NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students of the Faculty of Economics won the NSU shooting championship

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The results of the shooting competition among students of academic groups of 1-3 courses, which took place for more than a month at the NSU shooting range, have been summed up.

    Shooting was conducted from an air rifle (AR) from a sitting position, with elbows resting on the table, a distance of 10 m at target #6. Shots – 3 trial, 5 qualifying. Many students took up arms for the first time and the results were very diverse – from 44 points to 0, when all attempts to hit the target failed. But the main thing is participation and the opportunity to try yourself in this kind of sport.

    Among the first-year students, 4 male and 2 female students scored 40 points each and took first place:Alexander Ilyushin (GGF)Ivan Fomkin (MMF)Daniil Yeruslanov and Veronika Efimenko (FEN)Dmitry Blinov (EF)

    Yana Yakovenko (IFP)

    And three girls shared third place with a score of 39 points:Daria Mikhailovskaya (FIA)Zlata Zavolotkina (IMMT)Sofia Shafigullina (EF)

    Among 2nd-3rd year female students, the winners were:

    1st place – Vitalia Openko (GI), 44 points – absolute winner! 2nd place – Anastasia Surkova (FIT), 40 points 3rd place – Anastasia Zebnitskaya (IMMT), Elizaveta Lutkova and Polina Nikiforova (FEN)

    Among the 2nd-3rd year boys, the first place with a score of 42 points was shared by: Mikhail Kravchenko (MMF) Ilya Volodin (FIT) Daniil Zyryanov (FF) The team standings were calculated only among first-year students based on the 10 best results and were included in the NSU First-Year Spartakiad.

    The winners in a very tough fight and with minimal margins were:

    1st place – Faculty of Economics, 362 points 2nd place – Faculty of Information Technology, 360 points 3rd place – Faculty of Natural Sciences, 359 points

    We congratulate the winners and thank all the participants and organizers of the competition – teachers of the Department of Physical Education and the chief judge Nikolai Bykov

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Capital for the development of universities: the Russian Ministry of Education and Science held a strategic session at the Polytechnic University dedicated to endowments

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation held a strategic session at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University dedicated to endowment funds in science and higher education.

    The event was attended by over three hundred participants: heads of universities and research organizations supervising the creation and development of endowment funds, representatives of government bodies and alumni associations. The plenary session was opened by the first vice-rector of SPbPU Vitaly Sergeev.

    “Working with endowment capital today is a new mentality, the formation of which requires both time and constant interaction with business and government bodies,” Vitaly Vladimirovich said in his welcoming speech. “Therefore, today’s strategic session is important and useful, and the exchange of experience, I am sure, will lead to the fact that we will be able to build a systematic work with endowment funds, especially since much has already been done in this direction. I hope that the Polytechnic University is a good platform with strong energy, and we are also very interested in this topic.”

    Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Andrey Omelchuk recorded a video message for the participants of the strategy session, in which, in particular, he noted: Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Government of the Russian Federation pay special attention to the development of endowment funds for universities and scientific organizations. Important changes have already been made to the legislation, concepts and methodological recommendations for the development of endowment funds for universities have been developed. The session plans to discuss the formation of endowment funds, the structure of fundraising and its relationship with the strategy of the university. We hope that the participants will gain an understanding of the need to create funds and new ideas for their development.

    Director of the Department of Economic Policy of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Aslan Kanukoev thanked the Polytechnic University for organizing the event and spoke about the results and prospects of the activities of the interdepartmental working group of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia on the development of endowment funds in the field of higher education and science.

    Aslan Sultanovich noted that the topic of endowment capital has become significantly more relevant and popular in recent years. A specially created interdepartmental working group of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance developed and approved concepts for the development of endowment funds in universities and research organizations until 2035 in 2023–2024, the main areas of which are defined as: interaction with graduates, with the business community, formation of a pool of partners, information support, increasing the efficiency of capital management and the formation of transparency standards. An educational course has also been created and is planned to be launched in the near future, which will provide a complete understanding of the creation, formation, development and management of endowment capital, including the legal aspects of working with this topic, and will also introduce fundraising technologies and building relationships with endowment donors.

    According to monitoring data from the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, as of January 1, 2024, 94 endowment funds were created in subordinate universities.

    The Russian Ministry of Education and Science believes that endowment funds are a long-term strategic instrument for the sustainable development of educational, scientific, healthcare and cultural organizations, emphasized Aslan Kanukoev.

    Chairperson of the Board of the National Endowment Association Svetlana Lavrova presented a report entitled “Understanding and Culture of Endowment Themes: History, Modernity, and Focus on Eternity.”

    Svetlana Nikolaevna explained what an endowment is, what are the origins of this phenomenon, why it has been so important in the world for many centuries, and what place Russia occupies in it. By the way, the Russian Empire had its own history of endowments, only before 1918 they were called “eternal contribution”, “eternal capital” or “untouchable capital”, and the entire social sphere was based on them.

    According to Svetlana Lavrova, the educational organization has several sources of funding: state (in the future, not direct, but aimed at supporting individual programs), tuition fees, research orders, contracts, short-term projects, and an endowment fund.

    The purpose of the existence of science and the university goes into eternity, and the sources of funding on which this activity relies are usually short-lived. The endowment fund is a super-stable source that gives the university independence. It is long-term, and it is the university’s money that ensures sustainability, – Svetlana Lavrova believes.

    An endowment consists of three components: fundraising, or seeking donations, investing funds through a management company, and finally receiving and using income from investments.

    The university is interested in the income from the endowment, and the Ministry of Finance is interested in it, because endowments are the largest institutional investors worldwide. This is a unique system that works simultaneously to develop different aspects of the state, so the state is extremely interested in them, Svetlana Lavrova emphasized.

    First Vice-Rector for Economics and Strategic Development of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin Daniil Sandler shared an interesting experience of the university in the formation of endowments. As of May 1, 277 million had been collected for the UrFU endowment — these are funds from 18 endowments created by more than 12 thousand donors. Each of the funds, according to Daniil Sandler, “has its own face.” The endowment for the 100th anniversary of the Ural Federal University in the amount of 75 million rubles was created on the initiative of the Students’ Union. If you ask artificial intelligence what to do with the fact that in Russia there is no tradition of forming and donating endowments, it will write: “Start with the students,” and in practice it is clear that it was the Students’ Union that took the initiative, and now this is our largest endowment. Although they say that a student has no money, he has time, energy and desire, says Daniil Sandler.

    The second endowment — “Sports Programming at UrFU” — was created by a group of enthusiasts who wanted sports programming to develop in the Urals. They got a serious business interested in their idea and collected 51 million rubles. There is a personal endowment of Maslakov — a graduate of the history department, who donated 16 million rubles so that the interest from this endowment would be used to pay financial assistance to elderly teachers of the history department every year. The endowment of the Institute of New Materials and Technologies in the amount of 11.6 million rubles was created to establish a scholarship named after a respected university professor who passed away to perpetuate his memory.

    The speech by the executive director of the MGIMO Development Fund (over 2 billion rubles) Marina Petrova was devoted to the Russian and international experience of financing science through the endowment mechanism.

    Oksana Oracheva, CEO of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation, spoke about the role of transparency and accountability in working with stakeholders.

    Irina Tolmacheva, Deputy Director of the Foundation for the Formation of Endowment Capital of the Foundation for the Development of Social and Economic Sciences and Education, highlighted the legal aspects of the activities of endowment funds.

    Thus, the speakers at the plenary session outlined the main problems of endowment development: insufficient awareness of the funds’ activities among businesses and university graduates, the need to increase motivation among philanthropists, a decrease in the funds’ profitability during periods of high economic volatility, the need to provide additional tax preferences and other benefits. How to interest donors, how to popularize endowment funds and make them socially significant, how to fulfill and exceed the “Priority-2030” program indicator in terms of endowment – these and many other issues were to be discussed in more detail by the participants of the strategy session in sections, mechanisms for their solution were to be developed and discussed at the final joint session.

    As a result, representatives of all five sections identified problems and proposed approaches to solving them, which demonstrated deep immersion in the topic, mutual understanding and interaction in the community. Participants of the strategy session came to the conclusion that it is necessary to concentrate efforts on developing fundraising as a specific work on finding donations, to conduct educational work so that the endowment becomes a socially approved mechanism and an indicator of the effectiveness of universities, to expand opportunities for investment and to legislatively enshrine incentive measures – tax preferences and motivating co-financing.

    The results of the strategic session were summed up by the Director of the Department of Economic Policy of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia Aslan Kanukoev: Today there are more like-minded people among us. Visiting all the sections, I was convinced that, despite the differences in issues and challenges, the mechanisms for solving them were close. Today we had the first introductory strategic session. It is important that you feel each other, feel the shoulder of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. We will develop endowment funds, we believe in this tool and promise that we will not abandon anyone on this path and will help everyone.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Visit of the First Secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam Mai Nguyen Tuyen Hoa to SPbPU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The First Secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam for Education Affairs Mai Nguyen Tuyen Hoa visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. As part of the visit, aimed at strengthening educational and scientific ties, she learned about the 126-year history and modern achievements of the Polytechnic University, and discussed current projects and prospects for cooperation.

    A special place in the activities of our university is occupied by cooperation with Vietnam, which has lasted for more than half a century. The key partners were the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Binh Duong University and Le Qu Don Technical University. Joint projects included the creation of laboratories, training of teachers in digital technologies and scientific research in the field of logistics and ecology. Among the key achievements are the creation of joint laboratories, Russian language centers and participation in the project of the Vietnam-Russian Technological University in Hanoi. Today, 73 people study at the Polytechnic University, most of whom have chosen engineering and IT areas. This year, for the first time in the history of the university, a gold medal was received by a foreign student – a graduate of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of SPbPU from Vietnam Do The Manh.

    During the negotiations, the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev emphasized: Over half a century of cooperation, we have trained more than 600 specialists for Vietnam. Today, 73 Vietnamese students study at the university in the areas of telecommunications, mechanical engineering, computer science, biomedicine and economics.

    Mai Nguyen Tuyen Hoa emphasized the importance of research activities as a key element of cooperation between the universities of the two countries. She noted that Russian universities retain the status of classical academic centers, actively developing scientific areas: professors and researchers participate in international projects, create joint laboratories, publish works with foreign colleagues. Particular attention is paid to “mirror laboratories” and engineering centers, where the efforts of scientists from different countries are combined. However, according to Mai Nguyen Tuyen Hoa, the interest of Vietnamese youth in education in Russia is declining.

    Despite this, Mai Nguyen Tuyen Hoa noted: The successes of Vietnamese graduates of the Polytechnic University inspire new applicants to choose Russia. During a meeting with students from Vietnam, she expressed admiration for the educational conditions and scientific base of the university: It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. I am sure that this visit will become an impetus for new joint initiatives.

    Students who choose Russia demonstrate high adaptability — they quickly master the language and integrate into the academic environment. In order to strengthen the position of Russian education, Mai Nguyen Tuyen Hoa proposed expanding information support: disseminating information about exchange programs, summer schools, English-language courses and joint scientific initiatives. She sees particular potential in the creation of a Russian-Vietnamese university, similar to the existing “Slavic universities” project. Such a university could focus on engineering, natural sciences and IT areas, where the demand for cooperation is especially high.

    Dmitry Arsenyev expressed hope that the visit of the Vietnamese delegation would open a new chapter of cooperation. He noted that the Polytechnic is ready to accept more students, support internships for teachers and create interdisciplinary projects.

    “Our doors are always open,” the vice-rector emphasized. “It is important that the initiative comes from both sides: from the search for common scientific interests to attracting industrial partners.”

    The Polytechnic University sees potential in reviving target groups of students from Vietnam, who have shown outstanding results in their studies in the past. Today, when SPbPU is among the top 10 technological universities in the country, this cooperation can become a bridge between academic traditions and the challenges of the digital age.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Cleveland Seeks Public’s Assistance to Identify Individuals in Connection with ATM and U-Haul Heist

    Source: US FBI

    [Cleveland, OH] The FBI Cleveland Division is seeking the public’s assistance to identify three unknown subjects associated with the theft of the PNC ATM located at 7101 Broadway Avenue, Cleveland, and the theft of a 15’ U-Haul truck, (identified with a “Boats and Pennsylvania” mural on its side) in connection with the incident on June 9, 2024, between 2:48 a.m. until approximately 4:00 a.m.

    The three unknown subjects are described as:

    UNKNOWN SUBJECT 1:

    • Driver of the U-Haul
    • White male
    • Heavy build
    • Approximately 5’8” tall
    • Jeans, short-sleeved black shirt, and white head covering.

    UNKNOWN SUBJECT 2:

    • Male
    • Heavy build
    • Approximately 5’10″ tall
    • Wearing a Cleveland Guardians baseball cap, face covering, and sweatshirt (face covered).

    UNKNOWN SUBJECT 3:

    • White Male
    • Dark hair and facial hair
    • Thin build
    • Approximately 5’10” tall
    • Black t-shirt with Martian emblem, red sweatpants (face exposed).

    At approximately 2:48 a.m., unknown subjects 2 & 3 approached the ATM with an ax and pulled the ATM from the bank using a chain attached to the U-Haul. The unknown subjects abandoned the ATM pulled from the PNC Bank in the drive-thru lane shortly thereafter.

    The unknown subjects returned at 3:54 a.m. where they successfully hooked and dragged the ATM away from the bank. The ATM was dragged behind the U-Haul (South) on East 71st Street to (West) on Fleet Ave., to (North) on East 65th Street to (West) on Heisley Avenue to an abandoned lot. The ATM was recovered from the woods at the Mound Elementary School with an undetermined amount of money missing.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI confidentially at 1-877-FBI-OHIO. PNC bank is offering a reward of $5000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and/or conviction the unknown subjects.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Little Rock Presents National Safe Online Surfing Award to LISA Academy West Elementary in Little Rock

    Source: US FBI

    LITTLE ROCK, AR—Today, LISA Academy West Elementary in Little Rock, Arkansas, was presented with the FBI Safe Online Surfing (FBI-SOS) Internet Challenge’s national award. Under the guidance of computer teacher Vickie Carroll, LISA Academy students scored a composite score of 95.33 percent to win the March 2022 award in the Starfish category. For the month of March 2022, a record-breaking 173,011 students from 2,086 schools across all 50 states and fpur U.S. territories participated in the FBI-SOS Internet Challenge.

    “The impressive accomplishment achieved by the students and teachers at LISA Academy West Elementary reflects highly upon Little Rock and the entire state of Arkansas,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “We hope Arkansas students and teachers continue to educate themselves through our SOS program about online safety.”

    “Educating students about staying safe online is extremely important to us at LISA Academy West Elementary,” said Vickie Carroll. “Our students completed several online courses on Internet safety to educate themselves and prepare for the FBI-SOS competition. They were thrilled to learn they placed first in the competition and were even more excited about meeting real-life FBI agents!”

    FBI-SOS is a free initiative designed to educate third through eighth-grade students about cyber safety. All public, private, and home schools are eligible to participate in this entertaining and educational web-based program which can be accessed year-round. The website features six grade-specific “islands” for students to visit. Each island includes games, videos, and interactive features which address the protection of personal information, password strength, cell phone safety, social networking, and online gaming safety. The videos also include real-life stories of kids who have encountered cyberbullies and online predators.

    Each month of the academic year, schools compete for the national award in one of three categories determined by the number of students participating from each school: Starfish (5-50 participants); Stingray (51-100); and Shark (100+). Kids and adults of all ages can explore the site, play the games, watch the videos, and learn about cyber safety. However, the competitive exam can only be taken by third to eighth-grade students whose classes have been registered by their teachers.

    The FBI-SOS Internet Challenge was developed with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with input from teachers and schools throughout America. Visit the FBI-SOS website at sos.fbi.gov for more information or contact the FBI Little Rock Office Community Outreach Specialist at (501) 221-9100.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Joins in Recognizing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day and Announces Appointment of Regional MMIP Coordinator

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5, 2024, as National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.

    The office also announced today the appointment of an MMIP Regional Coordinator based in the District of Oregon. Cedar Wilkie Gillette, who since June 2020 has served as the District of Oregon MMIP Coordinator, will now serve as regional coordinator for the Northwest Region under the Justice Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program. The Northwest Region includes the states of California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

    Ms. Wilkie Gillette will work alongside Ms. Bree R. Black Horse who was appointed in February 2024 in the Eastern District of Washington to serve as the MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northwest Region.

    “We are delighted that Cedar Wilkie Gillette will serve as northwest regional coordinator for the Justice Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program. This program is a critical next step in the department’s ongoing effort to address this crisis, which has affected tribes and communities across our region and country. Cedar is abundantly qualified for this position and we are eager for her to expand the great work she has done here in Oregon throughout the Northwest Region,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    “There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”

    Launched in July 2023, the MMIP Regional Outreach Program permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered indigenous people. This support includes assisting in the investigation of unresolved MMIP cases and related crimes, and promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, tribal, local, and state law enforcement and non-governmental partners on MMIP issues. 

    The regional outreach program program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorney’s Offices promoting public safety in Indian Country and fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022. 

    The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered indigenous peoples and human trafficking crisis.

    Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.

    For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website. Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.

    In early 2022, the District of Oregon established an MMIP Working Group to increase multi-agency communication and collaboration in support of and response to Oregon-connected MMIP cases. The working group includes representatives from each of the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of Interior Regional Solicitor’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, and Oregon State Police.

    Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2020, Ms. Wilkie Gillette served as a law fellow for Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization. She has a juris doctorate from the Vermont Law School and a bachelor’s degree in applied social justice and human rights activism from the University of Minnesota. Ms. Wilkie Gillette is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and a direct descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She has conducted extensive research on indigenous human rights and environmental justice issues.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Winnie Ho concludes Paris visit

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho concluded her visit to Paris, France, yesterday by meeting a representative of a social housing association, a renowned urban planner and government officials there.

     

    In the morning, Ms Ho met a representative of CDC Habitat, a social housing association in France, to learn more about the mode of operation, development strategies, and challenges of social housing there. She also devoted time to highlight Hong Kong’s situation and the various housing initiatives being implemented by the Housing Bureau.

     

    Ms Ho then visited an integrated residential and commercial community comprising social housing, which was transformed from the Olympic Athletes’ Village, to learn about sustainable urban development.

     

    While meeting a renowned urban planner, IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School Associate Professor Carlos Moreno, Ms Ho shared her vision and thoughts on sustainable urban planning and design.

     

    Prof Moreno put forward the urban planning concept of the “15-minute city”, which aims to enable residents in a community to meet their daily needs for food, clothing, housing and transport within a 15-minute walking or cycling distance and enhance environmental sustainability.

     

    Ms Ho pointed out that this coincides with the planning concept of the Housing Authority’s new public housing estates and cited Queen’s Hill Estate as an example, demonstrating the planning of a resident-oriented, self-sufficient community that embraces cultural heritage and blends with nature to create a sustainable community. Prof Moreno expressed his wish to have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong in the future.

     

    In the evening, Ms Ho met Advisor to the Mayor on housing, urban planning, architecture, land development Renaud Paque, and Director of Housing & Habitat Doan Lebel to exchange views on public housing policies and experiences on sustainable urbanisation and urban planning concepts.

     

    Concluding the trip, Ms Ho stated that this visit tied in with the Housing Bureau’s Housing•I&T initiative this year, introducing the latest developments of advanced technology companies from Hong Kong and the Mainland in the areas of construction technologies, public housing, green building, etc, as well as demonstrating to the world the application of technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction and construction robots that help enhance construction efficiency and safety.

     

    The housing chief emphasised that the Government will actively make reference to overseas experiences on decarbonisation and energy-saving technologies, and fully capitalise on Hong Kong’s unique advantages, reinforce connectivity, and play the role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.

     

    “I expect that the two cities will maintain liaison and strengthen exchanges in areas such as innovative building technologies, public housing construction, green buildings, well-being communities, and enhancing the housing ladder to give new impetus to public housing construction,” Ms Ho added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • PM Modi inaugurates Rising North East Investors Summit 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the holistic development of the North Eastern region. Addressing a gathering of dignitaries, industry leaders, and stakeholders, the Prime Minister expressed pride and confidence in the region’s vibrant future.
     
    Welcoming participants to the summit, the Prime Minister recalled the recently held Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav at the same venue, saying that today’s event is not just a meeting of minds but a celebration of investment and opportunity in the Northeast.
     
    Highlighting the enthusiastic participation of industry leaders, PM Modi praised the collaborative efforts of ministries and state governments in creating an investor-friendly environment. “The presence of so many industry leaders reflects the growing interest in the Northeast’s potential,” he said, extending his best wishes to all stakeholders involved.
     
    Describing India as the world’s most diverse country, the Prime Minister said that the Northeast represents the most diverse part of this diversity. He underlined the region’s strengths across sectors—trade, tradition, textiles, and tourism—and identified it as a hub of bio-economy, bamboo, tea, petroleum, sports, skill development, eco-tourism, organic products, and energy.
     
    Referring to the Northeast as Ashtalakshmi, symbolising prosperity and opportunity, he said that each Northeastern state is now asserting itself as ready for investment and leadership.
     
    Underscoring the strategic importance of Eastern India in the mission to build a Viksit Bharat (Developed India), the Prime Minister said, “For us, EAST is not just a direction—it is a vision: Empower, Act, Strengthen, and Transform. This is the guiding framework of our policy for Eastern India.”
     
    The Prime Minister also highlighted the transformation witnessed in the Northeast over the past 11 years. He stressed that this progress is not confined to statistical achievements but is visible in real, on-ground development. He said the government’s engagement with the region goes beyond policy—it is rooted in an emotional connection with its people.
     
    “Infrastructure projects in the region are not just about roads and bridges; they are about emotional connectivity,” he said.
     
    He further stated that the government’s transition from a “Look East” to an “Act East” policy has brought tangible results. “The Northeast was once seen as a frontier region; today, it is emerging as a front-runner in India’s growth story,” the Prime Minister concluded.
     
    The Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 is a two-day event being held on May 23 and 24. The agenda for the two-day summit includes ministerial sessions, Business-to-Government (B2G) and Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings, and a dedicated exhibition zone. 
     
    Key sectors identified for focused investment promotion include Tourism and Hospitality, Agro-Food Processing and allied industries, Textiles, Handloom and Handicrafts, Healthcare, Education and Skill Development, IT and IT-enabled Services, Infrastructure and Logistics, Energy, as well as Entertainment and Sports.

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Economists launch free toolkit to help thyroid sufferers stay in work Workers suffering from thyroid conditions can get help to reclaim their professional lives through a new free toolkit which provides practical advice for them and their employers.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Posing serious implications for the physical, mental and emotional life of those affected, thyroid conditions put patients at a greater risk of experiencing long-term sick leave and impaired working ability.

    Workers suffering from thyroid conditions can get help to reclaim their professional lives through a new free toolkit which provides practical advice for them and their employers.
    Thyroid disorders affect millions of people worldwide. In the UK, one in 20 people have a thyroid problem, with women disproportionately impacted. Posing serious implications for the physical, mental and emotional life of those affected, thyroid conditions put patients at a greater risk of experiencing long-term sick leave and impaired working ability.
    Beyond a physical and emotional toll, the conditions often come with hidden consequences for careers and workplace engagement.
    Launched to mark World Thyroid Day on May 25, the new Thyroid Workplace Toolkit is believed to be the first of its kind, supporting both employees and employers/line managers though evidence-based insights and practical resources.
    Developed by researchers at the University of Aberdeen’s Business School with input from national charity the Thyroid Trust, the toolkit is now being made openly available. A large local authority in England has already agreed to adopt it.
    “The effects of thyroid dysfunctions don’t stop at the doctor’s door, they extend into the workplace, influencing productivity, career progression and overall wellbeing. Many employees struggle silently, unsure of how to communicate their needs or seek adjustments that could help them overcome the challenges posed by the condition,” said Professor Catia Montagna of the University’s Centre for Labour Market Research.
    “Our toolkit is designed to bridge this gap by fostering awareness, encouraging open conversations and providing practical solutions to support those living with thyroid conditions at work.”

    We’re proud to have collaborated with the University of Aberdeen Business School and others to develop this much needed Workplace Toolkit which we believe will make a real difference to both employees and employers, as well as educational settings.” Louise Sellar, Director at The Thyroid Trust

    It is built around three objectives: to raise awareness and educate both employers and employees about how the condition can impact work performance and wellbeing; to empower open communications and help foster an environment where health conversations are welcomed and supported; and to provide a range of practical workplace adjustments that employers can implement.
    “Understanding thyroid disease and its impact on employees is essential for fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace. By offering reasonable adjustments, cultivating a culture of empathy, and promoting overall wellbeing, employers can empower individuals with thyroid conditions to thrive both personally and professionally,” added Centre director Professor Alexandros Zangelidis.
    “This toolkit aims to help with this, improving employees’ morale and engagement, reducing sick leave and enhancing productivity and performance.”
    Louise Sellar, Director at The Thyroid Trust, said: “We’re proud to have collaborated with the University of Aberdeen Business School and others to develop this much needed Workplace Toolkit which we believe will make a real difference to both employees and employers, as well as educational settings.
    “Thyroid disease is often an invisible chronic illness, and many patients struggle with feeling isolated or misunderstood. Symptoms can be easily dismissed and people often don’t know how to talk to their employer for fear of being judged or even losing their job. This leaves too many without the support they need to stay well and contribute fully at work.
    “This toolkit provides a vital bridge-helping to open up those conversations, raise awareness and empower patients to remain active, engaged and productive in the workplace. It’s a critical step forward in ensuring those living with thyroid disease are better supported at work and beyond.
    “We hope this resource encourages more understanding, compassion and flexibility – because when patients are supported properly, everyone benefits.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Dan Cohen becomes the 131st Lord Mayor of Leeds

    Source: City of Leeds

    Councillor Dan Cohen became the new Lord Mayor of Leeds yesterday, following Leeds City Council’s annual general meeting.

    Taking over the role from Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, Councillor Cohen is the 131st Lord Mayor of Leeds. He will be joined in his mayoral year by his wife, Mrs Elayna Cohen, who will take on the role of Lady Mayoress.

    Above: Councillor Dan Cohen (centre right) with the former Lord Mayor, Abigail Marshall Katung (centre left), the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis (right), and the political group leaders following yesterday’s ceremony. 

    Born in Alwoodley, Councillor Cohen attended Leeds Grammar School before reading law at Northumbria University. Graduating in 1996 and after training as a solicitor, Councillor Cohen spent most of his working career as managing director and head of in-house legal at Madison Hosiery; a leading Leeds small and medium enterprise importing and distributing hosiery to the country’s major retailers, a family business started by his father Henry Cohen in the 1960’s.

    Councillor Cohen was elected to Leeds City Council for the Alwoodley ward in May 2011 and has since built a reputation as an effective and dynamic ward councillor, together with chairing the council’s Children and Families Scrutiny Board.

    Above: The new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen. 

    Alongside his council role, Councillor Cohen is also head of in-house legal at The Cohen Foundation, Chair of Governors at Leeds Jewish Free School, which he helped found in 2013, together with being a governor at Brodetsky Primary School, Highfield Primary School, and Allerton High School.

    As is traditional for a new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Cohen has nominated a charity to represent during his term of office and has chosen Leeds Mencap.

    Leeds Mencap is a local, independent charity supporting children and young people with learning disabilities, autism and other additional needs to feel valued, supported and equipped to thrive.

    Rabbi Anthony Gilbert has kindly agreed to act as the Lord Mayor’s chaplain during his year of office.

    Above: The new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen.

    The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, said: “I am honoured and hugely humbled to become the 131st Lord Mayor of Leeds, especially as we move into our city’s 400th birthday year.”

    “As a Leeds boy, it means the world to be able to serve my city in this way. Leeds is an amazing, vibrant, diverse, and dynamic city, and its citizens reflect all those qualities in bucketfuls. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to have this chance to serve my home city as its Lord Mayor.

    “It is also an honour to be representing such a worthwhile charity as Leeds Mencap throughout my mayoral year. I will do all I can throughout my tenure to raise the profile and much-needed funds for this fantastic organisation.”

    Above: The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen and the Lady Mayoress, Elayna Cohen. 

    The new Lady Mayoress, Elayna Cohen, said: “I’m very honoured to become Lady Mayoress and I’m really looking forward to supporting Dan in his Mayoral duties throughout the coming year.

    “It will be such an honour to meet so many people, doing fantastic work for our city and the community, and to have the opportunity to thank and recognise everyone for all they do to make our city the very best place to live in the UK.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Business leaders: MBA students graduated from the State University of Management

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 21, 2025, the Higher School of Business and Technology of the State University of Management hosted the graduation of students of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. For the State University of Management, this is already the 57th graduation of students of the MBA program.

    The MBA program of the State University of Management is aimed at developing management competencies, strategic thinking and decision-making skills. The target audience of the MBA program is business owners, entrepreneurs working on expanding their business and entering new markets, top and middle managers. The MBA program is based on the principles of developing management skills, forming new interaction chains, developing new technological solutions, flexible response and introducing new knowledge. The main focus of the MBA program is the joint development of applied business solutions by the best practitioners in their industry, faculty and students. It is on this paradigm that the practice of training at the Higher School of Business and Technology of the State University of Management is based.

    The graduates highly appreciated the quality of the program, the organization of the educational process, thanked the entire university staff for the knowledge, skills and abilities they had received, and received MBA diplomas. Over the two years of study, MBA students studied various disciplines reflecting the practical foundations of organizing and running a business, managing a modern organization, managing finances, marketing and human resources, strategic management and change management, digital transformation of business, personal development of managers, and various business technologies.

    With the completion of the MBA program, graduates begin a new interesting chapter in their lives, associated not only with professional and personal growth, but also with a significant increase in income. And, according to tradition, having thrown their confederate caps into the sky from the steps of the main academic building of the State University of Management, the graduates of the MBA program made their wishes.

    The staff of the State University of Management wishes each graduate professional achievements, personal growth and sincerely hopes to meet again – on other programs and joint projects.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Arkansas Men Sentenced to More Than 23 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Fraud and Money Laundering in Connection with Proposed Elm Springs, Arkansas Wind Farm

    Source: US FBI

    FAYETTEVILLE – Two Arkansas men were sentenced today to federal prison for Wire Fraud, Aiding and Abetting Wire Fraud, Money Laundering and Aiding and Abetting Money Laundering in connection with the development of a wind turbine that was never operational and a proposed wind farm project in Elm Springs, Arkansas, that was never constructed. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

    Jody Douglas Davis, 47, of Searcy, Arkansas, was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,138,845.28 in restitution and Phillip Vincent Ridings, 64, of North Little Rock, Arkansas, was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,138,845.28 in restitution.

    “This case represents some of the most important work that we do,” said United States Attorney Clay Fowlkes.  “These defendants developed a scheme for the purposed of stealing large sums of money from innocent investors.  The defendants in this case used lies and misrepresentations to trick investors into paying them large amounts of money that they converted for their own, personal use.  We will continue to work with our Federal Law Enforcement partners at the FBI and the IRS to investigate and prosecute cases like this.  We will also continue to work tirelessly to protect others from similar schemes to defraud.” 

    “Mr. Davis and Mr. Ridings callously defrauded members of our community through a fictional investment opportunity,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “Even after being federally indicted, these men continued to advance their criminal scheme through blatant falsehoods and deceit. Today’s sentencings send a clear message to other fraudsters: preying upon our Arkansas communities will not stand.”

    “Davis and Ridings stole money from investors and used it for their personal use with no intention of building the wind farm project.,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., IRS-CI Dallas Field Office. “This sentencing should detour criminals from committing similar crimes.”

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Davis, and Ridings, formed a limited liability company in Texas in 2014 called Dragonfly Industries International, LLC (“Dragonfly”) and Arkansas Wind Power (“AWP”), an Arkansas limited liability company located in Springdale, Arkansas, to develop what they told investors was a revolutionary wind turbine design that was to be installed on a 311-acre wind farm proposed for construction in Elm Springs, Arkansas.  

    According to the superseding indictment, Davis and Ridings conspired with Cody Fell of Springdale, Arkansas, and others, beginning as early as June 2014 and continuing through and including March 2018, to obtain money from investors who were told that the investors’ money would be used to build a prototype of the wind turbine and develop wind farms in Elm Springs, Arkansas, in Iowa, and other states.  The evidence presented at trial showed that Davis and Ridings used most of the $700,000 they obtained from investors for Davis’ and Ridings’ personal use.  Specifically, evidence at trial revealed that investors were told that Dragonfly’s wind turbine could produce more energy than the traditional three-blade wind turbines commonly used on existing wind farms;  that nationally recognized engineering firms and a University of Memphis mechanical engineering professor had “validated” the Dragonfly wind turbine’s design; that the Department of Defense has expressed strong interest in acquiring Dragonfly’s wind turbines for use in combat zones; that a prototype of the wind turbine was nearing completion; that leaders of underdeveloped countries were ready to buy Dragonfly’s wind turbines; and that a $10 million grant from the Department of Energy was soon to be awarded to Dragonfly, when in truth and fact, none of these representations were true.

    A federal jury convicted Davis and Ridings on September 3, 2021.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyra Jenner and Kenneth Elser prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Current and Former Minor League Baseball Players Indicted for Insider Trading in Del Taco Stocks

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 26, 2024

    SAN DIEGO – An indictment was unsealed today charging current and former minor league baseball players Jordan Qsar, Grant Witherspoon and Austin Bernard with insider trading in Del Taco, Inc. stocks after they received advanced notice of the acquisition of Del Taco by Jack in the Box, Inc. on December 6, 2021.

    According to the indictment, Qsar learned from a close friend who worked at Jack in the Box that the company was acquiring Del Taco. The friend was a senior associate in Jack in the Box’s strategic finance department who personally worked on the acquisition project. The disclosure was a violation of duties to Jack in the Box and its shareholders.

    The indictment states that Qsar fraudulently shared the inside information with Witherspoon and Bernard, who were connected to Qsar through collegiate and minor league baseball teams at Pepperdine University and the Tampa Bay Rays.

    In the following months, after learning the inside information, Qsar, Witherspoon, and Bernard purchased Del Taco stocks, discussed when and how many shares they were purchasing, and tipped others with the inside information.

    According to the indictment, after Jack in the Box and Del Taco went public with the acquisition on December 6, 2021, Del Taco stocks jumped in price from $7.53 to $12.51 per share—representing a 66 percent increase from the prior trading day’s closing price. In the days following, Qsar, Witherspoon, and Bernard sold all their Del Taco stocks, earning them illegal profits of approximately $56,000, $41,800, and $64,600, respectively.

    “The system has to be fair for everyone, or the market fails,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Those who seek to undermine this system for personal gain will face consequences.”

    “Insider trading directly affects the integrity of our economy,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure people who intentionally undermine and threaten our economy will be brought to justice.”

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Sou.

    DEFENDANTS                                 Case Number: 24-CR-0385-DMS

    Jordan Joseph Qsar                             Age: 28

    Grant Lee Witherspoon                      Age: 27

    Austin Lane Bernard                          Age: 28

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Title 18 U.S.C. 371 – Conspiracy

    Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine

    Title 15 U.S.C. 78j(b), 78ff & Title 17 C.F.R. 240.10b-5 and 240.10b5-1 – Securities Fraud

    Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison; $5 million fine

    Title 18 USC 1343 – Wire Fraud & Title 18 USC 2 – Aiding and Abetting

    Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison; $250,000 fine

    Title 18 USC 981(a)(1)(C) and Title 28 USC 2461(c) – Criminal Forfeiture

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau Investigation

    *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Little Rock Warns of Increase in Targeted Sextortion Schemes

    Source: US FBI

    FBI Little Rock has noted an increase in sextortion schemes targeting children. The FBI has received numerous reports of predators posing as young girls on social media to coerce young boys into sending sexual videos of themselves and then extorting money from these victims.

    Here’s how this disturbing scheme works:

    1. A predator (posing as a young girl on social media) uses deception and manipulation to convince a young male, usually 13 to 17 years old, to engage in explicit sexual activity over video chat.
    2. The video is secretly recorded and saved by the predator.
    3. The predator then reveals they have saved the recordings and attempts to extort money from the juvenile victim by threatening to post the videos on various social media pages.
    4. To receive money, the predator may ask for bank account login information or request gift cards.

    Sextortion is a crime. The coercion of a child by an adult to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) carries heavy penalties, including life sentences for offenders. To make the victimization stop, children typically notify someone—normally a parent, teacher, caregiver, or law enforcement. The embarrassment children feel from the activity they were coerced to engage in is what usually prevents them from coming forward. Sextortion offenders frequently have dozens of victims around the world, so coming forward to help law enforcement identify a predator may prevent countless future incidents of sexual exploitation.

    Here are some tips to protect adults and children online:

    • Parents should be selective about what they share online. If social media accounts are open to everyone, offenders can easily learn about parents and their children, and then use that information for predatory purposes.
    • Be wary of anyone you encounter online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
    • People can pretend to be anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that a person is who they claim to be.
    • Be highly suspicious if someone you meet on a game or app asks you to start communicating with them on a different platform.
    • Encourage children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.

    If you know someone who may be a victim of sextortion in Arkansas:

    1. Contact FBI Little Rock at 501-221-9100 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-THE-LOST).
    2. Do not delete anything before law enforcement is able to review it.
    3. Tell law enforcement everything about the online encounters. It may be embarrassing, but it is necessary to find the predator.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Field Offices Warn of Numerous Targeted Sextortion Schemes in Southern Arkansas and Northern Louisiana

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI has received numerous reports of predators posing as children on social media to coerce minors into sending sexual videos of themselves and then extorting money from these underage victims. The FBI Little Rock Field Office has noted an alarming uptick in these schemes targeting children in areas around El Dorado, Magnolia, and Monticello, Arkansas. The FBI New Orleans Field Office has also seen similar schemes targeting children in the Monroe, Alexandria, and Shreveport, Louisiana areas.

    Here’s how this disturbing scheme works:

    1. A predator (posing as a child on social media) uses deception and manipulation to convince a minor victim, usually 13 to 17 years old, to engage in explicit sexual activity over video chat.
    2. The videos or images are secretly recorded and saved by the predator.
    3. The predator then reveals they have saved the recordings and attempts to extort money from the juvenile victim by threatening to post the videos on various social media pages.
    4. To receive money, the predator may ask for bank account login information or request gift cards.

    Sextortion is a crime. The coercion of a child by an adult to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) carries heavy penalties, including life sentences for offenders. To make the victimization stop, children typically notify someone—normally a parent, teacher, caregiver, or law enforcement. The embarrassment children feel from the activity they were coerced to engage in is what usually prevents them from coming forward. Sextortion offenders frequently have dozens of victims around the world, so coming forward to help law enforcement identify a predator may prevent countless future incidents of sexual exploitation.

    Here are some tips to protect children online:

    • Everyone should be wary of anyone they encounter online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
    • People can pretend to be anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that a person is who they claim to be.
    • Be highly suspicious if someone you meet on a game or app asks you to start communicating with them on a different platform.
    • Encourage children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.

    If you know someone who may be a victim of sextortion in Arkansas or Louisiana:

    1. Contact FBI Little Rock at 501-221-9100 or FBI New Orleans at 504-816-3000.
    2. Do not delete anything before law enforcement is able to review it.
    3. Tell police investigators everything about the online encounters. It may be embarrassing, but it is necessary to find and stop the predator.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Children’s Hospital Employee Pleads Guilty to Sharing, Receiving Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Nationwide Children’s Hospital employee who treated child burn patients pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to downloading, exchanging and receiving child pornography.

    Ryan Ramos, 38, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing and receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. He faces an imprisonment range of five to 20 years in prison.

    Ramos worked at Nationwide Children’s Hospital from 2018 until 2020 and then at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the ICU in burn trauma until 2023.

    According to court documents, a 2020 FBI investigation in their Brooklyn-Queens office led agents to discover Ramos’s participation in a Signal app group dedicated to the exchange of child pornography.

    Ramos shared hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including abuse of young boys and infants, to the chat group.

    Further investigation into Ramos revealed that, in 2018, he had paid a sexual offender in New York City and received child pornography created by the offender in exchange for his payment. Ramos sent more than $500 via PayPal to the child exploiter.

    Ramos’s iPhone contained more than 346,000 Signal, Telegram and other online chat messages, in most of which Ramos was distributing, seeking, receiving or discussing child pornography.

    Ramos was charged by a bill of information on May 6 and pleaded guilty during his arraignment in federal court this afternoon. He is in custody pending sentencing.

    Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking, Sextortion

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Omoruyi O. Uwadiae, 28, of Chicago, offered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court today to cyberstalking, sextortion and identity theft crimes. His scheme involved dozens of victims in multiple states, including Ohio, Colorado and Washington.

    According to his plea documents, Uwadiae admitted to obtaining sexually explicit photographs and videos from potential victims and then using the content to threaten them. Uwadiae threatened to distribute the explicit material widely on the internet and specifically to victims’ friends, family members, employers and others.

    The defendant demanded money from some victims. From others, he demanded they meet him, have sex with him, or make damaging admissions such as admissions that they were racist. On multiple occasions, Uwadiae carried through with his threats. He sent sexually explicit photographs and videos to the victims’ friends, family members (including at least one victim’s mother, at least one victim’s brother, and at least one victim’s sister), employers and acquaintances, and also posted sexually explicit photographs and videos widely on the internet.

    Multiple victims had not publicly disclosed their sexual orientation, which Uwadiae’s actions disclosed, contrary to their wishes. The defendant also used victims’ identifications to create false accounts on social media and post personal information about the victims online.

    Uwadiae targeted young gay men on Grindr and other online sites. He would obtain their sexually explicit photographs and videos consensually and then use them to extort. In some cases, he posted their nude images on Male General without their consent and then demanded money or other things of value to take down the images. Male General is a blog marketed to gay men containing, among other things, boards where users can post images and text.

    For example, one victim was a student at The Ohio State University who communicated with Uwadiae on Grindr. Uwadiae ultimately demanded that the victim either pay him $200 or have sex with him. When the victim did not comply, Uwadiae created false social media accounts using true photos of the victim, stating, “this guy is gay, see pics for evidence.” The victim had not disclosed his sexual orientation to his family and had told Uwadiae he was concerned that his family would react negatively if they learned he was bisexual.

    Uwadiae was charged in the Southern District of Ohio in April by a bill of information.

    As part of his plea, Uwadiae pleaded guilty to 22 total counts. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of cyberstalking (punishable by up to five years in prison), seven counts of making interstate communications with the intent to extort (up to two years in prison) and seven counts of unlawfully using a means of identification (up to five years in prison).

    Congress sets the maximum statutory sentences and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the guilty plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill are representing the United States in this case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Columbus Division of Police.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Helps Public to Recognize Signs of Concerning Behavior

    Source: US FBI

    In Bid to Prevent Mass Attacks, the FBI Asks Public to ‘Talk to Someone You Trust’ if You Notice Concerning Behaviors

    CLEVELAND, OH—FBI Cleveland and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit are urging people to take notice when their friends, family, classmates, and coworkers show disturbing signs they may be on a “pathway to violence.”

    Drawing on years of research on targeted violence and mass shooters—to include the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 in which 19 elementary school students and two teachers were killed—the FBI unit best known for its “profilers” is asking people to confide in someone they trust or respect when they see behaviors they think are concerning. Too often, the signs are ignored or dismissed because they are not recognized as potentially dangerous, or observers will directly confront the person they are concerned about, believing that alone will be enough to defuse concerning behaviors.

    “We are focused on helping the public recognize threatening signs and report concerning behaviors. As bystanders, we might think we are overreacting when we observe something out of place or hesitant to say something for fear of appearing impulsive. The reality is that it is vitally important to report suspicious behavior, whether to the FBI or to local law enforcement,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen.

    “Following a tragedy or crisis, we often hear “something needs to change.” Helping the public recognize the behaviors and adopt the prevention tips are the first steps to that change,” he added.

    “Our goal is to get bystanders, who are the most important part of the prevention cycle, to be able to consistently identify concerning behaviors that are backed by research and experience,” said Taylor Cilke, a crime analyst in the unit of BAU that studies threats. BAU resides in the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group and is part of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, which was established in 1984 to develop strategies to combat serial and violent crimes.

    “In order to prevent a threat, we have to identify it, and we have to assess it, and then we have to take steps to manage it,” Cilke said. “The hardest part is that identification piece. And that’s where the public and potential bystanders can really help us empower our communities and force-multiply our work. But if we never identify the threat, we can’t assess and manage it.”

    To that end, BAU this week launched a Prevent Mass Violence campaign that includes a new webpage and brochures containing tips and strategies to help potential bystanders understand what types of behaviors may be concerning and ways to respond. “The most important thing is to tell someone,” the webpage says. That may not necessarily mean law enforcement; it could be a school administrator, employee assistance peer, a boss, or someone else you trust.

    “We’ve seen time and again that there are noticeable, observable behaviors,” said Brad Hentschel, a supervisory special agent in BAU, pointing to nearly three decades of academic research, along with BAU’s findings from studying mass violence events. “Mass shooters don’t just snap. Recognizing and reporting the warning signs of someone thinking about and preparing for violence can be lifesaving.”

    According to BAU, some concerning behaviors may include:

    • Comments, jokes, or threats about violent plans
    • Repeated or detailed fantasies about violence
    • Comments about hurting themselves or others
    • Creating a document, video, suicide note, or other item to explain or claim credit for future violence
    • Seeing violence as a way to solve their problems
    • Unusual difficulty coping with stress
    • Increasing isolation from family, friends, or others
    • Angry outbursts or physical aggression
    • Obsessive interest in prior attackers or attacks
    • Changing vocabulary, style of speech, or how they act in a way that reflects a hardened point of view or new sense of purpose associated with violent extremist causes

    Last spring, as the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde shootings approached, BAU developed and distributed brochures related to preventing mass violence. BAU-trained special agents who serve as threat management coordinators in their field offices and provided the brochures to school administrators, mental health providers, and the human resource departments of companies in their regions. These resources are meant to help communities identify concerning behaviors and take action to get help—before violence is imminent.

    For a more comprehensive list of concerning behaviors, to include brochures—along with resources and research about targeted violence—please visit the new webpage at www.fbi.gov/prevent. The webpage and all the supporting information are provided to encourage the public to “be the key to preventing violence by talking to someone you trust.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China urges US not to politicize educational cooperation

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

    Educational cooperation between China and the United States is mutually beneficial, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday, noting that China has always opposed the politicization of educational cooperation.

    Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on the Trump administration’s decision to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students.

    Noting that relevant practices of the U.S. side will only damage the image and international credibility of itself, Mao said China will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars overseas.

    The spokesperson reiterated that China opposes groundless attacks and smear campaigns against China, urging the U.S. side to lift illegal sanctions as soon as possible.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Assistant Dean Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Million-Dollar Embezzlement From Essex County Graduate School

    Source: US FBI

    NEWARK, N.J. – A former assistant dean of an Essex County graduate school was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in prison for defrauding her former employer of more than $1.3 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

    Teresina DeAlmeida, 59, of Warren, New Jersey and her co-conspirators, Rose Martins, 44, of East Hanover, New Jersey, and Silvia Cardoso, 61, of Warren, NJ, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals in Newark federal court.

    “The defendant abused her position of trust as an assistant dean to orchestrate an elaborate embezzlement scheme for more than a decade. In doing so, she and her co-conspirators stole more than $1.3 million intended to benefit the school and its students.  My office is committed to relentlessly prosecuting those who commit financial frauds.”

    U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger

    “By choosing to utilize her position for illicit profit, Teresina DeAlmeida chose to enrich herself first and serve the students of the University last,” stated Jenifer L. Piovesan, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “Financial fraud like this will not be tolerated and IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out and investigate these financial crimes.”

    “Trust is an intangible thing, a faith that people who have access to large sums of money won’t steal it. DeAlmeida took funds meant for students at the university and did so for more than a decade,” FBI Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Nelson I. Delgado said. “Students and most average citizens cannot see into finances of institutions, to question where it’s going and why it’s missing. The FBI Newark and our law enforcement partners have the tools to investigate wrongdoing and hold accountable those who don’t think anyone will notice $1.3 million is missing.”

    “I am proud of the contribution of OIG Special Agents in holding former Assistant Dean DeAlmeida accountable for her criminal actions. Her willful diversion and theft of funds that were intended for the school and its students was completely unacceptable,” said John Carlo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office.  “The OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of Federal education funds.”

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    Between 2009 and July 2022, DeAlmeida, Martins, and Cardoso conspired to fraudulently misappropriate more than $1.3 million from their former employer, a graduate school of a university in Essex County, New Jersey.  During the scheme, DeAlmeida was an assistant dean responsible for financial functions, and Martins served as her assistant.  Cardoso, DeAlmeida’s sister, was also employed by the graduate school in a support staff role.  

    The defendants used a variety of methods to defraud the university.  For instance:

    •    Beginning in 2009, DeAlmeida directed a graduate school vendor to pay Martins and Cardoso as though they worked for the vendor, even though they did not perform any services.  DeAlmeida and Martins then caused the vendor to submit false invoices to the graduate school over the course of approximately four years to reimburse the vendor for the amounts fraudulently paid to Martins and Cardoso.  

    •    From 2010 through 2022, DeAlmeida and Martins directed graduate school vendors to order hundreds of thousands of dollars of gift cards and prepaid debit cards the co-conspirators used for their personal benefit, and then to submit fraudulent invoices to the school purporting to be for goods and services that were never provided.  The co-conspirators also misused DeAlmeida’s school-issued credit card to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars of gift cards and prepaid debit cards from the school’s bookstore.  DeAlmeida routinely fraudulently approved these charges and Martins forged the signatures of other employees on internal approvals.

    •    In 2015, Martins opened a shell entity called CMS Content Management Specialist LLC.  Although CMS never rendered any services to the graduate school, Martins submitted, and DeAlmeida approved, fraudulent invoices totaling more than $208,000.  

    •    The co-conspirators also used DeAlmeida’s school-issued credit card to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized personal purchases.  For example, DeAlmeida and Martins used the card to make over $70,000 in purchases at an online retailer shipped directly to their homes, including woman’s shoes, smart watches, and bed linens.  DeAlmeida and Martins fraudulently altered certain receipts before submitting them to the school for payment.  

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Neals sentenced DeAlmeida to 2 years of supervised release and ordered restitution of approximately $1,397,000.  

    U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Services, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark; special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark; and special agents of the Department of Education, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge John Carlo with the investigation.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Silane and Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Centerville Man Who Made Online Threats to Commit School Shooting Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Possessing Machine Gun

    Source: US FBI

    DAYTON, Ohio – A Centerville, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court here today to 72 months in prison for possessing a machine gun. The defendant used an uzi-style weapon during a YouTube video in which he threatens to commit a mass shooting at a California school.

    The Court imposed an upward variance from the sentencing guidelines in the sentence imposed today against Alex Jaques, 23.

    According to court documents, on Nov. 15, 2022, the FBI National Threat Operations Center received a tip about a video Jaques posted on YouTube.

    In the video, Jaques uses multiple firearms to shoot a Chromebook computer and threatens to attack Washington Middle School in Salinas, California. The Chromebook has a Washington Middle School sticker affixed to it.

    Before shooting the computer, Jaques stabs it multiple times with a screwdriver and uses a power drill on it. The video shows an uzi-style weapon being discharged in rapid succession and multiple shots fired from a rifle-style weapon.

    Law enforcement communicated with school officials in Salinas, California, and discovered that Jaques had been a student at a school within the same county. Jaques says in the video that he plans to return to the area to “fill out my list of duties” and has kept “names and addresses of people who have wronged me.” Just before shooting the computer, Jaques says, “yeah okay so Washington Middle School you are next.”

    Other videos on Jaques’s YouTube page depict the defendant driving while shooting a pistol at street signs.

    Jaques also commented publicly on a YouTube video of family members of the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida in which 17 people were killed. Jaques commented “Bullies families get their final day in court” and “I will do my own parkland.”

    While executing a search warrant on Jaques’s residence, vehicle and person, FBI agents seized eight firearms, including an uzi-style weapon, hand grenades and other explosives equipment.

    Jaques was arrested in November 2022. He pleaded guilty to a superseding bill of information in March 2023.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Mahy and Nicholas Dingeldein are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Appointed by Governor DeWine to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND, OH—FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen was recently appointed to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

    The Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission improves Ohio peace officers’ professional capabilities through the careful oversight of law enforcement training within the state. The commission has also been given the same responsibility regarding private security, local corrections, jail personnel, bailiffs, and public defender investigators.

    “I am honored to serve as the newest member of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission and help to uphold and improve law enforcement training in Ohio,” said Nelsen.

    Nelsen has served in the FBI for over 23 years, and prior to leading the Cleveland Division, he most recently was the deputy assistant director of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Division’s Operational Programs Branch. CJIS provides a range of state of-the-art tools and services to law enforcement, national security and intelligence community partners, and the public. Nelsen was a police officer prior to joining the FBI.

    Peace Officer Training Commission members are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate. Members serve three-year terms. The commission issues recommendations to the Attorney General about matters pertaining to law enforcement training.

    To fulfill its statutory responsibility and improve law enforcement training in Ohio, the commission may recommend to the Attorney General:

    • Rules for approving peace officer, private security, corrections, public defender investigator, bailiff, canine, and firearms training and certification.
    • The curriculum, minimum attendance, equipment and facility requirements necessary for approval of training programs.
    • Minimum qualifications required for instructors at approved training sites.
    • Categories or classifications of advanced in-service training programs for peace officers.
    • Minimum requirements for the certification of canines used by law enforcement agencies.

    The commission is also authorized to:

    • Recommend studies, surveys, and reports designed to evaluate its own effectiveness.
    • Visit and inspect any peace officer training school within the state.
    • Establish fees for the services the commission provides.
    • Make recommendations to the Attorney General or the General Assembly with respect to the fulfillment of its statutory responsibilities.
    • Report progress to the Attorney General throughout the year and to the governor and the General Assembly annually.

    Per the Ohio Revised Code, the commission also includes two incumbent sheriffs, two incumbent chiefs of police, one representative from the general public, a representative from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, a representative from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a member from the Ohio Department of Education, Trade and Industrial Education Services, and a representative of a Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • PM Modi: ₹21,000 crore invested in education sector in North-East over last decade

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Rising North East Summit in New Delhi, underscored the pivotal role of skill development in accelerating growth and shaping a secure future for the region. He said the North-East offers a conducive environment for progress in this direction, with the central government consistently investing in education and capacity-building efforts.
     
    The Prime Minister informed that over the last ten years, ₹21,000 crore has been allocated to the education sector in the North-East. This has led to the establishment of more than 800 new schools, nine new medical colleges, two new Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and the region’s first All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
     
    Further emphasizing the region’s growing educational infrastructure, he said a new campus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has been set up in Mizoram. In addition, nearly 200 skill development institutes have been established across the region to support youth empowerment and employment.
     
    The Prime Minister also highlighted major strides in the field of sports. He said the country’s first Sports University is being developed in the North-East, supported by significant investment under the Khelo India initiative. So far, eight Khelo India Centres of Excellence and over 250 Khelo India Centres have been set up to nurture sports talent across the region.
     
    He said the North-East is now emerging as a hub of top-tier talent across various sectors and urged industries and investors to explore the vast opportunities the region presents.

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former San Gabriel Valley Teacher Charged with Receiving and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A former elementary school teacher in the San Gabriel Valley is scheduled for arraignment today on a federal grand jury indictment charging him with receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.

    Steven Pilar, 47, of Las Vegas, is charged in a four-count federal indictment with two counts of receiving child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography.

    A federal grand jury returned the indictment on July 19, 2024. Pilar was arrested on August 2 in Las Vegas, where he made his initial appearance. A federal magistrate judge in Nevada ordered Pilar jailed without bond. Pilar’s arraignment is scheduled for this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

    According to the indictment, on February 8, 2020, and April 10, 2020, Pilar knowingly received and downloaded over 400 videos and images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via BitTorrent for viewership. Pilar was employed as an elementary school teacher in La Puente at the time. He no longer works at the school.

    Pilar was arrested on state charges, which were later dropped so a federal case could be pursued.

    “This defendant, whose former job put him in a position of trust with children, is accused of participating in an underground market that trades on the sexual exploitation of kids,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Protecting children from sexual predators is critical and my office will be unrelenting in our efforts to punish those who commit these crimes.”

    An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

    If convicted, Pilar would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 80 years in federal prison.

    The FBI and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Joshua J. Lee of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: International Booker prize 2025: six experts review the shortlisted novels, including winner Heart Lamp

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Helen Vassallo, Associate Professor of French and Translation, University of Exeter

    Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq has won the 2025 International Booker prize. Here, our literature experts review the book and the other five novels that were shortlisted for the prize.

    Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi

    Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp shines a light on the lives of Muslim women in rural India. In a bold and memorable translation from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, this quietly powerful collection of short stories opens up the intimate space of domestic rituals and family tensions.

    Mushtaq’s fervent advocacy of women’s rights is evident in the compassion with which she brings to life the women in the stories: from the lack of autonomy suffered by young girls forced into wedlock to the indignity of an older woman obliged to accept her husband taking a second wife or a widow whose son arranges a new marriage for her, the women’s lives are dictated by men.

    Heart Lamp is perhaps best summed up in the final story, “Be a Woman Once, O Lord!” Throughout these stories, Mushtaq invites us – and whichever male deity might be listening – to walk in the shoes of women overlooked by an unquestioned patriarchal hierarchy.

    Helen Vassallo, Associate Professor of French and Translation



    Read more:
    Heart Lamp by the Indian writer Banu Mushtaq wins 2025 International Booker prize – a powerful collection of stories inspired by the real suffering of women

    Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Asa Yoneda

    Hiromi Kawakami’s Under the Eye of the Big Bird offers us glimpses of one imagined future for earth and humanity.

    Its vision could be described as post-apocalyptic. After unspecified cataclysmic events, humans exist only in tiny, scattered communities and extinction seems imminent. But this is also a beautiful, if dreamlike, world and one in which humanity still has the potential for astonishing growth and change.

    Each chapter introduces something new and startling to the reader. Many of the tropes are familiar – cloning, superpowers, mutation, AI. Yet they are configured in unfamiliar ways and prompt reflections on the nature of humanity and our relationship with the rest of creation – as well as on time, religion and the possibility of an afterlife.

    Despite grappling with so many huge questions, Under the Eye of the Big Bird is an accessible and absorbing novel. And, although tragedy is never far away, there remains humour – and hope.

    Sarah Annes Brown, Professor of English Literature

    A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated by Mark Hutchinson

    Published in France in 2008 as Un chapeau léopard, A Leopard-Skin Hat is a novel about a friendship spanning 20 years between a woman called Fanny and a man known throughout only as “the Narrator”. He is not, though, the narrator of the novel. Rather, an unknown storyteller tells us how the Narrator sees Fanny gradually lose the fight against madness (the novel’s word) and, in the end, death.

    This is a novel about the mystery of other people, about how unknowable others are to us. It explores how we narrate to try to understand people who are not us, but whom we love. What is most extraordinary about Serre’s novel is the way it shows us two friends doing very ordinary things – going out for dinner, going on holiday, walking in the countryside and swimming in lakes – but shows us through this the strangeness and complexity of friendship, love and life.

    Leigh Wilson, Professor of English Literature



    Read more:
    A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre explores what its like being human in relation to other human beings

    Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes

    Perfection is a slim account of the way that time “disappears” for Anna and Tom, an expat couple living in Berlin as creative freelancers in the 2010s.

    Written in homage to Georges Perec’s Things: The Story of the Sixties (1965), the novel opens with an overbearing description of the items in their apartment, moving in and out of the characters’ dissatisfaction with the aesthetic, social, creative, economic and political routes open to them in 120 pages spanning a little over 10 years.

    As international elections, the European refugee crises and climate catastrophe dance in and out of their peripheral vision, Anna and Tom find neither satisfaction with their current moment nor successfully imagine a better one. As such, Latronico gently, but with an increasing sense of fatalism, considers the stagnation of a millennial creative class whose views on influence, status, power and happiness remain deeply linked to the “new emotions” of digital mediation.

    By Rachel Sykes, Associate Professor in Contemporary Literature and Culture

    On The Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara Haveland

    In On The Calculation of Volume, a woman, Tara Selter, finds herself trapped in an endlessly repeating day, November 18. Volume I, the first of seven books, recounts the first 365 days of this time loop, with Tara attempting to make sense of her predicament, to explain it to her husband – who is still bound by the normal rules of time – and to try to fix whatever has initiated this situation.

    As the novel continues, it becomes less focused on the novelty of the situation and more on the philosophical questions it raises: the alternate claustrophobia and liberation of replaying the same day; how our friends and partners sometimes feel like they inhabit a different reality; the way in which time pulls things and people apart; of the importance we place in the idea of “tomorrow”.

    What’s remarkable about Balle’s novel is how compulsive it is – even though we know time is standing still, we still want to know what will happen next.

    David Hering, Senior Lecturer in English Literature

    Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson

    Vincent Delecroix’s Small Boat is a slim, bruising novel that centres on a real horror: the drowning of 27 migrants in the English Channel in November 2021. In a small, inflatable craft, they reached out over crackling radio lines, asking for help that never came.

    Small Boat focuses not on the migrants themselves, but on a French coastguard operator who spent that night on the radio, fielding their calls for rescue. Delecroix’s brilliance lies in showing how violence at the border is carried out not by villains, but by workers. It was not evil that allowed those people to die in the water, it was a string of decisions made by people in warm rooms who believed they were doing their jobs.

    In a world ever more brutal towards those who flee war, hunger and despair, Delecroix’s novel is a necessary – and merciless – indictment. It reminds us that the shipwreck is not theirs alone. It is ours too.

    Fiona Murphy, Assistant Professor in Refugee and Intercultural Studies



    Read more:
    Small Boat: this slim, devastating novel about a real migrant shipwreck reminds us of the cruelty of indifference

    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. International Booker prize 2025: six experts review the shortlisted novels, including winner Heart Lamp – https://theconversation.com/international-booker-prize-2025-six-experts-review-the-shortlisted-novels-including-winner-heart-lamp-255464

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former High School Teacher Found Guilty of Possessing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    ABERDEEN, MS – A federal jury convicted a Booneville man for possessing child sexual abuse materials after hearing evidence for three days in a trial before Senior District Judge Glen H. Davidson in Aberdeen, Mississippi.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Andrew Murphy, 36, a former high school science teacher, was found guilty today for possessing child pornography. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 28, 2025, at the U.S. Courthouse in Aberdeen, Mississippi.

    Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Murphy collected images of child exploitation material, child nudity, child erotica, and images of children engaged in sexual activity, using a peer-to-peer network online.

    The statutory penalties are up to ten years imprisonment, five years to life on supervised release, and registration on the sex offender registration.

    “The case presented to the jury by AUSAs Parker King and John Herzog clearly established the guilt of this teacher who possessed images that demonstrated his sexual interest in children,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I cannot overstate the importance of our partnership with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners, such as the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department, in protecting children, and this partnership will continue to do just that.”

    “For every image of child pornography there is a child who is a victim and who will relive his or her abuse over and over again while that image circulates. We are committed to holding all predators who exploit Mississippi children accountable, and particularly those that hold positions of trust and care for our children,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I appreciate the strong partnership our office has with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI.  Together, we are dedicated to serving justice for the victims in this case and all others.”

    “Safeguarding our society’s future begins with protecting children in our community from predatory individuals like, Andrew Murphy,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office. “Murphy held a position of trust and violated that trust that our communities had in him with these heinous crimes against our youth; it will not be tolerated. The FBI maintains a steadfast commitment, in working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, to protect the innocence of our minors, and aggressively investigate predators, like Murphy, to hold them accountable and make sure they are brought to justice.”

    The case was investigated and conducted by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the FBI.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Parker S. King and John Herzog are prosecuting the case.

    The case against Andrew Murphy was brought as part of the Project Safe Childhood nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Executive of Louisiana Compounding Pharmacy Admits Defrauding State Health Benefits Programs

    Source: US FBI

    CAMDEN, N.J. – The former vice president of sales of a Louisiana compounding pharmacy today admitted conspiring to use the Louisiana pharmacy to defraud New Jersey and military health benefits programs, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced.

    Christopher Casseri, 56, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel to one count of conspiring to commit health care fraud. Casseri was previously charged with Christopher Kyle Johnston, 45, of Mandeville, Louisiana, Trent Brockmeier, 62, of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in a 24-count indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and a second conspiracy to commit identity theft by using individuals’ personal identifying information without their consent. Johnston and Brockmeier were charged with additional charges of conspiring to commit money laundering and substantive counts of money laundering for transactions involving the over $43 million in illicit profits they realized from the scheme. The charges against Johnston and Brockmeier remain pending and they are scheduled to proceed to trial in January 2025.

    According to court documents and statements made in Court:

    Central Rexall was a retail pharmacy in Louisiana that prepared compounded medications, which are supposed to be specialty medications mixed by a pharmacist to meet the specific medical needs of an individual patient. In 2013, Johnston and Brockmeier entered into an agreement with Central Rexall Chief Executive Officer Hayley Taff, who pleaded guilty on Aug. 12, 2020, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, to take over the management of the pharmacy and expand the compounding business in exchange for 90 percent of the profits.  Brockmeier became chief operating officer of Central Rexall and Johnston became general counsel. They hired Casseri as vice president of sales to manage Central Rexall’s outside sales force.

    Johnston, Brockmeier, and Casseri learned that certain insurance plans administered by an entity referred to in the indictment as the “Pharmacy Benefits Administrator” would reimburse thousands of dollars for a one-month supply of certain compounded medications – including pain, scar, and antifungal creams, as well as vitamin combinations. The health plans for New Jersey state and local government and education employees, including teachers, firefighters, municipal police officers, and state troopers, had this insurance coverage, as did TRICARE, which insures current and former members of the armed forces and their families.

    The three conspirators designed compounded medications and manipulated the ingredients in the medications in order to obtain high insurance reimbursements rather than serve the medical needs of patients. To determine which ingredients and combinations resulted in the highest insurance reimbursements, Johnston, Brockmeier, and Casseri had Central Rexall employees send the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator false prescription claims to test out different combinations of ingredients, but the prescriptions did not exist. By trial and error, Johnston, Brockmeier, and Casseri designed compounded medications with combinations of ingredients that were chosen solely based on the amount of money that insurance would pay rather than on the medications’ ability to serve the medical needs of patients. At their direction, Central Rexall sent compounded medications to patients based solely on financial gain, without any research or testing showing that the combination of ingredients was effective.

    When the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator would stop covering one combination, the conspirators would develop a compounded medication with a different combination of ingredients based solely on the insurance reimbursement and without considering the medical necessity or effectiveness of the new combination. Central Rexall then would send that new compounded medication to patients, even though the new combination of ingredients was not medically equivalent to the combination originally prescribed for the patients and without telling the patients or their doctor about the differences.

    The outside sales force retained and directed by Johnston, Brockmeier, and Casseri used various methods to get doctors to prescribe these medications and patients to accept them, including having prescriptions signed without the patient seeing a doctor or knowing about the medications, having medications or refills ordered with the patients’ knowledge, and paying patients to accept the medications and paying doctors to prescribe them.

    Casseri and his conspirators caused over $46 million in fraudulent insurance claims for compounded medications that were not medically necessary.

    Casseri faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2025.

    Attorney for the United States Khanna credited agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado in Newark; special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark; and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

    The charges and allegations against Johnston and Brockmeier are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The government is represented by R. David Walk Jr., Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the Criminal Division in Camden.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Woman Sentenced for Violation of Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act Violation for Damaging Pregnancy Center

    Source: US FBI

    TOLEDO – Whitney Durant, AKA Soren Monroe, age 20, of Worthington, Ohio, was sentenced to two years of probation and a $2,000 dollar fine by Magistrate Judge Darrell A. Clay, after pleading guilty to one count of intentionally damaging a reproductive health care center, a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (the “FACE Act”). Durant vandalized HerChoice, a reproductive health services clinic located in Bowling Green, Ohio, because the clinic offers pregnancy counseling, free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, but not abortion services.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 15, 2023, Durant defaced the clinic’s building, spray painting the words, “LIARS,” “FAKE CLINIC,” “Fund Abortion,” “Abort God,” and “Jane’s Revenge.” Durant was a Bowling Green State University student at the time of this conduct.

    “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to neutrally enforcing federal laws that protect uninterrupted access to all clinics providing reproductive health services, whether those clinics provide women with options that include abortion care or whether they solely encourage women to consider non-abortion alternatives,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “This prosecution and sentence demonstrate that we will not tolerate efforts to impede patient access to the reproductive health care of their choice by someone who intentionally defaces or otherwise damages a clinic providing such services. The First Amendment protects peaceful protests, not blatant vandalism.”

    “Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that intentionally damaging or destroying the property of a facility because it provides reproductive health services is a federal violation of the FACE Act,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “The FBI and its local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners will protect access to reproductive healthcare services for every American, thoroughly investigate FACE Act violators, and continue to aggressively pursue all violations of the statute.”

    The FBI Cleveland Field Office, Toledo Resident Agency and Bowling Green Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelita Cruz Bridges and Wood County Prosecutor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Dobson for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

    Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services or damage and destruction of reproductive health care facilities, should report that information to the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov/.

    For more information about clinic violence, and the Justice Department’s efforts to enforce FACE Act violations, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-againstreproductive-health-care-providers.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tianjin decides to standardize English translation of signs and markers in public places for SCO summit

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    TIANJIN, May 23 (Xinhua) — The northern Chinese city of Tianjin, which will host the next summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this fall, has published a guide to standardize the English translation of identification signs in public places.

    The document was recently released by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Tianjin Municipal People’s Government. The move is aimed at improving the translation quality of signs in public places and improving the city’s language environment for foreigners.

    As part of the work to compile the guide, a team led by Zhou Wei, vice dean of the School of Advanced Translation at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, conducted research in public places such as the airport, subway, hotels, and train stations, finding many errors in translations from Chinese to English.

    According to experts, as the number of foreigners visiting Tianjin increases, everything from foreign-language signs and markers in public places to language services related to cultural and tourism consumption directly affects foreigners’ perception of Tianjin.

    “We also used artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies to develop a translation verification system and a multilingual service platform, which have greatly improved the translation efficiency and quality,” Zhou Wei said.

    According to her, this AI system can provide several translation options, compare their pros and cons, and give professional recommendations.

    As Luan Jianzhang, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Tianjin Municipal People’s Government, noted, promoting the creation of a language environment oriented toward foreigners can better showcase Tianjin’s image as an open, inclusive, internationalized and modern city to the outside world. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Utica Mayor and School Board President Sentenced for Mail Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Louis LaPolla, age 79, of Utica, New York, was sentenced today in federal court in Syracuse to 3 years of probation, after previously pleading guilty to mail fraud for soliciting and then stealing donations intended for a scholarship fund in his late wife’s name. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

    In pleading guilty previously, LaPolla admitted that he set up a scholarship fund in honor of his late wife, Andrea LaPolla, after she passed away in 2018, with the stated intention of benefitting Utica City School District students who planned to pursue post-secondary education in health-related fields. LaPolla further admitted that he received nearly $40,000 in donations intended for the scholarship fund from individuals and businesses and that he spent nearly all the donated money on himself rather than depositing it into the scholarship fund. LaPolla served as the mayor of Utica from 1984 to 1995, and he served as President of the Utica City School Board from 2018 to 2022, following 21 years of service as a member of the board.

    As part of his sentence, LaPolla will pay restitution in the amount of $38,616, and he will separately owe a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.

    Earlier this year, LaPolla pled guilty in Oneida County Court to a misdemeanor petit larceny charge after admitting that he used envelopes, stamps, and mailing labels belonging to the Utica City School District to send out fundraising flyers relating to the scholarship. In that case, LaPolla was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest, 3 years of probation, and ordered to pay $3,100 in restitution.

    The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the New York State Police and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –