, I have reviewed your background and responses to all questions we posed to you during our rigorous review process.  Based upon your public and private sector experience, academic credentials and areas of focus and training, you are highly qualified to serve as Deputy Treasury Secretary in this Administration.  
    “As Ranking Member for the last four years, I have both supported and opposed nominees put forth by the Biden Administration, but I have never objected to a nomination hearing.  The Finance Committee has an arduous nomination process and once the nominee completes all the steps, he or she deserves a public hearing, followed by a vote. 
    “I thank Mr. Faulkender for his cooperation and responsiveness during this exacting process.  He has met with members and staff of this Committee, has gone through our rigorous review and has been open in answering all of our questions.  
    “My colleagues have sent several letters requesting information on Department of Government Efficiency-related work at Treasury and the IRS, and it is important that Treasury and the IRS be transparent about their actions.   
    “To date, meaningful information has been provided on both topics, and I expect this will continue. 
    “For example: on February 4, 2025, Treasury provided a letter outlining the review and access of Treasury’s IT infrastructure and payment systems, including Mr. Krause’s role; on February 12, Treasury provided a follow-up letter attaching detailed witness declarations of the four Treasury employees that are involved in pending legal cases related to the Administration’s government efficiency initiatives; and on February 26, Treasury provided the memorandum of agreement between OPM and IRS for an OPM detailee to the IRS.   
    “During the committee due diligence meetings, Mr. Faulkender stated that if he was confirmed, he would ensure the requested briefing would be provided to Congress on the Treasury payment systems, as well as be responsive to all questions put forward by Members of Congress, including this Committee. 
    “As a reminder, I and other Republicans sent several letters to Treasury and the IRS during the Biden Administration with questions on numerous issues including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), safeguarding taxpayer information, the American Rescue Plan Act and reducing return inventory during tax season, to name a few.  Many times, I did not receive a response for several months.  
    “Mr. Faulkender, I appreciate your commitment to respond to Members of this Committee, including as part of this hearing.  
    “Congratulations again on your nomination, and I look forward to working with you.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highland Council agrees a budget for investment and growth

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The Highland Council has agreed a budget which will see over £4.5 million of revenue investments for 2025 – 2026, over £17 million additional reserves investment for major developments and the creation of over 100 jobs across the Highlands.

    Members agreed a 7% increase in Council Tax, one of the lowest increases in Scotland, with 2% of this allocated to create capital investment fund for schools and roads as part of the Highland Investment Plan.

    A package of an additional £14 million savings, efficiencies and income generation was agreed, without the need for use of Reserves to balance the budget. This will add to existing saving plans, resulting in a total of £36.7m to be delivered over 3 years.  These new savings are described under the themes of improvements to our operating model, efficiencies and mechanisms to generate additional income for the council.

    Leader of the Council Raymond Bremner said: “I am delighted that Members have today supported the creation of a Poverty and Equality Commission for the Highland area, underpinned by £870k, to focus on tackling poverty and inequality across Highland communities. This in addition to our planned investment programme will help to sustain our Highland communities, with affordable homes, better access to renewable energy, job opportunities and economic prosperity.”

    Convener of the Council Bill Lobban said: “Long term financial planning has enabled us to be in the position today of being able to invest rather than cut. Our savings and income generation plans will mean we can focus a large proportion of our Reserves on investing in huge projects such as an £8m energy investment fund and a £6m transport expansion fund, which will benefit Highland people for many years to come.”

    The full budget report can be found on the Council’s website.

    6 Mar 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Sajjan announces funding to British Columbia for 2024 wildfires

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    From Public Safety Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2025/03/minister-sajjan-announces-funding-to-british-columbia-for-2024-wildfires.html

    French version: https://www.canada.ca/fr/securite-publique-canada/nouvelles/2025/03/le-ministre-sajjan-annonce-loctroi-dun-financement-a-la-colombiebritannique-pour-les-feux-de-foret-survenus-en-2024.html

    In 2024, British Columbia saw over 1,600 wildfires burn approximately one million hectares of land. Between April 21 and October 7, 2024, over seven thousand residents were evacuated from their homes. Multiple residences, provincial infrastructure, provincial recreation sites and trails, and range fencing were destroyed.

    Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced payments of over $35 million to British Columbia through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, to assist with response and recovery costs resulting from the wildfires in 2024.

    When a large-scale natural disaster happens, the Government of Canada can provide financial assistance to provinces and territories through the DFAA program. Through this support, the Government of Canada covers eligible disaster response and recovery expenses that have been submitted by the province or territory and that exceed what they could reasonably be expected to bear on their own.

    Extreme weather events and natural disasters are a growing threat to the safety and economic stability of Canadian communities. The Government of Canada has and will continue to work closely with the Government of British Columbia to respond to and recover from disastrous events such as the recent wildfires.

    Quotes:

    “In the last few years, we have seen the effects of climate change increase the frequency of disasters. This funding will help support British Columbia with their recovery and rebuilding efforts, as we work together to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Prioritizing our resiliency towards recurring disasters will help strengthen our adaptability and our ability to better recover.”

    – The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

    “Wildfires last summer impacted many people and communities throughout British Columbia. This funding from the Government of Canada for damage to uninsurable infrastructure from large-scale climate emergencies is critical to helping support B.C.’s response and recovery and our ongoing work to build more resilient communities.”

    – The Honourable Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness for British Columbia

    Quick Facts:

    • In Canada, emergencies are managed first at the municipal level and if assistance is needed, the municipality requests it from the province or territory. If the emergency escalates further, provinces or territories can get help from the federal government.
    • Eligible expenses under the DFAA include, but are not limited to, evacuation operations, restoring public works and infrastructure to their pre-disaster condition, as well as restoration or replacement of individuals’ uninsurable principal dwellings, restoration of small businesses, and farmsteads and mitigation measures to reduce the future vulnerability of repaired or replaced infrastructure.
    • Federal government payments are calculated on a per capita basis and cost-shared with the province or territory. Under the current DFAA program, the amount cost-shared is determined by an established formula and ranges from 50 to 90 percent of the costs of eligible expenses.
    • Under the DFAA, provinces and territories have six months following the end of a disaster event to request financial assistance from the federal government. Once an event has been designated under the DFAA, provinces and territories have up to five years to submit their final claim.
    • A request for payment under the DFAA is processed immediately following receipt of the required documentation of provincial and territorial expenditures and a review by federal auditors. Advance payments or interim payments, up to 50 or 60 percent of the projected federal share, can also be requested within the five-year timeframe.
    • On January 29, 2025, Minister Sajjan announced additional details on the upcoming modernization of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, which is anticipated to come into effect on April 1, 2025. 
    • For eligible disasters occurring on or after April 1, 2025, the modernized DFAA program ensures that in the face of increasing disaster costs and impacts to Canadians and all levels of government, financial assistance to provinces and territories will not only be delivered quickly and efficiently in the aftermath of a disaster, but also provide:
      • Increased investments in strategic disaster mitigation and building back better to minimize disaster impacts on communities and the risk of future disasters;
      • Incentives for risk reduction, pre-disaster planning, and improved hazard awareness to reduce the risks and impacts of disasters;
      • Expanded support for people hardest hit by the impacts of significant disasters.
    • The DFAA Guidelines for the modernized program are now posted, along with the DFAA Guidelines for eligible disasters occurring before April 1, 2025 (the former program). Since it can take a number of years after a disaster for final payments under the DFAA to be processed, the former program Guidelines will remain active until those events are fully closed and finalized. The DFAA Guidelines for the modernized program will be finalized when they come into effect on April 1, 2025. 
    • Since the inception of the program in 1970, the DFAA has been a reliable source of support for provinces and territories. As of November 2024, the Government of Canada has provided over $9 billion in post disaster assistance to help provinces and territories with the costs of response and returning infrastructure and property to pre-disaster condition.

    Associated links:

    Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/mrgnc-mngmnt/rcvr-dsstrs/dsstr-fnncl-ssstnc-rrngmnts/index-en.aspx

    Modernizing the DFAA: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/mrgnc-mngmnt/rcvr-dsstrs/dsstr-fnncl-ssstnc-rrngmnts/dfaa-mdrnzng-en.aspx

    Contacts:

    Emily Heffernan
    Director of Communications
    Office of the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
    Emily.Heffernan@kpc-cpr.gc.ca

    Public Safety Canada
    Media Relations
    media@ps-sp.gc.ca
    613 991-0657

    B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
    Media Relations
    Ashley.1.Taylor@gov.bc.ca
    250 880-6430

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Celebrating Denver International Airport: The Doorway To The Rockies

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis joined Denver Mayor Johnston, Denver City Council, Adams County Commissioners, and other former elected officials at the Denver International Airport (DEN) 30th Anniversary Celebration to highlight the positive impact the airport has on Colorado’s economy and discuss the future of the national hub.  

    “Denver’s world-class airport helps get Coloradans where we want to go, expands business and trade, and is the gateway to the Rockies for millions of visitors each year. Our top-performing airport strengthens our economy, boosts tourism, and welcomes the world to all that Colorado has to offer,” said Governor Polis.  

    The airport is the third busiest airport in North America. Denver International Airport will continue to be a symbol of Colorado’s booming economy and thriving tourism sector for years to come.

    Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Transportation recently announced the results of the 2025 Colorado Aviation Economic Impact Study, which highlights the impact Colorado’s Airports, including DEN, have on our economy.  The study found that Colorado’s airports generated $68.9 billion in revenue, support 348,500 jobs, and contribute $40.3 billion in value to the state.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Files Lawsuit Challenging Termination of K-12 Teacher Preparation Pipeline Grants

    Source: US State of California

    Grant funding with a total value of at least $148 million at stake for California programs that address state’s ongoing teacher shortage

    LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a multistate coalition, filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful termination of grant funding for K-12 teacher preparation programs. Beginning on February 7, California institutions received letters purporting to terminate grants with a total value of at least $148 million in critical funding to address the state’s ongoing teacher shortage through teacher preparation programs. These programs are designed to create a pipeline for teachers serving rural and urban communities and teaching harder-to-fill positions like math and science and have been shown to increase teacher retention rates and ensure that educators remain in the profession beyond the crucial first five years. The attorneys general argue that the terminations, impacting institutions across the nation and which were issued without warning and with immediate effect, violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The attorneys general are seeking an order to prevent disruptions to these programs, which would immediately reduce the number of teachers and teacher trainees serving in schools.

    “The Trump Administration is pursuing an anti-education agenda that would yank teachers out of schools and prevent new teachers-in-training who are close to being ready to serve our students from filling empty classrooms,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “States across the nation are facing a critical teacher shortage. But instead of trying to help us solve it, instead of doing the bare minimum and honoring grants that have already been awarded and obligated, the U.S. Department of Education is attempting to terminate funding for vital teacher preparation programs that train teachers to go into hard-to-fill positions and high-poverty or high need schools across the country. As a father myself, I can’t sit back while the Trump Administration attempts to pull the rug out from under aspiring teachers – especially when it’s our kids’ education on the line. I’ll see the Trump Administration in court.”

    “The elimination of funding to the Teacher Quality Partnership grants awarded to universities in the California State University system will cause widespread and irreparable harm to the students and school districts we are so honored to serve through these grants,” said California State University Chancellor Mildred García. “The programs currently in place across the CSU have proven to be extraordinarily successful at placing well-qualified and dedicated diverse educators in some of California’s highest-need districts, including our state’s rural areas. As teacher shortages continue to plague the state and nation, programs designed to attract, train and retain talented individuals to careers in K-12 education should be expanded, not defunded – and viewed as vital investments in our collective future.”

    In 2024, more than 400,000 teaching positions in the U.S. — representing about one in eight of all teaching positions nationwide — were vacant or filled by uncertified teachers. When schools are unable to find qualified teachers, students suffer. Teacher shortages can result in larger class sizes, cancelled courses, or classes staffed with teachers less able to teach a subject.

    To address the nationwide teacher shortage, especially for hard-to-fill subject areas, like math, science, and special education, and in hard-to-staff school districts in rural and urban areas, Congress established and allocated funding pursuant to the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development grant programs to train teachers, create a new teacher pipeline, and improve teacher quality. The U.S. Department of Education subsequently awarded and obligated funds to states’ public universities and associated nonprofits grants under these programs to do exactly what Congress mandated — provide teacher training, placement, and retention, and new teacher pipeline development in the states.

    Beginning on February 7, 2025, the Department of Education terminated, with immediate effect, grants awarded to K-12 teacher preparation programs in California and nationwide. Hundreds of millions in grants have been terminated. In California alone, the Department provided notice of termination of grants with a total value of at least $148 million in funding across a number of grants. These terminations would be felt immediately across California schools who rely on these programs to bring teachers into their classrooms. The terminations would also cause layoffs or reductions in hours for University staff, and result in reduced or eliminated support and funding for new aspiring teachers. Impacted programs in California include:

    CALIFORNIA STATE, LOS ANGELES:

    Program Purpose: The Education Department terminated a new five-year $7.5 million grant to train and develop highly qualified community-centered teachers who could staff and support high-need or high-poverty urban K-12 schools and students.
    Subjects Taught: The residency focuses special education, secondary STEM education, and bilingual education.
    Teachers Impacted: The program’s goal is to train and certify approximately 276 teachers and educators for placement into high-needs/high-poverty K-12 urban schools. Without these funds, these teachers and educators will no longer be trained and certified to serve in schools.
    School Impacted: Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Pasadena Unified School District.  

    CHICO STATE:

    Program Purpose: The Education Department terminated a new $2.4 million five-year grant to address a chronic and acute shortage of qualified or experienced teachers within a 38,000-mile rural region of northeastern California. The program is designed to assist and enable local students in high-need rural community school districts to become teachers, and to remain in those local districts as teachers and educators.  
    Schools Impacted: Schools in the Chico Unified School District, Oroville Union High School, the Glenn County Office of Education, and the Red Bluff School District.
    Teachers Impacted: Approximately 225 undergraduate students, Masters students and credential candidates enrolled in teacher and educator study programs will lose financial, academic, and other support provided through the program. Without these funds, these teachers and educators will no longer be trained.
    Other Impacts: Access to college courses, campus visits, and higher education preparation resources will be eliminated or greatly reduced for more than 60 local high school students.

    Program Purpose: The Education Department terminated a five-year $8.5 million grant that supports a yearlong teacher residency during which students would be able to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching and a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. During the program, teacher candidates teach full time in a high-needs or high-poverty school while, working closely with a mentor teacher and meeting residency requirements. Those schools have a chronic and critical shortage of teachers and anticipate hiring those teacher candidates to fill existing and future teacher vacancies once they have completed the program. The termination of the grant will immediately eliminate current candidates teaching in their schools.  
    Teachers Impacted: The program will recruit, prepare, and support a minimum of 60 teacher residents to serve in underserved, high-need rural districts. Without these funds, these teachers will no longer be trained.
    School Impacted: High-needs or high-poverty public schools located in Butte and Tehama Counties including Palermo Union Elementary, Golden Hills Elementary, Helen M. Wilcox Elementary, Thermalito Union Elementary, Plumas Avenue Elementary, Poplar Avenue Elementary, Sierra Avenue Elementary, Corning Union Elementary, Woodson Elementary, West Street Elementary, Olive View Elementary, and Los Molinos Elementary School. 

    CAL POLY, SAN LUIS OBISPO:

    Program Purpose: The Education Department terminated an ongoing $2.2 million five-year grant that provides living wage stipends for residents, who in turn agree to complete three years of service after graduation in one of 32 high-need schools.
    Subjects Taught: Residents who go through this program aspire to become teachers in bilingual education and special education.
    School Impacted: 32 schools in the Santa Maria Bonita School District, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, and Lucia Mar Unified School District. 
    Students Impacted: Collectively, these schools serve nearly 40,000 Pre-K to 12th grade students.

    Program Purpose: The Education Department terminated an ongoing $4.7 million grant to address a critical teacher shortage in important fields, including special education, by developing a high-quality teacher workforce, supporting worker retention, expanding professional development, and issuing micro credentials. 
    Teachers Impacted: The program would have developed a high-quality teacher workforce by training 775 prospective educators through reformed clinical experiences and coursework. Without these funds, these educators will no longer be trained.
    School Impacted: San Miguel Joint Unified School District, Shandon Joint Unified School District, Guadalupe Union School District, Lompoc Unified School District, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, and Atascadero Unified School District. 

    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES:

    Program Purpose: The Education Department terminated an ongoing $8 million grant that educates middle school principals and recruits residency candidates with specialized expertise in their areas to meet the Los Angeles Unified School District’s demand for single-subject middle school teachers.
    Subjects Taught: Math, Science, English, and Social Science.
    Teachers Impacted: The termination of the grant will impact approximately 314 educators.
    Schools Impacted: Schools in the Norwalk La Mirada District, LAUSD Partnership Schools, LAUSD East Region District, Glendale Unified School District, and the Lancaster Unified School District.
    Students Impacted: Over 15,000 students in classrooms within Los Angeles County school districts.

    Other Impacts: The UCLA Program’s structured residency model significantly enhances teacher retention rates, ensuring that early-career educators remain in the profession beyond the crucial first five years. Without this structured support, school districts will experience higher turnover rates, which lead to increased recruitment costs, staffing instability, and disruptions in student learning.

    Attorney General Bonta is leading this lawsuit with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. They are joined by the attorneys general of Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin in filing the lawsuit.

    A copy of the lawsuit is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New York Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy on the Northern Border

    Source: US State of California

    A New York woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River.

    According to court documents, Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, conspired with five others to bring Indian and Romanian nationals into the United States for private financial gain. Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025, and Oct. 8, 2024, respectively.

    “The defendant and her coconspirators — fueled by greed, indifference, and recklessness — smuggled aliens via vehicle and boat across the U.S.-Canada border in dangerous weather conditions,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “They endangered the lives of two small children and their parents for profit, resulting in the family’s tragic deaths. Dismantling transnational criminal organizations that smuggle people into and throughout the United States is a top priority for the Department of Justice.”

    “A family of four died because a smuggling organization put them in harm’s way for profit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Hanlon for the Northern District of New York. “Our top priority is the prosecution and dismantling of smuggling organizations. By securing our northern border, we aim to avoid more tragedies like this one.”

    According to court documents, Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow worked with a human smuggling organization (HSO) on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR) and in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, that smuggled aliens from mainland Cornwall to Cornwall Island, and then into northern New York. The HSO routinely smuggled aliens from various countries into the United States. The HSO arranged for aliens to stay in local motels in Cornwall before transporting the aliens to the AMIR to stage the aliens on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Members of the HSO would then transport the aliens by boat across the St. Lawrence River to later be driven into New York.

    Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that in late March 2023, the co-conspirators were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four — mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl — from Cornwall into New York. The children were Canadian citizens. Both Montour and Terrance admitted that they were hired to transport the Romanian family to the AMIR from mainland Cornwall.

    Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on March 29, 2023 — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was loaded into a small boat by another co-conspirator to cross the St. Lawrence River. The boat capsized, and the family died as a result.

    “The tragic deaths of two innocent, unknowing toddlers and their parents underscores the devastating impacts of alien smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Buffalo. “Janet Terrance and her co-conspirators moved forward with this smuggling attempt despite the dangerous conditions and sheer illegality of the act, placing these victims in the situation that ultimately killed them. ICE HSI Massena is committed to enforcing U.S. laws at our border to protect the safety and the security of our communities.”

    “The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service is dedicated to keeping our community safe,” said Acting AMPS Chief Ranatiiostha Swamp. “By working closely with Homeland Security on this investigation, we are enhancing efforts to combat human smuggling and cross-border illegal activity, ensuring the safety and security of our territory.”

    Montour pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and three counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Montour faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory penalty of life in prison on the alien smuggling resulting in death counts.

    Sharrow and Terrance pleaded guilty to two counts and one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, respectively, and each to four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain. They each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy counts and two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory minimum of five years and maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts.

    A federal district court judge will determine the defendants’ sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, AMPS, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests.

    Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

    The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy on the Northern Border

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A New York woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River.

    According to court documents, Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, conspired with five others to bring Indian and Romanian nationals into the United States for private financial gain. Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025, and Oct. 8, 2024, respectively.

    “The defendant and her coconspirators — fueled by greed, indifference, and recklessness — smuggled aliens via vehicle and boat across the U.S.-Canada border in dangerous weather conditions,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “They endangered the lives of two small children and their parents for profit, resulting in the family’s tragic deaths. Dismantling transnational criminal organizations that smuggle people into and throughout the United States is a top priority for the Department of Justice.”

    “A family of four died because a smuggling organization put them in harm’s way for profit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Hanlon for the Northern District of New York. “Our top priority is the prosecution and dismantling of smuggling organizations. By securing our northern border, we aim to avoid more tragedies like this one.”

    According to court documents, Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow worked with a human smuggling organization (HSO) on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR) and in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, that smuggled aliens from mainland Cornwall to Cornwall Island, and then into northern New York. The HSO routinely smuggled aliens from various countries into the United States. The HSO arranged for aliens to stay in local motels in Cornwall before transporting the aliens to the AMIR to stage the aliens on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Members of the HSO would then transport the aliens by boat across the St. Lawrence River to later be driven into New York.

    Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that in late March 2023, the co-conspirators were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four — mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl — from Cornwall into New York. The children were Canadian citizens. Both Montour and Terrance admitted that they were hired to transport the Romanian family to the AMIR from mainland Cornwall.

    Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on March 29, 2023 — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was loaded into a small boat by another co-conspirator to cross the St. Lawrence River. The boat capsized, and the family died as a result.

    “The tragic deaths of two innocent, unknowing toddlers and their parents underscores the devastating impacts of alien smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Buffalo. “Janet Terrance and her co-conspirators moved forward with this smuggling attempt despite the dangerous conditions and sheer illegality of the act, placing these victims in the situation that ultimately killed them. ICE HSI Massena is committed to enforcing U.S. laws at our border to protect the safety and the security of our communities.”

    “The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service is dedicated to keeping our community safe,” said Acting AMPS Chief Ranatiiostha Swamp. “By working closely with Homeland Security on this investigation, we are enhancing efforts to combat human smuggling and cross-border illegal activity, ensuring the safety and security of our territory.”

    Montour pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and three counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Montour faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory penalty of life in prison on the alien smuggling resulting in death counts.

    Sharrow and Terrance pleaded guilty to two counts and one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, respectively, and each to four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain. They each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy counts and two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory minimum of five years and maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts.

    A federal district court judge will determine the defendants’ sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, AMPS, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests.

    Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

    The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Viridien: Publication of the 2024 Universal Registration Document

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Publication of the 2024 Universal Registration Document

    Paris, France – March 6, 2025

    Viridien announces the publication of its 2024 Universal Registration Document, the original version of which was filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des marchés financiers – AMF) on March 6, 2025.

    The Universal Registration Document was submitted in European Single Electronic Format (ESEF), as established by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/815. It includes in particular:

    •     the 2024 annual financial report;

    •     the Board of Directors’ report on corporate governance;

    •     the description of the share buyback program;

    •     the reports from the statutory auditors;

    •     the management report including the information related to Sustainability ; and

    •     the certification report on information related to Sustainability and Taxonomy.

    The 2024 Universal Registration Document is available to the public as per the applicable regulatory conditions. It is also available on Viridien’s website (www.viridiengroup.com/investors/regulated-information) and on the AMF’s website (amf-france.org).

    About Viridien:

    Viridien (www.viridiengroup.com) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges. Viridien employs around 3,400 people worldwide and is listed as VIRI on the Euronext Paris SA (FR001400PVN6).

    Contacts

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts, Klobuchar Introduce Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act. The bipartisan bill would allow companies to preserve Renewable Identification Number credits (RINs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, when the fuel for use is in ocean-going vessels.
    “Expanding the use of biofuels like renewable diesel strengthens American energy independence, supports Nebraska agriculture, and reduces emissions,” said Senator Ricketts.“This bipartisan bill will deliver new market opportunities for Nebraska farmers who have played a crucial role creating a strong renewable diesel economy.”
    “Domestically produced biofuel strengthens our energy independence, supports our farmers, and boosts rural economies,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This common sense legislation will expand markets for farmers and fuel producers by providing ocean-going vessels a lower carbon fuel.”
    “Ocean-going cargo ships, tankers, and passenger vessels have a need for low-carbon, low-sulfur biodiesel and renewable diesel which provides an additional market for biofuels,” said Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), the bill’s lead in the U.S. House of Representatives. “This legislation allows for RINs to be generated for renewable marine fuel without requiring an obligation on any parties. I thank my colleagues for supporting this legislation which opens the door for communities, like farmers in Iowa, to engage, and be involved, in the marine fuel industry and conversation.”
    Bill text can be found here.
    “This bill is a win for everyone who values stronger markets, cleaner energy, and a stronger, safer America,” said Dawn Caldwell, Executive Director of Renewable Fuels Nebraska. “It’s a commonsense step to put renewable energy to work on the high seas, which will support our country’s farmers and producers while moving us one step closer to energy independence. We’re grateful to Senator Ricketts for leading on this issue that is so crucial to Nebraskans. And we call on his colleagues in Congress to pass it quickly and look forward to President Trump signing it into law.”
    “Soybean farmers are constantly looking for new and innovative markets for our crop, including new opportunities for soy-based biofuels,” said Caleb Ragland, President of the American Soybean Association and soybean farmer from Kentucky. “The Renewable Fuels for Ocean-Going Vessels Act seeks to allow biofuels to truly tap into the marine transportation market through the RFS, and we appreciate the work of Senator Rickets, Senator Klobuchar, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, and Congressman Garamendi as they continue to advocate for soy-based biofuels.”
    “Global shipping companies are looking to U.S. farmers and fuel producers to take the lead in providing clean fuels,” said Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs for Clean Fuels. “This commonsense legislation will remove a regulatory roadblock and enable U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel producers in partnership with soy and canola growers to meet the needs of shipping companies at a competitive price. It will allow refiners and blenders to keep RFS credits for fuel used in ocean-going vessels that are currently being sacrificed.”
    “Biofuels are an important pathway for future fuels for the maritime industry. And the United States with its vast biofuel feedstocks and resources creates an enormous economic opportunity for the nation’s farmers to produce fuels to meet the growing global demand for alternative fuels,” said Jennifer Garson, Executive Director of the Sustainable Maritime Coalition. “However, in order to match this enormous supply with the maritime sector, the biofuels industry needs the Renewable Fuels for Oceangoing Vessels Act. This Act is critical for compliance, as RINS are the currency of the RFS program and we applaud its reintroduction in this Congress.”
    BACKGROUND:
    The RFS excludes “fuel used in ocean-going vessels” from the definition of transportation fuels and from refiners’ and blenders’ obligations. Refiners and blenders are currently required to retire RINs from any biodiesel and renewable diesel used in vessels with Class 3 engines operating in international waters, including the Great Lakes. In the first ten months of 2023, more than 5 million D4 RINs were retired under this rule.
    The Environmental Protection Agency, however, allows companies to generate and use RINs for “additional renewable fuel,” which includes heating oil and jet fuel. The Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act would expand the RFS definition of additional renewable fuel and allow companies to use or sell the RINs associated with biodiesel and renewable diesel used in ocean-going vessels.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Finds Owner and Captain of Southern Comfort Guilty of Seaman’s Manslaughter and Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – This week, a federal jury in Fort Pierce found Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, of Ocala, Florida, guilty of seaman’s manslaughter (both in his capacity as boat owner and boat captain of the vessel named Southern Comfort), lying to the Coast Guard, and committing Covid-19 pandemic relief fraud.

    South Florida Assistant U.S. Attorneys presented the following evidence at trial: In early March 2020, McCabe purchased a 48-foot boat, named it Southern Comfort, and falsely claimed on Coast Guard forms that he intended to use the boat recreationally. The truth was that McCabe planned to use the Southern Comfort to run paid scuba charters. He refitted the boat for that purpose by removing the vessel’s main deck engine controls, among other things. 

    On March 28, 2020, McCabe took paying passengers on a scuba trip aboard the Southern Comfort, but things did not go well. During the day’s two scuba dives, the Southern Comfort experienced significant mechanical malfunctions that included one of the vessel’s propellers activating unexpectedly, the loss of steering, and the vessel running aground. One of the incidents involved the port side propeller engaging when the vessel was in neutral during the pickup of a diver, which led to the diver being sucked toward the propeller and narrowly escaping.     

    Despite the close calls, McCabe took more paying divers out the next day, on March 29, 2020, without reporting the prior day’s incidents to the Coast Guard, warning his passengers of what had occurred, or fixing the boat. Again, the port side propeller engaged while the boat was sitting in neutral over a dive spot. As the victim diver and her spouse boarded the vessel, the propeller sucked the victim towards it – as it had done to a diver the day before. This time, unfortunately, there was no narrow escape, only tragedy: The propeller sucked the victim into it, mangling and cutting her. It twisted her leg up in its shaft, holding her under water. A medical examiner testified that while the victim’s many deep chop wounds and leg fractures were not fatal on their own, they caused serious pain that contributed to the victim’s death by drowning.

    As a result of the March 29 death, McCabe was prohibited from operating the Southern Comfort. He was never again seen working at the marina. As federal prosecutors proved during trial, this did not stop McCabe from applying for two loans from the Covid-19 era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – a federal relief program meant to help small businesses financially survive the pandemic. To secure the loans (and later their forgiveness), McCabe falsely claimed in the applications that his business was operational and submitted fraudulent payroll information and fake tax documents to support the lie.

    Sentencing is scheduled for June 12 at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon. McCabe faces up to 10 years in prison for seaman’s manslaughter, up to five years for making false statements, and up to 20 years for wire fraud.

    United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Josh W. Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (“CGIS”) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.

    CGIS Southeast Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Lake Worth and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Office of Law Enforcement.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller, Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Stiehl, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Koffsky are prosecuting this case.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80103.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Top 5 Reasons to Attend Congo Energy & Investment Forum 2025

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

    BRAZZAVILLE, Congo (Republic of the), March 6, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Serving as the inaugural edition, this year’s Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF) 2025, scheduled for March 25-26 in Brazzaville, underscores the Republic of Congo’s growing role in Africa’s energy landscape. Under the leadership of Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons for Congo, the country has affirmed its commitment to maximizing its energy potential and streamlining licensing and regulatory processes, leading to a series of recent acquisitions and project developments.

    Gain Insights into Congo’s Gas Master Plan

    The Congolese government will unveil its new Gas Master Plan at CEIF 2025, which is designed to consolidate the position of existing companies and attract new investments to the sector. Developed in collaboration with global data and analytics provider Wood Mackenzie, the plan sets out a clear roadmap to capitalize on Congo’s gas resources, highlighting gas as a significant economic opportunity to diversify the country’s economy. The plan will allow Congo to engage more confidently with advanced regional and international players in the industry.

    Participate in Congo’s 2025 Licensing Round

    With aims to attract investment in both marginal and deepwater blocks, Congo is set to launch its 2025 international oil and gas licensing round. This initiative is part of the country’s strategy to increase oil production from the current 280,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 500,000 bpd and is expected to usher in a new wave of investment in sub-Saharan Africa’s fourth largest oil producing market.

    This licensing round is designed to attract international oil companies (IOCs) with technical expertise and financial capacity to develop deepwater resources, as well as local and independent companies to exploit marginal fields.

    Explore Congo’s Investment Potential

    Congo is offering a number of investment opportunities for international and local companies and firms across all levels of the value chain.

    A series of dedicated panel sessions, technical workshops and presentations at CEIF 2025 will provide an in-depth look at Congo’s efforts to sustainably increase its oil production. The conference will highlight crucial developments across the country’s energy sector as well as the broader strategic importance of Congo’s energy ambitions. CEIF 2025 will provide attendees with valuable insights into how ongoing and upcoming projects are helping the country meet its production goals while fostering economic growth and diversification in the sector.

    Connect with Industry Leaders

    Supported by Congo’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and national oil company (NOC) Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, CEIF 2025 will serve as an opportunity for local, regional and international delegates to collaborate and discover new avenues for partnerships. Delegates can connect with top energy investors and executives – from operators, IOCs, NOCs and independents – as well as government officials, industry innovators and financiers to expand their professional network.

    Help Fuel Sustainable Development

    Boasting immense potential for renewable energy, Congo is well-positioned to leverage Congo’s strong slate of upcoming projects to transform its energy landscape. In recent years, the country has implemented a number of initiatives to diversify its energy matrix and expand the share of renewable energy. The Congolese government is also making strategic investments in downstream infrastructure, including new refineries and gas-to-power projects, which will be on display at CEIF 2025 and are set to help drive electrification and socioeconomic development. 

    The inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum, set for March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, under the patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, will bring together international investors and local stakeholders to explore national and regional energy and infrastructure opportunities. The event will explore the latest gas-to-power projects and provide updates on ongoing expansions across the country.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF) 2025 Set to Drive Investment, Growth with Business Management Participation

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

    BRAZZAVILLE, Congo (Republic of the), March 6, 2025/APO Group/ —

    As part of a strategy to spur energy investment and socioeconomic development, the Republic of Congo has initiated a number of strategies to drive resource monetization, project development and local capacity building. As such, the nation has attracted a wave of international companies across its energy value chain, leading to a series of recent acquisitions and project developments in the country.

    In light of Congo’s favorable legislative and fiscal landscape, the inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF), taking place from March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, will feature a strong lineup of legal firms and business management companies. This year’s conference will feature the participation of Louis-Raymond Gomes, Managing Attorney at Cabinet Gomes; Ileana Ferber, CEO and Local Content Expert at Colibri Business Development; and Eric Williams, President and Principal Consultant at Royal Triangle Energy Solutions.

    The inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum, set for March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, under the patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, will bring together international investors and local stakeholders to explore national and regional energy and infrastructure opportunities. The event will explore the latest gas-to-power projects and provide updates on ongoing expansions across the country.

    Serving as one of the country’s foremost legal service companies, Cabinet Gomes offers services in labor law; banking and finance; hydrocarbons and mining law; and mergers and acquisitions. Earlier this year, oil and gas company Trident Energy finalized its acquisition of energy majors Chevron and TotalEnergies’ interests in operational fields in Congo. Set to add approximately 30,000 barrels of oil per day to Congo’s production capacity, this acquisition highlights the country’s immense potential for international companies to meet the country’s development goals.

    Meanwhile, the participation of Colibri Business Development at CEIF 2025 is expected to show a unique insight into how international companies can participate in Congo’s burgeoning hydrocarbons sector. The country will launch its 2025 licensing round at CEIF 2025, offering onshore, offshore and marginal acreage to potential investors and developers while aligning with national efforts to increase output.

    Set to showcase how Congo’s regulatory framework and fiscal regime can accelerate monetization of the country’s natural resources, Royal Triangle Energy Solutions’ experience in the African market has the potential to empower businesses with effective change management skills and knowledge for participating in Congo’s energy sector. The Congolese government is also set to release its Gas Master Plan at CEIF 2025, which will serve as a roadmap to Congo’s gas resources for both domestic consumption and export.

    “The exchange of knowledge and expertise is vital to unlocking the full potential of Congo’s natural resources, driving economic growth and positioning the country as a key player in the global energy market. The participation of Cabinet Gomes, Colibri Business Development and Royal Triangle Energy Solutions at CEIF 2025 underscores the immense opportunities the country offers for international investment and collaboration,” states Sandra Jeque, Events and Project Director, Energy Capital & Power.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: New York Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy on the Northern Border

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    A New York woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River.

    According to court documents, Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, conspired with five others to bring Indian and Romanian nationals into the United States for private financial gain. Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025, and Oct. 8, 2024, respectively.

    “The defendant and her coconspirators — fueled by greed, indifference, and recklessness — smuggled aliens via vehicle and boat across the U.S.-Canada border in dangerous weather conditions,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “They endangered the lives of two small children and their parents for profit, resulting in the family’s tragic deaths. Dismantling transnational criminal organizations that smuggle people into and throughout the United States is a top priority for the Department of Justice.”

    “A family of four died because a smuggling organization put them in harm’s way for profit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Hanlon for the Northern District of New York. “Our top priority is the prosecution and dismantling of smuggling organizations. By securing our northern border, we aim to avoid more tragedies like this one.”

    According to court documents, Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow worked with a human smuggling organization (HSO) on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR) and in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, that smuggled aliens from mainland Cornwall to Cornwall Island, and then into northern New York. The HSO routinely smuggled aliens from various countries into the United States. The HSO arranged for aliens to stay in local motels in Cornwall before transporting the aliens to the AMIR to stage the aliens on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Members of the HSO would then transport the aliens by boat across the St. Lawrence River to later be driven into New York.

    Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that in late March 2023, the co-conspirators were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four — mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl — from Cornwall into New York. The children were Canadian citizens. Both Montour and Terrance admitted that they were hired to transport the Romanian family to the AMIR from mainland Cornwall.

    Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on March 29, 2023 — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was loaded into a small boat by another co-conspirator to cross the St. Lawrence River. The boat capsized, and the family died as a result.

    “The tragic deaths of two innocent, unknowing toddlers and their parents underscores the devastating impacts of alien smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Buffalo. “Janet Terrance and her co-conspirators moved forward with this smuggling attempt despite the dangerous conditions and sheer illegality of the act, placing these victims in the situation that ultimately killed them. ICE HSI Massena is committed to enforcing U.S. laws at our border to protect the safety and the security of our communities.”

    “The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service is dedicated to keeping our community safe,” said Acting AMPS Chief Ranatiiostha Swamp. “By working closely with Homeland Security on this investigation, we are enhancing efforts to combat human smuggling and cross-border illegal activity, ensuring the safety and security of our territory.”

    Montour pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and three counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Montour faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory penalty of life in prison on the alien smuggling resulting in death counts.

    Sharrow and Terrance pleaded guilty to two counts and one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, respectively, and each to four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain. They each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy counts and two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory minimum of five years and maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts.

    A federal district court judge will determine the defendants’ sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, AMPS, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests.

    Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

    The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LANCASTER – Shapiro-Davis Administration Highlights Importance of Proposed 2025-26 State Budget Investment for Victims Compensation and the Critical Role of the Program for Victims and Survivors of Crime

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    March 07, 2025 – Lancaster, PA

    ADVISORY – LANCASTER – Shapiro-Davis Administration Highlights Importance of Proposed 2025-26 State Budget Investment for Victims Compensation and the Critical Role of the Program for Victims and Survivors of Crime

    The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) will join Lancaster County Victim/Witness Services, Lancaster County Children Alliance, Community Action Partnership, and YWCA Lancaster to highlight the importance of supporting victims and survivors of crime and to encourage support for the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s proposed $9 million investment in the Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP) in the 2025-26 state budget.

    Over the past five years, PCCD has paid more than 67,000 VCAP claims totaling $67 million to financially support victims of crime across all 67 Pennsylvania counties with medical costs, counseling, relocation, and more.

    WHO:
    Kathy Buckley, Office of Victims’ Services Director, PCCD
    Deanna Weaver, Victim/Witness Services Program Director, Lancaster County DA’s Office
    Mary Halye, Lancaster County Children’s Alliance Manager
    Christine Gilfillan, Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County Director, Community Action Partnership
    Mandy Billman, Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Center Director, YWCA Lancaster

    WHEN:
    Friday, March 7, 2025 at 10:30 AM.

    WHERE:
    Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office
    50 North Duke Street, 6th Floor (Media Center)
    Lancaster, PA 17608

    RSVP:
    Press who are interested in attending must RSVP to algantz@pa.gov.

    Photos will be available on PAcast following the event.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Health Care Providers and Laboratory Marketers Agree to Pay Over $1.9 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations

    Source: US State of California

    Gerald Congdon, M.D., of Pawleys Island, South Carolina; Gbenga Aluko, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Anup Banerjee, M.D., of Gastonia, North Carolina, and their medical practices; as well as Curis Healthcare Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, Omar Hussain, of South Miami, Florida, and Saeed Medical Group Ltd. doing business as Alliance Immediate and Primary Care of Chicago, Illinois, agreed to pay a total of $1,913,808 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. The parties have agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.

    “We will continue to hold accountable individuals and entities that accept money to steer federal health care beneficiaries to a particular laboratory for testing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Kickbacks can undermine the integrity of taxpayer-funded health care programs, distort medical decisions, and result in unnecessary services.”

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, TRICARE, and other federally funded health care programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlements announced today resolve allegations that health care providers received kickbacks in return for their referrals to a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, and that a marketer and his marketing company received kickbacks from that South Carolina laboratory to arrange for laboratory testing referrals, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The kickbacks allegedly resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.

    • Dr. Gerald Congdon, Coastal Urgent Care LLC, and Coastal Wellness Center LLC. Dr. Congdon and his medical practices in Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Gbenga Aluko and Eagle Medical Center PC. Dr. Aluko and his medical practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental, phlebotomy, and toxicology payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Anup Banerjee and Gastonia Medical Specialty Clinic P.A. Dr. Banerjee and his medical practice in Gastonia, North Carolina, agreed to pay $206,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2017 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Omar Hussain and Curis Healthcare Inc. Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $817,808 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Hussain and his company received commissions from the South Carolina laboratory as independent contractors based on the volume and value of the Medicare and TRICARE referrals for laboratory testing that they arranged for and recommended.
    • Saeed Medical Group Ltd., Omar Hussain, and Curis Healthcare Inc. Saeed Medical Group and Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $240,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Saeed Medical Group received thousands of dollars in remuneration in the form of cash payments from Hussain and his company in return for ordering testing from the South Carolina laboratory.

    “Integrity must be the standard in our health care system,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “Kickback schemes divert funds and focus away from patients and their medical needs.”

    “The public puts immense trust in medical professionals, and disdain for the rule of law damages that trust and erodes their credibility,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “These settlements should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its partners are committed to holding medical practitioners accountable for kickbacks.”

    “Kickback schemes undermine medical decision-making and jeopardize the integrity of federally funded health care programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our commitment is to safeguard taxpayer-funded health care and the patients who rely on it, and we will rigorously pursue any allegations of False Claims Act violations.”

    “The trust of the American taxpayer and the wellbeing of our service members are undermined when laboratories and physicians engage in collusive financial relationships,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice medical providers who illegally enrich themselves by prioritizing kickbacks over patient care.”

    The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, and the FBI. The settlements announced today were handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Warren for the District of South Carolina. The United States previously resolved allegations that physicians in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas received kickbacks from the same South Carolina laboratory.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Health Care Providers and Laboratory Marketers Agree to Pay Over $1.9 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Gerald Congdon, M.D., of Pawleys Island, South Carolina; Gbenga Aluko, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Anup Banerjee, M.D., of Gastonia, North Carolina, and their medical practices; as well as Curis Healthcare Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, Omar Hussain, of South Miami, Florida, and Saeed Medical Group Ltd. doing business as Alliance Immediate and Primary Care of Chicago, Illinois, agreed to pay a total of $1,913,808 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations arising from their involvement in laboratory kickback schemes. The parties have agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigations of other participants in the alleged schemes.

    “We will continue to hold accountable individuals and entities that accept money to steer federal health care beneficiaries to a particular laboratory for testing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Kickbacks can undermine the integrity of taxpayer-funded health care programs, distort medical decisions, and result in unnecessary services.”

    The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, TRICARE, and other federally funded health care programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

    The settlements announced today resolve allegations that health care providers received kickbacks in return for their referrals to a laboratory in Anderson, South Carolina, and that a marketer and his marketing company received kickbacks from that South Carolina laboratory to arrange for laboratory testing referrals, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The kickbacks allegedly resulted in the submission of false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims to Medicare and TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act.

    • Dr. Gerald Congdon, Coastal Urgent Care LLC, and Coastal Wellness Center LLC. Dr. Congdon and his medical practices in Pawleys Island and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Gbenga Aluko and Eagle Medical Center PC. Dr. Aluko and his medical practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve allegations that from May 2016 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental, phlebotomy, and toxicology payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Dr. Anup Banerjee and Gastonia Medical Specialty Clinic P.A. Dr. Banerjee and his medical practice in Gastonia, North Carolina, agreed to pay $206,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2017 to November 2021, they received thousands of dollars in remuneration disguised as purported office space rental and phlebotomy payments from the South Carolina laboratory in return for ordering testing.
    • Omar Hussain and Curis Healthcare Inc. Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $817,808 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Hussain and his company received commissions from the South Carolina laboratory as independent contractors based on the volume and value of the Medicare and TRICARE referrals for laboratory testing that they arranged for and recommended.
    • Saeed Medical Group Ltd., Omar Hussain, and Curis Healthcare Inc. Saeed Medical Group and Hussain and his marketing company agreed to pay $240,000 to resolve allegations that from April 2020 to August 2021, Saeed Medical Group received thousands of dollars in remuneration in the form of cash payments from Hussain and his company in return for ordering testing from the South Carolina laboratory.

    “Integrity must be the standard in our health care system,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “Kickback schemes divert funds and focus away from patients and their medical needs.”

    “The public puts immense trust in medical professionals, and disdain for the rule of law damages that trust and erodes their credibility,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “These settlements should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its partners are committed to holding medical practitioners accountable for kickbacks.”

    “Kickback schemes undermine medical decision-making and jeopardize the integrity of federally funded health care programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our commitment is to safeguard taxpayer-funded health care and the patients who rely on it, and we will rigorously pursue any allegations of False Claims Act violations.”

    “The trust of the American taxpayer and the wellbeing of our service members are undermined when laboratories and physicians engage in collusive financial relationships,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice medical providers who illegally enrich themselves by prioritizing kickbacks over patient care.”

    The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, and the FBI. The settlements announced today were handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Warren for the District of South Carolina. The United States previously resolved allegations that physicians in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas received kickbacks from the same South Carolina laboratory.

    The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: KingsRock Advisors and BC Partners Credit Announce $500 million Co-Investment Strategic Alliance

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Strengthens KingsRock’s growing corporate finance advisory and capital raising business; Increases robust pipeline of investment opportunities for BC Partners Credit

    Collaboration aims to capitalize on the rapidly growing $2.0 trillion private credit industry

    NEW YORK and LONDON and STOCKHOLM and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KingsRock Advisors, LLC, the independent global advisory firm, and BC Partners Credit, the $8 billion credit arm of international investment firm BC Partners, today announced a non-exclusive strategic alliance, wherein BC Partners Credit will have the ability to co-invest up to $500 million in a robust pipeline of credit and special opportunity transactions originated and structured by KingsRock. Likewise, KingsRock will benefit from BC Partners’ deep expertise, resources and broad international network.

    This collaboration aims to leverage their combined expertise to originate, structure, execute and invest in credit and hybrid capital opportunities. BC Partners offers KingsRock greater ability to lead, underwrite and co-invest in mandated private capital markets transactions, thus providing issuer clients an enhanced level of financing certainty and its wide investor base with stronger alignment of interest by co-investments.

    “The private credit sector has seen tremendous growth and it will not slow down any time soon. By combining KingsRock’s global origination expertise and broad client mix with BC Partners’ strong capital base and extensive distribution networks, both firms are even better positioned to execute complex financing transactions with greater efficiency and volume. We look forward to partnering together on attractive credit and special situation opportunities” said Ted Goldthorpe, Head of BC Partners Credit.

    “We are thrilled to announce our strategic alliance with BC Partners Credit,” said Håkan Wohlin, Founder & Managing Partner, and Louis Jaffe, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of KingsRock Advisors. “Having successfully collaborated on multiple high-profile projects across industries, we are building on a strong foundation. This will allow us to support our clients’ capital raising efforts, and wherever applicable take a lead in transactions with other investor partners, by also utilizing access to BC Partners Credit’s significant capital base and distribution reach. We look forward to working together to capitalize on new transaction opportunities.”

    About BC Partners Credit

    BC Partners is a leading international investment firm in private equity, private debt, and real estate strategies. BC Partners Credit was launched in February 2017, with a focus on identifying attractive credit opportunities in any market environment, often in complex market segments. The platform leverages the broader firm’s deep industry and operating resources to provide flexible financing solutions to middle-market companies across Business Services, Industrials, Healthcare and other select sectors. For further information, visit www.bcpartners.com/credit-strategy.

    About KingsRock:

    KingsRock Advisors LLC headquartered at 900 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, is an independent global advisory firm, with securities offered by KingsRock Securities LLC, a FINRA member firm and SIPC, as well as KingsRock Advisors UK Ltd and KingsRock Advisors Europe AB, both wholly owned subsidiaries of KingsRock Advisors LLC.

    Founded in 2020, KingsRock comprises a team of approximately 30 professionals who advise on a wide range of private capital markets transactions including debt, hybrid, equity and M&A covering structures from vanilla to highly structured. The team collectively has worked on thousands of transactions across various industry sectors worldwide. Clients include private equity and private credit firms, corporations, financial institutions, government-related entities, and institutional investors.

    KingsRock Advisors offers the experience and global reach of a large firm, combined with the structural agility and creativity of a boutique. An independent advisory firm with a global network that provides objective strategic and financial advisory services, along with innovative capital solutions and special situations. The firms’ bankers excel in complex transactions and deliver swift results often where large banks and traditional sources of financing do not have the ability to engage. KingsRock Advisors operates across all major industry sectors and is supported by a global network of 115 independent Senior Advisors across 45 countries, who bring decades of deal making experience.

    Disclaimer:

    Securities offered by KingsRock Securities LLC, a FINRA, member firm and a member of SIPC, a wholly owned subsidiary of KingsRock Advisors LLC , 900 Third Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10022.

    KingsRock Advisors UK Ltd is a private limited company registered in England and Wales with registration number 15240371. KingsRock Advisors UK Ltd (FRN 1006329) is an Appointed Representative under Bluegrove Capital Management Ltd (FRN: 960363), which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

    KingsRock Advisors Europe AB is incorporated in Sweden (EU), with registered office at Grev Turegatan 14, 114 46 Stockholm, Sweden, and is a tied agent of Svensk Värdepappersservice i Stockholm AB, a Swedish investment firm authorized and regulated by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Sw. Finansinspektionen) under the Swedish Securities Market Act (Sw. lag (2007:528) om värdepappersmarknaden).

    This message is provided for information purposes and does not constitute an invitation, solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or investment. Neither KingsRock Securities LLC nor its affiliates provide accounting, tax or legal advice; such matters should be discussed with your advisors and/or counsel.

    Press Inquiries

    For KingsRock
    Info@kingsrock.com

    For BC Partners
    Daniel Yunger / James Hartwell
    Kekst CNC
    bcpartnersus@kekstcnc.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft invests an additional ZAR 5.4bn in South Africa, launches program for digital skills

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Microsoft invests an additional ZAR 5.4bn in South Africa, launches program for digital skills

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: US trade wars with China – and how they play out in Africa

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Johnston, Associate Professor, China Studies Centre, University of Sydney

    Since taking office, US president Donald Trump has implemented policies that have been notably hostile towards China. They include trade restrictions. Most recently, a 20% tariff was added to all imports from China and new technological restrictions were imposed under the America First Investment Policy. This isn’t the first time US-China tensions have flared. Throughout history the relationship has been fraught by economic, military and ideological conflicts.

    China-Africa scholar and economist Lauren Johnston provides insights into how these dynamics may also shape relations between Africa and China.

    How has China responded to hostile US policies?

    First, China tends to have a defiant official response. It expresses disappointment, then states that the US policy position is not helpful to any country or the world economy.

    Second, China makes moves domestically to prioritise the interests of key, affected industries.

    Third, China will sometimes impose retaliatory sanctions.

    In 2018, for instance, China imposed a 25% tariff on US soybeans, a critical animal feed source. The US Department of Agriculture had to compensate US soybean farmers for their lost income.

    Another example is how, following US tech sanctions, China took a more independent technology path. It has channelled billions into tech funds. The goal is to make financing available for Chinese entrepreneurs and to push technological boundaries in areas of US sanction, such as semiconductors. These efforts are backed up by subsidies and tax reductions. In some cases, the Chinese state will invest directly in tech companies.

    More recently, China retaliated to the US trade war by
    announcing tariffs on 80 US products. China is set to place 15% tariffs on certain energy exports, including coal, natural gas and petroleum. An additional 10% tariffs will be placed on 72 manufactured products including trucks, motor homes and agricultural machinery.

    Agricultural trade has been hard hit. The day the US announced a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, China announced “an additional 15% tariff on imported chicken, wheat, corn and cotton originating from the US”. Also, “sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products will be subject to an additional 10% tariff”.

    How have these Chinese responses affected Africa?

    We can’t say for certain that China’s response to US trade tensions has explicitly affected its Africa policy, but there are some notable coincidences.

    Less than one month after Trump’s return to the White House in 2025, and soon after the first tariffs were slapped on China’s exports to the US, China announced new measures to foster China-Africa trade efforts. The policy package aims to “strengthen economic and trade exchanges between China and Africa.”

    This is the latest in a series of Chinese actions.

    In January 2018 trade hostilities began to escalate after Trump imposed a first round of tariffs on all imported washing machines and solar panels. These had an impact on China’s exports to the US.

    Later the same year, China imposed 25% tariffs on US soy bean imports and took steps to reduce dependence on US agricultural products. China also took steps to expand trade with Africa, agricultural trade in particular.

    In September 2018, Beijing hosted the Forum on China and Africa Cooperation summit, a triennial head of state gathering. It was announced that China would set up a China-Africa trade expo and foster deeper agricultural cooperation. In the days after the summit, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was already acting on this. A gathering of African agricultural ministers took place in Changsha, Hunan province.

    Hunan province has since taken centre stage in China-Africa relations. It’s now the host of a permanent China-Africa trade exhibition hall and a larger biennial China-Africa economic and trade exhibition (known as CAETE).

    Hunan also hosts the pilot zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation. The zone has numerous initiatives designed to overcome obstacles to China-Africa trade and investment, like support in areas of law, technology and currency, and vocational training.

    Finally, the zone is located in a bigger free-trade zone that is better connected to Africa by air, water and land corridors. African agricultural exports to China pass through Hunan, where local industry either uses these imports or distributes them across the country to retailers.

    Companies in Hunan are well placed to play a key role in supporting China-Africa trade, capitalising on the opportunities left by China-US hostilities.

    Hunan’s agritech giant Longping High-Tech, for instance, is investing in Tanzanian soybean farmers.

    Hunan is also home to China’s construction manufacturing and electronic transportation frontier. This includes global construction giant Sany, which produces heavy industry machinery for the construction, mining and energy sectors. China’s global electronic vehicle manufacturing BYD and its electronic railway industry are also in Hunan. They have deep and increasing interests in Africa and can also support China’s key minerals and tech race with the US.

    As US-China hostility enters a new era, what are the implications for China-Africa relations?

    As my new working paper sets out, African countries are, for example, responding to the new opportunities from China.

    At the end of 2024, while the world waited for Trump’s second coming, various African countries made moves to strengthen economic ties with China, Hunan province especially.

    In December 2024, Tanzania became the first African country to open an official investment promotion office in the China-Africa Cooperation Pilot Zone in Changaha.

    In November 2024, both the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Africa and the China Engineering Technology Exhibition were held in Abuja, Nigeria. Equivalent events were hosted in Kenya.

    Early in 2025 in Niamey, Niger, a joint pilot cooperation zone was inaugurated , and which is direct partner of the China-Africa Pilot zone in Hunan.

    As China moves away from US agricultural produce, for instance, African agricultural producers can benefit. Substitute African products and potential exports will enjoy a price boost, and elevated Chinese support.

    China’s newly elevated interest in African development and market potential will bring major prospects. The question will be whether African countries are ready to grasp them, and to use that potential to foster an independent development path of their own.

    Lauren Johnston 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. US trade wars with China – and how they play out in Africa – https://theconversation.com/us-trade-wars-with-china-and-how-they-play-out-in-africa-249609

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: DOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allison Stanger, Distinguished Endowed Professor, Middlebury

    Elon Musk has simultaneous control of DOGE and his AI company xAI. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

    The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to train a private company’s artificial intelligence systems.

    The White House press secretary said government data that DOGE has collected isn’t being used to train Musk’s AI models, despite Elon Musk’s control over DOGE. However, evidence has emerged that DOGE personnel simultaneously hold positions with at least one of Musk’s companies.

    At the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX employees have government email addresses. This dual employment creates a conduit for federal data to potentially be siphoned to Musk-owned enterprises, including xAI. The company’s latest Grok AI chatbot model conspicuously refuses to give a clear denial about using such data.

    As a political scientist and technologist who is intimately acquainted with public sources of government data, I believe this potential transmission of government data to private companies presents far greater privacy and power implications than most reporting identifies. A private entity with the capacity to develop artificial intelligence technologies could use government data to leapfrog its competitors and wield massive influence over society.

    Value of government data for AI

    For AI developers, government databases represent something akin to finding the Holy Grail. While companies such as OpenAI, Google and xAI currently rely on information scraped from the public internet, nonpublic government repositories offer something much more valuable: verified records of actual human behavior across entire populations.

    This isn’t merely more data – it’s fundamentally different data. Social media posts and web browsing histories show curated or intended behaviors, but government databases capture real decisions and their consequences. For example, Medicare records reveal health care choices and outcomes. IRS and Treasury data reveal financial decisions and long-term impacts. And federal employment and education statistics reveal education paths and career trajectories.

    What makes this data particularly valuable for AI training is its longitudinal nature and reliability. Unlike the disordered information available online, government records follow standardized protocols, undergo regular audits and must meet legal requirements for accuracy. Every Social Security payment, Medicare claim and federal grant creates a verified data point about real-world behavior. This data exists nowhere else with such breadth and authenticity in the U.S.

    Most critically, government databases track entire populations over time, not just digitally active users. They include people who never use social media, don’t shop online, or actively avoid digital services. For an AI company, this would mean training systems on the actual diversity of human experience rather than just the digital reflections people cast online.

    A security guard prevented U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., from entering an EPA building on Feb. 6, 2025, to see DOGE staff working there.
    Al Drago/Getty Images

    The technical advantage

    Current AI systems face fundamental limitations that no amount of data scraped from the internet can overcome. When ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini make mistakes, it’s often because they’ve been trained on information that might be popular but isn’t necessarily true. They can tell you what people say about a policy’s effects, but they can’t track those effects across populations and years.

    Government data could change this equation. Imagine training an AI system not just on opinions about health care but on actual treatment outcomes across millions of patients. Consider the difference between learning from social media discussions about economic policies and analyzing their real impacts across different communities and demographics over decades.

    A large, state-of-the-art, or frontier, model trained on comprehensive government data could understand the actual relationships between policies and outcomes. It could track unintended consequences across different population segments, model complex societal systems with real-world validation and predict the impacts of proposed changes based on historical evidence. For companies seeking to build next-generation AI systems, access to this data would create an almost insurmountable advantage.

    Control of critical systems

    A company like xAI could do far more with models trained on government data than building better chatbots or content generators. Such systems could fundamentally transform – and potentially control – how people understand and manage complex societal systems. While some of these capabilities could be beneficial under the control of accountable public agencies, I believe they pose a threat in the hands of a single private company.

    Medicare and Medicaid databases contain records of treatments, outcomes and costs across diverse populations over decades. A frontier model trained on new government data could identify treatment patterns that succeed where others fail, and so dominate the health care industry. Such a model could understand how different interventions affect various populations over time, accounting for factors such as geographic location, socioeconomic status and concurrent conditions.

    A company wielding the model could influence health care policy by demonstrating superior predictive capabilities and market population-level insights to pharmaceutical companies and insurers.

    Treasury data represents perhaps the most valuable prize. Government financial databases contain granular details about how money flows through the economy. This includes real-time transaction data across federal payment systems, complete records of tax payments and refunds, detailed patterns of benefit distributions, and government contractor payments with performance metrics.

    An AI company with access to this data could develop extraordinary capabilities for economic forecasting and market prediction. It could model the cascading effects of regulatory changes, predict economic vulnerabilities before they become crises, and optimize investment strategies with precision impossible through traditional methods.

    Elon Musk’s xAI company is well financed.

    Infrastructure and urban systems

    Government databases contain information about critical infrastructure usage patterns, maintenance histories, emergency response times and development impacts. Every federal grant, infrastructure inspection and emergency response creates a data point that could help train AI to better understand how cities and regions function.

    The power lies in the potential interconnectedness of this data. An AI system trained on government infrastructure records would understand how transportation patterns affect energy use, how housing policies affect emergency response times, and how infrastructure investments influence economic development across regions.

    A private company with exclusive access would gain unique insight into the physical and economic arteries of American society. This could allow the company to develop “smart city” systems that city governments would become dependent on, effectively privatizing aspects of urban governance. When combined with real-time data from private sources, the predictive capabilities would far exceed what any current system can achieve.

    Absolute data corrupts absolutely

    A company such as xAI, with Musk’s resources and preferential access through DOGE, could surmount technical and political obstacles far more easily than competitors. Recent advances in machine learning have also reduced the burdens of preparing data for the algorithms to process, making government data a veritable gold mine – one that rightfully belongs to the American people.

    The threat of a private company accessing government data transcends individual privacy concerns. Even with personal identifiers removed, an AI system that analyzes patterns across millions of government records could enable surprising capabilities for making predictions and influencing behavior at the population level. The threat is AI systems that leverage government data to influence society, including electoral outcomes.

    Since information is power, concentrating unprecedented data in the hands of a private entity with an explicit political agenda represents a profound challenge to the republic. I believe that the question is whether the American people can stand up to the potentially democracy-shattering corruption such a concentration would enable. If not, Americans should prepare to become digital subjects rather than human citizens.

    Allison Stanger receives funding from the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University.

    – ref. DOGE threat: How government data would give an AI company extraordinary power – https://theconversation.com/doge-threat-how-government-data-would-give-an-ai-company-extraordinary-power-250907

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trudeau’s record may be spotty, but his biggest accomplishment was a national child-care program

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Lightman, Associate Professor of Sociology, Toronto Metropolitan University

    As Canada prepares to close the book on the Justin Trudeau era, some will be happy to watch him go. But in Canada’s haste to see him out the door, let’s not forget his government’s significant achievements.

    His strong performance in the ongoing showdown with United States President Donald Trump, for example, may have led Canadians to view him in a distinctly more positive light.

    But what’s undoubtedly been his single greatest achievement — prodded in no small part by the NDP — was the introduction of a national child-care program: The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system, colloquially known as $10-a-day child care.

    As scholars of social policy — as well as a mother and grandfather — we believe this program is the biggest improvement to Canada’s welfare state since the initial implementation of medicare in 1966-67, updated via the Canada Health Act in 1984.

    Somehow, however, amid all the negative Trudeau headlines, this major contribution has been seemingly forgotten.

    Gender equality

    Trudeau’s child-care program is a massive advancement for gender equality and should be celebrated by all women, parents and — more broadly — people who care about reducing social inequalities.

    By freeing parents — mostly women — from the need to stay home with their children or from having to rely on ageing and often frail grandparents, evidence suggests Canada will experience substantial benefits to children, parents and society as a whole.

    The program allows highly skilled and motivated workers to join the paid labour force and could also affect fertility decisions in some cases if, for example, families decide to have more children due to reduced child-care costs.

    Just as importantly, formal child care benefits children developmentally, particularly in the case of disadvantaged and single-parent households.

    In purely fiscal terms, study after study shows that a dollar invested in child care yields a greater financial return over a lifetime than any other expenditure of public funds.

    Massive uptake rates

    The CWELCC program committed more than $30 billion federally to support early learning and child care, with specific funds dedicated to Indigenous child care.

    To date, it has created 150,000 new spaces, with a goal of creating an additional 100,000 new spaces by March 2026. All provinces and territories have participated, with uptake rates among child-care centres starting at 92 per cent in Ontario and rising higher elsewhere across the country.

    Notably, the road to implementing national child care in Canada has neither been short or easy.

    In 2004, Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin was unable to bring national child care to fruition, despite gaining bilateral child-care agreements with all 10 provinces.

    When Stephen Harper replaced Martin in 2006, among the first acts of his Conservative government was to cancel these agreements. Instead, he offered the Universal Childcare Benefit that delivered $100 per child to parents monthly, but did nothing to address the lack of available child-care spaces.

    It did, however, ensure that a rhetoric of “choice” and cash in hand for in-home care for children was prioritized over women’s equal participation in the labour market. Internationally, there is consistent evidence that care allowances offered in lieu of a publicly funded child-care services reinforce traditional gendered divisions of labour and reduce female employment rates.

    All provinces/territories signed up

    By contrast — and no small feat in terms of negotiation skills — Trudeau’s team was able to persuade each and every province and territory to sign an Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

    Major reductions in child-care fees for eligible families followed, with all territories and four provinces at $10-a-day as of 2024 (with New Brunswick and Alberta only slightly higher, while Nova Scotia] will be at $10-a-day as of March 1, 2026.)

    Even in Ontario, where rates are higher, costs now average about $23 a day.

    Trudeau managed to carry out this program by starting his efforts early in his tenure, unlike with the dental and pharmacare initiatives, and building consensus across a diverse and often contentious Canadian landscape.

    Supply issues

    It’s not all roses, of course. Some Canadians are frustrated about the slow expansion of subsidized child-care spaces. And the program remains plagued by serious supply (availability) issues, especially in rural and remote communities.

    Early childhood educators still do not receive fair pay for the essential work they do, and staff retention is a serious issue.

    But as we look towards the next federal election, Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre has had little to say about the national child-care program except for vague references to “flexibility” and a suggestion about replacing it with tax credits. This should set alarm bells ringing across the country.



    Read more:
    The baffling indifference of Canadian voters to child-care proposals

    Fortunately, Trudeau has set up a framework that will be difficult to dismantle in the future. There has been massive buy-in from users, providers, funders and much of the general public.

    We urge whoever replaces Trudeau as prime minister to highlight what’s been accomplished in child care over the last few years, and to prioritize the further expansion of the program in the years ahead.

    This would be Trudeau’s proudest legacy.

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

    – ref. Trudeau’s record may be spotty, but his biggest accomplishment was a national child-care program – https://theconversation.com/trudeaus-record-may-be-spotty-but-his-biggest-accomplishment-was-a-national-child-care-program-251318

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Feeding families and children in need

    [. Since 2020, Alberta’s government has invested more than $31 million to help food banks and community organizations support Albertans in need. This funding has been crucial to meeting the challenge of food insecurity and helping put nutritious food on tables across the province. If passed, Budget 2025 would continue this important funding by providing an another $5 million in food security funding to help meet the needs of Alberta’s rapidly growing population.

    “No family should have to choose between buying groceries and paying their bills. Through the funding in Budget 2025, Alberta’s government will continue to support organizations across the province that provide nutritious food to Albertans every day.”

    Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services

    Food banks play a critical role by offering those in vulnerable situations the immediate support they need to feed their families. That’s why over the past five years, Alberta’s government has invested much of its food security funding into supporting the province’s food banks. Last year, Alberta’s government invested in a partnership with Food Banks Alberta to strengthen its existing programs to ensure the province’s network of food banks can respond to Albertans’ needs. This partnership ensured that food banks across the province could provide culturally appropriate food, established a program to support food banks during emergency situations, and assisted food banks with covering their core operating costs. Budget 2025 would meet the challenge of food insecurity by providing funding to further strengthen and continue to build on this recent progress.

    “We would like to extend our thanks to the Government of Alberta for its continued action in addressing the urgent issue of food insecurity within our province. Through collaboration and partnership such as this, we can make a difference for every Albertan in need.”

    Shawna Bissel, executive director, Food Banks Alberta

    It is critical that efforts to reduce hunger evolve to provide long-term solutions that meet the challenges facing Albertans in need. Looking to the future, this means offering those in vulnerable situations the immediate support they need to feed their families, while also providing long-term support by educating families and children on how to shop for, prepare and enjoy healthy food. The self-empowering model used by the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary is a great example of how to do exactly that. They help individuals and families eat healthier at a lower cost in the long-term by teaching them how to stretch their food budget further, lower their grocery bills and prepare cost-effective, nutritious meals. This emphasis on practical skills helps individuals and families gain more control over their food security in the long-term by teaching them how to create and maintain life-long healthy habits so they can feed themselves and their families. 

    “I would like to thank the Alberta government, Minister Nixon and Food Banks Alberta for their continued support of our collaborative efforts in making life better for Albertans living in poverty and food insecurity.” 

    Sundae Nordin, CEO, Community Kitchen Program of Calgary

    In addition to the $5 million in funding dedicated to food security, Budget 2025 would ensure that no kid has to go to school with an empty stomach by providing $20 million for Alberta’s school nutrition program if the budget passes. With this funding, school jurisdictions across the province provide about 58,000 students with a daily nutritious meal. Budget 2025 would also provide $105 million in funding this year for the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) program, which supports local preventative services and programming across the province in partnership with local municipalities and Metis Settlements. Through the FCSS program, Alberta’s government provides community organizations, such as the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary, with funding so they can continue to improve the lives of Alberta’s families, children and communities.

    “Affordability and food security are deeply interconnected. More and more, Calgary Food Bank clients are individuals with full-time jobs who are unable to afford groceries for their families due to insufficient income. Our analysis shows that for every dollar invested in food security, there is a social return of $9.84, meaning taxpayer dollars have nearly a 10x impact when allocated to food banks. Direct support for food banks, coupled with policies that allow Calgarians to retain more of their hard-earned income, are initiatives that the Calgary Food Bank strongly supports.”

    Melissa From, president and CEO, Calgary Food Bank

    Alberta’s government remains focused on ensuring the province is the best place to live, work and raise a family. By providing dedicated food security funding, Alberta’s government is meeting the needs of the province’s rapidly growing population by providing Albertans – including families, seniors, and the vulnerable – with quality supports and services.

    “Edmonton’s Food Bank distributes food to more than 380 schools, shelters, food banks and community food programs. The last couple of years has placed tremendous stress on Edmonton’s Food Bank and food banks across Alberta. In October of 2024, we provided hampers to more than 47,000 individuals. We are seeing and serving record numbers of people. Moving forward, we are very concerned with world events and believe that we are entering a time of more uncertainty and increased community needs. Any financial support that we receive from the Government of Alberta through Food Banks Alberta will help us provide better services. Because of this support, we will be able to put food on the tables of our neighbors in need.”

    Marjorie Benz, executive director, Edmonton’s Food Bank

    “Strong communities are built on the foundation of well-being, and access to nutritious food is a key part of that. FCSS continues to witness the growing concern of household food insecurity in our communities and recognize the crucial role of food security in prevention and long-term stability. By investing in both immediate supports and preventive services, we can work together to create healthier, more resilient communities for all Albertans.”

    Kayla Blanchette, president, Family and Community Support Services Association of Alberta

    Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

    Quick facts

    • Since 2020, Alberta’s government has invested more than $31 million to support food security for Albertans in need.
    • Budget 2025 invests $5 million in food security funding, $105 million in funding for Family and Community Support Services, and $20 million in funding for Alberta’s school nutrition program.

    Related information

    • Food Banks Alberta
    • Community Kitchen Program of Calgary
    • Food security | Alberta.ca
    • School Nutrition Program | Alberta.ca
    • Family and Community Support Services | Alberta.ca

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Proceed with Caution, California: Attorney General Bonta Alerts Consumers to Ongoing Scam Activity

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert warning Californians of three popular text-based scams. These scam texts claim Californians owe past-due charges and provide fraudulent links for consumers to “resolve” the charge — the links are often a vehicle by which scammers can steal consumers’ sensitive payment data. Scammers often use the threat of a “late fee” or use words like “urgent action required” to pressure consumers into clicking the links. The California Department of Justice asks Californians to slow down and proceed with caution when faced with these types of messages. 

    “California, these scammers are relentless. While text-based toll charge scams remain widespread, consumers across our state are also receiving texts claiming they owe a parking ticket charge,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Bad actors are getting more sophisticated and show little signs of slowing. I urge Californians to not click on links in texts appearing to alert consumers to overdue charges, visit only official websites, and talk to friends and family who may be unaware of these dangers.” 

    If You Receive a Possible Scam Text:

    • DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. 
    • File a complaint. File a complaint with the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, and our office. Be sure to include the phone number from where the text originated and the website listed within the text.
    • Delete any scam texts received. 
    • Check your account using a legitimate website. 
    • Secure your personal information and financial accounts. Regularly check your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized transactions, especially after suspecting a scam. Dispute any unfamiliar charges. 

    TOLL CHARGE SCAMS

    These texts claim consumers owe FasTrak express lane or toll charges, link to a website, and ask for online payment. This scam is designed to trick drivers into entering banking or credit card information into a website fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies.

    FasTrak is the electronic toll collection system used on tolled bridges, lanes, and roads in California. It allows drivers to pay tolls electronically without having to stop at toll booths. FasTrak does not request payment by text with a link to a website. The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), operator of The Toll Roads in Orange County, advises account holders to verify a valid text notification by logging into their account at thetollroads.com or through The Toll Roads app. 

    For all other toll agencies, please use official webpages only — you can find a list of California toll webpages below:

    PARKING CHARGE SCAMS

    These messages aim to scare consumers into thinking something they’ve dreaded has happened: that they’ve earned a parking ticket and have forgotten to pay it. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), an agency that scammers have imitated, does not request payment by text with a link to a website. For more information on paying a SFMTA parking citation, please visit SFMTA.com/PayCitation.

    If you live or visit another city, please use the official website of that city or transportation agency.  

    PACKAGE DELIVERY SCAMS 

    These text messages often state that there’s an issue with your delivery and include a link to “resolve” the problem. Package delivery scams are more common over the gift giving season but can occur at any time. Delivery companies do not ask for payment to release a package or correct a delivery error — any such request is a scam. 

    Consider signing up for alerts from trusted carriers like UPS, FedEx, or USPS. These alerts will notify you of package updates directly from the source. 

    Attorney General Bonta is committed to enforcing consumer protections in the state of California and speaking out for consumer protections nationwide — this includes working to put a stop to illegal and annoying robocalls, which are often a vehicle for scams. Last year, Attorney General Bonta, as part of the nationwide Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, joined the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in sending a warning letter to a telecom company responsible for transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic and issued a warning letter to a company that allegedly sent New Hampshire residents scam election robocalls during the New Hampshire primary election. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Blasts Trump’s Plans to Decimate the Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Murray: “It does not take a former teacher to tell you how obliterating the Department of Education hurts students. I think even a preschooler could tell you this is a terrible, terrible idea.”
    Murray: “Trump and Musk don’t know what it’s like to count on their local public school having the resources to get their kids a great education. They don’t know why Pell Grants are so important. And they don’t care to learn why. They want to break the Department, break our government, and enrich themselves.”
    ICYMI: Ahead of Confirmation Vote, Senator Murray Blasts Linda McMahon’s Nomination: “We Cannot Have a Secretary of Education Who Doesn’t Believe in Having a Secretary of Education”
    ICYMI: Murray sends letter this morning demanding answers about Education Department’s reckless personnel plans
    ***VIDEO HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Democratic colleagues at a press conference to blast President Donald Trump’s expected Executive Order calling for the abolition of the Department of Education—and his plans to begin gutting the Department with mass firings.
    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
    “Let’s be clear: We may not know when, but we absolutely do know Trump is preparing to ask the Department of Education to slam every door they can in the face of our students.
    “And let’s not pretend for one single second we think he is serious about doing so while following the law—because the very premise of his plan—shuttering the Department of Education—fundamentally goes against the bipartisan laws we’ve passed establishing and funding it.
    “And it goes against a very basic principle in this country that we put our kids first, that we do everything we can to set them up for success, and that our future depends on whether our kids get the support they need to grow and thrive.
    “It does not take a former teacher to tell you how obliterating the Department of Education hurts students. I think even a preschooler could tell you this is a terrible, terrible idea.
    “Trump and Elon Musk want to do to the Department of Education what they did to USAID.
    “They don’t care what they can legally do—they will act first and not care about the consequences.
    “Trump’s move to dismantle the Department of Education, fire the people who keep it running, and terminate funding will mean fewer teachers at public schools.
    “It will mean students stuck with outdated technology.
    “It will mean less access to special education for students with disabilities—and states and schools will have to pick up the costs.
    “It will mean no enforcement of basic education standards and no data helping us know what is working, and what is not.
    “It will also mean more barriers keeping students out of higher education, fewer career training opportunities, and fewer watchdogs protecting our students from predatory for-profit colleges, from predatory student lenders, and from discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault on campus.
    “That is all just the reality, and get ready for the disinformation now. Because you can bet when they realize how painful and unpopular this is: they are going to try and pretend everything is roses. They will say ‘oh this won’t go away’ and ‘oh we’ll just move this somewhere else.’ As if we haven’t already seen how they operate—with as much chaos, and pain, and damage as they can inflict.
    “We know that playbook. We are seeing it everywhere.
    “And as we saw from Trump last time, just because a program won’t disappear—that doesn’t mean it will still work! In Trump’s first term, he didn’t “abolish” Public Student Loan Forgiveness, it is also written in federal law, but he broke it as badly as he possibly could—to the point where 99 percent of applications were rejected—so how is that functionally any different?
    “And that’s what Trump, Musk, and McMahon are planning to do to the entire Department: break it up into pieces and then break the pieces.
    “Trump and Musk don’t know what it’s like to count on their local public school having the resources to get their kids a great education. They don’t know why Pell Grants are so important. And they don’t care to learn why. They want to break the Department, break our government, and enrich themselves.
    “However, we are not going to let the Department and the programs it supports for our kids go down without a fight.
    “I first got into politics many years ago to save an education program. I was told I couldn’t make a difference because I was just a mom in tennis shoes. But here is the thing: there are a lot of moms and dads in tennis shoes out there, and they do not play when it comes to their kids’ futures.
    “I saved that program back then by getting moms and dads to join with me, speak up, and say ‘wait, our kids come first.’
    “And we are going to fight for our students, teachers, and schools the same way by getting moms and dads—and, yes, students too—to speak up, by making clear: this is not some program you play politics with. This is about our kids. And we will not let anyone—not if they are the President, not if they are the richest man in the world—put our kids’ futures on the chopping block.”
    _______________________________________
    Senator Murray has been calling out the Trump administration’s devastating plans to worsen public education in America. She’s pressed the Trump administration on its plans to shutter the Department, blasted its dismantling of its research arm, and forcefully opposed Linda McMahon’s nomination and plans to execute Trump’s disastrous agenda. This morning, she sent a letter to the Department demanding answers about its reckless personnel plans that will hurt students, parents, and schools.
    Senator Murray has championed students and families at every stage of her career—fighting to help ensure every child in America can get a high-quality public education. Among other things, Senator Murray negotiated the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), landmark legislation that she got signed into law, replacing the broken No Child Left Behind Act. As a longtime appropriator, she has successfully fought to boost funding to support students and invest in our nation’s K-12 schools, and she has secured significant increases to the Pell Grant so that it goes further for students pursuing a higher education. Senator Murray also successfully negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid.
    In March 2020, Senator Murray introduced the Supporting Students in Response to Coronavirus Act to support students as COVID-19 spread, and she proceeded to work across the aisle to deliver resources to schools to support students in the CARES Act in March 2020 and in December 2020 through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). In March 2021, Senator Murray helped secure critical resources for K-12 schools in the American Rescue Plan, which was passed without any Republican votes. She also worked to require a portion of the resources are specifically used to address learning loss—and has pushed to ensure the resources are being used effectively to help students get back on track. In the years since, Senator Murray has fought to renew federal investments in our schools, ensure resources are used effectively and consistent with federal laws, and successfully defeated House Republicans’ efforts to gut federal educational funding as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in the 118th Congress.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Dakota Tourism Celebrates Record Growth in 2024

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    The North Dakota Department of Commerce Tourism and Marketing Division reports a strong year for tourism in North Dakota, despite a slowing economy and waning consumer spending.

    “Through strategic marketing, industry partnerships and the momentum of our ‘HELLO’ campaign we continue to see growth, despite being outspent by our competitors,” said Tourism and Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman.”

    North Dakota saw an 8.8% increase in airport arrivals, a 10.2% rise in border crossings, and 7.4 million U.S. domestic road trips. Hotel revenues climbed to $548 million, a 5.8% increase, while tax receipts for accommodations and food services surpassed $2.2 billion. A 2024 study with Longwoods International confirmed that visitors are staying longer and engaging in more activities, outpacing national averages in outdoor recreation, sports tourism, and special events.

    North Dakota’s ‘HELLO’ campaign, now in its third year, continues to expand awareness with a $4.2 million media budget, generating 438 million media impressions through strategic advertising and partnerships. Marketing efforts resulted in 132 million digital impressions and 17 million video views, while website traffic soared with a 30% increase in users and significant growth in visitor engagement.

    Media outreach and influencer collaborations have strengthened North Dakota’s image, resulting in 3,429 media placements and an audience reach of 6.1 billion. Social media engagement continues to rise, with an 83% increase in web traffic referrals. The state’s abundant wide-open spaces, coupled with welcoming communities, have successfully showcased North Dakota’s scenic beauty and ease of access. 

    North Dakota Tourism looks forward to building on this momentum in 2025 and beyond. To view the 2024 Annual Report, visit https://www.commerce.nd.gov/tourism-marketing/research-and-reports. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Sheaff Brock Announces Return of Michelle Reddick as Portfolio Consultant

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    INDIANAPOLIS, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Michelle Reddick, a seasoned professional with 15-plus years of financial industry experience, has returned to Sheaff Brock as Vice President, Client Solutions and Portfolio Consultant.

    Sheaff Brock is a fee-only independent investment firm specializing in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals. Selected as the #7 Financial Advisor in the U.S. on CNBC’s 2024 Financial Advisor 100 List, the firm’s first priority is building and preserving clients’ wealth over time. In her Portfolio Consultant role, Michelle works closely with Sheaff Brock clients, helping with their investment needs as they strive to meet ongoing financial goals. Prior to Sheaff Brock, Michelle was a corporate trainer at Charles Schwab where she trained hundreds of stockbrokers and guided new employees through the intricacies of the financial world. She credits her ability to build connections and relate to clients to previous work experience as a public relations specialist.

    “I love talking with my clients and am passionate about helping them with their financial goals,” said Michelle of her return to Sheaff Brock. “I’m glad to reunite with Sheaff Brock and to once again partner with clients as we navigate their finances.”

    Ron Brock, Managing Partner of Sheaff Brock, said, “We’re excited to have Michelle working with her clients again. She is an exceptional part of our Sheaff Brock team.”

    Michelle Reddick—Vice President, Client Solutions and Portfolio Consultant, Sheaff Brock

    About Sheaff Brock:
    Sheaff Brock is an SEC-registered, fee-only independent investment firm striving to enhance portfolios of growth- and income-oriented investors, managing $1.4 billion in assets nationwide as of 12/31/2024. Managing Director David Gilreath contributes investment commentary to Investing.com, Think Advisor, Medical Economics, and Financial Advisor magazine.

    About CNBC Financial Advisor 100
    The 2024 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 (ranked 7th 10/2/24), 2023 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 (ranked 10th, 9/12/23), 2022 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 (ranked 68th, 10/4/22), 2021 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 (ranked 82nd, 10/6/21) & the 2020 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 (ranked 95th, 10/6/20) list is an independent ranking. CNBC enlisted data provider AccuPoint Solutions to assist with the ranking of registered investment advisors for the CNBC FA 100 list. The analysis started with 40,896 RIA firms for 2024, 40,646, RIA firms for 2023, 39,818 RIA firms for 2022, 38,302 for 2021 and 37,369 for 2020 from the Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory database. AccuPoint screened the list down to 903 RIAs for 2024, 812 RIAs for 2023, 904 RIAs for 2022, 749 for 2021, and 750 for 2020 who were required to complete a survey to be in consideration for the CNBC FA 100 list. Sheaff Brock does not pay for applying for the award; however, Sheaff Brock does pay for use of the CNBC Financial Advisor 100 logo.

    Data points used by AccuPoint for the ranking included regulatory/compliance record, number of years in the business, number of certified financial planners, number of employees, number of investment advisors registered with the firm, ratio of investment advisors to total number of employees, total assets under management, percentage of discretionary assets under management, total accounts under management, number of states where the RIA is registered and country of domicile.

    Third-party rankings and recognition from rating services or publications, such as the CNBC FA 100, is no guarantee of future investment success and working with a highly rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. The ranking may not reflect a client or prospective client’s experience with the registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee or indicate future results.

    CONTACT: Barb Smith 317-289-8699

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/43ccc1be-c10d-40d4-ba8b-4df4dc1523a7

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Should We Pick Up the Slack?: Remarks before the Investor Advisory Committee

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    Thank you, Brian [Schorr], and good morning to you all at this first Investor Advisory Committee meeting of 2025. Thank you to all the panelists joining us today. Although the Commission’s make-up has changed and we are seeing Commission priorities shift, our shared desire to ensure vibrant capital markets and informed investors will continue to unite and guide us.

    Today’s first panel is set to discuss how public companies disclose the risks and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence. I hope that one theme in the conversation will be the value of principles-based disclosure and the value of affording companies the discretion to make disclosures based on what is material to their particular circumstances. Principles-based disclosure rules do not prescribe corporate disclosure, but instead provide the framework within which companies make material disclosures to investors. Attempts to fill disclosure rulebooks with requirements specific to climate, artificial intelligence, or any other hot topic disserve investors in several ways. First, companies that do not have material things to say about these topics can be forced to spend company resources saying them. Second, even mere disclosure requirements can end up being an indirect way for a securities regulator to micromanage substantive company operations. Third, these disclosure requirements can distract corporate boards and managers from doing more important things. Fourth, corporate disclosures filled with answers to prescriptive disclosure frameworks drown out material information. Clear and comprehensive disclosure should be our goal, not homogenization for its own sake. I anticipate that the panel of experts Alvin has gathered will provide us with much to think about. 

    Today’s second panel will discuss retail investor fraud. Artificial intelligence will be part of the conversation here also. This technology, like any other, can improve lives, but in the hands of bad actors it can devastate lives. Our response to the now higher tech fraud menace will require creative thinking and a commitment to pursuing cross-agency coordination at all levels of government. The Commission has taken an important step in facilitating this effort through its Interagency Securities Council (“ISC”), led by Adam Anicich and Manuel Vazquez.[1] The ISC brings together financial regulators and law enforcement to discuss “emerging threats, hear from investigators conducting and supervising investigations, and explore case study examples of agencies employing innovative approaches to combat financial fraud.”[2] I look forward to hearing from Andrea and the other experts she has assembled.

    The Committee also will consider a Draft Recommendation aimed at ensuring “that investors retain their ability to bring claims under Section 11 following an initial offering by establishing a required lockup period.”[3] In other words, the Committee may be asking us—pardon the pun—to pick up the slack after the Supreme Court affirmed the tracing requirement in Section 11 of the Securities Act.[4] The Draft Recommendation notes that recent changes to the IPO process have diminished plaintiffs’ ability to pursue claims under Section 11 by “taint[ing] the pool of registered shares” and thus impeding traceability.[5] How widespread are these changes? For example, although the problem may be broader than direct listings, only 11 direct listings took place from 2021 through 2023.[6] Given that many companies going public want to raise capital, why should we expect that direct listings will increase in the future? Additionally, while early lock-up releases may be on the rise, they are often bespoke and in at least some instances might accord with the Draft Recommendation.[7] Would the Draft Recommendation, if implemented, even change behavior? Shouldn’t we protect underwriters’ ability to waive a lock-up in appropriate circumstances? How large of a problem would this recommendation solve, and should the Commission expend its limited resources to solve it? Does the availability of private rights of action under Section 10(b) mitigate this problem? Given the strict liability standard of Section 11, might attempts to expand its reach do more harm than good for investors given the costs and distraction companies will bear in Section 11 litigation?

    Let me conclude by thanking Brian Schorr and the other members of the Committee and today’s panelists for their dedication, as well as Cristina Martin Firvida, Marc Sharma, Andrew Sporkin, and Adam Moore for their hard work in putting together today’s meeting.

    [5] Draft Recommendation at 6.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: INTERPOL General Assembly provides roadmap for Organization’s future

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    24 October 2013

    CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, Colombia – The 82nd session of the INTERPOL General Assembly closed today with strong foundations in place for the Organization’s future to better support all 190 member countries in tackling transnational crime and terrorism.

    Mick O’Connell, INTERPOL’s Director of Operational Support, gives an update on the activities of the Organization’s Integrated Border Management Task Force.

    Delegates attending the General Assembly meeting. 

    Ralph Market, INTERPOL’s Assistant Director for Strategic Partnerships and Development, briefs the General Assembly on plans for new public-private initiatives.

    A number of Resolutions were passed, along with cooperation agreements with other organizations.

    Delegates attending the General Assembly meeting. 

    Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kasperky Lab, addresses delegates on the subject of international police and private companies in the age of cybercrime.

    Igor Shunevich, Belarus’s Minister of Internal Affairs (left) and INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble sign an agreement for an INTERPOL team to support security for the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championship.

    Minister Shunevich (right) and Mr Noble discuss how the INTERPOL team can detect potential threats of terrorism, hooliganism and serious crime, and secure Belarus’s borders during the Ice Hockey Championship.

    The General Assembly endorsed INTERPOL’s new e-extradition initiative which will significantly speed up and facilitate extradition requests through the Organization’s secure communications channels.

    Rwanda was chosen as the host country for the 84th session of the INTERPOL General Assembly in 2015.

    Every year, a technology exhibition allows private sector companies to showcase their latest innovations to the global police community. This year’s participants were recognized in a special ceremony.

    Colombia became the 64th member country to recognize the INTERPOL Travel Document.

    Colombia hands over the INTERPOL flag to Monaco, the hosts of next year’s General Assembly meeting.

    INTERPOL President Mireille Ballestrazzi delivers her closing remarks.

    Monaco will host the 83rd General Assembly exactly 100 years after it held the first International Criminal Police Congress in 1914, where the idea of INTERPOL was born.

    Secretary General Noble thanks Giuliano Zaccardelli, INTERPOL’s Director of Strategic Planning.

    ‘Dios y Patria’ was written by Dutch police officers as a testimony to Erazo’s dedication to the police and as an inspiration to all those around the world who fight against crime and terrorism.

    Colombian police officer Sergeant Luis Erazo Maya (left) was held hostage by the FARC for almost 12 years. A book launched at the 82nd session of the INTERPOL General Assembly tells his story.

    Luiz Fernando Corrêa, Rio 2016 Security Director (left) and INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble sign an agreement for the world police body to provide additional support to Brazilian authorities for the upcoming Games.

    The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body. It meets once a year and takes all major decisions affecting policy, resources, working methods, finances and activities.

    INTERPOL President, Mireille Ballestrazzi, speaking at the press conference.

    Some 630 police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials attended the event in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

    A total of 144 countries were represented at the conference. 

    Delegates attending the General Assembly meeting. 

    Delegates attending the General Assembly meeting. 

    Among the topics discussed were illicit goods, counterfeiting and pharmaceutical crime.

    Delegates attending the General Assembly meeting. 

    With the four-day (21-24 October) conference coming just one month after the Westgate shopping centre attacks in Nairobi, Kenya, senior police officials discussed the Organization’s priorities and strategic roadmap for the next three years, focusing on policing needs in the field addressing threats ranging from terrorism to cybercrime.

    INTERPOL’s new e-extradition initiative, a technical platform which will significantly speed up and facilitate extradition requests through the world police body’s secure communications channels, was strongly endorsed as a ground-breaking initiative by delegates.

    “The resolutions adopted by this General Assembly will develop and further strengthen the partnerships between INTERPOL and other international organizations,” said INTERPOL President Mireille Ballestrazzi.

    “The various discussions and debates during the past four days reflect the collective experience of member countries and the INTERPOL General Secretariat, and will enable us all to continue to develop initiatives to enhance the safety of all citizens throughout the world,” concluded the President.

    A key decision by delegates was the endorsement of a resolution for extrabudgetary resources to be identified in order to provide long-term financial assistance towards INTERPOL’s activities and operational support to all member countries in combating transnational crime and terrorism.

    INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the decisions taken by the General Assembly paved the way for the Organization to plan for its future and provide additional assistance to member countries.

    “As the world’s largest police organization we must ensure that all of our 190 member countries can count on our support whenever and wherever needed,” said Secretary General Noble.

    “Many of the decisions taken during this General Assembly will provide us with an even stronger framework to address the various transnational crime challenges facing the global law enforcement community,” concluded the INTERPOL Chief.

    Strengthening relationships between police and prosecutorial authorities was also an important element during the conference, with the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between INTERPOL and Eurojust.

    At the conclusion of the conference Juan Carlos Pinzón Bueno, Minister of National Defence, announced Colombia’s recognition of the INTERPOL Travel Document (ITD) thereby significantly speeding up the ability for INTERPOL officials to respond to any calls for assistance or support. To date, 64 INTERPOL member countries have officially recognized the ITD.

    The 83rd INTERPOL General Assembly will be held in Monaco, 100 years after the country hosted the first International Criminal Police Congress in 1914, where the idea of INTERPOL was born.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Sentencing in Alien Smuggling Case

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Florida man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, following a dramatic high-speed pursuit and arrest in southern New Mexico.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on the night of July 15, 2024, Border Patrol agents observed Omar Ozuna-Berneda, 49, a Cuban national and lawful permanent resident, driving a white tractor-trailer on New Mexico State Road 26 near Deming. The vehicle had been previously observed traveling in tandem with other tractor-trailers caught in failed smuggling attempts. When agents attempted to initiate a stop, Ozuna-Berneda led them on a dangerous high-speed pursuit, including swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid a controlled tire deflation device and driving on the shoulder of the highway.

    After 22 miles, Ozuna-Berneda left the vehicle on New Mexico State Road 26 near the city limits of Hatch, New Mexico, and fled on foot. The abandoned tractor-trailer was blocking both lanes traffic and Border Patrol agents discovered 31 illegal aliens locked inside the trailer, including an unaccompanied 8-year-old child. Ozuna-Berneda was later apprehended by Border Patrol agents hiding in brush several miles from the abandoned tractor-trailer.

    During questioning, Ozuna-Berneda admitted to knowingly transporting illegal aliens from Las Cruces to Albuquerque in exchange for payment.

    “Those who violate our immigration laws by engaging in human smuggling endanger both the public and law enforcement through their reckless actions.,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin. “We are resolute in our mission to enforce our immigration laws, dismantle smuggling networks, and prosecute those who put so many lives at risk for their own financial gain.”

    “If you aid in violating U.S. immigration laws by attempting to smuggle individuals into the United States, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent possible,” said U.S. Border Patrol Interim Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar. “Strengthening border security means enforcing strict consequences for those who break the law. With the support of our partners, we will ensure you face prosecution and serve jail time.”

    Upon his release from prison, Ozuna-Berneda will be subject to three years of supervised release.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, made the announcement today.

    U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Land Management. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey Stahl is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Bectran Unveils a Faster Bank Verification Method with Built-in Risk Scoring

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bectran, Inc., the industry leader in credit, collections and accounts receivable management technology, has introduced a new integration with Plaid, a data network powering the digital financial ecosystem, to provide a powerful and secure way to expedite bank verifications.

    “We are excited to be working with Plaid in this capacity,” comments Louis Ifeguni, Bectran CEO. “This integration opens up a whole new avenue of efficiency in our credit applications, providing tangible value to our customers by easing a time-consuming process, and increasing confidence with a secure, real-time bank connection.”

    Advanced Risk Scoring, Analysis and Fraud Security

    Manual bank references are susceptible to input errors that may include inaccurate or dated information—information that, when passed unnoticed, can cause an array of operational issues stemming from simple human error. Moreover, the manual process is both time-consuming and costly, often dragging on for days or weeks with no guarantee of success in obtaining accurate information.

    With this latest integration, credit managers can eliminate lengthy reference wait times and the constant need to monitor for potential entry errors associated with traditional bank referencing. Through a simple customer sign-in, Plaid securely delivers verified financial data, which is then analyzed and scored by Bectran. This integration ensures a swift, accurate and secure process by leveraging Plaid’s network of over 12,000 financial institutions.

    Credit applicants simply sign into their bank accounts via Plaid’s secure APIs, authorizing the creation of a bank verification report. This report includes key insights such as account ownership information, transaction history and more, enabling credit managers to instantly evaluate the applicant’s identity, financial health and risk profile. Using advanced risk scoring algorithms, Bectran analyzes data points such as account balances, non-sufficient funds, notices, returns, and unusual activity to generate a comprehensive risk score. This eliminates manual input, minimizes errors, and empowers credit teams to make timely, data-driven decisions.

    Bectran’s partnership with Plaid brings further security into the bank verification process, securing clients against a wide range of identity and payment fraud schemes. Bank data provided in verification reports include account creation date and ownership information, which Bectran automatically compares to applicant information, rooting out fraud before it can gain a foothold. Credit managers will also receive fraud alerts when suspicious or abnormal account activity is detected.

    “Our Integration with Plaid is the latest addition to our comprehensive suite of risk scoring and analytics,” says Ali Kidwai, Director of Product & Implementation at Bectran. “At Bectran, we intend to be the one-stop shop in our client’s credit and AR journey, finding innovative ways to increase their operational efficiency and risk management capabilities.”

    About Bectran 

    Bectran is the premier SaaS platform for Finance Departments, akin to CRM for Sales. Trusted by diverse organizations, from SMEs to Fortune 500 companies, we streamline credit processing by over 98%, reducing credit defaults and collection costs. Many businesses rely on Bectran for efficient Accounts Receivable and Collections management, achieving up to 95% cost savings. With rapid onboarding in days, our platform is hailed by credit professionals as the future of credit management. Visit Bectran.com to learn more about financial solutions for your industry.

    Bectran Inc
    (888) 791-6620
    PR@Bectran.com  

    The MIL Network –