Category: European Union

MIL-OSI NGOs: Creative industry figures urge Starmer to act against Gaza genocide- ‘you know what is happening’
Source: Amnesty International –

116 leading UK and Irish creatives have urged Keir Starmer to act over Israel’s escalating atrocities in Gaza, criticising UK arms exports, settlement trade, and lack of ICC support – open letter

Riz Ahmed, Dame Harriet Walker, Maxine Peake, Nish Kumar, Paloma Faith and others condemn UK government inaction on Gaza

The Prime Minister must ‘stand up for justice and human rights’ and ‘words are no longer enough; we need to see action’ – Creatives

Artists gather outside Downing Street to hold placards urging the PM to act to stop the genocide and human rights abuses in Gaza

Over 100 leading voices from across the UK and Ireland’s film, television, and creative industries including Riz Ahmed, Dame Harriet Walker, Maxine Peake, Nish Kumar, Paloma Faith, Juliet Stevenson and many more have united to call on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take urgent action in response to Israel’s escalating atrocities in Gaza and the wider Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).  

In a public letter, the group condemn “all attacks on civilians” but emphasise that as well as Israel’s decades-long military occupation, expansion of illegal settlements, and system of apartheid, Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, as described by Amnesty International in its report “You feel Like You Are Subhuman”.

“We are deeply troubled by your lack of meaningful action to help deter Israel’s horrifying and calculated violations of Palestinian rights,” the letter states to the Prime Minister.

Since October 2023, more than 20,000 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza. The group point to the use of 2,000lb bombs dropped from F-35 fighter jets – supplied with UK-made components – as part of a devastating campaign that includes siege tactics blocking access to food, water, electricity, and medicine for over two million civilians.

“You know what is happening,” they write to the Prime Minister, and state “your Government is failing to fulfil its obligation to prevent the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

The letter also highlights a stark double standard in UK policy: banning imports from Russian-occupied Crimea, while allowing trade with Israeli settlements in the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territory. The International Court of Justice has made clear that countries must not support illegal occupations – including through trade.

In addition to arms and trade, the group call on the UK government to fully support the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the region.

Their demands include:
- An immediate suspension of all UK arms exports to Israel
- A ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Compliance with international legal rulings, including those of the ICJ and ICC
The group implores the Prime Minister “to stand up for justice and human rights” and that “words are no longer enough; we need to see action”.

Artists gather outside Downing Street to deliver the letter and hold placards urging the PM to act to stop Israel’s genocide and human rights abuses in Gaza.

The artists held placards bearing messages from residents of Gaza that capture the urgency and human toll of the crisis:
- “I don’t want my child to die hungry” – Gaza Resident, Occupied Gaza
- “You may send your child to bring water only for him to return in a body bag” – Gaza Resident, Occupied Gaza
These statements are a stark reminder of the daily reality for civilians under Israel’s illegal blockade.

About the Signatories

This statement by Amnesty International has been endorsed by a coalition of UK-based professionals across the creative industries – filmmakers, actors, writers, artists and cultural leaders – who believe in the power of art, law, and collective voice in the face of injustice.

Ahmed Masoud; Aisling Bea; Aiysha Hart; Alan Moore; Alexander McKinnon; Alexei Sayle; Alice Roberts; Alisdair Beckett; King Amrita Acharia; Andrea Arnold Anjli; Mohindra Anneika; Rose Annie Mac; Sir Anish Kapoor CBE; Anoushka Shankar; Dr Ariel Caine; Bernadette O’Brien; Bertie Carvel; President of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation; Brian Eno; Briony Hannah; Brona C Titley; Charlotte Church; Chipo Chung; David Morrissey; Deborah Frances-White; Declan McKenna; Denise Gough; Emma D’Arcy; Esther Freud; Esther Manito; Fionn O’Loinsigh; Francesca Martinez; Frankie Boyle; Frederico Gaggio; Grace Petrie; Dame Harriet Walter; Himesh Patel; Ian Rickson; Imran Yusuf; Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness; Inua Ellams MBE; Ivor Graeme; Jackie Clune; James Acaster; Jan Pearson; Janie Dee; Jason Fleming; Jay Griffiths; Jen Brister; Jessica Fostekew; Jim Loach; John Higgs; Josie Long; Jolyon Rubinstein; Juliet Stevenson CBE; Kathy Lette; Kerry Godliman; Khalid Abdalla; Ken Loach; Lise Meyer; Lolly Adefope; Louisa Young; Love Ssegga; Mae Martin; Mahtab Hussain; Manjinder Virk; Mariam Haque; Marnie Dickens; Max Porter; Maxine Peake; Dr Michael Hrebeniak; Misan Harriman; Mystery Jets; Nadia Sawalha; Nicola Thorp; Nikesh Patel; Nikesh Shukla; Nikita Gill; Nimmi Harasgama; Nish Kumar; Paapa Essiedu; Paloma Faith; Paul Laverty; Penny Woolcock; Peter Wyer; Rebecca O’Brien; Rida Hamidou; Riz Ahmed; Robin Ince; Robin Morrissey; Roger Hartley; Roisin O’Loughlin; Ruth Lass; Salena Godden; Sam Spruell; Sara Masry; Sarah Agha; Sasha Behar; Selma Dabbagh; Shazia Mirza; Simon Rix; Sonali Bhattacharyya; Stewart Lee; Steve Coogan; Susan Lynch; Suzi Ruffell; Thomas Browne; Thomas Combes; Thusitha Jayasundera; Tobias Menzies; Dame Tracey Emin; Tracey Seaward; Vijay Mistry; Vivian Munn; Young Fathers (all members); Zainab Hassan
MIL OSI NGO –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Commend Romania on Deinstitutionalisation Process, Raise Questions on Corporal Punishment and Segregation in Education

Source: United Nations – Geneva

The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its review of the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Romania, with Committee Experts commending the State on the deinstitutionalisation process of alternative care centres, while raising questions on the prevalence of corporal punishment and measures taken to combat segregation in education.

A Committee Expert said she was happy to hear about the programme for the deinstitutionalisation of alternative care centres; this was something Romania should be proud of, as well as all the foster arrangements being made, especially for children with disabilities.

Juliana Scerri Ferrante, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said there seemed to be a lack of parental education programmes around corporal punishment. How could the views of the child be respected if violence was accepted as a disciplinary measure? Could the Romanian Government take clear steps to train staff and promote child education? Philip Jaffe, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Taskforce Member, also noted that corporal punishment appeared to remain quite widespread despite being banned in 2004. What efforts were being made to lower the prevalence and change attitudes among parents and adults?

Mr. Jaffe asked what was being done to combat school segregation based on disability, special education needs, and family economic status? What improvements were being made to increase the improvement of vocational training for older children who may be leaving the school system? Were there any programmes which specifically targeted economically disadvantaged children?

The delegation said Romanian legislation completely prohibited violence against children, regardless of the environment. However, despite the legislation, which was fully aligned with United Nations Conventions, the State needed to fight against mentalities and traditions and to practically change the minds of parents and caregivers, who believed corporal punishment would discipline children better. Awareness-raising campaigns were being conducted for parents, and mechanisms including hotlines had been developed to support children, including the helpline 119. Authorities were obligated to launch investigations immediately concerning any allegations of violence against children.

The delegation said the Ministry of Education had taken steps to assist children with special educational needs, with the creation of frameworks offering them different kinds of support, based on the type of disability. Adaptive measures had been taken for Roma children, including stimulating their participation in early education and in summer kindergartens, supporting education in their current language, and translating schoolbooks in their mother tongue, among others. An increasing number of contracts between schools and the business sector had been recorded, including around 6,000 contracts in the school year 2023/2024.

Introducing the report, Helena Omna-Raicu, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption of Romania and head of the delegation, said Romania’s path in recent years had been shaped by profound changes and emerging pressures, including the war in Ukraine and the arrival of thousands of children and families fleeing conflict. As a neighbouring country, Romania had mobilised rapidly to provide emergency care, protection, psychosocial support, and schooling to children regardless of their nationality.

Ms. Omna-Raicu said Romania had made significant progress in certain areas, including in the deinstitutionalisation process. Of the 167 residential placement centres operating in 2017, 149 had already been closed by the end of March 2025 and over 6,000 children were now benefiting from family-type alternative care. The remaining 18 placement centres would be closed soon.

In closing remarks, Rinchen Chophel, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, reiterated the Committee’s appreciation for the Government of Romania’s support to Ukrainian refugees, particularly children. Significant progress had been made from the last reporting period to the current one, with many looking forward beyond the dialogue.

In her closing remarks, Ms. Omna-Raicu, expressed deep gratitude for the dialogue. The Committee’s concerns regarding urban disparities were noted. Romania would treat the Committee’s recommendations as an opportunity for deeper transformation.

The delegation of Romania was comprised of representatives from the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption; the Ministry of Education and Research; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Security; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police; the General Inspectorate for Immigration; the National Administration of Penitentiaries; the Prosecutor’s Office; the National Health Insurance Authority; and the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here. The programme of work of the Committee’s ninety-ninth session and other documents related to the session can be found here.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 21 May to begin its consideration of the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Qatar (CRC/C/QAT/5-6).

Report

The Committee has before it the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Romania (CRC/C/ROU/6-7).

Presentation of Report

HELENA OMNA-RAICU, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption of Romania and head of the delegation, said Romania’s path in recent years had been shaped by profound changes and emerging pressures, including the war in Ukraine and the arrival of thousands of children and families fleeing conflict. As a neighbouring country, Romania had mobilised rapidly to provide emergency care, protection, psychosocial support, and schooling to children regardless of their nationality. The State was proud to have established the first Blue Dot in the region at the border crossing with Ukraine and launched the use of the Child Protection Information Management System Primero in only a couple of months after the onset of the refugee crisis, ensuring registration and case management for almost 40,000 refugee children.

Several new national strategies had been developed for 2021-2027 which aimed to address child poverty and wellbeing, including the national strategy for the protection and promotion of children’s rights “protected children, safe Romania” 2023-2027, and the national strategy on social inclusion and poverty reduction 2022-2027, among others. Romania had also adopted and begun the implementation of the child guarantee national action plan 2023-2030, which aimed to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 500,000 by 2030. Romania had seen a measurable decline in the proportion of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion from 41.5 per cent in 2022 to 33.8 per cent in 2024.

In April 2024, law 100/2024 was approved which included specific amendments to several laws relevant for social assistance. The new emergency ordinance no. 96/2024, approved in June 2024 regarding the provision of humanitarian support and assistance by the Romanian State to foreign citizens or stateless persons in special situations coming from the area of the armed conflict in Ukraine, established the legal framework providing refugees with access to a wide range of key national statutory services. Another significant legislative change was enacted by amending law 272/2004 in December 2024, which now mandated the participation of children in public decision-making processes.

There had also been several significant programmes launched, including modernising the unique national number 119 for reporting cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation and any other form of violence against children; the development of community services for children and families to prevent separation and support the family reintegration of children from the special protection system; and the development of 200 integrated community centres and 150 daycare centres for children, among others. Despite these advances, challenges remained, including disparities between rural and urban areas.

However, Romania had made significant progress in certain areas, including in the deinstitutionalisation process. Of the 167 residential placement centres operating in 2017, 149 had already been closed by the end of March 2025 and over 6,000 children were now benefiting from family-type alternative care. The remaining 18 placement centres would be closed soon. The use of European Union structural funds had also supported the training of over 11,000 foster carers. A new programme had also been introduced, aimed to scale-up integrated community-services in 2,000 marginalised rural communities, combining social assistance, health, education, and other types of social support. Over 800 million euros of European Social Funds were planned for enhancing access to social services for the most vulnerable, including children and their families.

The State had also expanded support for children at risk of early school leaving by using the early warning mechanism in education, of which around 50,000 participants from 6,950 institutions had completed the training programme. Targeted policies had been developed that supported the reintegration of children who dropped out during the pandemic, and more resources were reaching schools in deprived communities. In health, the role of community nurses and Roma health mediators had grown, and work continued to improve access to services for vulnerable groups.

Pilot projects on mental health for children had laid the groundwork for more systemic change, with mental health services for children and adolescents being expanded. However, challenges remained in ensuring equitable access to quality services in rural and marginalised areas, addressing shortages of specialised personnel, and improving early identification and intervention for children with developmental delays or disabilities.

Romania was committed to reducing the number of children affected by poverty and social exclusion by at least 500,000. The State would also pursue the complete closure of old-type residential centres, with every child in alternative care placed in family-based or community settings. Romania was committed to translating the pledges made during the first-ever global ministerial conference on ending violence against children held at the end of 2024 in Bogota, Columbia, into realities for children.

In education, the State aimed to increase the early childhood education enrolment rate by at least 22 per cent for children aged zero to three and at least 95 per cent for children aged four to six. There would be a focus on improving mental health services for children and linking schools, families, and health providers more effectively, aiming to reduce preventable mortality by 20 per cent compared to 2021 levels for children of all ages. Finally, Romania would ensure that children had a role in shaping systems through participatory budgeting, monitoring, and children and youth-led policy platforms. Romania remained committed to fully implementing the Convention and to contributing to the global effort to advance child rights everywhere.

Questions by Committee Experts

RINCHEN CHOPHEL, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said Romania had achieved a lot since the last report, which the Committee was happy about. Romania’s assistance to the Ukrainian refugees and children should be noted. There had been significant legislative achievements, particularly the amendments to law 272. What measures were in place to ensure effective implementation of the law? The national strategy on social inclusion and poverty reduction 2022-2027, and the child guarantee national action plan 2023-2030 were very welcome developments. How had these impacted on measures to promote and protect children? Had an assessment been undertaken to evaluate the impact of the national strategy.

While welcoming increased allocations to certain sectors, the Coordinator asked what measures were in place to develop a child-friendly budgeting process? What was the current status of the complaints mechanism in the country for reporting all forms of abuse and violence for children? What had been done to inform children of their right to file a complaint? Had professionals working with children been trained on receiving complaints concerning children and the Convention?

The establishment of the child Ombudsman in 2018 was a crucial step in the right direction, and the Government should be congratulated for that. What was the current status of the institution? How did it connect with children? The Committee noted the State party’s awareness raising activities on the Convention with appreciation, including the translation of the Committee’s general comments into Romanian. How did these efforts extend to rural children?

JULIANA SCERRI FERRANTE, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, asked if the national strategy for school de-segregation been adopted? If not, then when would this occur? What measures had been taken to address hate speech? Did the permanent committee set up in every education unit offer a complaints mechanism to children? If not, how could children complain in schools?

What had been done to decrease discrimination against the Roma population? What efforts had been made to promote the inclusion of Roma in mainstream schooling? How was discrimination against children with disabilities tackled in education? There was concern that Romanian law did not define valid reasons on which minor marriages could be authorised and this was left to the discretion of the authorities. What training was provided to apply the best interests of the child? What approaches had been taken to reduce the preventable mortality of children under five years old? What was the position of the Romanian Government on the proposed amendment to law 272 regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children?

There seemed to be a lack of parental education programmes around corporal punishment. How could the views of the child be respected if violence was accepted as a disciplinary measure? Could the Romanian Government take clear steps to train staff and promote child education? How were child labour laws enforced? How would the Romanian Government establish a child participation mechanism? Were refugee and asylum-seeking children involved in decisions which affected them? Were children provided information on their rights?

What measures were being taken to strengthen the capacity of the social welfare services? How were children with disabilities prioritised in reform measures? What was being done to combat the illicit transfer of children abroad? Had bilateral agreements been conducted in this regard? Was the Romanian Government carrying out measures to understand the impact of prison on children? How were they supported when their parents were incarcerated? What support was available for young people leaving institutional care?

SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair and Country Taskforce Member, said the adoption of law 105/22 providing for automatic birth registration should be considered as positive. Could more information be provided about how the law worked in practice? Were there any plans to introduce a statelessness determination procedure? Was data on statelessness which concerned children disaggregated? What measures were in place to protect children from excessive screen use? How did Romania deal with artificial intelligence as a European Union member? Romania had one of the lowest levels of digital skills in the European Union; what measures were being undertaken to promote digital literacy among children, as well as parents?

PHILIP JAFFE, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Taskforce Member, said it was wonderful that strong pledges had been made at the global ministerial conference on ending violence against children in Bogota. How was Romania implementing its mission as a pathfinding global alliance country? It seemed Romanian children were in need of protection against high levels of physical and sexual violence. One of the pledges made in Bogota was to conduct a prevalence study on sexual abuse; had the State moved forward with this study? Were there dedicated teams drawing up the comprehensive framework and strategy which had been promised? One pledge had been to enhance children’s participation regarding issues of violence. What efforts had the Government made to ensure that there was a clear public understanding that all forms of violence against children needed to be reported?

Corporal punishment appeared to remain quite widespread despite being banned in 2004. What efforts were made to lower the prevalence and change attitudes among parents and adults? It was encouraging that Romania had been one of 40 countries to recently join a statement of the Human Rights Council, expressing children’s right to protection from corporal punishment. How was bullying and cyber bullying being addressed at all levels of legislative policy? Could more information about the child helplines be provided?

Was it true that around seven to eight per cent of girls in Romania were married before the age of 18, with that percentage rising to around 20 per cent in the Roma community? What was being done in response to this? Was it true that charges had been dropped against a 17-year-old boy who entered into a non-formal marriage with an 11-year-old girl? What policy was in practice in the health sector regarding surgical interventions and intersex children? What were the guidelines to protect their bodily integrity until these children were capable of providing consent?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said the law on child protection now included clear provisions which made it compulsory for public administrative bodies to involve children in consultations regarding issues which concerned them. The national strategy on children’s rights was recently adopted and another national action plan was elaborated; these plans were complimentary. This was a comprehensive package which would help the Government to better implement all necessary measures. An assessment of the national strategy had been undertaken. The State was now piloting a system which would indicate how to establish a model of financing where children would be considered as a different group that would benefit from a different budget.

The national programme for schooling in Romania ensured children received food support at schools to increase the enrolment rate and participation. School supplies were also provided for all school grades. Two hundred euros were provided for the purchase of technology, and remedial lessons were provided to students coming from disadvantaged communities. Recently, the scholarship system had been extended to encompass more disadvantaged groups.

Funds allocated to primary medical care had registered a continuous annual increase. Just last year, the fund allocated to primary care increased by 24 per cent. The national observatory was a big achievement for Romania and aimed to identify the children most at risk of being separated from their families, based on indicators. Training was being conducted on the use of the observatory to ensure the data provided was reliable.

The hearing of minors in justice proceedings took place in special rooms, and a psychologist was always required to be present. The new national strategy for the development of the judicial system provided for another 10 hearing rooms across the country. There were specially designated prosecutors to handle cases involving minors. The child Ombudsman was fully operational and cooperated with all institutions. It had a functioning complaints mechanism. If an incident was notified to the Ombudsman, an investigation started, which concluded with a set of recommendations sent to the institution responsible to correct the situation.

Civil society representatives were part of the consultative groups established at the national level. A methodology had been issued and piloted regarding identifying and banning segregation within the educational sector. The measures focused on ensuring an inclusive education. Any kind of discrimination on criteria such as ethnicity, religion or sex was completely forbidden within the educational system. Specific places in high schools were allocated for Roma students and students with disabilities. To ensure access to high quality education, educational services had been developed starting from early education to prevent early dropout and absenteeism.

A set of programmes had been introduced, including a monthly allowance for children up to the age of 18, as well as parental leave. There was also a minimum income support which supported families with children. Emergency ordinance no.96 was developed specifically for children from Ukraine and their families.

There was a dedicated intergovernmental group which addressed the subject of forced marriage, with the aim of drafting legislative projects in this regard. Concerning infant mortality and the number of deaths under one year of age, a regionalised system of care had been introduced to ensure each neonate was born in a medical unit which could provide the services necessary for their care, thereby reducing infant mortality. An important national programme was in place which contained around 15 interventions, established in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund. Another programme provided 900 neonatal incubators around the country.

A significant number of services had been established to help families in vulnerable situations. A special programme was launched last year on the minimum inclusion income, which focused on how to assist parents within the labour market. The State was aware of a lack of social assistance in rural areas, which was where the most vulnerable communities lived. Interventions were directed, including food packages, and local administrative capacities would be developed.

A programme had been developed which aimed to establish hearing rooms for children in courts, and 29 hearing rooms were completed in April 2024. The rooms were used by the Prosecutors and police officers when they had victims who were minors. The rooms were child-friendly and specially designed with toys. The child did not see the other people participating in the hearing. A new strategy adopted in 2025 provided for the need for an additional 10 hearing rooms in the near future.

All social services were functioning based on a set of minimum quality standards, which were verified by the national agency for social inspection. With the United Nations Children’s Fund, Romania was piloting a project which would identify and train foster families to care specifically for children with disabilities. A child entering the special protection system was prioritised to be reintegrated in a family environment. Adoption was considered the best solution in this regard, and this could only be decided by a court. Priority was offered to domestic adoption, but international adoption could be considered after one year.

Amendments had been made to allow special spaces for visits in prison with children. Such spaces were now available in all prison facilities within the Romanian penitentiary system. There were cooperation protocols in place with the United Nations Children’s Fund and Save the Children which supported parents to develop their parental skills and improve their relationship with their children. The State was aware of the need to develop programmes which addressed the needs of children and adults and improved the relationship within the family.

The Ministry of Education aimed to develop digital competencies among students and parents. During the pandemic, all students were provided with laptops and digital devices to keep up with the educational process. In a new initiative launched in partnership with Microsoft, the Ministry of Education had announced the development of a project concerning artificial intelligence for increasing the school performance of students. A project was also being implemented aimed at improving the digital skills of civil servants.

Romania had a dedicated national child help line. It was toll-free and operational 24/7. Those operating the calls were specialised counsellors who could refer the cases to the relevant authorities. Another helpline just referred cases to social services. The 119 helpline was a recent development, operational from any place in Romania and accessible to children and adults. After the first year, it had been well received and was being regularly used to inform on any situation concerning a child.

Rape of a minor and sexual assault against a minor had been introduced as acts within the Criminal Code. Rape committed by an adult against a minor under the age of 18 was punished by a prison sentence of between seven to 12 years.

Questions by Committee Experts

PHILIP JAFFE, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Taskforce Member, said one in 20 people in Romania held a disability certificate, with around 80,000 being children. What were the difficulties faced by certain groups of children to receive this certificate, including rural children? Were there any awareness-raising campaigns for rural minorities and poor families regarding their entitlement to services? Could more information be provided about Romania’s strategy for persons with disabilities? How were the number and expertise of professionals being scaled up? To what degree had the State embraced a human-rights approach to disability, as opposed to a medical model of disability? How many children were still left in institutions? When would such institutions all be closed?

There were two recent laws on pre-university education and higher education; could more information be provided about the implementation of these laws? What was the level of gross domestic product dedicated to education in Romania? Was there a direct pipeline to hear about the concerns of children within the education system and were these concerns taken seriously? What was being done to combat school segregation based on disability, special education needs, and family economic status? Figures suggested that 40 per cent of children with disabilities had limited access to education. What steps were being made to improve education for children under the age of three? What improvements were being made to increase the improvement of vocational training for older children who may be leaving the school system? Were there any programmes which specifically targeted economically disadvantaged children? What was the mission of the Ministry of Youth?

SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair and Country Taskforce Member, asked if sufficient resources were dedicated to the capacity building of medical personnel? Did all children have access to health care, including health insurance? How were vaccinations promoted in the country? How was breast feeding promoted? Child obesity was an issue of concern; how was this combatted? Was there a hot meals programme?

Mental health was a very important issue. Was data on mental health being disaggregated, including on suicide? Was there a comprehensive strategy and action plan regarding the issue of mental health? Were quality mental health services available in rural and remote areas? According to alarming information, the country had the highest number of adolescent mothers across the European Union. What steps would the State undertake to prevent adolescent pregnancies and subsequent abortions? Would Romania make reproductive education part of the curriculum?

What measures were in place to address drugs or substance abuse? Were there treatments available for children? Romania had made substantial efforts for Ukrainian children and other groups of refugees. How would the State integrate these children long-term? Were there delays in the enrolment of refugee children and their families into the social services system? Would amendments be considered in the asylum law to end the detention of families at the legislative level? Did unaccompanied migrant children have access to services, including psychosocial support and disability services? Were there any barriers which could hinder access to education?

What measures were being undertaken to end child labour, including begging? What was being done to assist children in street situations? How were perpetrators investigated and brought to justice? Were there quality services for child victims of trafficking in place? Was the system of child justice established across the country? Were adequate financial resources allocated to it? Was free legal aid available to children in conflict with the law? Was the detention of children used only as a last resort? If yes, did it comply with international standards?

RINCHEN CHOPHEL, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said one in five children were affected by severe material and social deprivation, which was concerning. What was the reality on the ground? The minimum social assistance package had been introduced; could more information be provided on it? Romania was increasingly vulnerable to droughts, heatwaves, floods and landslides, and it was also grappling with water pollution. How had the national strategies pertaining to climate change helped to address the challenges of the environment and climate change in the country? What measures were being adopted to take into account children’s needs and views in the development of specific policies, including disaster-preparedness plans? Were child rights impact assessments carried out when dealing with the business sector?

A Committee Expert asked what the national coverage of vaccinations was in the country? Romania had an epidemic of measles; how did the population react to vaccinations? How was confidence being built in vaccines? Were people familiar with the law on rape? What happened once the 30-day limit for registering births had elapsed?

Responses by the Delegation

Romanian legislation completely prohibited violence against children, regardless of the environment. However, despite the legislation, which was fully aligned with United Nations Conventions, the State needed to fight against mentalities and traditions and to practically change the minds of parents and caregivers, who believed corporal punishment would discipline children better. Awareness-raising campaigns were being conducted for parents, and mechanisms including hotlines had been developed to support children, including the helpline 119.

Authorities were obligated to launch investigations immediately concerning any allegations of violence against children. Romania was committed to continuing these efforts and to changing social norms and mentalities. The numbers of cases of violence against children was increasing, which meant people were becoming more aware of the issue and reporting it.

Since 2016, the methodology applied in Romania clearly distinguished between the concept of disability and special education needs. In Romania, the deinstitutionalisation process was one of the most important commitments of the Government, and the process was now concluding. Currently, out of the 167 residential centres operating in 2017, 149 had already been closed, and more than 6,000 children were benefiting from alternative care. The legal framework stated that no placement centre could operate without the approved closure plan. The deinstitutionalisation process also involved finding better alternative and family-based care for children. Only 18 placement centres remained in the process of being closed, and by 2026 no such centre would be operating in Romania. The State was still aiming to find family-style solutions for children with disabilities, and a project was being developed with the United Nations Children’s Fund to this end.

If a birth was declared after the 30-day deadline but less than one year after the birth, the birth certificate could be issued based on approval from the mayor. If the birth declaration was made more than one year after the birth, the certificate needed to be approved by the mayor and other administrative bodies.

More than 2.8 million students were enrolled in the 2023/2024 school year in Romania. For high school, there had been a significant decrease in dropouts from 2.5 per cent in 2017 to 0.8 per cent in 2024. Around 4.5 per cent of the budget was allocated to education. The Ministry of Education had taken steps to assist children with special educational needs, with the creation of frameworks offering them different kinds of support, based on the type of disability. For students with temporary special needs, the law of education presented special measures, including the implementation of schooling hospitals, or schooling at home for those who were required to be in hospital or at home for medical reasons.

Adaptive measures had been taken for Roma children, including stimulating their participation in early education and in summer kindergartens, supporting education in their current language, and translating schoolbooks in their mother tongue, among others. More than 66,000 teachers had been trained in digital and multimedia use. An increasing number of contracts between schools and the business sector had been recorded, around 6,000 contracts in the school year 2023/2024. Most teachers had been trained to create open educational resources. Significant funds had been allocated to modernising rest room facilities in schools.

Any student could submit complaints of discrimination via an established framework. Students benefitted from representation in the school system through several platforms. The national strategy for sustainable development issued the methodology of the “green week programme”, which contributed to preschoolers and students’ competence in understanding basic concepts of climate change, to initiate individual and protective action to protect the environment. Teachers were obliged to obtain 90 transferrable professional credits every five years, through attending courses offered by Romanian training houses.

In recent years, infant mortality had remained relatively stable in Romania. From 2023 to 2024, the number of doctors treating children increased by five per cent. Regarding children’s access to medical services, all children were insured in Romania and benefitted from basic medical services across all sectors of health care. The national health insurance fund also reimbursed certain services. The Ministry of Health had launched a vaccination campaign in partnership with the Red Cross, to raise awareness of parents; this had been accompanied by a “catch-up” vaccination schedule, resulting in 1,500 children being vaccinated. A protocol had been signed with the Orthodox Church to establish an active partnership to create a framework for anyone facing a possible cancer diagnosis, offering support.

World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in August each year, as breastfeeding remained one of the most effective ways to provide children with the best start in life. Breast feeding recommendations had been developed with partners, including the World Health Organization, and were relayed to medical practitioners at the local level. Around 200 integrated community centres would be restructured, elevated and equipped. A television broadcast had been created to promote the importance of breastfeeding in the first six months of a child’s life.

Information and education campaigns had been carried out for children, parents and teachers about the benefits of a healthy diet and the consequences of unhealthy eating. Around 1,000 people had benefited from the campaign. Substance abuse could be detected by family doctors and psychological services could be recommended. The national health insurance house implemented the national mental health programme, providing treatment for persons with substance abuses, and ensuring specific treatment for patients with depressive disorders.

Questions by Committee Experts

RINCHEN CHOPHEL, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, said the Government had approved a social assistance programme in 2011 which targeted all communes, but was underfinanced; could more information be provided? The Environment Week presented was an excellent initiative; how was it being utilised?

JULIANA SCERRI FERRANTE, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, asked if there were any supervision orders, where children remained with their family but were supervised? Were there age assessment procedures during the asylum procedure? What rights did children applying for asylum have? Could they appeal any decisions?

PHILIP JAFFE, Committee Vice-Chair and Country Taskforce Member, said according to research by the United Nations Children’s Fund, Romanian girls felt much lonelier than Romanian boys. Was there a reason for this gap?

SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair and Country Taskforce Member, asked for clarification on case management coordination?

A Committee Expert noted the prevalence of women among the large delegation and asked if women generally had an important and high-profile position in Romania, or if this only occurred when discussing children? Had there been any programmes to prevent violence? Had the concept of gender been fully institutionalised? Were teachers trained in detecting signs of violence? What was the prevalence of child marriage in the country? What about figures for marriages which were not officially recorded? Had there been any programmes to prevent the phenomenon or sanctions?

Was there any mapping of the at-risk populations in the country of female genital mutilation? Was female genital mutilation prohibited in law? What was the most updated action on sexual exploitation? Was there any cross-border cooperation between Romania and neighbouring countries? Did Ukrainian children born in Romania have access to Romanian citizenship? Did rape victims have access to emergency contraception?

Another Expert asked about vaccinations from children aged zero to 12; was there distrust in the population when it came to vaccines? It seemed that tuberculosis was a public health issue. What was being done in the field of treatment? Were there children whose births had not been declared, particularly among refugees, Roma and migrants?

A Committee Expert asked about the new concept introduced by the Parliament on parental alienation. How had this concept been consulted on, particularly with children? How would the best interests of the child be ensured? What specific measures were being taken to reduce school dropout and improve access to quality education for Roma children? What mechanisms were in place to monitor and support Roma children who were at risk of dropping out?

Another Committee Expert said she was happy to hear about the programme for the deinstitutionalisation of alternative care centres; this was something Romania should be proud of, as well as all the foster arrangements being made, especially for children with disabilities. What was the State doing to support the families of children with disabilities, particularly those with severe disabilities?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said emergency contraception was available to those who had experienced sexual assault and could be obtained without a prescription. Adolescent pregnancies were a major concern for the Romanian public health system. Contraceptives and medical devices were provided free of charge through family centres and through gynaecological departments, where abortions were performed upon request. Romania was one of the first European countries to offer non-discriminatory HIV/AIDS treatment.

Refugees were granted a monthly allowance, one-month’s accommodation, and access to education for minors. Legislation in the field of asylum provided for beneficiaries to apply for family reunification when family members were not in Romania. Identity documents needed to be provided to prove family links. Family reunification of unaccompanied minors was carried out with the best interest of the child in mind. Minors from immigrant backgrounds benefitted from the same rights as minors who were Romanian citizens. Romanian language courses provided teaching support, textbooks and workbooks developed on linguistic levels according to the European Union framework. Priority for asylum applications was given to unaccompanied minors.

Medical forensic expertise was used when an asylum applicant could not prove their age and there were serious doubts about their ethnicity. The declared age of the asylum applicant was accepted if their refusal to undergo the medical expertise was based on compelling reasons. The assessment was performed with full respect for the minor’s dignity and in as least invasive way as possible.

Investigations in child and human trafficking were undertaken by specialists with supervision from specialised prosecutors. Through law 229/2024, the Romanian Parliament aimed to discourage sex tourism and the pimping of minors. More than 1,200 criminal cases had been identified regarding child trafficking. The General Inspectorate of Romanian Police organised regular sessions for border police and

non-governmental organizations, with the purpose of identifying victims. More than 125 trainings had been carried out to over 4,000 workers who may encounter trafficking victims through their work. The National Agency against Trafficking in Persons and the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime had implemented a national action plan in the fight against human trafficking to improve the awareness of at-risk groups.

In 2024, prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime took part in 35 seminars regarding identifying child victims, compensation for victims, international cooperation, and online sexual exploitation of children, among other topics. A public awareness campaign had been launched relating to sexual acts between adults and minors. The message stated that a sexual act committed against a minor of 16 years or under constituted rape, if the age gap was more than five years, and punishments applied.

According to Romanian legislation, minors benefited from free legal aid, whether they committed a crime, or if they were victims of a crime. The Romanian penal system limited sanctions in regard to minors, and measures for deprivation of liberty were only given as a last resort and could only be ordered by a court.

The integrated social services project aimed to develop the academic knowledge of professionals working in the social assistance field, and to develop concrete measures for vulnerable groups of people.

During “green week”, schools organised activities around several topics relating to the environment. These were uploaded on a specialised platform dedicated to education on climate change and varied from one educational cycle to another. The Ministry of Education had developed a programme, the mechanism of early-living alert, which focused on early education for Roma children.

In Romania, social services were obligated to identify children in a risk situation. Children could remain within families and be monitored by social services until the risks were removed. The parental alienation provision was introduced in all cases relating to violence and neglect. It was recommended that this provision be removed, as these measures should only be applied by the courts. There were many trainings offered to judges on methods relating to children’s rights. Social workers were also trained to provide necessary assistance to visiting parents. Social services could only assist; they could not intervene and solve disputes between parents.

Closing Remarks

RINCHEN CHOPHEL, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Coordinator, reiterated the Committee’s appreciation for the Government of Romania’s support to Ukrainian refugees, particularly children. The State was encouraged to continue to undertake these activities which were important for solidarity for children. Significant progress had been made from the last reporting period to the current one, with many looking forward beyond the dialogue. This was an indication of the Government’s commitment towards children. As the country moved forward, it was important to put emphasis on implementation and ensure vulnerable children did not miss out.

HELENA OMNA-RAICU, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Child Rights and Adoption of Romania and head of the delegation, expressed deep gratitude for the dialogue. The delegation welcomed the Committee’s emphasis on equality, accountability and sustainability, and would underpin the next stage of the State’s deinstitutionalisation journey. The Committee’s concerns regarding urban disparities were noted. It was recognised that rights delayed were rights denied, and the State was committed to accelerating affirmative action. Romania would treat the Committee’s recommendations as an opportunity for deeper transformation.

SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for the fruitful dialogue and commended its members for their clear and comprehensive answers. Ms. Kiladze extended her best regards to the children of Romania.

___________

Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media;
not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

CRC25.013E

MIL OSI United Nations News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How outdoor sports can support youth as they navigate climate change

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Brett Tomlinson, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Educaiton, Nipissing University

As climate change continues to impact the way we interact with our planet, it’s critical to consider ways we can encourage youth to participate in climate action initiatives.

Young people across Canada are feeling frightened about the future of the planet. A Canadian study published in 2023 surveyed 1,000 young participants on their feelings about climate change. Sixty-six per cent of respondents said they felt anxiousness or hopelessness about climate change, while 78 per cent said it impacts their overall mental health.

There are a number of ways to approach this overwhelming emotion, considering it could result not only in poor quality of life for youth but also continued inaction for the planet.

My research in outdoor physical education leads me to consider more positive behaviour for youth in association to climate change that could likely benefit youth and the planet. The challenge is finding opportunities to develop pro-environmental behaviours and environmental stewardship with Canadian youth.

Read more:
6 ways to build resilience and hope into young people’s learning about climate change

It’s about more than time outdoors

When looking to develop pro-environmental behaviours, one way could be to simply encourage more time outdoors. But research from Germany suggests that just interacting with nature is not enough; rather, young people need to find ways to engage with nature and use the natural landscape to develop an emotional connection with the environment.

According to the German study, certain sports can lead to more environmentally sustainable attitudes and behaviours from participants. Some sports in particular — like cross-country skiing, mountain biking or triathlon — increase those positive behaviours more than others. This isn’t simply because participants are alone within a natural setting; it’s because the focus of the sport is on the natural landscape.

To explain a bit further, soccer, for example, is typically played outside but often on a manicured, sometimes artificial, field that is in many ways devoid of any natural influence.

Alternatively, mountain biking requires participants to ride on trails that take them directly through forested areas or spaces that are selected based on their unique natural landscape. As athletes participate in sports more frequently and spend more time within nature, they then develop a stronger emotional connection to the space they’re in. This leads to pro-environmental behaviours and attitudes, which can then generate environmental stewardship.

Read more:
Earth Day 2024: ‘Green muscle memory’ and climate education promote behaviour change

Rock climbing

Within rock climbing groups and organizations, there is evidence suggesting members frequently participate in beneficial environmental stewardship projects. Outdoor rock-climbing groups typically manage spaces — sometimes privately owned, but frequently under government jurisdiction in provincial or national parks — to ensure safe and responsible climbing practices. Climbers rely on ropes, equipment and bolts to ensure safety as they’re climbing.

But another obvious factor is the rock face they climb. The connection to rock and the climbing routes over those rock faces help foster a sense of environmental stewardship within climbers. Similar to mountain biking, the process starts with an introduction to the sport, but slowly develops into more care and attention paid to the natural spaces where climbers practise their activity.

One American study indicates that rock climbing organizations often find opportunities to clean up the areas where they climb, and also look to maintain the natural features of that space.

The research finds that for climbers, the challenge is to maintain natural spaces and keep the rock as pristine as possible. This also extends to conservation efforts to ensure that space maintains its use for climbing as opposed to turning it into a more urban or commercialized area.

The joy that participants received from the sport of climbing initiated this environmental stewardship and maintained progressive action in local environmental initiatives.

Element of physical risk

One thing to note is that climbing and mountain biking do involve an element of physical risk.

Doing some research on these sports can help youth assess risks alongside what can be gained from participating. But it’s also important to acknowledge that encouraging young people to foster deeper connections to nature as opposed to having simple interactions with outdoor spaces doesn’t mean they have to cycle down a mountain or climb a massive rock wall.

Risk cannot be completely eliminated from outdoor sports and recreation, but there can be great social and personal benefit from participating in these types of activities.

Instead of a high-risk sport, educators and outdoor leaders can influence participants with simpler actions. I am aware of outings involving outdoor hikes, or taking time at night to gaze at the stars and listen to the sounds of nature, that have sparked in young people an interest in outdoor spaces — and caring for them.

Such experiences can then lead young people to continue to explore outdoor adventure and sport, that can , significantly, foster an appreciation of natural settings through direct interaction as well as a positive sense of community. This can be a starting point to help alleviate feelings of hopelessness to climate change.

Read more:
Teachers need bolder action from our school boards to educate in and for a climate emergency

Addressing potential harms, amplifying benefits

Despite the benefits of participating in outdoor sports, there is a need to acknowledge that participation can have some negative impact on the environment.

For example, interaction with nature through sport can impact natural habitats and has the potential to alter behavioural patterns of animals. Furthermore, there is a risk of erosion of natural spaces, as well as the slim potential for the movement of invasive species.

This being said, it’s critical to consider what we can gain from supporting youth to participate in outdoor sport and education when such activities are planned with attentiveness and care.

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

– ref. How outdoor sports can support youth as they navigate climate change – https://theconversation.com/how-outdoor-sports-can-support-youth-as-they-navigate-climate-change-256643

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The distant dream of owning a home: Canada sees growing inequality in home ownership

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Yushu Zhu, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Public Policy, Simon Fraser University

Home ownership is often seen as a symbol of success and is linked to various life opportunities, like starting a family or growing your wealth. It’s also often seen as the ultimate housing goal, while renting is seen as transitional. Eventually, everyone is expected to climb up the housing ladder from renting to owning.

Promoting home ownership is therefore at the centre of housing policy in many countries, including Canada. As of 2021, 67 per cent of Canadian households owned their home.

However, deteriorating affordability in recent years has placed home ownership out of reach for many and called into question the ideal of home ownership.

In a recent study, colleagues and I examined access to home ownership for different groups using census data from 1986 to 2021 in five metropolitan areas: Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

Our findings suggest that, for many, owning a home has become a distant dream.

Stagnant homeownership growth

Based on statistical models that accounted for individual and household characteristics, we found that the probability of an average Canadian household owning a home (with or without a mortgage) improved steadily from 1991 to 2011, then dropped in 2016 and 2021, while the likelihood of owning with a mortgage substantially increased. This means growth in home ownership was primarily driven by mortgage debt.

This trend was happening at the same time as a shift started in the 1990s towards financialization that treated housing more as an investment than a social good.

Read more:
Financial firms are driving up rent in Toronto — and targeting the most vulnerable tenants

The federal government stopped funding social housing programs, commercialized the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and expanded its mortgage securitization programs.

In other words, mortgage liberation successfully promoted home ownership for some time until 2011.

All five metropolitan areas saw a decline in the number of renter households until 2011 (2016 for Montréal), when the number began increasing. In addition, outright ownership has become less prevalent over time.

These findings defy the expected sustained growth of home ownership that commodification and financialization were supposed to bring.

The percentage of homes owned outright, with a mortgage or being rented in different Canadian cities.
(Author provided)

Filtering mechanism and access to credit

Another tenet of the home ownership narrative is that a free market provides equal opportunities for owning a home through two processes: the filtering process and mortgage liberalization.

The filtering model suggests that homes built for higher-income families slowly deteriorate and depreciate, and can become affordable for lower-income people. This process, coupled with the increased access to mortgages, is expected to eventually grant home ownership opportunities to all.

However, this mechanism is less likely to work for home ownership than for rentals. Owner-occupied homes often take a long time, sometimes decades, to depreciate. By the time they become available and affordable, the unit may require major and costly renovations.

In practice, many owner-occupied units often “filter up” rather than downward, through gentrification or acquisition by financial investors.

The increased access to mortgages does not benefit everyone either. Many low-income people or those without stable jobs do not qualify for mortgages, and racialized people are more likely to be denied access to credit due to discrimination.

Growing inequalities

Substantiating these counter-arguments are growing inter-generational and income inequalities in home ownership. All age cohorts saw improved access to home ownership up until 2021. However, the three age groups under 45 — 15-24, 25-34 and 35-44 — saw steady declines in home ownership rates.

These were mostly millennials and Gen Zers who face disproportionate affordability pressure compared to older generations.

Homeowners over 55 are also reckoning with affordability. We found the share of older homeowners holding a mortgage rose between 1986 and 2021 from 24 to 40 per cent for those 55 to 64, and from 10 to 26 per cent for the 65-74 age group.

In other words, more people are having to rely on larger loans and longer amortization periods to buy and maintain their homes, making it harder to pay back their mortgage before retirement.

The disparities in home ownership opportunities among different incomes have also increased. While the top 20th percentile income group witnessed increased probability of owning a home between 2011 and 2016, other income groups experienced stagnant or decreased chances.

Among owner households, Canadians across all incomes saw increased mortgaged ownership from 1996 to 2016. The lowest income group saw the fastest growth in mortgaged home ownership but were still the least likely to own with a mortgage due to low income or discrimination. Rising house prices coupled with loosening mortgage lending regulations may have pushed them into mortgaged ownership.

Higher social status?

A final compelling narrative is that home ownership affords better well-being and financial security due to higher perceived social status and a stronger sense of autonomy and stability.

The financial security associated with home ownership is supported by the idea of “housing asset-based welfare.” This model conceptualizes home ownership as a means for young people to build assets for financial security in times of need and old age.

However, this approach encourages early-life debt, and may only work if mortgage loans remain affordable until they are paid off. Paradoxically, this asset-building mindset drives speculative investment and house prices, making outright home ownership more difficult and mortgaged ownership less affordable.

The well-being associated with home ownership is debatable as well. My colleagues and I have shown elsewhere that perceived benefits to a person’s well-being are not intrinsic to home ownership. Rather, they are created and normalized by a system that makes home ownership more secure and appealing than alternatives like renting.

In reality, the financial security associated with home ownership has been undermined by rising housing costs, especially for low- and moderate-income homeowners with mortgages.

Mortgaged homeowners with below-median incomes have seen their housing costs increase 25 per cent faster than their income over the study period, compared to five per cent for higher income families at the top 60th percentile.

Broken promises

Manual Aalbers, a human geography professor at Belgium’s University of Leuven, has argued that home ownership today has slowly changed “from a policy goal into pure rhetoric … a means to an end. Mortgaged home ownership increasingly is there to keep mortgage and financial markets going.”

To say the least, the broken promises of home ownership point to the failures of our current housing system that creates a hierarchy of tenures and two tiers of social class — homeowners and renters.

Policies aimed at creating a fairer housing market are essential. These include improving home ownership affordability by providing more diverse types of housing for ownership and discouraging speculative investment.

Such policies should also include enhancing housing security and asset-building opportunities for renters, and supporting the role of non-profits and social enterprises in meeting the needs of a broad range of income groups.

This research project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) through its Insight Development Grant and Partnership Grant. The project was part of the Community Housing Canada project, co-funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and SSHRC.

– ref. The distant dream of owning a home: Canada sees growing inequality in home ownership – https://theconversation.com/the-distant-dream-of-owning-a-home-canada-sees-growing-inequality-in-home-ownership-254873

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Operation of Pre-Removal Detention Centres in Albania and the impact on the EU – E-000070/2025(ASW)

Source: European Parliament

In general, it is possible for the EU and the Member States to cooperate with countries outside the EU in managing migration. This must be done in full respect of EU and international law.

Based on the information available to the Commission, Italy’s initiative originally aimed at transferring certain categories of third-country nationals intercepted in the high seas to centres in Albania, under Italian jurisdiction, to examine their applications for international protection. In case of rejection of such applications, Italy would carry out return procedures from these centres.

When Member States extend the application of national law implementing EU law to situations falling outside the scope of EU law, they must do it in a way that does not undermine or circumvent the application of harmonised rules or obligations under EU law.

As per the latest available information, Italy is now using the centre for the purpose of detention of returnees, in the same way as it uses pre-removal centres in Italy, and therefore it is conducting procedures with the same requirements, time limits and guarantees as those performed in Italian territory.

The Commission is following the implementation of the protocol and is in contact with the Italian authorities.

Last updated: 21 May 2025

MIL OSI Europe News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Announcement of a ‘round table’ on the elections in Poland organised by the Commission – E-001044/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The conduct and the organisation of elections are the competence and responsibility of the Member States, in accordance with their national constitutional and legislative rules, while respecting their international obligations and EU law.

The Digital Services Act (DSA[1]) requires providers of very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) to assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to electoral processes and civic discourse while protecting fundamental rights, including the freedom of expression[2]. The Commission issued guidelines for VLOPs and VLOSEs on the mitigation of systemic risks for electoral processes, which recommend different options for mitigation measures[3].

The Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs) coordinate work at national level with the aim of ensuring compliance with the DSA, including during electoral periods. The European Board for Digital Services, composed of the DSCs, compiled a DSA Elections Toolkit[4] aiming to support DSCs in this task. DSCs can namely organise election roundtables to facilitate information sharing between relevant stakeholders such as online platforms and civil society organisations. If requested by the DSCs, the Commission may provide support in this exercise, as it did ahead a number of recent national elections. These roundtables are not public and it is for the DSCs to decide and communicate on what was discussed or who participated.

The Commission has so far not received any request from the Polish DSC and is therefore currently not involved in a potential roundtable in Poland.

[1] Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1-102 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj/eng.

[2] Articles 34 and 35 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065.

[3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52024XC03014&qid=1714466886277.

[4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/dsa-elections-toolkit-digital-services-coordinators.
Last updated: 21 May 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Public attack on the Ombudsman by the Greek government – E-000530/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
National human rights institutions, ombudspersons, equality bodies and other independent authorities have an important role in national checks and balances. The Commission monitors developments related to the functioning and independence of these authorities in the context of its Annual Rule of Law Cycle[1]. As regards Greece, the 2024 Rule of Law Report[2] took note of investigations by the ombudsperson into alleged misconduct involving law enforcement officers. As further noted in the report, the Commission considers that effective and timely investigations of such incidents are an important demonstration of the ability of competent authorities to deliver an adequate response. The Commission will continue to monitor developments in this area and will provide an up-to-date assessment in its 2025 Rule of Law Report.

[1] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rule-law/rule-law/annual-rule-law-cycle_en.

[2] 2024 Rule of Law Report, country chapter on the rule of law situation in Greece. Available at: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/6741f4b2-6a10-44ba-b40c-97a5a38e6827_en?filename=21_1_58062_coun_chap_greece_en.pdf.
Last updated: 21 May 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Problems with the security company responsible for EUPOL COPPS – E-001477/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
Page Group Ltd is a United Kingdom based private security company (PSC) providing security services to the European Union Mission for the Support of Palestinian Police and Rule of Law[1] ( EUPOL COPPS). The company delivers security services such as 24/7 on-site guarding of the premises and monitors all moves of the Mission and the security situation in the area of operations.

The strike of the PSC personnel started on 8 January 2025 and ended on 22 January 2025. Page Group Ltd informed EUPOL COPPS that the interruption of the service was due to internal issues between Page Group Ltd and its local employees falling outside the remits of EUPOL COPPS. The Mission immediately requested the management of Page Group Ltd to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

In parallel, a business continuity plan was implemented by EUPOL COPPS for the duration of the strike, focusing on a seamless continuation of the provision of the security services such as Warden and Duty Security Officer duties using Mission staff.

[1] https://eupolcopps.eu/.
Last updated: 21 May 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Xinjiang launches first direct cargo air route to Baltic region

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

URUMQI, May 21 (Xinhua) — A cargo plane carrying 51 tonnes of e-commerce goods took off from northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday and arrived in Estonia’s capital Tallinn, marking the launch of the first direct cargo air route from Xinjiang to the Baltic region.

The new route will be operated once a week by a Boeing 767 cargo aircraft, with a one-way flight time of approximately 11 hours. Compared with conventional aircraft, this aircraft offers 30 percent more cargo capacity, primarily transporting light industry products such as clothing and daily necessities, effectively reducing logistics costs.

According to Feng Liang, general manager of Xinjiang Wanshengtong Supply Chain Management Co, Ltd., the air route will provide Chinese merchants with the opportunity to directly interact with e-commerce platforms in Northern Europe and help improve the shopping experience of consumers in the region.

To date, 20 international cargo air routes have been launched from Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi to 20 cities, including 12 routes covering key hubs in Northern, Eastern and Western Europe.

From January to April 2025, the customs office of Urumqi Diwopu International Airport handled 1,584 cargo flights, a whopping 1,157.1 percent increase year-on-year, and the cargo turnover of this airport reached 26,000 tons, an increase of 522.2 percent compared with the same period last year.

The regular operation of multiple international air cargo routes will help Xinjiang-based cross-border e-commerce companies expand their presence in overseas markets, boosting exports of textiles, electronics and other competitive products and promoting the quality and efficiency of trade among Belt and Road Initiative participants, said Zhao Beijing, an official with Diwopu Customs. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: KGN Cloud Launches Intelligent Cloud Mining Platform AI Reshapes Crypto Landscape
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York City, NY, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

Following never-before-seen crypto rises, KGN Cloud, the innovative digital mining venture of KGN Investing Limited, has rolled out an AI-integrated, ready framework for legislation and an environment-friendly cloud mining platform. Major nations are speeding up their regulatory frameworks for digital assets ,when Bitcoin is already above $80,000, and KGN Cloud, now made available to individuals and businesses, facilitates the mining of top cryptocurrencies without owning physical rigs or dealing with complicated setups.

New users get an automatic bonus of $100 after registration, which they can use to start mining in minutes.

“The alignment of AI, energy sustainability, and global regulatory convergence has created a perfect milieu for intelligent mining,” said Rachel M. Jones, Chief Product Officer, KGN Cloud. “This is a platform we created to bring everyone—from the freshers in crypto to hedge funds—a trusted entry point into blockchain mining.”

Crypto’s Historic 2025 Rally: The Numbers Behind the Boom

Bitcoin hit $80,000 on May 10th, 2025, according to CoinMetrics and Messari, as a result of a combination of spot ETF approvals in the US, Hong Kong, and the UAE, as well as increasing interest for Ethereum Layer 2 solutions and institutional DeFi.

Key market trends fueling demand for mining:
- Spot Bitcoin ETF inflows exceeded $14B in April 2025 alone
- Ethereum (ETH) surged 30% in Q2 as staking rewards hit record highs
- Solana (SOL) and Avalanche (AVAX) are seeing adoption across real-world asset (RWA) tokenization
- Global mining hash rate hit a new high of 660 EH/s post-halving, pushing smaller miners toward cloud-based options
As a result, cloud mining is seeing an unprecedented surge in demand.

Enter KGN Cloud: Mining Powered by AI, Sustainability, and Simplicity

Traditionally, mining is beset with the barriers of hardware costs, inefficient use of energy, and absence of technical expertise; KGN Cloud deals with all these issues. There will be no capital costs because the platform will allow on-demand, Web-based access to the mining of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other proof-of-work coins, using AI-enabled optimization—all this from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Platform Highlights:
- AI Predictive Allocation: Algorithmic intelligence predicts block difficulty shifts and reallocates hash power accordingly
- Green Mining Infrastructure: Partnerships with hydro and solar-powered data centers in Canada, Norway, and Iceland
- Zero Maintenance: KGN handles all technical configurations, upgrades, and storage
- 24/7 Dashboard Access: Monitor earnings, switch coins, and reinvest profits instantly
- Daily Payouts in BTC/ETH/USDT: Users can withdraw earnings anytime
Real-Time Plan Examples (as of May 2025):
- Starter AI Plan – $300, 3-day contract, return: ~$330
- Optimized Yield Plan – $1,200, 5-day contract, return: ~$1,350
- AI Green Plan – $5,000, 10-day contract, return: ~$6,050
- Institutional Pro Plan – $10,000, 14-day contract, return: ~$12,800
All plans include automated reinvestment options and 100% uptime guarantees.

Crypto Goes Green: Cloud Mining’s Carbon Pivot

The recently released G20 Digital Finance Taskforce aims to ensure that by 2026, 80% of all crypto mining operations will be tasked to meet net-zero emissions goals in key jurisdictions such as the EU, UAE, and Canada.

In anticipation of said regulatory shift, KGN Cloud was built with low-emission data centers using renewable energy integrations. It is one of the few platforms already poised for full ESG compliance.

“Regulatory alignment isn’t a threat—it’s the future…Our eco-first mining platform helps investors stay ahead of compliance curves without compromising on profitability,” stated Jones.

AI + Crypto: From Trend to Necessity

AI is no longer a buzzword—it’s defining the mining landscape in 2025. KGN Cloud’s proprietary AI engine analyzes:
- Real-time token volatility
- Network congestion
- Global mining pool saturation
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MEDIA Contact:
Name: Joy Bennett
Position: Manager
City: London
Country: United Kingdom

Attachment

The MIL Network –
May 22, 2025

MIL-OSI: U.S. Growth Strategy: Boralex Signs Contracts for Two New York Solar Projects Totaling 450 MW

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MONTREAL, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Boralex Inc. (“Boralex” or the “Company”) (TSX: BLX) is pleased to announce it has entered into a Renewable Energy Standard Agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to procure Tier-1 RECs from each of its Fort Covington Solar Project and Two Rivers Solar Project, totaling 450 MW. The signing of these contracts marks a significant milestone in Boralex’s contribution to renewable energy in New York and in the Company’s development in this promising market.

These contracts were awarded as part of NYSERDA’s 2024 Renewable Energy Standard Competitive Solicitation for the purchase of New York Tier-1 Eligible Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Each REC represents the environmental attributes of one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from an eligible renewable source such as solar energy.

The two solar facilities will be located in Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties in upstate New York, with permit applications currently under review by the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission:

“New York is committed to building a clean energy economy, and Boralex is honored to meaningfully contribute toward achieving the State’s renewable energy targets,” said Patrick Decostre, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex. “We appreciate NYSERDA’s confidence in our projects. New York State is a strategic growth market for Boralex, and we are proud to support the State’s renewed commitment to advancing clean energy infrastructure.”

“Our execution of these contracts for the Fort Covington and Two Rivers projects reflects Boralex’s strategic focus on growing our U.S. renewable energy platform,” added Hugues Girardin, Executive Vice President, General Manager North America, Boralex. “We are extremely proud of our teams, whose expertise and dedication continue to drive Boralex’s successful expansion across North America in response to the consistently strong demand for green electricity.”

“Renewable energy projects like Fort Covington and Two Rivers, are crucial to New York’s clean energy transition,” said NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “Additionally, public-private partnerships like this will bring meaningful benefits to Franklin and St. Lawrence counties by spurring economic investments and delivering affordable and locally-sourced energy to residents of these communities.”

“This is very exciting news for our town and the state as it looks to achieve its climate goals,” said Mark Peets, Supervisor of the Town of Brasher. “Throughout the development of this project, Boralex has done an excellent job communicating the benefits to our community. They’ve listened to our concerns and, more importantly, made meaningful project changes that have helped build trust and support. We look forward to the hundreds of construction jobs, and tens of millions of dollars in economic development these projects will provide.”

“These developments are great news for our community and the surrounding area,” said Susan Bellor, Supervisor, Town of Massena. “I very much look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Boralex and our town, and I’m excited about the long-term positive economic impact the project will have – not only for the participating landowners, but the broader community.”

“Small towns like ours don’t often get opportunities like this,” said Pat Manchester, Supervisor of the Town of Fort Covington. “The Fort Covington Solar Project represents a major investment in our community and our future. We’re excited about the jobs, increased tax revenues, and the momentum it brings for sustainable economic growth. Boralex has been a transparent, responsive partner throughout this process, and we’re proud to host a project of this scale and significance.”

Construction of both projects is expected to begin in 2026, and are expected to be commissioned in 2028. They will bring substantial economic, social, and environmental benefits to New York State and to local communities. Once constructed, the projects will together provide enough energy to power approximately 105,000 homes, support approximately 300 to 400 construction jobs, and create long-term operational roles, further strengthening the local economy and advancing the State’s transition to clean energy.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained in this press release, including those regarding the start of construction of the projects and their commissioning, are forward-looking statements based on current expectations, within the meaning of securities legislation. Boralex would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results or the measure it adopts could differ materially from those indicated by or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular forward-looking statement. Unless otherwise specified by the Company, the forward-looking statements do not take into account the possible impact on its activities, transactions, non-recurring items or other exceptional items announced or occurring after the statements are made. There can be no assurance as to the materialization of the results, performance, or achievements as expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Unless required to do so under applicable securities legislation, Boralex management does not assume any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or other changes.

About Boralex

At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and France’s largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has increased by more than 50% to over 3.2 GW. We are developing a portfolio of projects in development and construction of more than 8 GW in wind, solar and storage projects, guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralex’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.

For more information, visit boralex.com or sedarplus.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

For more information

MEDIA	INVESTOR RELATIONS
Camille Laventure Senior Advisor, Public Affairs and External Communications Boralex Inc. 438 883-8580 camille.laventure@boralex.com	Stéphane Milot Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial Planning and Analysis Boralex Inc. 514 213-1045 stephane.milot@boralex.com

MEDIA – NORTH AMERICA
Zachary Hutchins Manager, Public Affairs and Communications Boralex Inc. 518 727-6155 zachary.hutchins@boralex.com

Source: Boralex inc.

The MIL Network –

May 22, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: MEDIA ADVISORY: Sanders to Call on Republicans to Support Trump, Lower Prescription Drug Prices

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
WASHINGTON, May 21 – After President Trump issued a vague executive order claiming to slash drug costs by linking them to international prices, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today announced he would ask for unanimous consent on the Senate floor to pass legislation that would actually do just that by ensuring Americans pay no more than people in other countries for the exact same prescription drug, forcing anyone who opposes actually lowering drug prices to rise in opposition.
On May 5, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order entitled “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients.” In that order, he proposes a “a rulemaking plan to impose most-favored-nation pricing” but does not cite specific legislative authority. As a result, the executive order will be blocked by the courts. Congressional action is needed.
The Prescription Drug Price Relief Act will put an end to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and help save lives by lowering drug prices. This legislation would ensure Americans do not pay more for prescription drugs than the median price paid in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.
Details:
What: Sen. Sanders floor speech calling for unanimous consent to pass legislation to make sure Americans pay no more than people in other countries for prescription drugs
When: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Where: Senate floor. His remarks will also be livestreamed on Sanders’ social media.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Kneecap decision should cause some to reflect

Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

Statement by TUV deputy leader Court Councillor Ron McDowell:

“I welcome the decision by the Metropolitan Police to charge a member of the rap group Kneecap with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation.

“For too long, the powers that be have turned a blind eye to this group’s open glorification of terrorism. This charge is long overdue.

“Last year, TUV lodged a formal complaint with the BBC over its uncritical and irresponsible promotion of Kneecap. It is worth revisiting what we said at that time:

“This morning on BBC Radio Ulster, both the news bulletins and the BBC Northern Ireland website provided entirely uncritical coverage of the ‘Kneecap’ film.

“They even platformed a character calling himself DJ Provai — of all things — to tell us that Irish is not just a language for one side of the community.

“There are many people in Northern Ireland who still carry the scars of being literally kneecapped by paramilitaries. Many more can testify to how ‘cross community’ the Provos truly were.

“That innocent victims should now have to watch a rap group build a career off the back of the IRA campaign is bad enough. But for a public service broadcaster to present them as inclusive cultural advocates — and report on them without so much as a whisper of criticism — is utterly intolerable.

“We wrote to the Director of BBC Northern Ireland to raise these concerns and requested a meeting where innocent victims of the Provos could express their outrage in person.”

“The truth is simple: we cannot and must not permit the glorification of terror — whether the terrorism is rooted in Northern Ireland or the Middle East.

“Kneecap crossed that line long ago.

“Those who have enabled or excused this — including figures in the media — must seriously reflect on their actions. Some have even tried to gaslight Unionists and victims by presenting these glorifiers of terrorism as cross-community ambassadors for the Irish language.

“It’s offensive. It’s dangerous. And it’s wrong.

“And while it may be too much to expect the BBC, given their track record, to apologise — they owe one to the innocent victims whose pain has been trivialised and ignored for far too long.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highland Council takes forward plans to explore heat networks in Inverness

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

The Highland Council is taking the next step in its journey to Net Zero by exploring the development of city-wide heat networks in Inverness, as part of the Council’s Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES). Members of the Council’s Climate Change Committee met today to review progress on the project.

Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Councillor Sarah Fanet, said: “This strategic study is a key part of our Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy and a big step forward in helping Highland reach Net Zero. Heat networks are already common in countries like Denmark, and we’re now looking seriously at how they can work for Inverness too. Done well, they can offer more sustainable and affordable heating, especially for places like care homes, hospitals, social housing, and retirement complexes.”

The LHEES is a legally required strategy for every local authority in Scotland, setting out a clear plan for how carbon emissions can be reduced from heating buildings and improve energy efficiency across the Highlands. Through this work, Highland Council has identified areas across Inverness that may be well suited for a future heat network—an energy system that could bring long-term benefits for our communities, economy, and environment.

So far, four potential heat network zones have been identified in areas with higher energy demand. These zones include large public buildings and housing estates, where collective heating could make the biggest impact. The next phase will assess technical options, costs, and the best models for delivering heat networks in these areas.

Cllr Fanet added: “This work is about reducing emissions and making energy more affordable. But it’s also about building long-term resilience into how we heat our homes and public buildings. We’ll be working closely with partners and communities to make sure this opportunity brings real social and economic benefits for the people of Highland.”

Heat networks, also known as district heating, work by supplying low-carbon heat from a central source to a group of buildings such as homes, schools, care homes, hospitals or offices. Instead of a boiler or electric heater in each building, the heat is shared more efficiently, which can help cut energy bills and reduce our carbon footprint.

The Highland Council secured funding through the Strategic Heat Network Support programme, provided by the Heat Network Support Unit—a partnership between the Scottish Government, Scottish Futures Trust, and Zero Waste Scotland. This allowed the Council to undertake a strategic city-wide feasibility study to assess opportunities for developing heat networks in Inverness.

Ends

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Highland Council’s Progress Update on Net Zero Programme

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

At today’s meeting of the Highland Council’s Climate Change Committee, Members were given an update on the Council’s Net Zero Programme.

Members welcomed the development of projects that will deliver carbon reductions, operational efficiencies and financial savings.

Councillor Sarah Fanet, Chair of the Climate Change Committee said: “Delivery of the Council’s Route Map to Net Zero requires a cross-service collaborative approach. The Climate Change and Energy Team continues to work closely with services across the Council to develop and deliver projects that will accelerate the Council’s transition to Net Zero and becoming a climate-ready organisation.”

Projects include piloting reusable lunch packaging in Kingussie High School to reduce the amount of single-use canteen containers. This is part of a wider project to benchmark waste and recycling rates in schools.

A short-term working group has been formed to support High Life Highland in its ambitions to achieve gold standard in the Green Tourism Award for the Inverness Castle Experience scheduled to open in 2025. The award recognises sustainable practices in the tourism sector.

Additionally, the Council will continue to implement a fleet replacement programme to transition diesel/petrol vehicles to Ultra Low Emission Vehicles. Data relating to staff business travel was presented to the Committee with detailed analysis of the data ongoing to identify opportunities for cost optimisation, improved efficiency, and reduced emissions.

Councillor Sarah Fanet added: “The Climate Change Committee is responsible for the oversight of the Net Zero Programme including the scrutiny of progress and performance, and it is encouraging to see a number of projects coming to fruition following Member discussion.”

For more information on the Highland Council’s Net Zero Programme and to view the full reports, please visit: https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/5161/climate_change_committee

21 May 2025

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MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Partnership working to tackle climate adaptation strengthened through Highland Adapts initiative

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

Highland Council’s Climate Change Committee has today reaffirmed its commitment to climate adaptation by supporting the continued work of Highland Adapts – a regional initiative focused on building climate resilience through partnership and community-led action.

Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Councillor Sarah Fanet, said: “The Highland region is already experiencing the effects of climate change from increased flooding to changes in biodiversity and these impacts are only expected to intensify. Highland Adapts ensures that our response is not only evidence-based but routed in the experiences and needs of the local community.”

Highland Adapts will deliver a programme of activity throughout 2025-26 to further develop the partnership, explore circular economy opportunities and support locally driven resilience projects. The initiative continues to build strong relationships across the public, private and community sectors ensuring local voices shape the region’s approach to climate risk and resilience.

Cllr Fanet continued: “By working together we can identify shared risks, develop the right actions and support investment in projects that help protect people, infrastructure and the environment. Community needs to be at the heart of our response to the climate emergency and Highland Adapts creates the space for shared learning, innovation and practical action.”

Highland Adapts is governed by nine partner organisations: The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Climate Hub, NHS Highland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Changeworks, and Verture. These partners are working together to codevelop risk assessments, identify priority areas for adaptation and ensure the Highland region is prepared for the challenges ahead.

21 May 2025

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MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Joint statement by the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank
Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
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We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday’s announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate. We call on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. This must include engaging with the UN to ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles. We call on Hamas to release immediately the remaining hostages they have so cruelly held since 7 October 2023.

The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law. We condemn the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate. Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.

Israel suffered a heinous attack on 7 October. We have always supported Israel’s right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.

We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.

We oppose any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank. Israel must halt settlements which are illegal and undermine the viability of a Palestinian state and the security of both Israelis and Palestinians.  We will not hesitate to take further action, including targeted sanctions.

We strongly support the efforts led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It is a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and a long-term political solution that offer the best hope of ending the agony of the hostages and their families, alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza, ending Hamas’ control of Gaza and achieving a pathway to a two-state solution, consistent with the goals of the 18 June conference in New York co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. These negotiations need to succeed, and we must all work towards the implementation of a two-state solution, which is the only way to bring long-lasting peace and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve, and ensure long-term stability in the region.

We will continue to work with the Palestinian Authority, regional partners, Israel and the United States to finalize consensus on arrangements for Gaza’s future, building on the Arab plan. We affirm the important role of the High-level Two-State Solution Conference at the UN in June in building international consensus around this aim. And we are committed to recognising a Palestinian State as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end./.
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Man charged with terrorism offence
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

A man has been charged with a terrorism offence following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

Liam O’Hanna, 27, (16.10.97) of Belfast has been charged, via postal requisition, with displaying a flag in support of Hizballah, a proscribed organisation, namely:
- On 21 November 2024, in a public place, namely the O2 Forum, Kentish Town, London, displayed an article, namely a flag, in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hizballah, contrary to section 13(1)(b) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on Tuesday, 22 April of an online video from the event. An investigation was carried out, which led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the above charge.

O’Hanna is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 18 June.

MIL Security OSI –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: DOJ Press releases at OCI (Prior Years)

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

05/21/2019
December 10, 2018: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation, Former Senior Executive Plead Guilty to Distributing Endoscopes After Failing to File FDA-Required Adverse Event Reports of Serious Infections

03/26/2019
March 30, 2018: KC Paramedic Indicted for Stealing Fentanyl, Morphine from Ambulances

03/26/2019
March 30, 2018: Counterfeit Cigarette Smuggler Sentenced to Prison

03/20/2019
April 4, 2018: Canadian Pharmacist Sentenced for Distributing Counterfeit and Adulterated Botox to Local Doctors

03/20/2019
March 27, 2018: Compounding Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for $10.5 Million Health Care Fraud

03/20/2019
March 27, 2018: Federal Jury Finds Three Guilty in Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy

03/20/2019
April 4, 2018: Fences Indicted in Multi-Million Dollar, Multi-State Criminal Theft Operations

03/19/2019
March 30, 2018: Lynn Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Prison for Role in Counterfeit Steroid Conspiracy

03/05/2019
October 1, 2018: AmerisourceBergen Corp. to Pay $625 Million to Settle Civil Fraud Allegations Resulting from Its Repackaging and Sale of Adulterated Drugs and Unapproved New Drugs, Double Billing and Providing Kickbacks

03/05/2019
October 18, 2018: Pharmacist Indicted for Taking Drugs, Carrying Firearm in Violation of Court Order

03/05/2019
October 15, 2018: Leader of Fraudulent Prescription Conspiracy Sentenced to Six Years in Prison

03/05/2019
November 29, 2018: Two Practitioners Sentenced for Drug Crimes in Connection with HOPE Clinic

03/05/2019
December 4, 2018: Medical Device Maker ev3 Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay $17.9 Million for Distributing Adulterated Device

03/05/2019
November 20, 2018: Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Counterfeit Cialis and Viagra into the United States

03/05/2019
November 19, 2018: Georgia Man Charged with Social Security and Wire Fraud

03/05/2019
October 22, 2018: Medical Equipment Company Agrees to Pay $5.25 Million to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Claims for Compounded Medical Creams

03/05/2019
October 15, 2018: Four Men and Seven Companies Indicted for Billion-Dollar Telemedicine Fraud Conspiracy, Telemedicine Company and CEO Plead Guilty in Two Fraud Schemes

03/05/2019
November 5, 2018: Nurse Sentenced for Taking Fentanyl for Personal Use

03/05/2019
November 28, 2018: Former Vice President of Insys Pharmaceuticals Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Scheme

03/05/2019
October 18, 2018: Grand Jury Returns Superseding Indictment In Shamo Case; Adds Distribution Of Fentanyl Count Resulting In Death

03/05/2019
November 29, 2018: Dietary Supplement Ingredient Importers Arrested in Connection with Large-Scale Smuggling and Money Laundering Scheme

03/05/2019
December 4, 2018: Memphis Man Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Consumer Products

03/05/2019
October 22, 2018: Oklahoma Orthopedic Company to Pay $455,000 to Settle Claims of False Medical Billing

02/25/2019
December 13, 2018: Floridian Pleads Guilty in Complex Fraud Scheme Related to the Processing of Credit Card Payments

02/25/2019
December 13, 2018: Owner and Four Former Employees of New England Compounding Center Convicted Following Trial

02/25/2019
December 7, 2018: VA Nurse Admits to Fraudulently Obtaining and Tampering with Opioid Prescriptions

02/25/2019
December 4, 2018: Des Moines Residents Sentenced for Felony Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Offense

02/13/2019
October 11, 2018: Two Companies Ordered to Pay More Than $7 Million for Adulterated and Misbranded Pet Food Ingredients

02/13/2019
October 4, 2018: Troutdale Doctor Sentenced for Purchasing and Administering Foreign-Sourced Botox and Juvaderm

09/25/2018
September 24, 2018: Board Certified Ophthalmologist Agrees to Civil Fraud Settlement in Medicare Fraud Investigation

09/19/2018
September 19, 2018: Springfield Doctor Sentenced for Illegally Sharing Patient Medical Files

09/17/2018
September 11, 2018: Columbus Pharmacist Sentenced for Health Care Fraud Scheme

09/17/2018
September 8, 2017: Galena Biopharma Inc. to Pay More than $7.55 Million to Resolve Alleged False Claims Related to Opioid Drug

09/10/2018
September 6, 2018: Cattle Company and Veterinarian Indicted for False Health Certificates on Livestock

09/06/2018
August 31, 2018: Former Home Health Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Patients’ Drugs

09/04/2018
August 30, 2018: Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Misbranded Prescription Horse Drugs

08/30/2018
August 28, 2018: Providence Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Oxycodone

08/23/2018
August 22, 2018: Louisiana Pharmacist Convicted of Trafficking and Selling Stolen Medication

08/20/2018
August 17, 2018: Unlicensed Pharmacy Technician Pleads Guilty to Working at New England Compounding Center

08/16/2018
August 16, 2018: Genesee County Physician and Two Others Charged with Health Care Fraud

08/16/2018
August 15, 2018: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Market Dietary Supplements

08/06/2018
August 3, 2018: Northwest ENT Associates, P.C. to Pay Approximately $1.2 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

08/01/2018
July 31, 2018: Three Canadians and their Company Sentenced for Wholesale Distribution of Misbranded Prescription Drugs and Money Laundering

07/31/2018
July 30, 2018: Two People Guilty of Distributing Tramadol Pills

07/30/2018
July 26, 2018: Miami-Dade Resident Charged in Connection with Performance of Illicit Silicone Injections

07/24/2018
July 23, 2018: Springfield EMT/Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Stealing Fentanyl, Morphine

07/19/2018
July 18, 2018: Medical Device Maker AngioDynamics Agrees to Pay $12.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

07/17/2018
July 17, 2018: Former President of Cumberland Distribution, Inc. Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for $50 Million Drug Diversion Scheme

07/12/2018
July 10, 2018: Pawtucket Woman Sentenced for Participation in Opioid Prescription Conspiracy

07/11/2018
July 10, 2018: VA Medical Center Nurse Indicted, Arraigned for Allegedly Tampering with and Stealing Prescription Opioids

07/11/2018
July 10, 2018: Former Des Moines Pharmacy Technician Sentenced for Illegally Tampering with Fentanyl

07/11/2018
July 10: 2018: Former Pharmacy Technician Indicted for Stealing Fentanyl, Morphine

07/09/2018
July 6, 2018: Vero Beach Orthopedic Surgeon Sentenced to Life in Prison Following Conviction for Fentanyl Analog Drug Conspiracy Resulting in Death

07/09/2018
July 6, 2018: Internet Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Selling $2.3 Million Worth of Non-FDA Approved and Misbranded Botox and Juvederm-Related Products

07/05/2018
July 3, 2018: Canton Man Indicted on Fentanyl and Firearms Charges

06/28/2018
June 28, 2018: Southern District of Florida Charges 124 Individuals Responsible for $337 Million in False Billing as Part of National Healthcare Fraud Takedown

06/22/2018
June 20, 2018: Fitchburg Woman and Saugus Man Sentenced for Roles in Counterfeit Steroid Conspiracy

06/18/2018
June 15, 2018: Theranos Founder and Former Chief Operating Officer Charged in Alleged Wire Fraud Schemes

06/05/2018
June 5, 2018: Opioid Prescription Conspiracy Leader Pleads Guilty

05/31/2018
May 31, 2018: Notification of Stolen Fertility Drugs: Gonal-f® RFF Redi-ject® and Gonal-f® Multi-Dose

05/21/2018
May 21, 2018: Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud Scheme Involving the Reselling of Food Products That Were to Be Destroyed

05/08/2018
May 8, 2018: Notification of Stolen Octagam

04/19/2018
April 13, 2018: Canadian Drug Firm Admits Selling Counterfeit and Misbranded Prescription Drugs Throughout the United States

04/19/2018
April 12, 2018: Chinese Citizen Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud Related to Dietary Supplement Scheme

04/19/2018
April 6, 2018: New Hampshire Residents Sentenced for Participating in Scheme to Distribute Misbranded Drugs

03/15/2018
March 14, 2018: Meridian Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Controlled Substances by Fraud

03/14/2018
March 12, 2018: Champaign, Illinois, Resident Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Producing and Selling Over 80,000 Homemade Tramadol Capsules to Customers without Verifying Prescriptions

03/13/2018
March 12, 2018: Pharmacist and Pharmacy Employee Sentenced for Involvement in Over $30 Million Health Care Fraud

03/08/2018
March 6, 2018: Monterey Park Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Injecting Foreign Substance into Woman for Buttocks Enhancement

03/08/2018
March 8, 2018: Four Individuals Indicted for Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods

03/05/2018
March 2, 2018: Woman Sentenced for Injecting Adulterated Liquid Silicone

03/05/2018
February 23, 2018: Lake Charles Veterinarian, Pharmacy Sentenced for In-Race Horse Doping Conspiracy

03/01/2018
February 28, 2018: Two Doctors Arrested Pursuant to Federal Indictment That Alleges Bogus Sleep Studies Helped 1-800-Get-Thin Fraudulently Bill Insurance Programs Over $250 Million Related to Lap-Band Surgeries

02/27/2018
February 27, 2018: Former President of Houston-Based Drug Company Convicted in $50 Million Drug Diversion Scheme

02/22/2018
February 21, 2018: Pharmacy Tech Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Tampering with Opioids for IV Fluid

02/21/2018
February 20, 2018: U.S. Attorney Announces 69-count Indictment Charging Owners, Managers and Physicians Associated with Hope Clinic

02/21/2018
February 14, 2018: Palmer Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Import Prescription Drugs from Pakistan

02/20/2018
August 19, 2016: Pharmacy Owner and Medical Doctor Charged in an Internet Scheme to Dispense Medications to Customers without Valid Prescriptions

02/14/2018
February 14, 2018: Two Indian Citizens and India-based Corporation Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Counterfeit Cigarettes

02/12/2018
February 8, 2018: Queensbury Oncologist and Spouse to Pay $500,000 for Submitting False Claims to Medicare for the Administration of Unapproved Cancer Drugs

02/12/2018
February 9, 2018: Tampa Resident Convicted for Involvement with Tricare Health Care Fraud Scheme

02/05/2018
February 5, 2018: Pennsylvania Firearms Dealer Sentenced To 100 Months Imprisonment

02/05/2018
November 25, 2018: Nevada Man Indicted for Distribution of Anabolic Steroids and Drug Misbranding

02/05/2018
February 5, 2018: Three Florida Residents Sentenced for Operating an Illegal Steroid and Counterfeit Prescription Drug Lab

01/31/2018
January 31, 2018: New England Compounding Center Pharmacist Sentenced for Role in Nationwide Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

01/24/2018
September 25, 2017: U.S. Attorney Charges Pharmacy Tech for Tampering with Opioids

01/24/2018
January 13, 2017: Two Louisiana Men Sentenced for Roles in On-line Pharmacy Scheme

01/24/2018
May 17, 2017: Gardner Man Charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Counterfeit Steroids

01/24/2018
December 6, 2016: Two Sentenced for Trafficking in Counterfeit Viagra and Cialis

01/24/2018
September 11, 2017: Knoxville Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the FDA

01/24/2018
December 9, 2016: Carroll County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy Charge

01/24/2018
July 18, 2016: Cincinnati Man Sentenced for Illegally Importing Drugs into U.S.

01/24/2018
July 7, 2016: Johnston Resident Charged with Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering

01/24/2018
January 7, 2016: Former Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Narcotics from Hospital

01/24/2018
February 15, 2017: Hampton-Based Spice Dealer Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

01/24/2018
July 13, 2017: Four Charged in Counterfeit Body Building Steroid Conspiracy

01/24/2018
December 8, 2016: Pharmaceutical Executives Charged in Racketeering Scheme

01/24/2018
December 2, 2016: Woman Arrested For Injecting Adulterated Liquid Silicone

01/24/2018
September 20, 2017: Registered Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Fentanyl

01/24/2018
June 28, 2017: Registered Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Fentanyl

01/24/2018
June 27, 2016: Hampton-Based Spice Retailer and Wholesaler Pleads Guilty

01/24/2018
May 31, 2016: Worcester Nurse Indicted on Federal Drug Tampering Charges

01/24/2018
August 7, 2017: Notification of Stolen Sterile Prescription Injectable Products

01/23/2018
January 23, 2018: Two Indian Citizens and India-based Corporation Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle Counterfeit Cigarettes

01/17/2018
January 12, 2018: Owner of Seafood Company Charged in Atlantic Blue Crab Scam

01/17/2018
September 22, 2017: Drug Maker Aegerion Agrees to Plead Guilty; Will Pay More Than $35 Million to Resolve Criminal Charges and Civil False Claims Allegations

01/16/2018
June 30, 2017: Bath County Man Sentenced For Misbranding Drugs and Obstructing Justice

01/16/2018
June 21, 2017: Gardner Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Traffic Counterfeit Steroids

01/16/2018
August 28, 2017: Costa Rican Defendant Appears in Federal Court to Face Fraud Charges

01/16/2018
July 17, 2017: Leader of $17 Million Health Insurance Fraud Scheme Ordered to Prison

01/16/2018
October 11, 2016: Foreign National Pleads Guilty To International Wire Fraud Scheme

01/16/2018
August 30, 2017: Two Charged in Federal Court with Smuggling Counterfeit Cigarettes

01/16/2018
May 31, 2017: Men Sentenced to Combined 60 Years for Selling Spice in Hampton Roads

01/12/2018
December 20, 2016: New England Compounding Center’s National Sales Director Pleads Guilty

01/12/2018
July 19, 2017: Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Import Prescription Drugs

01/12/2018
March 13, 2017: Vice-President of SK Labs Found Guilty of Conspiracy, Mail Fraud Charges

01/12/2018
December 27, 2016: Providence Nurse Charged in Connection with Tampering with Oxycodone

01/12/2018
January 20, 2016: Businessman Sentenced for Marketing and Selling Unapproved Remedies for Cancer

01/12/2018
March 2, 2017: Bath County Man Convicted of Obstructing Justice and Selling Misbranded Products

01/12/2018
February 6, 2017: Arizona Man Sentenced for Trafficking in Pet Products with Counterfeit Labels

01/12/2018
January 17, 2017: Tampa-Area Medical Device Salesman Guilty of Selling Expired Lap-Band Devices

01/12/2018
August 1, 2017: Two Kansans Sentenced for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Designer Drug Business

01/12/2018
June 2, 2016: Additional Criminal Charges Brought Against Indicted Penn National Horse Trainer

01/12/2018
June 15, 2017: Gloucester Woman Charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Steroids and Launder Money

01/12/2018
June 15, 2017: Two Kansans Sentenced for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Designer Drug Business

01/12/2018
May 15, 2017: Vitamin Shop Owner Guilty of Selling Misbranded Drugs and Controlled Substance

01/12/2018
August 15, 2016: Second Trafficker Convicted of Distributing Dangerous Counterfeit Viagra and Cialis

01/12/2018
July 17, 2017: Gloucester Woman Pleads Guilty to Her Role in Counterfeit Steroid Trafficking Scheme

01/12/2018
October 12, 2016: Colombian National Charged for Unlawfully Injecting Silicone into Victims Bodies

01/12/2018
July 28, 2017: Westerly Resident to Plead Guilty to Trafficking Steroids, Money Laundering Charges

01/12/2018
September 22, 2016: Hoover Man Charged for Marketing Misbranded Male Enhancement Drugs from China

01/12/2018
September, 22, 2016 Hoover Man Charged for Marketing Misbranded Male Enhancement Drugs from China

01/12/2018
August 2, 2016: Colombian National Charged for Unlawfully Injecting Silicone into Victims’ Bodies

01/12/2018
December 13, 2016: Tampa Resident Indicted for Involvement with Tricare Health Care Fraud Scheme

01/12/2018
September 5, 2017: New Hampshire Residents Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Involving Misbranded Drugs

01/12/2018
April 3, 2017: Printing and Packaging CEO Pleads Guilty to Trafficking in Counterfeit Labels and Packaging

01/12/2018
March 14, 2017: Woman Admits to Causing the Death of Another Person by Injecting Her with Liquid Silicone

01/12/2018
April 12, 2017: Former Medical Product Distributor Charged with False Statements about Hormone Shipments

01/12/2018
September 29, 2016: New York Man Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Illegally Manufacture Designer Steroids

01/12/2018
July 1, 2016: New Hampshire Couple Indicted On Two Counts Of Illegal Distribution Of Prescription Drugs

01/12/2018
September 22, 2017:Woman Admits to Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs Not Approved for Use in the US

01/12/2018
June 22, 2016: Former Nurse Sentenced to 82 Months for Stealing and Tampering with Patient Medications

01/12/2018
June 13, 2017: Cherry Hill Doctor and Son Admit Defrauding Medicare, Agree To $1.78 Million Settlement

01/12/2018
December 19, 2016: New York Man Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Term for Selling Unsafe Dietary Supplements Online

01/12/2018
September 25, 2017: Pharmacy Manager Pleads Guilty to Illegal Prescription Drug Diversion and Money Laundering

01/12/2018
July 28, 2017: Tampa Woman Sentenced to Prison For Misbranded Drugs Used in Connection with Buttocks Injection

01/12/2018
March 28, 2017: Former Atlantic County, New Jersey, Man Charged with Smuggling and Dispensing Misbranded Drugs

01/12/2018
September 12, 2017: Former Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Stealing Pain-killing Drugs, Replacing Vials with Water

01/12/2018
July 29, 2016: Majority Owner of NECC and Husband Plead Guilty to Illegal Cash Withdrawals Following Outbreak

01/12/2018
May 15, 2017: Printing and Packaging Business Owner Convicted of Trafficking in Counterfeit Veterinary Labels

01/12/2018
July 14, 2017: Senior Executives of Medical Drug Re-Packager Plead Guilty to Defrauding Healthcare Providers

01/12/2018
July 20, 2016: Former Acclarent, Inc. Executives Convicted of Crimes Related to the Sale of Medical Devices

01/12/2018
June 6, 2016: Pharmaceutical Companies To Pay $67 Million To Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating To Tarceva

01/12/2018
February 16, 2017: Atlanta Man Convicted of Illegally Importing and Distributing Male Enhancement Products from China

01/11/2018
January 11, 2018: Former New Hampshire Pharmacist Pleads Guilty for Tampering with Narcotics at Bedford Pharmacy

01/11/2018
July 22, 2016: Medical Device Manufacturer Acclarent Inc. to Pay $18 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

01/11/2018
November 15, 2016: Miami-Dade Resident Sentenced to Fifteen Months in Prison for Distributing Contaminated Cheese

01/11/2018
September 25, 2017: Millions of Medicines Seized in Largest INTERPOL Operation Against Illicit Online Pharmacies

01/11/2018
January 3, 2017: Notification of Stolen Reckitt Benckiser Retail, Non-Prescription, Consumer Healthcare Products

01/09/2018
August 1, 2017: Radford Nurse Who Tampered with Liquid Morphine Intended for Nursing Home Patients Sentenced in Federal Court

01/09/2018
November 4, 2016: Two Pakistani Nationals Sentenced for Conspiring to Illegally Ship Pharmaceuticals into the United States

01/09/2018
November 29, 2016: Eight Defendants Convicted For Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Counterfeit 5-Hour Energy Drink

01/09/2018
September 11, 2017: Three Florida Residents Arrested After Law Enforcement Discover Steroid and Fake Prescription Drug Lab

01/09/2018
June 21, 2017: Counterfeiters Sentenced for Convictions in Nationwide Conspiracy to Distribute Fake 5-Hour Energy Drink

01/09/2018
May 31, 2017: Drug Trafficking Organization Faces Indictment For Involvment In Manufacturing Fake Prescriptions Drugs With Fentanyl

01/09/2018
July 6, 2016: New Jersey Medical Device Manufacturer Admits Selling Contaminated Ultrasound Gel; Court Orders Permanent Injunction

01/09/2018
June 26, 2017: Owner of New England Compounding Center Sentenced for Racketeering Leading to Nationwide Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

01/09/2018
June 21, 2016: Two Pharmacists Sentenced to Prison for Adulteration of Drugs in Connection with Alabama-Based Compounding Pharmacy

01/09/2018
February 14, 2017: Two Miami-Dade Women Charged in Connection with Their Operation of a Spa Performing Illicit Silicone Injections

01/09/2018
June 22, 2017: Pharmacy Owner and Director of Compliance Charged with Defrauding United States and Distributing Adulterated Drugs

01/09/2018
April 12, 2017: Owners of Two Los Angeles-Area Drug Wholesale Companies Arrested in $20 Million Federal ‘Structuring’ Conspiracy

01/09/2018
December 2, 2016: Former Police Officer Sentenced in White Plains Federal Court to 8 Years in Prison for Selling Date Rape Drug

01/09/2018
February 7, 2017: Randallstown Woman Pleads Guilty to Injecting Non-Medical Grade Silicone into the Bodies of Victim Customers

01/09/2018
August 30, 2017: Miami-Dade Resident Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison for Operating a Miami Spa Performing Illicit Silicone Injections

01/09/2018
March 28, 2017: 3 Canadians and their Vancouver Company Charged with Conspiring to Sell Foreign-Made Drugs to Western Pennsylvania Pharmacists

01/09/2018
March 9, 2017: Internet Business Owner Indicted for Selling Non-FDA Approved and Misbranded Versions of Botox and Juvederm Related Products

01/09/2018
June 8, 2017: Houston, Texas Man convicted of Smuggling Korean Human Growth Hormone Drugs to Local Patients and Professional Wrestlers

01/09/2018
February 16, 2017: Oncology Practice, Doctor and Practice Manager Pay $1.7 Million to Resolve Allegations They Billed Medicare for Illegally Imported Drugs

01/09/2018
June 27, 2017: Physician and Wife to Pay $1.2 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations That They Billed Medicare and Medicaid for Unapproved Drugs

01/09/2018
December 13, 2016: O.C. Man Charged with Selling Pet Meds Without a Prescription, Some of Which Were Not Approved for Distribution in the United States

01/09/2018
September 6, 2017: Bronx Pharmacist Pleads Guilty To Illegally Selling Millions Of Prescription Pills On The Internet And Agrees To Forfeit $9 Million

01/09/2018
November 10, 2016: Nurse Who Operated Spa in Laguna Niguel Agrees to Plead Guilty to Illegally Dispensing Botox Not Approved for Use in United States

01/09/2018
March 30, 2017: Lincoln Mother and Son Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Misbranded Substances, Drug Paraphernalia, and Related Financial Crimes

01/09/2018
January 12, 2017: Baxter Healthcare Corporation to Pay More than $18 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Liability Relating to Sterile Products

01/09/2018
September 20, 2017: Miami-Dade Resident Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Managing a Miami Spa Performing Illicit Silicone Injections

01/09/2018
May 23, 2017: Citizen of Pakistan and United Kingdom Sentenced For International Wire Fraud Scheme That Sold False Cures For Multiple Illnesses

01/09/2018
April 18, 2017: SCM True Air Technologies, of Ohio and Kentucky, and Its Former Company President – Guilty of Delivering Misbranded Medical Devices from Unregistered Facilities to a Georgia V.A. Medical Center and Obstructing an FDA Investigation into their Conduct

01/09/2018
November 28, 2016: Iowa Cancer Clinic and Oncologist to Pay More Than $176,000 To Settle False Claims Act Allegations They Recklessly Billed for Cancer Drugs That Were Unapproved, Misbranded, or Counterfeit and Improperly Upcoded Office Visit Claims

01/09/2018
September 9, 2016: Owner of Major Online Colored Contact Lens Business Pleads Guilty in Largest-Ever Investigation of Counterfeit and Misbranded Contact Lenses in the United States

01/09/2018
November 7, 2016: Medical Device Maker Biocompatibles Pleads Guilty to Misbranding and Agrees to Pay $36 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability and False Claims Act Allegations

01/09/2018
September 26, 2017: Houston, Texas Man Sentenced to 40 Months and a $95,000 Fine for Smuggling Korean Human Growth Hormone Drugs to Local Patients and Professional Wrestlers

01/09/2018
December 7, 2016: GNC Enters Into Agreement with Department of Justice to Improve Its Practices and Keep Potentially Illegal Dietary Supplements Out of the Marketplace

01/09/2018
September 27, 2017: Amerisourcebergen Specialty Group Pleads Guilty to Distributing Misbranded Drugs and is Sentenced to Pay $260 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability

01/09/2018
December 5, 2016: Medical Device Saleswoman Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Charges Relating to the Transport of Stolen Medical Devices and Money Laundering

01/09/2018
May 26, 2017: Florida Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Causing the Death of One Victim and Hospitalization of Others by Injecting them With Liquid Silicone

01/09/2018
September 11, 2017: Owner of O.C. Pet Products Company Pleads Guilty to Selling Pet Meds without Prescriptions, Some of Which Were Not Approved for U.S. Sale

09/17/2018
September 8, 2017: Galena Biopharma Inc. to Pay More than $7.55 Million to Resolve Alleged False Claims Related to Opioid Drug

01/24/2018
September 25, 2017: U.S. Attorney Charges Pharmacy Tech for Tampering with Opioids

01/24/2018
January 13, 2017: Two Louisiana Men Sentenced for Roles in On-line Pharmacy Scheme

01/24/2018
May 17, 2017: Gardner Man Charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Counterfeit Steroids

01/24/2018
September 11, 2017: Knoxville Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the FDA

01/24/2018
February 15, 2017: Hampton-Based Spice Dealer Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

01/24/2018
July 13, 2017: Four Charged in Counterfeit Body Building Steroid Conspiracy

01/24/2018
September 20, 2017: Registered Nurse Sentenced for Tampering with Fentanyl

01/24/2018
June 28, 2017: Registered Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Fentanyl

01/24/2018
August 7, 2017: Notification of Stolen Sterile Prescription Injectable Products

01/17/2018
September 22, 2017: Drug Maker Aegerion Agrees to Plead Guilty; Will Pay More Than $35 Million to Resolve Criminal Charges and Civil False Claims Allegations

01/16/2018
June 30, 2017: Bath County Man Sentenced For Misbranding Drugs and Obstructing Justice

01/16/2018
June 21, 2017: Gardner Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Traffic Counterfeit Steroids

01/16/2018
August 28, 2017: Costa Rican Defendant Appears in Federal Court to Face Fraud Charges

01/16/2018
July 17, 2017: Leader of $17 Million Health Insurance Fraud Scheme Ordered to Prison

01/16/2018
August 30, 2017: Two Charged in Federal Court with Smuggling Counterfeit Cigarettes

01/16/2018
May 31, 2017: Men Sentenced to Combined 60 Years for Selling Spice in Hampton Roads

01/12/2018
July 19, 2017: Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Import Prescription Drugs

01/12/2018
March 13, 2017: Vice-President of SK Labs Found Guilty of Conspiracy, Mail Fraud Charges

01/12/2018
March 2, 2017: Bath County Man Convicted of Obstructing Justice and Selling Misbranded Products

01/12/2018
February 6, 2017: Arizona Man Sentenced for Trafficking in Pet Products with Counterfeit Labels

01/12/2018
January 17, 2017: Tampa-Area Medical Device Salesman Guilty of Selling Expired Lap-Band Devices

01/12/2018
August 1, 2017: Two Kansans Sentenced for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Designer Drug Business

01/12/2018
June 15, 2017: Gloucester Woman Charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Steroids and Launder Money

01/12/2018
June 15, 2017: Two Kansans Sentenced for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Designer Drug Business

01/12/2018
May 15, 2017: Vitamin Shop Owner Guilty of Selling Misbranded Drugs and Controlled Substance

01/12/2018
July 17, 2017: Gloucester Woman Pleads Guilty to Her Role in Counterfeit Steroid Trafficking Scheme

01/12/2018
July 28, 2017: Westerly Resident to Plead Guilty to Trafficking Steroids, Money Laundering Charges

01/12/2018
September 5, 2017: New Hampshire Residents Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Involving Misbranded Drugs

01/12/2018
April 3, 2017: Printing and Packaging CEO Pleads Guilty to Trafficking in Counterfeit Labels and Packaging

01/12/2018
March 14, 2017: Woman Admits to Causing the Death of Another Person by Injecting Her with Liquid Silicone

01/12/2018
April 12, 2017: Former Medical Product Distributor Charged with False Statements about Hormone Shipments

01/12/2018
September 22, 2017:Woman Admits to Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs Not Approved for Use in the US

01/12/2018
June 13, 2017: Cherry Hill Doctor and Son Admit Defrauding Medicare, Agree To $1.78 Million Settlement

01/12/2018
September 25, 2017: Pharmacy Manager Pleads Guilty to Illegal Prescription Drug Diversion and Money Laundering

01/12/2018
July 28, 2017: Tampa Woman Sentenced to Prison For Misbranded Drugs Used in Connection with Buttocks Injection

01/12/2018
March 28, 2017: Former Atlantic County, New Jersey, Man Charged with Smuggling and Dispensing Misbranded Drugs

01/12/2018
September 12, 2017: Former Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Stealing Pain-killing Drugs, Replacing Vials with Water

01/12/2018
May 15, 2017: Printing and Packaging Business Owner Convicted of Trafficking in Counterfeit Veterinary Labels

01/12/2018
July 14, 2017: Senior Executives of Medical Drug Re-Packager Plead Guilty to Defrauding Healthcare Providers

01/12/2018
February 16, 2017: Atlanta Man Convicted of Illegally Importing and Distributing Male Enhancement Products from China

01/11/2018
September 25, 2017: Millions of Medicines Seized in Largest INTERPOL Operation Against Illicit Online Pharmacies

01/11/2018
January 3, 2017: Notification of Stolen Reckitt Benckiser Retail, Non-Prescription, Consumer Healthcare Products

01/09/2018
August 1, 2017: Radford Nurse Who Tampered with Liquid Morphine Intended for Nursing Home Patients Sentenced in Federal Court

01/09/2018
September 11, 2017: Three Florida Residents Arrested After Law Enforcement Discover Steroid and Fake Prescription Drug Lab

01/09/2018
June 21, 2017: Counterfeiters Sentenced for Convictions in Nationwide Conspiracy to Distribute Fake 5-Hour Energy Drink

01/09/2018
May 31, 2017: Drug Trafficking Organization Faces Indictment For Involvment In Manufacturing Fake Prescriptions Drugs With Fentanyl

01/09/2018
June 26, 2017: Owner of New England Compounding Center Sentenced for Racketeering Leading to Nationwide Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

01/09/2018
February 14, 2017: Two Miami-Dade Women Charged in Connection with Their Operation of a Spa Performing Illicit Silicone Injections

01/09/2018
June 22, 2017: Pharmacy Owner and Director of Compliance Charged with Defrauding United States and Distributing Adulterated Drugs

01/09/2018
April 12, 2017: Owners of Two Los Angeles-Area Drug Wholesale Companies Arrested in $20 Million Federal ‘Structuring’ Conspiracy

01/09/2018
February 7, 2017: Randallstown Woman Pleads Guilty to Injecting Non-Medical Grade Silicone into the Bodies of Victim Customers

01/09/2018
August 30, 2017: Miami-Dade Resident Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Prison for Operating a Miami Spa Performing Illicit Silicone Injections

01/09/2018
March 28, 2017: 3 Canadians and their Vancouver Company Charged with Conspiring to Sell Foreign-Made Drugs to Western Pennsylvania Pharmacists

01/09/2018
March 9, 2017: Internet Business Owner Indicted for Selling Non-FDA Approved and Misbranded Versions of Botox and Juvederm Related Products

01/09/2018
June 8, 2017: Houston, Texas Man convicted of Smuggling Korean Human Growth Hormone Drugs to Local Patients and Professional Wrestlers

01/09/2018
February 16, 2017: Oncology Practice, Doctor and Practice Manager Pay $1.7 Million to Resolve Allegations They Billed Medicare for Illegally Imported Drugs

01/09/2018
June 27, 2017: Physician and Wife to Pay $1.2 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations That They Billed Medicare and Medicaid for Unapproved Drugs

01/09/2018
September 6, 2017: Bronx Pharmacist Pleads Guilty To Illegally Selling Millions Of Prescription Pills On The Internet And Agrees To Forfeit $9 Million

01/09/2018
March 30, 2017: Lincoln Mother and Son Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Misbranded Substances, Drug Paraphernalia, and Related Financial Crimes

01/09/2018
January 12, 2017: Baxter Healthcare Corporation to Pay More than $18 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Liability Relating to Sterile Products

01/09/2018
September 20, 2017: Miami-Dade Resident Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison for Managing a Miami Spa Performing Illicit Silicone Injections

01/09/2018
May 23, 2017: Citizen of Pakistan and United Kingdom Sentenced For International Wire Fraud Scheme That Sold False Cures For Multiple Illnesses

01/09/2018
April 18, 2017: SCM True Air Technologies, of Ohio and Kentucky, and Its Former Company President – Guilty of Delivering Misbranded Medical Devices from Unregistered Facilities to a Georgia V.A. Medical Center and Obstructing an FDA Investigation into their Conduct

01/09/2018
September 26, 2017: Houston, Texas Man Sentenced to 40 Months and a $95,000 Fine for Smuggling Korean Human Growth Hormone Drugs to Local Patients and Professional Wrestlers

01/09/2018
September 27, 2017: Amerisourcebergen Specialty Group Pleads Guilty to Distributing Misbranded Drugs and is Sentenced to Pay $260 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability

01/09/2018
May 26, 2017: Florida Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Causing the Death of One Victim and Hospitalization of Others by Injecting them With Liquid Silicone

01/09/2018
September 11, 2017: Owner of O.C. Pet Products Company Pleads Guilty to Selling Pet Meds without Prescriptions, Some of Which Were Not Approved for U.S. Sale

12/21/2017
December 19, 2017: Senior Executives of Medical Drug Repackager Sentenced for Defrauding Healthcare Providers

12/21/2017
December 20, 2017: Fitchburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in Counterfeit Steroid Conspiracy

12/18/2017
December 18, 2017: Cherry Hill Doctor and Son Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Medicare

12/14/2017
December 12, 2017: Iserve Technologies, Inc. Pled Guilty in Connection with Guilty Pleas of Former Exec and Manager of Med-Fast Pharmacy Inc.

12/04/2017
November 30, 2017: Lynn Man Pleads Guilty to Counterfeit Steroid Conspiracy

12/04/2017
November 30, 2017: Paramedic Sentenced for Stealing Fentanyl from Ambulance Company

12/04/2017
November 28, 2017: Champaign, Illinois, Resident Guilty of Producing and Selling Over 80,000 Homemade Tramadol Capsules to Customers Without Verifying Prescriptions

12/04/2017
November 29, 2017: Knoxville Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud the FDA

11/27/2017
November 21, 2017: Williamsville Couple Pleads Guilty

11/27/2017
November 22, 2017: Former Pharmacy Compliance Director Pleads Guilty to Introducing Adulterated Drugs into Interstate Commerce and Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

11/27/2017
November 20, 2017: Vitamin Shop Owner Sentenced for Misbranded Drugs and Controlled Substance Conviction

11/21/2017
November 20, 2017:Queensbury Oncologist and Office Manager Plead Guilty in Connection with Administering Unapproved Drugs

11/21/2017
November 16, 2017: Palmer Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Import Prescription Drugs from Pakistan

11/20/2017
November 7, 2017: Federal Jury Convicts Lake Charles Veterinarian, Pharmacy in Race Horse Doping Conspiracy

11/06/2017
November 3, 2017: Vero Beach Orthopedic Surgeon Charged in Drug Conspiracy Resulting in Death

11/06/2017
November 3, 2017: Five Charged in Alleged Opioid Prescription, Healthcare Fraud Scheme

11/06/2017
November 1, 2017: New York Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Misbranded Animal Drugs Containing Steroids

11/01/2017
November 1, 2017: FDA Supervisor and Local Businessman Charged in Bribery Scheme

11/01/2017
November 1, 2017: Pair Sentenced on Federal Conspiracy

10/31/2017
October 31, 2017: South Korean Maker of Contact Lenses, Company CEO Charged with Smuggling Products into U.S. by Failing to Declare Full Value

10/31/2017
March 28, 2017: Oakland Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Conspiracy to Manufacture Counterfeit Drugs

10/30/2017
October 27, 2017: Central Kentucky Pharmacist Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and Money Laundering

10/26/2017
October 26, 2017: Founder and Owner of Pharmaceutical Company Insys Arrested and Charged with Racketeering

10/26/2017
October 25, 2017: Five Chinese Citizens and Four Chinese Companies Indicted in Scheme to Sell Mislabeled Dietary Supplements

10/26/2017
October 25, 2017: Supervisory Pharmacist of New England Compounding Center Convicted of Racketeering Leading to Nationwide Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

10/17/2017
October 16, 2017: Omak, Washington Nurse Sentenced to Federal Prison for Adulterating and Misbranding Pain Medications

10/10/2017
October 4, 2017: Med-Fast Pharmacy Inc. and Former Exec Agree to Resolve Criminal and Civil Charges

10/03/2017
October 2, 2017: Compounding Pharmacy Owner Charged with $10 Million Health Care Fraud

10/02/2017
September 29, 2017: Randallstown Woman Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Injecting Non-Medical Grade Silicone Into The Bodies Of Victim Customers

09/28/2017
September 20, 2017: Pair Plead Guilty to Federal Conspiracy Charge

08/29/2017
August 28, 2017: Shrewsbury Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Counterfeit Steroid Scheme

08/18/2017
August 18, 2017: Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Steroids, Money Laundering

07/18/2017
July 6, 2017: North Olmsted Man Charged with Selling Misbranded Drugs

07/03/2017
June 28, 2017: Former VA Nurse Re-Sentenced for Stealing and Tampering with Patient Medications

07/03/2017
June 28, 2017: Distributor of Counterfeit Medications Arrested

06/28/2017
June 23, 2017: Monterey Park Woman Arrested on Federal Charges after Allegedly Injecting Foreign Substances into Woman for Buttocks Enhancement

06/26/2017
June 22, 2017: Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Removing Liquid Fentanyl from Ambulance

06/19/2017
June 16, 2017: Leawood Woman Charged With Importing Misbranded Drugs

06/09/2017
June 9, 2017: Providence Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Oxycodone

04/24/2017
April 19, 2017: Radford Nurse, Who Tampered with Liquid Morphine Intended for Nursing Home Patients, Pleads Guilty

04/13/2017
April 12, 2017: Six Charged with Trafficking Counterfeit Steroids

04/06/2017
April 5, 2017: Worcester Nurse Sentenced for Drug Tampering

03/30/2017
March 22, 2017: Diamond Bar Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling ED Drugs that Were Sold as ‘Herbal Enhancement’ Products without Prescriptions

03/27/2017
March 22, 2017: Owner of New England Compounding Center Convicted of Racketeering Leading to Nationwide Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

01/19/2017
January 18, 2017: Owner of Major Online Colored Contact Lens Business Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison in Largest-Ever Scheme to Import and Sell Counterfeit and Misbranded Contact Lenses Prosecuted in the United States

01/19/2017
January 13, 2017: Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Drugs

01/17/2017
January 11, 2017: Worcester Nurse Pleads Guilty to Drug Tampering

02/20/2018
August 19, 2016: Pharmacy Owner and Medical Doctor Charged in an Internet Scheme to Dispense Medications to Customers without Valid Prescriptions

01/24/2018
December 6, 2016: Two Sentenced for Trafficking in Counterfeit Viagra and Cialis

01/24/2018
December 9, 2016: Carroll County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy Charge

01/24/2018
July 18, 2016: Cincinnati Man Sentenced for Illegally Importing Drugs into U.S.

01/24/2018
July 7, 2016: Johnston Resident Charged with Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering

01/24/2018
January 7, 2016: Former Nurse Pleads Guilty to Stealing Narcotics from Hospital

01/24/2018
December 8, 2016: Pharmaceutical Executives Charged in Racketeering Scheme

01/24/2018
December 2, 2016: Woman Arrested For Injecting Adulterated Liquid Silicone

01/24/2018
June 27, 2016: Hampton-Based Spice Retailer and Wholesaler Pleads Guilty

01/24/2018
May 31, 2016: Worcester Nurse Indicted on Federal Drug Tampering Charges

01/16/2018
October 11, 2016: Foreign National Pleads Guilty To International Wire Fraud Scheme

01/12/2018
December 20, 2016: New England Compounding Center’s National Sales Director Pleads Guilty

01/12/2018
December 27, 2016: Providence Nurse Charged in Connection with Tampering with Oxycodone

01/12/2018
January 20, 2016: Businessman Sentenced for Marketing and Selling Unapproved Remedies for Cancer

01/12/2018
June 2, 2016: Additional Criminal Charges Brought Against Indicted Penn National Horse Trainer

01/12/2018
August 15, 2016: Second Trafficker Convicted of Distributing Dangerous Counterfeit Viagra and Cialis

01/12/2018
October 12, 2016: Colombian National Charged for Unlawfully Injecting Silicone into Victims Bodies

01/12/2018
September 22, 2016: Hoover Man Charged for Marketing Misbranded Male Enhancement Drugs from China

01/12/2018
September, 22, 2016 Hoover Man Charged for Marketing Misbranded Male Enhancement Drugs from China

01/12/2018
August 2, 2016: Colombian National Charged for Unlawfully Injecting Silicone into Victims’ Bodies

01/12/2018
December 13, 2016: Tampa Resident Indicted for Involvement with Tricare Health Care Fraud Scheme

01/12/2018
September 29, 2016: New York Man Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Illegally Manufacture Designer Steroids

01/12/2018
July 1, 2016: New Hampshire Couple Indicted On Two Counts Of Illegal Distribution Of Prescription Drugs

01/12/2018
June 22, 2016: Former Nurse Sentenced to 82 Months for Stealing and Tampering with Patient Medications

01/12/2018
December 19, 2016: New York Man Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Term for Selling Unsafe Dietary Supplements Online

01/12/2018
July 29, 2016: Majority Owner of NECC and Husband Plead Guilty to Illegal Cash Withdrawals Following Outbreak

01/12/2018
July 20, 2016: Former Acclarent, Inc. Executives Convicted of Crimes Related to the Sale of Medical Devices

01/12/2018
June 6, 2016: Pharmaceutical Companies To Pay $67 Million To Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating To Tarceva

01/11/2018
July 22, 2016: Medical Device Manufacturer Acclarent Inc. to Pay $18 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

01/11/2018
November 15, 2016: Miami-Dade Resident Sentenced to Fifteen Months in Prison for Distributing Contaminated Cheese

01/09/2018
November 4, 2016: Two Pakistani Nationals Sentenced for Conspiring to Illegally Ship Pharmaceuticals into the United States

01/09/2018
November 29, 2016: Eight Defendants Convicted For Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Counterfeit 5-Hour Energy Drink

01/09/2018
July 6, 2016: New Jersey Medical Device Manufacturer Admits Selling Contaminated Ultrasound Gel; Court Orders Permanent Injunction

01/09/2018
June 21, 2016: Two Pharmacists Sentenced to Prison for Adulteration of Drugs in Connection with Alabama-Based Compounding Pharmacy

01/09/2018
December 2, 2016: Former Police Officer Sentenced in White Plains Federal Court to 8 Years in Prison for Selling Date Rape Drug

01/09/2018
December 13, 2016: O.C. Man Charged with Selling Pet Meds Without a Prescription, Some of Which Were Not Approved for Distribution in the United States

01/09/2018
November 10, 2016: Nurse Who Operated Spa in Laguna Niguel Agrees to Plead Guilty to Illegally Dispensing Botox Not Approved for Use in United States

01/09/2018
November 28, 2016: Iowa Cancer Clinic and Oncologist to Pay More Than $176,000 To Settle False Claims Act Allegations They Recklessly Billed for Cancer Drugs That Were Unapproved, Misbranded, or Counterfeit and Improperly Upcoded Office Visit Claims

01/09/2018
September 9, 2016: Owner of Major Online Colored Contact Lens Business Pleads Guilty in Largest-Ever Investigation of Counterfeit and Misbranded Contact Lenses in the United States

01/09/2018
November 7, 2016: Medical Device Maker Biocompatibles Pleads Guilty to Misbranding and Agrees to Pay $36 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability and False Claims Act Allegations

01/09/2018
December 7, 2016: GNC Enters Into Agreement with Department of Justice to Improve Its Practices and Keep Potentially Illegal Dietary Supplements Out of the Marketplace

01/09/2018
December 5, 2016: Medical Device Saleswoman Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Charges Relating to the Transport of Stolen Medical Devices and Money Laundering

12/15/2016
December 13, 2016: Conagra Subsidiary Sentenced in Connection with Outbreak of Salmonella Poisoning Related to Peanut Butter

12/13/2016
December 9, 2016: Two South Florida Residents Charged with Conspiring to Misbrand and Sell Expired Gastric Banding Systems

11/21/2016
November 18, 2016: Palm Harbor Oncologist Convicted Of Buying Unapproved Cancer Medications From Foreign Sources And Defrauding Medicare

11/08/2016
November 4, 2016: University Hospital Nurse Arrested Following Grand Jury Indictment for Illegally Obtaining and Tampering with Fentanyl and Hydomorphone

10/17/2016
October 11, 2016: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing, Distributing Performance Enhancing Drugs

09/26/2016
September 9, 2016: Medical Device Saleswoman Convicted on Charges of Conspiring to Transport Stolen Medical Devices in Interstate Commerce, Money Laundering and Other Charges

08/19/2016
August 19,2016: North Carolina Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Providing Silicone Buttocks Injections Resulting in the Death of a Client

07/26/2016
July 25, 2016: Three Charged with Manufacturing, Distributing Performance Enhancing Drugs

06/20/2016
June 20, 2016: R.I. Businessman Pleads Guilty to Running International Scheme to Label and Sell Misbranded Drugs

06/08/2016
June 2, 2016: President of Pharmaceutical Companies Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Long-Running Scheme to Sell Misbranded and Unapproved Chemotherapy and Other Prescription Drugs

05/27/2016
May 26, 2016: Owner of “The Wholesale Source” Convicted for Selling Unsafe Dietary Supplements Online

05/27/2016
May 27, 2016: North Carolina Man Admits Receiving and Selling Misbranded Silicone for Buttocks Injections Resulting in the Death of a Client

05/23/2016
May 9, 2016: California Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Unapproved Drug in Rhode Island

05/19/2016
May 18, 2016: Woman Charged with Illegally Administering Silicone Injections

05/16/2016
May 13, 2016: Two Key Players in Illegal Online Pharmacy Scheme Sentenced to Prison

05/16/2016
May 12, 2016: Windsor Mill Woman Indicted for Allegedly Injecting Non-Medical Grade Silicone into the Bodies of Victim Customers

05/09/2016
May 9, 2016: Owner of Bodybuilding Drug Companies Sentenced for Selling Misbranded Drugs

05/09/2016
May 9, 2016: Lodi Oncologist and Office Administrator Pay $300,000 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

05/06/2016
May 5, 2016: Florida Man Sentenced To Prison For Illegal Diet Pill Scheme

05/05/2016
May 4, 2016: Former Buffalo Nurse Sentenced For Stealing Pain Medications Intended For Patients From Local Hospital

05/04/2016
April 28, 2016: Jury Convicts Former Police Officer For Selling Date Rape Drug

05/04/2016
May 3, 2016: Gainesville Physician Convicted of 162 Counts of Health Care Fraud

05/02/2016
April 29, 2016: Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Arrest Of Black Market Distributor Of Diverted HIV Medications Worth Approximately $4 Million

04/20/2016
April 20, 2016: Norfolk Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Distributing Insulin

04/14/2016
April 7, 2016: Former Nurse Sentenced for Stealing Narcotics from Hospital

04/06/2016
April 4, 2016: Former Carlsbad Resident Jailed for Sale of Unapproved “Energy Wave” Medical Devices

03/24/2016
March 23, 2016: Federal Jury Convicts Destrehan Woman in Scheme to Sell Illegal and Mislabelled Diet Pills

03/24/2016
March 23, 2016: Detroit-Area Physician Sentenced to 45 Months in Prison for Role in $5.7 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

03/21/2016
March 18, 2016: Bookkeeper for Online Pharmacy Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Money Laundering

03/11/2016
March 8, 2016: Cincinnati Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Importing Drugs into U.S.

03/08/2016
March 7, 2016: Tehachapi Doctor Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Defrauding Patients and Insurers by Implanting Unapproved IUDs

03/08/2016
March 4, 2016: First of Seven Defendants Who Operated Illegal Online Pharmacy Sentenced to Prison

03/04/2016
March 4, 2016: Mumbai, India, Man Sentenced on Misbranding Charge

03/03/2016
March 1, 2016: Principal of Dietary Ingredient Companies Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Fraud and Meth Precursor Scheme

02/29/2016
February 26, 2016: Florence Man Sentenced for Smuggling and Distributing Prescription Drugs

02/25/2016
February 17, 2016: Danville Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing and Distributing Illegal Dietary Supplements

02/24/2016
February 24, 2016: Former VA Nurse Pleads Guilty To Stealing Controlled Substance From Hospital Syringes

02/24/2016
February 17, 2016: Two Men Sentenced For Involvement in Scheme to Distribute Misbranded Drugs

02/23/2016
February 10, 2016: Las Vegas Resident Indicted For Running Counterfeit and Misbranded Contact Lens Operation

02/19/2016
February 17, 2016: United States And Vermont Doctor Resolve Matter Involving Non-FDA Approved Drugs And False Claims

02/19/2016
February 16, 2016: Swedish Medical Center Surgical Tech/Technologist Indicted by Federal Grand Jury in Denver on Charges of Tampering with a Consumer Product and Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Deceit

02/19/2016
February 10, 2016: Owner of Cancer Treatment Clinic Convicted of Providing Fraudulent Medical Treatments to Patients

02/04/2016
January 28, 2016: Federal Criminal Charges Filed Against Two Pharmacists for Adulteration of Drugs in Connection with Alabama-Based Compounding Pharmacy

02/02/2016
February 1, 2016: Pakistani Man Makes Appearance in U.S. District Court in Denver Following Indictment and Arrest for Sale and Distribution of New, Misbranded and Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

02/02/2016
February 1, 2016: Worcester Nurse Sentenced for Stealing Oxycodone from Patients

02/02/2016
January 22, 2016: Counterfeit Cigarette Smuggler Receives Jail Sentence

02/02/2016
January 5, 2016: Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison in Conspiracy to Distribute Over $6.6 Million in Contraband Cigarettes

MIL OSI USA News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Statement of Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson on Her Departure from the CFTC

Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as a Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Having completed my full term, I have notified the President of my intent to step down as a CFTC Commissioner later this year. Although this is a difficult decision, I am proud of the work that I have accomplished and am deeply grateful for the chance to develop meaningful relationships with staff and current and former Commissioners during my tenure at the CFTC.
I am exceptionally fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve our great nation and am honored that President Joseph R. Biden nominated me to serve in two critical roles as a financial market regulator. In addition to nominating me to serve a three-year term as a CFTC Commissioner in the fall of 2021, last summer, President Biden nominated me to serve as Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions at the United States Department of the Treasury.
As a graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, the invitation to return to Washington, D.C. as a CFTC Commissioner resonated with my life-long commitment to be “in service of others.” When I accepted the nomination to serve as a CFTC Commissioner, I requested a three-year leave of absence from Emory University School of Law where I serve as Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. On March 28, 2022, I was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. On March 30, 2022, not long after teaching my last class for the semester at Emory Law School, I was sworn in to serve as a CFTC Commissioner.
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the CFTC, a small-but-mighty agency that works daily to advance effective supervision and oversight in derivatives markets. In 1974, Congress passed and Former President Gerald Ford[1] signed into law the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act creating the CFTC. A few months later, on April 15, 1975, four of the first five Commissioners, including the first Chairman of the Commission, were sworn in to service.
As the Commission celebrates this important milestone, I celebrated my third anniversary at the Commission. A few days after my third anniversary, my term expired.
Our derivatives markets operate as a critical resource for price discovery, risk management, and hedging functions for many sectors in our economy but, most notably, the agriculture, energy, and financial services sectors. One of the greatest strengths of our federal government and, more specifically, the federal agencies that supervise many of the largest global financial market participants in the world, is the intellectual leadership of our regulators.[2] Over the last several decades significant events have tested the resilience of our markets. In each instance, the Commission and its regulations developed through robust engagement among the Commissioners—with the support of the Commission staff—have served to address liquidity and default risk management concerns and to enhance the integrity and stability of our derivatives markets.
I have endeavored to support the Commission’s work through constructive, substantive engagement with my fellow Commissioners, Commission staff, and the diverse businesses that we supervise. I am deeply committed to encouraging the Commission to develop well-informed, research-based, data-driven regulatory solutions that are well-tailored and fit-for-purpose. Thoughtful, effective regulation ensures that our markets are resilient even during periods of significant or persistent challenges.
It has been a privilege to serve alongside my fellow Commissioners and to have had the opportunity to work with the exceptional and indefatigable staff at the Commission. The Commission staff works tirelessly to support the Commission in tackling complex and consequential issues through careful and thoughtful deliberative processes. I am confident that the Commission will continue to do important work protecting investors and customers, combatting fraud and market manipulation, and ensuring market integrity and stability.
A Survey of Service
Serving in leadership at the Commission, I have enjoyed driving intellectual and policy developments on several critical issues facing our markets. I led the Commission by advancing proposed and final rules that enhance risk management for derivatives clearing organizations (DCOs), cyber-resilience, and effective recovery, resilience, and wind-down regulations.
I have strongly advocated for careful reflection regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial markets and advocated for a number of policies and strategies to enhance the Commission’s ability to better understand industry integration of AI, including information gathering; the creation of an inter-agency task force encouraging domestic and international harmonization and collaboration on guidance or policies addressing the adoption of AI; the creation of a CFTC AI Fraud and Market Manipulation Task Force; and efforts to ensure sufficient human capital and financial resources to enable the Commission staff to keep pace with rapidly-evolving AI technologies.
In the wake of a crypto-crisis in the fall of 2022, I delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Digital Assets @Duke conference, where I called for the Commission to organize roundtables and convene discussions to better understand the type of regulatory interventions that may lead to effective supervision of rapidly developing and evolving decentralized finance markets.[3] I encouraged the Commission to begin a multi-stakeholder dialogue on digital asset markets that would help to prepare the Commission staff to create regulation to carry out a Congressional mandate and, at the same time, offer educational workshops on foundational issues such as corporate governance, resolution planning, and customer protection features of CFTC regulation.[4] These regulatory pillars are hardwired in our supervision and should be part of the regulatory architecture for any novel assets or markets that come under Commission supervision. Same risks, same rules. Moreover, these governance and operational guardrails have historically served to ensure that firms are able to withstand anticipated shocks (for example, by promoting enterprise risk management) and that markets remain resilient—even in times of significant distress.
I am proud to have served as Sponsor of the Market Risk Advisory Committee (MRAC). I am grateful for the hard work of Alicia Crighton (Chair of the MRAC), the members of the MRAC, and the members of the MRAC Subcommittees—the Market Structure, Central Counterparty Risk & Governance, Interest Rate Benchmark Reform, Climate-Related Market Risk, and Future of Finance Subcommittees.
As Sponsor of the MRAC, I led the Commission in taking on, in real-time, emerging cyber defense and cyber resilience concerns. In March of 2023, the MRAC hosted a first-of-its-kind hearing to examine cyber threats and potential solutions in derivatives markets. Over the last three years, the MRAC has submitted three sets of recommendations and a cutting-edge report to the Commission. The recommendations and report address system safeguards, critical third-party service providers and cyber resilience for institutions at the center of our market infrastructure; the efficacy of recovery, resilience, and wind-down policies for intermediaries in our markets; risk management related to the cash-futures basis trade; and a report on the state of the futures commission merchant market.
The central tenants of the Commodity Exchange Act inform the CFTC’s mandate—to prevent fraud and market manipulation, protect investors and customers, and ensure the stability and integrity of our markets. In order to deter escalating or future misconduct, I have strongly supported efforts to ensure that the Commission upholds this mandate, enhances customer protection, and holds bad actors accountable.
Artificial Intelligence in Financial Markets
While derivatives transactions in financial markets date back to ancient Greece, none of the Greek philosophers who lived two thousand years ago had the ability to generate a philosophical tome or literary masterpiece by simply typing a few questions into ChatGPT.[5] Simply stated, today’s financial markets are evolving at an unprecedented and accelerated pace. I arrived at the Commission deeply committed to advancing the Commission’s understanding of AI and AI use cases relevant to our markets. During my tenure at the Commission, I partnered with leadership across the industry, government regulators, public interest advocates, academics, and Commission staff to initiate a dialogue on the increasing adoption of AI by our market participants as well as the incorporation of AI in regulatory oversight and supervision.
Information-Gathering
In January 2024, I rolled up my sleeves during a winter storm and worked in collaboration with talented CFTC senior staff to develop the Commission’s first request for comment on AI in CFTC-regulated markets.[6] Later in the year, I represented the Commission in the development of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s request for information on AI.[7] I also represented the Commission by serving in an association of federal regulators across government agencies engaged in understanding the implications of integrating AI in government supervision and regulation.
In June of 2023, I joined a group of market regulators reflecting on the integration of AI in supervisory technology (SupTech) at the International Organization of Securities Commissions’ (IOSCO) Annual Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. Days after IOSCO’s Annual Meeting in June 2023, I launched an annual international roundtable to explore AI and other novel technologies and the impact of these technologies on market structures with the former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón.[8] I have served as a keynote speaker at dozens of industry and trade association conferences as well as academic institutions including Yale, Stanford, Duke, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, the University of Chicago, and Cornell Law Schools, as well as Rice University’s Baker Institute, among other institutions where I have been fortunate to engage in thoughtful conversations with leading experts representing diverse viewpoints.
My engagement with market participants, U.S. market and prudential regulators, and global market regulators around the world has left me with the impression that we are still in a learning phase and are continuing to develop more precise understandings of the power, potential, and limits of developed and developing applications of AI, including generative and agentic AI. I have, however, advocated for a few accessible policy initiatives that the Commission should begin to take steps to introduce.
An Inter-Agency Task Force – Collaboration and Coordination
Over the last three years, I have advocated for AI policy priorities that must be at the center of the CFTC and other regulators’ policy agenda.[9] I have called for coordination among regulators to ensure that regulators are informed and have the depth of expertise to respond effectively to emerging technologies. I have asked the Commission and other financial market regulators to create an Inter-Agency AI Task Force to establish a pathway for open dialogue through deep dive, public and closed-door roundtables among the Commission, market participants, other market and prudential regulators, and public interest advocates.[10] Shortly after the announcement of my proposal, the Commission named its first Chief AI Officer.
CFTC AI Fraud and Market Manipulation Task Force
Our markets are faced with increasingly sophisticated forms of AI driven fraud. Evidence suggests that hackers are repurposing AI-based tools previously used in cyber defense tactics to identify weaknesses in networks and cybersecurity applications. These weaknesses open back doors for cyber-attacks. Generative AI may enable sophisticated actors to execute more convincing phishing campaigns. Deep fakes and similar campaigns may be more difficult to detect, especially for less sophisticated consumers and retail participants.
I have encouraged the Commission to create an internal AI task force within the Division of Enforcement and introduce heightened civil monetary penalties in instances where bad actors use AI to engage in fraud or market manipulation. In conversations with regulators in jurisdictions around the world, I have advocated for regulators to better understand AI as a SupTech resource that may enhance our ability to more precisely target AI fueled cyber and fraud attacks that threaten to upend the integrity and stability of domestic and global financial markets causing severe market disruption.
Human Capital and Financial Resources
The CFTC continues to punch above its weight. The agency, however, must have both financial and human resources to keep pace as industry participants integrate increasingly complex iterations of AI. As our markets become more complex and reflect the incorporation of and reliance on novel technologies, the Commission must have the resources to effectively supervise more sophisticated markets. I believe that the Commission would benefit from increased resources dedicated to enabling several of the Divisions within the Commission to prepare for and meet the challenges of regulating innovative trading, clearing, and settlement technologies.[11]
The Market Risk Advisory Committee
In my role as Sponsor of the MRAC, I have convened stakeholders with diverse perspectives to address critical, complex issues facing our markets. Under my leadership and working in collaboration with industry executives representing exchanges, clearinghouses, futures commission merchants, as well as public interest advocates, academics, and many others, the MRAC examined many of the most pressing risks across our financial markets, including systemic issues that could threaten the stability of derivatives markets.
During my time as Sponsor, the MRAC has focused on increasing concerns presented by cyber threats; the significance of critical third-party service providers such as cloud-based service providers; the introduction of artificial intelligence in market infrastructure and commercial and retail transactions; and novel and nascent issues that arise with the introduction of decentralized financial products such as digital assets or cryptocurrency and other emerging markets.
In March of 2023, the MRAC hosted a first-of-its-kind post-mortem on the implications for markets following the cyberattack on back-office service provider ION. The hearing included presentations by Matthew Cronin of the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director; Tom Sexton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Futures Association; Walt Lukken, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Futures Industry Association; Julie Holzrichter of CME Group; Amanda Olear, Former Director of the Market Participants Division of the CFTC; Greg Ruppert, Executive Vice President of FINRA; Ashwini Panse of Intercontinental Exchange; Suyash Paliwal, Former Director of the CFTC Office of International Affairs (OIA); and Senior Special Counsel Kirsten Robbins of the CFTC OIA, among others.[12]
At the MRAC’s most recent meeting, the Committee voted to submit recommendations on many issues—a report and recommendation on the need to evaluate our regulations governing critical third party service providers (particularly in areas marked by concentration risks due to a limited number of competitive service providers); cyber resilience for derivatives clearing organizations; and best practices for managing market, liquidity, counterparty credit, and other risks related to the cash futures basis trade.[13] In addition to these significant contributions, the MRAC advanced important recovery and resolution proposals and published a cutting-edge report on concentration risk engendered by a decline in the market for futures commission merchant services over the last two decades.[14]
The MRAC’s work on each of these critical questions will help the Commission to address emerging issues and enhance the Commission’s ability to promote the stability and integrity of derivatives markets.
The Importance of Public Service
I began my legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. I am thankful that the Judge was willing to take a chance on me; the Judge hired me as a second-year law student to serve as his law clerk upon my graduation from law school. Having spent the better part of his career as a federal prosecutor and later a federal judge, Judge Greenaway taught me to value public service and the importance of building relationships in the communities in which we serve.
I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve the CFTC community. Every well-developed proposed or final rule review, open or closed meeting briefing and engagement, advisory committee meeting agenda, and policy initiative advanced by my office benefited tremendously from the tireless work and commitment of my current and former staff. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who served my office in any counsel, policy advisor or law student intern role. I am also grateful to the incomparable executive assistants who supported the administrative functions of the office.
About Commissioner Johnson
Immediately prior to joining the Commission, Commissioner Johnson served as a tenured professor with an endowed professorship (Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law) and Associate Dean for Faculty Research at Emory University School of Law. Commissioner Johnson also held a named professorship and served as Associate Dean for Faculty Research at Tulane University School of Law. Prior to law teaching, Commissioner Johnson served as a lawyer in private practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLC’s New York and London offices supporting the mergers and acquisitions, private credit and public and private capital markets practices. Upon leaving private practice, Commissioner Johnson joined J.P. Morgan Chase as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel in the Treasury Services Division supporting private funds. Before attending law school, Commissioner Johnson served as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Asset Management Division.
Commissioner Johnson is the co-author of two forthcoming books—The Cambridge University Press Handbook on Artificial Intelligence & The Law and Artificial Intelligence & The Law: Cases and Materials. Her recent work examines the implications of emerging innovative technologies including distributed digital ledger technologies that enable the creation of digital assets or cryptocurrency as well as networked, centralized and decentralized transaction-enabling infrastructure. Her early scholarship focuses on financial market disruptions that may create systemic risk concerns, with particular emphasis on the origination of derivatives and other complex financial products as well as secondary market trading, clearing, and settlement. She has testified before Congress on the benefits and risks of integrating emerging technologies such as blockchain or distributed digital ledger technologies and AI in financial markets.[15]

[3] Keynote Address of Commissioner Kristin Johnson at Digital Assets @ Duke Conference, Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering and Duke Financial Economics Center, Mitigating Crypto-Crises: Applying Lessons Learned in Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (January 26, 2023), https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opajohnson2.

[4] See Kristin N. Johnson, Commissioner, CFTC, Federal Reserve of Chicago Financial Markets Group Fall Conference, Investing in Investor Protection (Nov. 16, 2022), available on file with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; see also Nahiomy Alvarez, Nomaan Chandiwalla, Alessandro Cocco, 2022 Financial Markets Group Fall Conference–Recap, https://www.chicagofed.org/publications/blogs/ chicago-fed-insights/2023/2022-fmg-fall-conference-recap (Feb. 6, 2023).

[5] Kristin N. Johnson, Regulating Cryptocurrency Secondary Market Trading Platforms, 1/8/2020 U. Chi. L. Rev. Online 1 (2020).

[7] See U.S. Department of the Treasury, Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services (Dec. 2024), https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Artificial-Intelligence-in-Financial-Services.pdf (Treasury December Report).

[15] In April of 2021, Commissioner Johnson testified before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions. In July of 2019, she testified before the House Financial Services Committee Artificial Intelligence Task Force on the implications of integrating artificial intelligence in financial technology (fintech) platforms.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rediscovering lost Gaelic words
Source: Scottish Government

Funding for Gaelic cultural projects.

An online dictionary which has rediscovered lost Gaelic phrases and word meanings is one of 12 projects set to benefit from Scottish Government funding.

Faclair na Gàidhlig (the Historical Dictionary of Scottish Gaelic) seeks to provide a better understanding of Gaelic’s history and culture. It is the first dictionary of the language which aims to detail the origins and meanings of every known Gaelic word. Compilers expect that it will contain more than 100,000 entries.

As part of the initiative, researchers have investigated historical manuscripts dating back to the 12th Century.

Rediscovered phrases and word meanings include:
- the phrase “Ciod fo na rionnagan” (“what under the stars”), which was used in the early 1900s to emphasise a point similar to “what on earth”
- the Gaelic word for prickly pear fruit, “peur stobach”, was first used in a letter documenting a visit to Saint Helena in 1900
- “uircean”, which is the Gaelic word for “piglet”, also used to mean “whale calf” in the 1800s
The investment will build on 20 years of work by helping Faclair na Gàidhlig to reach new audiences including learners, researchers, writers and speakers of Gaelic.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes announced the funding as part of a wider £500,000 package to support the language’s growth across Scotland. The investment will also support the publication of Gaelic language books, local mòd events throughout Scotland and Gaelic cultural activities including a summer school and musical events.

Ms Forbes said:

“The dictionary initiative is providing researchers, writers, speakers and learners of Gaelic with new insight into the language and it will be a valuable resource for future generations.

“Gaelic is a core part of Scotland’s culture, heritage and history. To support the language’s growth across Scotland, I am announcing funding for a range of Gaelic publishing, education, arts and community projects today.

“This will build on measures set out in the Scottish Languages Bill to strengthen Gaelic education provision and our investment of £35.7 million in initiatives to promote the language in 2025-26.”

Ola Szczesnowicz, Senior Editor of Faclair na Gàidhlig, said:

“Faclair na Gàidhlig will be the most comprehensive dictionary of Scottish Gaelic compiled on historical principles, similar to the Oxford English Dictionary. This is a big undertaking, and we welcome the Scottish Government’s funding to help continue our work. Our dictionary entries are already going online, freely available to Gaelic speakers and everyone interested in the language.”

Background

Audio clips to assist with the pronunciation of Gaelic words are available from LearnGaelic’s website online.

Faclair na Gàidhlig is available to read online.

The initiative is based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture. It involves the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde. Scottish Government funding for Faclair na Gàidhlig is delivered through the Scottish Funding Council and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Organisations which will benefit from funding include:
- Comunn na Gàidhlig, which has been allocated £134,190 to promote Scottish Gaelic language and culture
- An Comunn Gàidhealach (organisers of the Royal National Mòd) will benefit from £74,000 to support the organisation of local mòd events
- Fèisean nan Gàidheal (National Association of Scottish Gaelic Arts Youth Tuition Festivals) will be provided £37,000 to support Gaelic music
- Tobar an Dualchais is to receive £35,000 to support the ongoing collection of online materials in Gaelic and Scots including songs, stories and rhythms
- Ceòlas is to receive £30,000 to support Gaelic cultural activities including its summer school and musical events
- Comhairle nan Leabhraichean (Gaelic Book Council), which will receive £49,000, and Acair Publishing, which will be provided £30,000, to support the publication of Gaelic books
- Ainmean Àite na h-Alba (Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland) has been allocated £20,000 to continue its work as the national advisory partnership for Gaelic place-names in Scotland
- Faclair na Gàidhlig will receive £17,500 to reach new audiences in collaboration with other Gaelic organisations
- Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (Islay Gaelic Centre) has been allocated £17,500 to host Gaelic classes, exhibitions and early years groups
- Theatre gu Leòr will benefit from £10,000 to deliver Gaelic theatrical performances across Scotland
Faclan Gàidhlig caillte air an lorg às ùr

Maoineachadh airson pròiseactan cultarail Gàidhlig

’S e faclair air-loidhne a tha air abairtean is brìghean Gàidhlig caillte a lorg às ùr aon de 12 pròiseactan a tha gus buannachd fhaighinn à maoineachadh le Riaghaltas na h-Alba.

Tha Faclair na Gàidhlig airson a bhith a’ toirt seachad tuigse nas fheàrr de dh’eachdraidh is cultar na Gàidhlig. ’S e a’ chiad fhaclair den chànan a bhios ag amas mìneachadh a thoirt seachad air tùs agus brìgh a h-uile facal Gàidhlig air a bheil eòlas againn. Tha an fheadhainn a tha an sàs san fhaclair an dùil gum bi còrr air 100,000 facal is abairt ann.

Mar phàirt den iomairt, rinn luchd-rannsachaidh sgrùdadh air làmh-sgrìobhainnean a’ dol cho fada air ais ris an 12mh Linn.

Am measg nan abairtean is brìghean a chaidh a lorg às ùr tha:
- an abairt “Ciod fo na rionnagan”, a chaidh a chleachdadh tràth san 12mh Linn ann an seagh coltach ri “dè fon ghrèin” san latha an-diugh
- chaidh “peur stobach” a chleachdadh son a’ chiad uair mar ainm Gàidhlig airson “prickly pear fruit” ann an litir ag aithris air turas gu St Helena ann an 1900
- bha “uircean”, a tha mar as trice a’ ciallachadh muc òg, air a chleachdadh sna 1800an mar fhacal airson cuilean na muice-mara
Bidh an tasgadh-airgid a’ togail air 20 bliadhna de dh’obair le bhith a’ cuideachadh Faclair na Gàidhlig ann a bhith a’ ruighinn luchd-leughaidh ùr – nam measg luchd-ionnsachaidh, luchd-rannsachaidh, sgrìobhadairean agus luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig.

Chaidh maoineachadh a’ phròiseict fhoillseachadh leis an Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear agus Rùnaire a’ Chaibineit airson na h-Eaconamaidh agus na Gàidhlig, Ceit Fhoirbeis, mar phàirt de phacaid nas motha luach £500,000 gus taic a chur ri fàs na Gàidhlig air feadh Alba.

Cuiridh an tasgadh-airgid taic cuideachd ri bhith a’ foillseachadh leabhraichean Gàidhlig, a’ cumail thachartasan airson nam Mòd ionadail air feadh Alba is cuideachd cur-seachadan cultarail Gàidhlig – nam measg sgoil samhraidh agus tachartasan ciùil.

Thuirt a’ Bh-uas. Fhoirbeis:

“Tha iomairt an fhaclair a’ toirt sheallaidhean ùra air a’ chànan do luchd-rannsachaidh, luchd-labhairt agus luchd-ionnsachaidh is bidh e na stòras luachmhor do ghinealaichean ri thighinn.

“Tha a’ Ghàidhlig na prìomh phàirt de chultar, dualchas agus eachdraidh na h-Alba. Gus taic a chur ri fàs a’ chànain, tha mi an-diugh a’ cur an cèill maoineachadh airson measgachadh de phròiseactan Gàidhlig ann am foillseachadh, foghlam, na h-ealainean agus aig ìre na coimhearsnachd.

“Bidh seo a’ togail air na ceumannan a tha an lùib Bile nan Cànan Albannach gus foghlam Gàidhlig a neartachadh, agus cuideachd air an tasgadh-airgid as fhiach £35.7 millean a tha sinn a’ cur ri iomairtean gus an cànan a bhrosnachadh ann an 2025-26.”

Thuirt Ola Szczesnowicz, Àrd-dheasaiche Fhaclair na Gàidhlig:

“Bheir Faclair na Gàidhlig seachad am faclair as mionaidiche a chaidh a chruthachadh don Ghàidhlig a rèir phrionnsapalan eachdraidheil, coltach ri Faclair Eachdraidheil Oxford anns a’ Bheurla. ’S e obair mhòr a tha seo agus tha sinn a’ cur fàilte air maoineachadh Riaghaltas na h-Alba is e gar cuideachadh ann a bhith a’ leantainn na h-obrach. Tha faclan is abairtean an Fhaclair mu thràth a’ dol air-loidhne is iad ri fhaighinn gu saor an-asgaidh do luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig agus duine sam bith aig a bheil ùidh sa chànan.”

Cùl-fhiosrachadh

Gheibhear criomagan-fuaime air-loidhne aig LearnGaelic gus cuideachadh le bhith a’ fuaimneachadh nam facal Gàidhlig.

’S urrainnear Faclair na Gàidhlig a leughadh air-loidhne.

’S ann aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Ionad Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig, a tha an iomairt stèidhichte. Tha oilthighean Obar Dheathain, Dhùn Èideann, Ghlaschu agus Shrath Chluaidh an sàs sa phròiseact. Tha am maoineachadh a tha Riaghaltas na h-Alba a’ toirt dha Faclair na Gàidhlig air a thoirt seachad tro Chomhairle Mhaoineachaidh na h-Alba agus Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Am measg nam buidhnean a gheibh buannachd às a’ mhaoineachadh seo tha:
- Chaidh £134,190 a chomharrachadh do Chomunn na Gàidhlig, gus cànan agus cultar na Gàidhlig a chur air adhart
- Thèid £74,000 a thoirt don Chomunn Ghàidhealach (leis a bheil Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail) gus taic a chur ri bhith ag ullachadh tachartasan nam Mòd ionadail
- Gheibh Fèisean nan Gàidheal £37,000 airson taic a chur ri ceòl Gàidhlig
- Tha Tobar an Dualchais gus £35,000 fhaighinn gus taic a chur ris an obair leantainnich aca a’ cruinneachadh stuthan air-loidhne sa Ghàidhlig agus Albais. Am measg seo tha òrain, sgeulachdan agus ruitheaman
- Tha Ceòlas gus £30,000 fhaighinn a chuireas taic ri cur-seachadan cultarail Gàidhlig mar an sgoil samhraidh aca
- Acair, a gheibh £30,000, agus Comhairle nan Leabhraichean, a gheibh £49,000, gus cuideachadh le bhith a’ foillseachadh leabhraichean Gàidhlig
- Chaidh £20,000 a chomharrachadh airson Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba, gus an cùm iad orra leis an obair aca mar a’ bhuidhinn-chomhairleachaidh nàiseanta airson ainmean-àite Gàidhlig ann an Alba
- Gheibh Faclair na Gàidhlig £17,500 gus luchd-leughaidh ùr a ruighinn ann an com-pàirt le buidhnean Gàidhlig eile
- Chaidh £17,500 a chomharrachadh airson Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle gus an urrainn dhaibh clasaichean, taisbeanaidhean agus buidhnean tràth-bhliadhnaichean
- Thèid £10,000 a thoirt do Theatre gu Leòr airson dealbhan-cluiche a lìbhrigeadh air feadh Alba
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Did humans evolve to prefer religion? Research shows many atheists intuitively favour faith

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Will Gervais, Reader in Psychology, Brunel University of London

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Many atheists consider themselves to be highly rational people who rate evidence and analytical thinking above religion, superstition and intuition. They might even argue that atheism is the most rational worldview.

But that doesn’t make them immune to having intuitive beliefs themselves. Science suggests the link between rationality and atheism is far weaker than is often assumed.

A study my colleagues and I conducted, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that even avowed atheists in some of the most secular countries on Earth might intuitively prefer religion to atheism. We argue this new evidence challenges simplistic notions of global religious decline and the beginning of an “atheist age”.

In his 2007 book, Breaking the Spell, the philosopher Daniel Dennett speculated that, although atheists lack belief in god(s), many of them may retain what he dubbed “belief in belief”. This is the impression that religious belief is a good thing, and the world would be better off with more of it.

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But is this true? Our research investigated belief in belief among around 3,800 people in eight of the world’s least religious countries: Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. To test for belief in belief, we turned to the “Knobe effect”, a task honed by experimental philosophers for evaluating judgements of morality and intent.

The classic Knobe effect demonstration goes something like this. Imagine a CEO mulling a new policy for their company that will increase revenue, but will also harm the environment. The CEO declares that they don’t care one way or another about the environment, they care only for the bottom line. They adopt the policy, money is made, environmental harm occurs. Here’s the crucial question: did the CEO intentionally harm the environment?

Most people (upwards of 80% in Knobe’s first demonstration) report that the CEO did, in fact, intentionally harm the environment. However, if people receive an identical vignette in which the environment is incidentally helped rather than harmed, people’s intuitions entirely reverse, with only around 20% of people thinking the CEO intended to help.

This reveals a stark asymmetry, whereby people intuitively feel that harmful side effects are intentionally caused, whereas helpful ones are not.

We presented participants with a modified Knobe effect vignette in which a journalist publishes a story that sells a lot of papers. The story either leads to more atheism in the world, or to more religious faith. Crucially, we asked our participants to rate whether the ensuing religious shifts were intentionally caused by the journalist.

Vignettes used in experiment.
Author, CC BY-SA

So, would our participants view increasing societal atheism as more intentionally caused (like harming the environment) or incidental (like helping the environment)?

Overall, our participants’ odds of rating the religious outcome as intentionally caused were about 40% higher when the news story created more atheists, as opposed to more believers. This effect persisted across most countries in our sample, and was even evident among participants who were themselves atheists.

People are more likely to judge that a news story intentionally created atheists (purple) than believers (turquoise)
Author, CC BY-SA

Participants in the original Knobe effect studies viewed environmental pollution as an intentionally caused insult. Our participants intuitively viewed creating more atheists as similarly intentionally caused – a spiritual rather than environmental pollution, perhaps.

This sounds a lot like belief in belief. Dennett illustrated this as suggesting “belief in God is a good state of affairs, something to be strongly encouraged and fostered wherever possible: If only belief in God were more widespread!”

Why might intuitions favouring religion persist among atheists in some of the world’s least religious societies?

10,000+ years of religion

Over the past few decades, markers of religious commitment – self-reported religious attendance, belief in god(s), private prayer – have steadily declined in some parts of the world. This rapid secularisation stands against a backdrop of more than 10,000 years of potent religious influence.

My recent book Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species asks how a species as historically religious as Homo sapiens could nonetheless have rising numbers of atheists. It ultimately provides important context for our new study’s results.

A consideration of religion’s deep history gives us hints as to why belief in belief might exist among atheists in secular countries today. One prominent theory holds that religions may have helped unlock our species’ cooperative potential, allowing us to expand from our humble origins to become our planet’s dominant species.

As religions reshaped our lives to boost cooperation, people increasingly came to view religion and morality as largely synonymous. Over cultural evolutionary time, the association between religious belief and moral goodness has become deeply culturally ingrained. This has left its trace on individual intuitions – as illustrated in the recent study by me and my co-authors and those by other researchers.

Because religions have exerted tremendous influence on our societies for millennia, it would be genuinely surprising if some latent religious trace didn’t culturally linger as overt expressions of faith decline. Our newest results are consistent with this possibility.

Belief may be wavering in many countries, but belief in belief persists, complicating any conclusion that we’ve truly entered an “atheist age”.

Will Gervais has received funding from various organizations over the years, including The Leverhulme Trust and the John Templeton Foundation

– ref. Did humans evolve to prefer religion? Research shows many atheists intuitively favour faith – https://theconversation.com/did-humans-evolve-to-prefer-religion-research-shows-many-atheists-intuitively-favour-faith-256391

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why the UK government is opposing universities on immigration

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chris Millward, Professor of Practice in Education Policy, University of Birmingham

PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

The UK government has announced its plans for controlling immigration, and these include new rules for international students.

The recent white paper on immigration proposes that most graduates will be allowed to stay in the UK for 18 months after their course finishes. This is six months less than currently permitted.

There will be a higher bar for universities to sponsor visas, excluding those universities at which higher numbers of students fail to complete their courses. The white paper also proposes a 6% levy on universities’ income from international students.

Universities think these changes will worsen their financial problems. However, this appears less important to the government than controlling immigration.

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Universities are one of the UK’s strongest global assets, generating influence alongside export income. After the general election last year, science minister Peter Kyle vowed Labour would end what he termed the “war on universities” conducted by the previous Conservative government. That included a more welcoming approach to international students.

One reason for the change in tone and policy signalled by the white paper is common to other popular destinations for international students: the rise of nationalist parties opposed to immigration. But there is another reason specific to the UK, which is the government’s aim to reform higher education.

Politics and immigration

Two weeks before the release of the immigration white paper, the Reform party secured control of ten local authorities across England, winning 677 seats. The party’s rising popularity will be of increasing concern to the Labour government.

Reform is concerned about the effects of immigration on communities and wages. This affects international students because they figure within immigration statistics and increasingly stay for work.

Like nationalist and anti-immigration parties in other countries, Reform also gains more support from voters without a university degree.

In the US and Netherlands, similar movements have taken steps to reduce university funding and international students once in power. But these policies are not confined to nationalist parties.

Canada and Australia’s Liberal and Labour governments also signalled caps on international student recruitment before their re-election earlier this year.

This appears to be the strategy adopted by the UK’s Labour party – that it wants to assure voters who are more concerned about immigration than university finances.

Higher education policy

Alongside this, the government thinks employers are too reliant on migrant labour, and universities on international students. It wants them to focus more on developing the UK workforce. That requires employers to invest in skills development, and universities to provide courses that build crucial capabilities for the future.

The white paper states that “at a time when skills matter more than ever to the economy and people’s employment prospects, there has been a long-term lack of coordination or investment to deliver the skills and capabilities our economy needs”.

In England, coordinated higher education investment is difficult because most government funding is routed through loans to students. This encourages universities to meet demand from young people, which does not necessarily align with economic and public service priorities.

After years of anaemic economic and productivity growth but repeated increases to the minimum wage, one-tenth of graduates now earn little more than that threshold.

Higher education policy is increasingly focused on key skills.
goodluz/Shutterstock

In response, the last government encouraged young people to take apprenticeships rather than university degrees. It also allowed student maintenance loans and fees to decline in value in real terms.

Universities filled the gap in their income with international students – particularly one-year taught postgraduates from Nigeria and India who often bring family members then stay for work. This made universities reliant on short-term income, while increasing immigration statistics.

Changes to family visa rules, combined with a global economic downturn and geopolitical tensions, have led universities to forecast a 21% reduction in new international student entrants this year. And 44% of universities are expecting to be in financial deficit.

Unlike its predecessor, the government accepts that UK student fees should increase with inflation, so has allowed this for the first time since 2017. But it wants a change from universities in return. Rather than relying on international students, they should make efficiencies and focus on courses that align with government priorities.

In a system mostly financed by student fees, there are few levers for influencing this. The Office for Students, which regulates higher education, has been asked to focus on managing quality and financial risks rather than policy.

Its funding for strategic priorities has been reduced. There are, though, three measures highlighted within the white paper that could become influential.

First, the government is reforming the apprenticeships levy, so it can be used more flexibly for workforce development priorities. Second, the tightening of sponsorship rules aims to drive international recruitment towards courses supplying the highest levels of skills and knowledge. Third, the proposed levy on international student income equips the government to invest in priority courses, rather than relying on student choice.

The first measure is already being implemented. A new organisation, Skills England, has been established to determine priorities for investment.

This may include funds from the proposed levy on international student income, though the precedent of Australia suggests that may be difficult. Regardless, there is a mood in government for higher education reform.

Chris Millward is a member of staff at the University of Birmingham. He is also a board member of MEDR, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research in Wales, and a Trustee of the Academy of Social Sciences. All of these organisations are affected by the issues addressed in this article.

– ref. Why the UK government is opposing universities on immigration – https://theconversation.com/why-the-uk-government-is-opposing-universities-on-immigration-256526

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre explores what its like being human in relation to other human beings

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Leigh Wilson, Professor of English Literature, University of Westminster

The French writer Anne Serre has been very clear in interviews that she has no truck with a type of fiction that is fashionable in the UK at the moment. Readers drawn to fiction that blurs the line with autobiography – what Serre calls “the story of someone’s life, or of an episode in that life, passing itself off as a novel” – are, in her view, being “sold a lemon”.

She is clear, too, about her reason: “The whole point of a novel should be that we don’t know who is speaking.” This seemingly simple claim undoes so much new fiction in English – fiction as memoir, fiction in the first person, autofiction in which you always know who is speaking.

This feeling of Serre’s also underpins and invigorates A Leopard-Skin Hat, her fourth work, which has been translated by Mark Hutchinson and was nominated for the International Booker prize.

Published in France in 2008 as Un chapeau léopard, A Leopard-Skin Hat is a novel about a friendship between its protagonists, a woman called Fanny and a man known throughout only as “the Narrator”. However, while he is a writer, he is not the narrator of this novel.

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The narrator of A Leopard-Skin Hat is not named, although they do sometimes refer to themselves as “I”. Other than this, they are a mystery. What they tell us, though, is the story of Fanny and the Narrator’s friendship over 20 years, years during which the Narrator sees Fanny gradually lose the fight against madness (the novel’s word) and, in the end, death.

We know early on that Fanny will die at the age of 43, that isn’t a mystery, but what the novel centres on is how mysterious others are to us, and 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 of life.

It’s not just the mysterious narrator, though, that distinguishes Serre’s novel from so many of the orthodoxies of contemporary fiction in English. Against the advice of every creative writing course, A Leopord-Skin Hat tells rather than shows.

It is largely written in the tense that in English is known as the past habitual, which uses the conditional or a description of what used to happen. What the narrator tells us is hardly ever rooted in “scenes”, where we enter into the present of the world of the novel and listen to characters talking to each other. Describing Fanny’s pilfering of the titular leopard-skin hat, for example, we are told: “She would tell you about the theft with the amused and somewhat shamefaced air of a little girl and, were she to put on the hat, would resemble the woman she might have been”.

There is no dialogue in the novel until the last two pages. Its use of the past habitual and the almost absence of dialogue could make for a coolness or a lack of emotional engagement, but its effect is the opposite.

The narrative position is not tricksy. Actually, the best writing that experiments with narrative position – from Virginia Woolf, through W.G. Sebald to Lucy Ellman’s Ducks, Newburyport – does so in order to represent as faithfully as possible what it is like to be a human being in relation to other human beings. At the centre of such experiments is the question, how can we know other people?

While Fanny’s death is the melancholy heart of the novel, in its final, amazing chapter – which switches from the past habitual to the present tense – the narrator recounts Fanny’s experiences after death, as the narrator character cannot, and as only the unknown narrators of novels can. As she ascends into the sky, Fanny becomes Fanny:

Here she is, then, continuing her ascent, her hand still on her head, her blue eyes wide open and inhabited at last. Inhabited by someone who nobody ever saw on earth, I can assure you. Someone not unlike the woman in the leopard-skin hat, only better; less mysterious, fully present from head to toe. For the first time in I don’t know how long, Fanny is once again the woman she used to be.

The unknown narrators of novels can tell us who other people really are; we can never know that ourselves. All we can do is read novels and love those other people anyway.

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

– ref. A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre explores what its like being human in relation to other human beings – https://theconversation.com/a-leopard-skin-hat-by-anne-serre-explores-what-its-like-being-human-in-relation-to-other-human-beings-257167

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How the UK-EU deal turns the page on Brexit – and what happens next

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén, Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster

At their first bilateral summit since Brexit, UK and EU leaders set out a range of areas they will seek to forge closer ties. European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the agreement as a historic landmark deal that opens a new chapter in the EU-UK relationship.

But it is only the beginning of – potentially long – negotiations to thrash out the details of closer cooperation in areas like trade, youth mobility and energy.

As the two parties sit down at the negotiating table, they will, for the first time since Brexit, agree on how to make trade and cooperation easier. For example, one anticipated agreement will align UK food safety and animal health standards with those of the EU, thereby removing the need for most border checks and ease the flow of agriculture and food products between the two parties. And the expected youth mobility scheme will allow young people to travel, work and study in the EU and the UK for a limited period of time.

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The looming negotiations will be relatively narrow in scope. The Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement still provide the basis for the EU-UK relationship. The UK is not compromising on its red lines of not joining the single market, the customs union or allowing free movement of people.

The negotiations will consequently not fundamentally alter the current relationship. While the impact of the agreements may be significant for specific sectors, the overall economic impact is expected to be relatively modest.

This is not to say that the upcoming negotiations will be easy or void of controversies. Over the next months, negotiators will have to agree on quotas, time limits, exceptions and financial contributions. Compromises and trade-offs will have to be found.

There will be domestic resistance on both sides. Concerns have already emerged that France might oppose the participation of British defence companies in EU defence procurement programmes.

And in the UK, critics argue that the decision to dynamically align UK rules and standards with those of the EU in certain sectors will make the country a rule-taker once again.

But the answer to the question on many people’s minds: “Will this bring us back to all those years of difficult and protracted Brexit negotiations?” is no – this time around, things are different.

In comparison with the Brexit negotiations, these negotiations should be far easier and swifter. They are less consequential and backed by strong political will from both sides.

Recent polling indicates that both Britons and EU citizens favour a closer relationship between the UK and the EU.

The agreement reached at the summit is seen as the first concrete manifestation of Starmer’s long sought-after reset of the relationship.

Moving on

The Brexit negotiations focused on establishing less cooperation compared with when the UK was a member of the EU. It was a question of addressing increasing barriers to trade and cooperation – something many perceived as a lose-lose situation. The upcoming negotiations, on the other hand, are seen to lead towards a win-win reset of relations. The parties enter the negotiations with a mindset of finding solutions that increase trade and facilitate cooperation.

The UK is now negotiating as an independent, sovereign country. During the Brexit negotiations the UK was an EU member (or a closely aligned former member in the case of the negotiations of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement).

It was thus important for the EU to make the benefits of membership clear and to discourage other members from leaving. As a result, it drove a hard bargain and the UK had limited influence on the negotiations.

However, unlike the UK – where Brexit has never fully disappeared from the political debate – the EU moved on quickly after Brexit. In Brussels, many now consider the UK an independent but like-minded strategic partner.

This is seen not least in the area of security, where the two parties agreed on a security and defence partnership. They set out a framework for closer cooperation in areas of joint interest, such as sanctions, information sharing and cybersecurity, and allowing them to better respond to shared global challenges and uncertainties.

Zooming out, the geopolitical picture has changed dramatically since the Brexit negotiations. With the war in Ukraine and the resulting instability in Europe, combined with the shifting priorities of US foreign policy, there is now an even greater need for EU-UK cooperation.

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

– ref. How the UK-EU deal turns the page on Brexit – and what happens next – https://theconversation.com/how-the-uk-eu-deal-turns-the-page-on-brexit-and-what-happens-next-257158

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British Ambassador meeting with Guatemalan Finance Minister
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
World news story

British Ambassador meeting with Guatemalan Finance Minister

English

Español de América Latina

The British Ambassador to Guatemala, Juliana Correa, met today with the Minister of Public Finances, Jonathan Menkos Zeissig.
They discussed the strong UK-Guatemala relationship, highlighting opportunities of joint work that would help further advancing the transparency agenda, unleash infrastructure development projects, and boost green and sustainable development.

Ambassador Correa expressed appreciation for Guatemala’s commitment to reforms that would encourage private sector investments. The two also discussed opportunities to deepen bilateral economic partnership in strategic sectors with UK expertise, including on electric mobility.

The discussion reaffirmed the shared UK-Guatemala commitment to advancing the fight against corruption and economic prosperity.

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Published 21 May 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: ESET takes part in global operation to disrupt Lumma Stealer, one of the most prevalent infostealers
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
- ESET took part in a globally coordinated operation to disrupt Lumma Stealer.
- The operation, led by Microsoft, targeted Lumma Stealer infrastructure, including all known C&C servers from the past year, making the botnet, in large part, inoperative.
- Lumma Stealer has been one of the most prevalent infostealers over the past two years.
- ESET provided both technical analysis and statistical information, and extracted essential data from tens of thousands of samples, as Lumma Stealer developers had been actively developing and maintaining the malware.
PRAGUE and BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ESET has collaborated with Microsoft, BitSight, Lumen, Cloudflare, CleanDNS, and GMO Registry in a global disruption operation against Lumma Stealer, an infamous Malware-as-a-Service infostealer. The operation targeted Lumma Stealer infrastructure, specifically all known C&C servers of the past year, making the botnet, in large part, inoperative.

“ESET automated systems processed tens of thousands of Lumma Stealer samples, dissecting them to extract key elements, such as C&C servers and affiliate identifiers. This allowed us to continuously monitor Lumma Stealer’s activity, cluster affiliates, keep track of development updates, and more,” says ESET researcher Jakub Tomanek, who monitors and investigates Lumma Stealer. “Infostealer malware families, like Lumma Stealer, are typically just a foreshadowing of future, much more devastating attacks. Harvested credentials are a valued commodity in the cybercrime underworld, sold by initial access brokers to various other cybercriminals, including ransomware affiliates,” adds Tomanek. Lumma Stealer has been one of the most prevalent infostealers over the past two years, leaving no part of the world untouched.

Lumma Stealer developers had been actively developing and maintaining the malware. ESET has regularly spotted code updates ranging from minor bugfixes to complete replacement of string encryption and updates to the network protocol. The operators of the botnet also actively maintained the shared network infrastructure. Between 17 June 2024 and 1 May 2025, ESET observed a total of 3,353 unique C&C domains, with an approximate average of 74 new domains emerging each week, including occasional updates to Telegram-based dead drop resolvers. This ongoing evolution underscores the significant threat posed by Lumma Stealer and highlights the importance of the disruption efforts.

Lumma Stealer adopts the concept of malware as a service, where affiliates pay a monthly fee based on their tier to receive the latest malware builds and the network infrastructure necessary for data exfiltration. The tiered subscription model features price ranges from $250 to $1000 per month, each with increasingly sophisticated features. The operators of Lumma Stealer have also created a Telegram marketplace for affiliates, with a rating system to sell stolen data without intermediaries. Common distribution methods include phishing, cracked software, and other malware downloaders. Lumma Stealer employs a few, but effective, anti-emulation techniques that make analysis as complicated as possible. These techniques are designed to evade detection and hinder the efforts of security analysts.

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit has facilitated the takedown, suspension, seizure, and blocking of the malicious domains that formed the backbone of Lumma Stealer’s infrastructure via a court order granted by the United States District Court of the Northern District of Georgia. In coordination, the U.S. Department of Justice simultaneously also seized the Lumma Stealer control panel, targeting the Lumma Stealer marketplace – and in turn the purchasers of Lumma Stealer malware. This was coordinated with Europol’s European Cybercrime Center (EC3) as well as Japan’s Cybercrime Control Center (JC3), which facilitated the suspension of locally based Lumma Stealer infrastructure.

“This global disruption operation was made possible by our long-term tracking of Lumma Stealer. The disruption operation led by Microsoft aimed to seize all known Lumma Stealer C&C domains, making the exfiltration infrastructure of Lumma Stealer non-functional. However, ESET will continue to track other infostealers while closely monitoring for Lumma Stealer activity following this disruption operation,” concludes Tomanek.

For an overview of the Lumma Stealer ecosystem and both a technical analysis and look at the evolution of Lumma Stealer’s key static and dynamic properties critical to the disruption effort, check out the latest ESET Research blogpost, “ESET takes part in global operation to disrupt Lumma Stealer” on WeLiveSecurity.com. Make sure to follow ESET Research on Twitter (today known as X), Bluesky, and Mastodon for the latest news from ESET Research.

Lumma Stealer detection rate based on ESET telemetry (data since July 2024)

About ESET
ESET® provides cutting-edge digital security to prevent attacks before they happen. By combining the power of AI and human expertise, ESET stays ahead of emerging global cyberthreats, both known and unknown — securing businesses, critical infrastructure, and individuals. Whether it’s endpoint, cloud, or mobile protection, our AI-native, cloud-first solutions and services remain highly effective and easy to use. ESET technology includes robust detection and response, ultra-secure encryption, and multifactor authentication. With 24/7 real-time defense and strong local support, we keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. The ever-evolving digital landscape demands a progressive approach to security: ESET is committed to world-class research and powerful threat intelligence, backed by R&D centers and a strong global partner network. For more information, visit www.eset.com or follow our social media, podcasts, and blogs.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3e248b2b-dcbf-42cb-93ac-a4b4668bbc31

The MIL Network –
May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mandy and Shona’s story

Source: City of Coventry

It’s Foster Care Fortnight which means it’s the perfect time to celebrate and highlight the impact that foster carers make in our city.

The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘the Power of Relationships’ and we are marking the fortnight by sharing stories from Coventry foster carers and the young people they have helped.

Today, we’re sharing Shona and Mandy’s Story. Shona, who is a care experienced young person, met Mandy on a trip to Plas Dol Y Moch. The two of them formed a bond which was formalised through our Fostering and Lifelong Links Programme.

To find out more about their relationship and the impact it’s had on Shona and Mandy, we met up with them and Cllr Patricia Seaman. You can watch that conversation below or on the Council’s YouTube Channel.

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When reflecting further on Mandy’s impact on her life, Shona had this to say: “Having Mandy and her family as my lifelong links has been such an amazing experience for me. They have welcomed me in as their own and shown me so much care, love and compassion. I will be forever grateful for them.

“They’ve taken me on holidays, had me over for Christmas and most importantly, have shown me what it means to experience the every day family things that others might not really notice.

“I think if foster carers and other life long links could be anywhere near as genuine as Mandy, children in care and care leavers would have a much better chance in life. That’s what they deserve.”

Cllr Patricia Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “I think it’s really important to talk about the importance of relationships when it comes to caring for young people. Building that trust and knowing that people are there for you is such a key part of providing young people with the support they need to thrive.

“Mandy and Shona’s story is so heartwarming because you can see the genuine affection between the two of them and just by speaking to them you get a sense of how both their lives have been enriched.

“We’re always looking for good, kind people like Mandy to join us as foster carers. The impact they can have is immeasurable. So please, if you’re interested, get in touch with us.”

Being a foster carer with the Council offers generous financial allowances, bespoke training and mentoring, strong support groups, and 24/7 help offering expert advice. People will also receive regular professional guidance and support from Supervising Social Workers.

If people want to find out more about fostering, people can come along to one of our online or drop-in information sessions, it’s a great chance to ask questions and get to know us. Details for the upcoming information sessions can be found at coventry.gov.uk/fosteringinfoevents.

For more general information about foster care, the benefits of being a carer, and how they will be supported, people can call the Council’s fostering team on 024 7683 2828 or visit coventry.gov.uk/fostering.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Former Vice President Chen attends inauguration of Pope Leo XIV

Source: Republic of Taiwan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

May 18, 2025

No. 161

Former Vice President Chen Chien-jen, serving as special envoy of President Lai Ching-te, together with his wife and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Chihchung Wu, attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV on the morning of May 18. In an audience with the pontiff following the ceremony, Mr. Chen conveyed greetings from President Lai and the sincere congratulations of the government, people, and Catholic community of Taiwan.

Upon arriving for the ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, Mr. Chen was received by a ceremonial officer for the Holy See. The inauguration, a grand and solemn occasion, took around two hours. According to statistics released by the Holy See, more than 150 delegations attended. Before the ceremony commenced, Mr. Chen exchanged greetings with Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies Speaker Raúl Latorre; Guatemalan Special Envoy and Ambassador to the Holy See Alfredo Vásquez Rivera; other officials from diplomatic allies; and delegates from the United States, Japan, Europe, and numerous other friendly countries. He also extended felicitations to and shared cordial interactions with several high-ranking members of the Vatican clergy, including Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Secretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage.

After the inauguration, Pope Leo received the heads of national delegations. Mr. Chen presented the pontiff with a congratulatory letter from President Lai, a commemorative set of postage stamps depicting four of Taiwan’s Catholic churches—St. Joseph’s Church in Jinlun Village, Taitung County; the Holy Family Catholic Church in Taipei City; the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Wanjin Village, Pingtung County; and the Holy Rosary Cathedral Basilica in Kaohsiung City—and a collection of postcards on Holy See artifacts jointly produced by Taiwan and the Apostolic Nunciature in Taiwan, highlighting the close connection between the Catholic Church in Taiwan and the Holy See. Mr. Chen also presented Pope Leo with a photo taken in 2020, when the pontiff was serving as bishop of the Chiclayo Diocese in Peru. The picture showed him accepting antipandemic supplies donated by Taiwan. The materials, delivered in cartons labeled “Taiwan Box,” were donated to Cáritas Chiclayo and other Peruvian healthcare and charitable organizations by the Pingtung County Government and Dr. Lai Hsien-yung of Hualien County’s Mennonite Christian Hospital. The government and people of Taiwan provided proactive assistance to the international community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, fulfilling their international responsibilities and demonstrating that Taiwan could help and that Taiwan was helping.

When Mr. Chen arrived at the airport in Rome on May 17, he met with Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini, who had also made the trip to attend the papal inauguration. Mr. Chen also attended a mass and prayer service for peace led by Bishop John Lee Keh-mien, President of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference of Taiwan, at St. Benedict’s Monastery. On May 18, Mr. Chen had dinner with 16 prominent members of the Catholic clergy and several key officials and ambassadors of diplomatic allies, including Special Delegate of the Holy See to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Cardinal Silvano Tomasi and Haitian Special Envoy and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Alrich Nicolas.

Since establishing diplomatic ties 83 years ago, Taiwan and the Holy See have enjoyed a profound diplomatic alliance and shared the core values of religious freedom, human rights, peace, and benevolence. The two sides will build on their existing friendship and solid foundation of cooperation in humanitarian assistance and other domains to further deepen bilateral relations and together make even greater contributions to the world. (E)

MIL OSI China News –

May 22, 2025
MIL-OSI China: MOFA sincerely appreciates international support for Taiwan’s bid to participate in WHO and WHA

Source: Republic of Taiwan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

May 19, 2025

No. 163

The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) is opening in Geneva on May 19. Following proactive efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and related overseas missions, Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHA has received staunch and concrete support from the Group of Seven (G7), the executive and legislative branches of government of more than 50 countries, the European Union, the European Parliament, and representative offices of like-minded nations in Taiwan. MOFA expresses sincere appreciation for this support.

Eleven of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, as members of the World Health Organization (WHO), submitted a proposal to the WHO Secretariat to invite Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an observer, requesting that the proposal be included as a supplementary item on this year’s WHA agenda. Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre personally wrote a letter urging WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite Taiwan to attend the WHA. The parliaments of Guatemala, Palau, and Saint Christopher and Nevis adopted resolutions backing Taiwan.

The magnitude of support for Taiwan from like-minded countries has continued to grow. The current US administration has publicly endorsed Taiwan’s international participation more than 10 times. This includes a joint statement issued at the US-Japan leaders’ summit by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in February, which for the first time contained text advocating Taiwan’s meaningful involvement in international organizations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed firm US support for Taiwan’s international participation during his congressional confirmation hearing as well as in interviews and joint statements issued at two meetings with the foreign ministers of Japan and the Republic of Korea. The United States twice spoke up for Taiwan at the WHO Executive Board session held in February. In April, it publicly refuted China’s misuse of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 at the UN Security Council for the first time, reiterating that the resolution did not preclude Taiwan’s participation in the UN system or other multilateral fora. In terms of US congressional support, the House of Representatives passed the Taiwan International Solidarity Act without opposition on May 5. The act urged the US government to resist China’s efforts to suppress Taiwan through mischaracterization of UNGA Resolution 2758. In addition, nine US state legislatures approved resolutions backing Taiwan’s involvement in international organizations.

Furthermore, in a joint statement issued following a meeting in March, the G7 foreign ministers reaffirmed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. On May 15, the European Union expressed a similar stance and recognized the extraordinary contributions Taiwan can make through its digital healthcare capabilities. In February, the European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on the implementation of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, which backed Taiwan’s meaningful participation in relevant world bodies.

High-ranking European officials who publicly spoke up for Taiwan included Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, and Swedish Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed. A total of 534 members of the European Parliament and 29 national parliaments across Europe cosigned a letter of the Formosa Club reaffirming support for Taiwan. The World Medical Association and other professional groups endorsed Taiwan’s participation in WHO and the WHA as they had done in the past.

MOFA thanks the representative offices in Taiwan of the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, and Lithuania for issuing a joint statement for the fifth year prior to the WHA affirming the immense benefits that Taiwan could bring to WHA discussions. The statement also emphasized that there was no legitimate reason for Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHA and that Taiwan’s absence would undermine the spirit of inclusive global public health cooperation and safety that WHO’s founding documents called for.

MOFA points out that these positive developments fully demonstrate that China’s unreasonable obstruction of Taiwan’s participation in WHO has gained little traction or support among nations worldwide. MOFA reiterates that UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 make no mention of Taiwan, have nothing to do with Taiwan, and therefore cannot be cited as a legal basis for precluding Taiwan from participating in WHO or other international organizations or multilateral mechanisms or fora. MOFA asks that the WHO Secretariat listen closely to member countries, stop further condoning political manipulation by China, and instead work to realize WHO’s goals of “Leaving No One Behind” and “One World for Health” so as to fulfill its responsibility to maintain and improve the health and well-being of all people. MOFA also asks that Taiwan be allowed full and unobstructed participation in all WHO meetings, mechanisms, and activities, including the WHA. (E)

MIL OSI China News –

May 22, 2025

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