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  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: RAISINA DIALOGUE 2025: KĀLACHAKRA – PEOPLE, PEACE AND PLANET

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Namaskar, Sat Sri Akal, kia ora and good afternoon everyone.
    What an honour it is to stand on this stage – to inaugurate this august Dialogue – with none other than the Honourable Narendra Modi.
    My good friend, thank you for so generously welcoming me to India and for our warm discussions this morning.
    I am a great admirer of your extraordinary achievements as Prime Minister.
    In the almost 11 years that you’ve occupied the Prime Minister’s office, you have weathered the COVID crisis and still managed to expand India’s economy by 50%.
    You have lifted 250 million of your countrymen out of poverty and eliminated extreme poverty.
    Today, India is at the leading edge of technology with massive innovative potential.
    You were the first country to land on the moon’s South Pole.  In the process drawing the world’s attention to India’s extraordinary technological prowess.
    And Prime Minister, during your tenure, the Men in Blue have been the most dominant side in cricket’s white ball competitions, most recently winning the Champions Trophy last week against my Men in Black and breaking many New Zealanders hearts – including mine – in the process!
    Congratulations!
    Among this catalogue of achievements is the reason we gather today: the Raisina Dialogue.  A forum that provides a moment every year for thought-leaders from across the world to focus their collective minds on the contemporary strategic challenges being navigated right here in the Indian Ocean.
    I applaud Dr Jaishankar and Samir Saran for the intellectual leadership they have shown driving this Dialogue over the past 10 years. 
    It has grown into a hugely influential forum.  Look no further than the luminaries you attract: 6 former Heads of Government and Ministers from over thirty countries.
    I hope my remarks today, add to the debate in some small way.
    Ladies and gentlemen, it’s more than 200 years since Indians and New Zealanders first began living side-by-side.
    At the beginning of the 19th century – well before we became a nation – Indian sailors jumped ship in New Zealand, with some meeting locals and marrying into our indigenous Māori tribes.  A few years later, Māori traders began travelling to Kolkata to sell tree trunks used in sailing ships.
    An exchange that echoes down the ages.
    Just as they were 200 years ago, Kiwi-Indians today are fully integrated into our multicultural society.  New Zealanders of Indian heritage comprise 11% of the people living in Auckland, our biggest city.
    I’ve brought with me to New Delhi a selection of Kiwi-Indian community leaders. Members of Parliament, captains of industry, professional cricketers and even an online influencer who has revolutionised investment for women the world over.  In short, a selection of Kiwi-Indians who get up every single morning to make New Zealand a better place to live.
    And our trade has diversified considerably from wood thanks to the increased sophistication of your economy.  India today is a critical source of pharmaceuticals and machinery for us. While we are a great tourism and education destination for you.
    India has become an ever more significant feature of our society.
    And yet, while there has been much that has developed and changed, there has been something missing at the core of our relationship.
    With a country as consequential as India, we need rich political interaction, engaged militaries, strong economic architecture, and connections that support a diaspora that bridges between our two great nations.
    Prime Minister Modi and I sat down today and charted out the future of our two countries’ relationship.
    A future that builds from where we have been.  One that is wholly more ambitious about what we will do together in the future. 

    We agreed to our Defence Forces building greater strategic trust with one another, while deploying together and training together more.
    We want our scientists collaborating on global challenges like climate change and on commercial opportunities like space.
    We are supporting our businesses to improve air links and build primary sector cooperation.
    We will facilitate students, young professionals and tourists to move between our countries.
    And we’ve instructed our trade negotiators to get on and negotiate a free trade agreement between our two great nations.

    A comprehensive agenda to underpin a comprehensive relationship. As we look to the future, the opportunity for both our governments is to sustain that momentum.
    Not only to follow through on the commitments we have made to one another. But to proactively build on that platform, by exploring new opportunities and creating new architecture.
    To ensure that we are creating strategic trust and commercial connection between two countries at the bookends of our wide Indo-Pacific region.
    Ladies and gentlemen, it is to the Indo-Pacific that I now turn.  There are many reasons to be excited about our region.  I want to single out the two biggest opportunities.
    First, India and New Zealand are fortunate enough to live in the world’s most economically dynamic region.
    The Indo-Pacific will represent two-thirds of global economic growth over the coming years.  By 2030, it will be home to two-thirds of the world’s middle-class consumers.
    And India itself lies at the heart of this exciting economic future.  It’s easy to focus on the troubles the world faces, but its worth reflecting for a moment on what economic development at this scale means at a human level.
    Here in India, you’ve gone from only the very few in rural areas having a water or power connection to almost everyone. It means people with better health and education outcomes.  And that creates hope and optimism about the future for individuals and their families.
    Replicated across literally hundreds of millions of people, that process of development generates dynamic economies.  Growth that offers massive opportunities for every country in the Indo-Pacific, and families and individuals within them.
    The second big opportunity is technological change.  We are on the cusp of a transformation of our economies and societies in a way that we can barely now imagine.
    I’m talking about artificial intelligence, which is within reach of achieving the cognitive powers of a human being.  But I’m also thinking of a range of other technologies – quantum, biotech, advanced manufacturing – that are going to have profound impacts on our economies.
    It has felt like this technological transformation has been long-heralded, but never quite arrived. Well, it seems to me that a series of innovations – the always online world, big data, powerful computing, machine learning – are cumulating in ways that are going to tip over into a dislocation that is new and altogether different. 
    The game is about to change.  We are on the cusp of an explosion in the application of AI, a technology that will have an impact across the whole economy, not just in one or two sectors. A technology that will transform the way we work, study and entertain ourselves.  A technology that will force governments to think in entirely different ways about how they deliver public services and secure their nations.
    Certainly, this presents risks that will need to be managed.  For example, militaries are already using AI, which means the international community is going to need to develop new norms about how this is done in a way that ensures compliance with the rules of war and ensures human responsibility in conflict.
    But my message is that, while we need manage change, we cannot allow ourselves to be paralysed by the risks.  For those who believe they can outcompete through this period of technological dislocation, the opportunities are there.  The citizens, the companies, and the countries that embrace the coming change will be the ones that reap the dividends. 
    Yet, there’s also no doubt that there are fundamental trend lines in the Indo-Pacific that present geo-strategic risks to growth and prosperity.
    These have long-term drivers that are not going away, and have been amplified by recent events.
    Past assumptions – that underpinned the previous generation’s geopolitical calculations – are being upended.
    A fortnight ago, the Singaporean Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, put this change eloquently when he said: “the world is now shifting from unipolarity to multipolarity, from free trade to protectionism, from multilateralism to unilateralism, from globalisation to hyper-nationalism, from openness to xenophobia, from optimism to anxiety”.
    This is a global change, not isolated to one region. Certainly, though, we live today in an Indo-Pacific navigating contest and rivalry, with a period of strategic uncertainty.  I would highlight three big shifts that make for challenging times ahead.
    Fist, we are seeing rules giving way to power. 
    Previously, we could count on countries respecting the UN Charter, the Law of the Sea and world trade rules.  That sadly cannot be assumed in an age of sharper competition.
    Instead, we risk dangerous miscalculation at flashpoints. These range from the militarisation of disputed reefs to dangerous air movements.  From land border incursions to breakout nuclear capabilities.
    Of course, it is not just flashpoints, but a slow shift in Indo-Pacific realities that change calculations.  Recent demonstrations of naval force near New Zealand’s maritime surrounds, for example, sent a signal that alarmed many of my fellow citizens.
    Second, we are witnessing a shift from economics to security. 
    After the Cold War, the dominant paradigm in relations between Indo-Pacific countries was a sustained effort to raise material living standards by tending to our economies.
    Make no mistake, “bread and butter” issues still loom very large, and are a priority for governments all around the region.  Indeed, economic growth is my Government’s highest priority.
    But across the Indo-Pacific, we also see Governments dedicating increased attention and resource to military modernisation. Military build-ups reflect a need to prepare against uncertainty and insecurity.  Some military build-ups, however, are underway without the reassurance that transparency brings.
    National security demands are expanding.  Governments need to protect their people and assets against foreign interference, cyberattacks, and terrorism.
    In the last few months, a new threat has emerged, with damage to critical infrastructure, like sub-sea cables. You can’t have prosperity without security, not least when the tools of commerce themselves require protection.
    The third geo-economic shift is from efficiency to resilience. 
    Where previously, Indo-Pacific economies saw ever deeper interdependence as a dynamo for growth, that can no longer be assumed in an age of decoupling.
    Onshoring, protectionism and trade wars are displacing best price, open markets, and integrated supply chains.
    And so we find ourselves in a world that is growing more difficult and more complex, especially for smaller states.
    However, we must engage with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. So, like most countries across the region, New Zealand’s strategic policy is being shaped by our assessment of these trends.
    We have agency to shape the Indo-Pacific that we want, but we must do so with energy and with urgency.
    Ladies and gentlemen, as New Zealand looks to protect and advance our interests in the Indo-Pacific, we can only do so alongside partners.  Partners like India that have a significant role to play in the Indo-Pacific.
    In an increasingly multipolar world, India’s size and geo-strategic heft gives you autonomy.  At the same time, your democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific offer you a force multiplier for our convergent interests. 
    For at a time when democracy is in decline with less than half the world’s adults electing their leaders, it is an inspiration that 650 million Indians turned out to vote last year in the largest election in history.
    Your national election is a triumph of logistics and a triumph of legitimacy.  An election that means your leaders serve their people, rather than your people serving their leaders.
    Now, I don’t advocate arbitrary divisions between democracies and autocracies. And just because we are democracies, we won’t always see eye-to-eye. 
    Nonetheless, there’s truth in the fact that our democratic governance means we share a belief in the freedom to choose, giving everyone a voice and respect for the rules.  Our interests increasingly converge around seeing these three ideas as an aligned set of organising principles for our Indo-Pacific region.
    First, we want to live in an Indo-Pacific where countries are free to choose their own path free from interference.
    A region where no one country comes to dominate.
    It is a sign of the times that I stand here defending respect for sovereignty. Yet, New Zealand’s approach is increasingly shaped around that objective.
    Just on Saturday, I joined a call led by Prime Minister Starmer focused on what more those contributing to Ukraine’s defence can do to support a just and lasting peace.  To help a country whose sovereignty and territorial integrity has been so flagrantly attacked.
    In my home region, our fellow Pacific neighbours are navigating geo-strategic dynamics that are their sharpest in nearly 80 years.
    In a deeply contested world, Pacific partners are being asked to make choices that may undermine their national sovereignty.  They risk falling into over-indebtedness, they must make choices about dual-use infrastructure, and they face pressure to enter new security arrangements.
    New Zealand invests in working alongside Pacific countries to boost their capacity to make independent choices free from interference. 
    Yet, size alone cannot inoculate a country from these dynamics.  Building strong and diversified relationships is the key to mitigating the risks of dependence on a few.
    That is why my Government is investing in our key relationships, from traditional partners to thickening and deepening our relationships across Southeast Asia, and in a serious way with India, too. 
    And we have a responsibility to invest in our own security as a downpayment on our future ability to choose our own path.  That is why New Zealand will be scaling up and doing more to support our own defence.
    We plan to better resource and equip our Defence Force to ensure we can continue to defend our interests.  Whether in our near region, in our alliance with Australia, or in support of collective security efforts with partners like India.
    Alongside this investment in capability, we are making tangible contributions across the Indo-Pacific.  When I was in Japan last year, I saw firsthand the work our aviators do to detect and deter North Korea’s sanctions-busting activities.
    The New Zealand Navy is leading Combined Task Force 150 responsible for multinational activities to protect trade routes and counter smuggling, piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. We are fortunate indeed that India has agreed to take up the Deputy Command.  Underlining these naval connections, one of our frigates, HMNZS Te Kaha, is in Mumbai later this week.
    As we seek an Indo-Pacific in which countries are free to choose their own path, I’m determined New Zealand plays its role.  Whether through our work with Pacific Islands partners, our relationships in the Indo-Pacific, or through our defence efforts.
    A second principle both India and New Zealand subscribe to is the criticality of Indo-Pacific regional institutions, even as these evolve.
    Regional architecture scaffolds our region’s security and its prosperity.
    ASEAN continues to promote regional peace and economic development. Through its convening power and its centrality, it also provides a place for the region’s players to come together to discuss strategic issues.
    ASEAN sits at the centre of the East Asia Summit, which for twenty years now has enabled political dialogue across the region, a forum that builds understanding, reduces the risk of miscalculation and contributes to strategic trust.
    Yet, the Indo-Pacific architecture is not static as it adapts to new realities.  Mini-lateral groupings are important new pieces of the puzzle.
    The Quad has emerged as an important vehicle promoting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.  India’s contribution to that evolution has of course been vital.  While New Zealand has no pretensions to Quad membership, we stand ready to work with you to advance Quad initiatives.
    We ourselves are strengthening our work with Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as Australia.  Last year, I convened the Indo-Pacific Four to discuss Ukraine and North Korea. 
    And with serious headwinds buffeting the global trade system, New Zealand is seriously invested in Indo-Pacific trade and economic integration groupings.
    From CPTPP, the gold standard of FTAs internationally, to RCEP, perhaps the world’s most inclusive.
    And we welcome India’s engagement in the regional economic architecture, with our work together in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), important in an era in which we seek to build one another’s resilience.
    The third Indo-Pacific principle we align around is a region in which respect for the rules is foundational.
    Globally, rules are being undermined: whether those around territorial integrity, freedom of navigation, or laws of war.  Yet, these are the very rules that preserve an Indo-Pacific order that is not “might is right” alone. 
    And, as I have said before, there is no prosperity without security. The rules that underpin our security also allow our businesses to operate with certainty. Those rules deliver daily in meaningful ways for our people.
    For example, one in four jobs in New Zealand rely on exports and our exporting businesses being able to depend on the predictability that those rules deliver. And in a miracle, that’s only possible thanks to globally-accepted aviation standards, 120,000 flights carry 12 million passengers and operate safely between their destinations every day.
    These rules shape the character of our region.  We remain committed to this rules-based system, even while acknowledging its shortcomings.  It is a truism that the world of 2025 is vastly different from 1945, and yet global institutions sadly have been slow to adapt.
    We are not talking about “starting over” by remaking the global order. Instead, I tend to agree with Dr Jaishankar when he says we want an order in which change is evolutionary – at a pace that is comfortable and steady.
    That’s why New Zealand supports reforming global governance frameworks to better reflect today’s realities.  Rather than casting them aside, they should give greater voice to the developing world and under-represented regions.
    Countries like India – that play such a central role in the global community – should have a seat at the table. We’ve therefore long supported India having a permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council.
    Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen.
    It has been a privilege to speak to you today, at this important forum for global dialogue.
    The geostrategic picture I’ve painted is stark.  Rules are giving way to power; economics to security; and efficiency to resilience.
    The tectonic shifts unfolding highlight that we – working alongside partners and friends – must navigate disruption, uncertainty, and sharpening pressure on our national interests.
    Yet, we will not be overwhelmed by complexity and challenge. We must go forward with confidence.
    We live at the heart of the world’s most exciting and dynamic region – the Indo-Pacific.
    We live in an era of technological transformation that offers outsized opportunities.
    We are countries with solid underlying democratic institutions, which will underpin our societies’ future success.
    India and New Zealand have extraordinarily talented people. 
    Both our countries have a clear plan that reflects and reinforces the connections between our security and prosperity. 
    We cannot afford to be thrown by the rapid pace of change – we must grapple with shifting realities and capitalise on these for all our peoples’ benefit.
    We will create and seize opportunities. Invest in our capabilities.
    This is our region. Its future will be shaped by the choices we make—together.
    Thank you, ngā mihi nui, and dhanyavaad .
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Sneezeweed: a tiny hero of Kawau Island

    Source: Auckland Council

    If you’ve ever wandered through the tracks and paths of Kawau Island, you may have come across a small, unassuming herb with delicate daisy-like flowers; it’s called sneezeweed (Centipeda minima subsp. minima), a native herb that thrives in the most unexpected of places.

    But don’t let its resilience fool you; sneezeweed is a nationally threatened species that’s an expert at making a home in disturbed wet or damp environments where competition from other plants is minimal and the stronghold it made for itself on Kawau Island is particularly significant.

    Sneezeweed growing on Kawau Island.

    This project is an important part of the Auckland region’s biodiversity because we value diverse ecosystems of plants and want to ensure the long term survival of threatened plants.

    Auckland Council has established permanent monitoring plots within the Department of Conservation reserve on the island, to track the plant’s progress ahead of a plan to remove “browsing animals” (on Kawau Island these are possums and wallabies) from the island.

    Auckland Council’s Principal Specialist – Natural Environment Operations Lisa Tolich says the removal of wallabies is a huge win for native biodiversity.

    “We need to ensure species like sneezeweed continue to have the conditions they need to survive on the island,” Ms Tolich says.

    “By closely monitoring these populations, we can respond with management strategies to support them if necessary.”

    Auckland Council botanists recently revisited the monitoring plots, first established in November 2024. They will continue to collect data from the plots every January to assess the health and spread of sneezeweed in the absence of browsing animals.

    By tracking its progress year after year, botanists will be able to determine if any specialised interventions are needed to support the plant’s survival as the Kawau ecosystem evolves.

    Auckland Council’s Senior Regional Advisor (Flora) Emma Simpkins explains sneezeweed has a unique ecology; it likes to get its feet wet and thrives in disturbed damp environments like tracks and paths.

    “In other locations, mowing or periodic track maintenance helps sustain its habitat.

    “With the potential removal of browsing pests, we’ll need to manage this carefully to ensure sneezeweed doesn’t decline due to lack of disturbance.”

    So, if you happen to be strolling around Kawau Island and spot a small pink tag on a metal stake, take a moment to appreciate the hidden work behind it. These markers indicate one of the permanent monitoring plots, where botanists are collecting essential information to protect this rare native herb.

    Sneezeweed may be small, but it’s a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding the delicate balance of New Zealand’s ecosystems. As we continue to monitor and support its survival, it’s a reminder of how even the tiniest plants play a role in the environment.

    The plant is also found in smaller populations in Tawharanui, Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier and Aotea / Great Barrier.

    To find out more about this project click here.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ODHS expands safety action plan with consultant’s early report on oversight of long-term care

    Source: US State of Oregon

    oday, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) released details of its safety action plan for oversight of providers who serve older adults and people with disabilities who live in facilities and adult foster homes.

    The plan follows the preliminary report from a third-party consultant hired to conduct an external assessment of state oversight of licensed long-term care providers.

    “Safety is essential to the well-being of the people we serve and is our program’s number one priority,” said Nakeshia Knight-Coyle, Ph.D., director of the ODHS Office of Aging and People with Disabilities (APD). “A&M’s independent perspective is valuable as we work to better meet people’s needs and prepare to keep pace with demand in coming decades.”

    Consultant Alvarez and Marsal (A&M) issued a preliminary report on its findings and recommendations as part of a contract with ODHS to conduct an external assessment of state oversight of licensed long-term care providers. The external consultant began its work at Governor Tina Kotek’s direction following a report released in April 2024 by the Oregon Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s office.

    This is all part of the agency’s proactive work to reform the licensing and oversight unit to better align resources with state and federal requirements and strengthen operations.

    In 2024, ODHS developed a short- and long-term safety action plan. ODHS added to that plan with additional 30-, 60- and 90-day goals that build upon this work and align with specific A&M recommendations. Some of these improvements are:

    Improve protocol for responding to serious safety violations

    • Action plan: In 30 days update the protocol for an Immediate Jeopardy finding in facilities and adult foster homes with serious safety breaches.
    • Already underway: Twice-a-week huddles added in 2024 to give staff additional guidance in responding to serious safety incidents.

    Clarify Letters of Agreement policy

    • Action plan: Update the policy in 30 days for agreements that address provider performance issues that could result in regulatory action. In 60 days, provide training and update the Compliance Framework Guide. In 90 days, convene a Rules Advisory Committee to update Oregon Administrative Rules.
    • Already underway: In 2024, APD developed more detailed manager guidance on when a Letter of Agreement would be allowed.

    Add workshops on statutory requirements

    • Action plan: Compile in 30 days a list of statutes by license type to serve as a training tool. In 60 days, managers will complete a refresher review. In 90 days, staff will renew training.
    • Already underway: APD leadership identified areas of statute in 2024 to provide additional guidance for managers.

    Improve morale and add support for managers

    • Action plan: Identify resources within 30 days to develop an employee engagement program. In 60 days, finalize the plan.
    • Already underway: Managers in February 2025 began developing staff support strategies in response to an employee survey and feedback.

    Address resource shortages in the unit

    • Action plan: In 60 days, use results of a second A&M analysis underway to evaluate distribution of resources.
    • Already underway: APD’s budget request included in the Governor’s Recommended Budget​ calls for 19​ ​new positions. In 2024, APD issued a Request for Application for contractors to provide temporary staffing.

    When complete by June 2025, A&M’s full assessment will include an evaluation of resources needed to meet current and future demand. ODHS hired A&M through a competitive Request for Proposal process.

    Updates on APD’s safety initiatives are provided on the ODHS website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Oversight Sweeps Nearly Every Corner of Taxpayer-Funded Government Agencies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Amid Sunshine Week, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), is highlighting the historic scale of his recent oversight work, which secured victories for national security, government transparency, health care and more.
    Grassley in the 118th Congress sent over 600 oversight letters to federal, state and private sector entities, as well as all 74 Offices of the Inspector General and the Office of Special Counsel – sending more oversight letters over the past two years than in any Congress prior. Grassley’s oversight – a hallmark of his time in public service – inspired bipartisan laws and prompted action from numerous federal agencies to address government waste, fraud and abuse. 
    “The Framers of our Constitution tasked Congress with conducting oversight as part of our system of checks and balances. I take this constitutional responsibility very seriously, and always have,” Grassley said. “My oversight and investigations help ensure the government is a service to the people of Iowa and the American taxpayer. I’m proud of the work I’ve done to safeguard our national security, improve health care outcomes, protect patriotic whistleblowers and hold agencies’ feet to the fire. I’m keeping my nose to the grindstone this Congress as I continue fighting for a more transparent and accountable government.”   
    Grassley gave an overview of his oversight achievements in a speech on the Senate floor. He noted: “We’re [now] in the 119th Congress. As this Congress gets underway, I have become Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. My oversight is already full-speed-ahead, and I look forward to what the next couple of years produce.”
    Highlights of Grassley Oversight in the 118th Congress
    Digging into agency mismanagement | Grassley: 
    Unveiled the “most detailed picture” of the Secret Service’s communication failures leading up to the first assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. 
    The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General opened a formal review into the Secret Service just hours after receiving a request from Grassley to do so. Grassley’s request ultimately resulted in five ongoing reviews into the Secret Service’s protection processes.

    Shone light on inappropriate expenditures billed to the Environmental Protection Agency under the guise of “environmental justice.” 
    Revealed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) misclassified employees as law enforcement, an illegal practice that cost taxpayers billions.
    Demanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) come clean on its failure to investigate child sex crimes and crack down on sexual misconduct among its workforce, including questionable disciplinary patterns allowing wrongdoers to evade accountability.
    Spearheaded efforts to root out partisan bias at the FBI, stop the weaponization of government against law-abiding Americans for their religious faith and expose bureaucratic sabotage of congressional oversight.
    Built on his yearslong oversight of the Pentagon by crafting a bipartisan measure to ensure the U.S. Armed Forces identify items the Defense Department (DOD) could produce itself through reverse engineering. Grassley’s bill, introduced with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), was signed into law as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. 
    Exposed U.S. Attorney David Weiss for lacking the authorities then-Attorney General Merrick Garland publicly asserted Weiss had to fully prosecute the Hunter Biden case. Grassley further exposed, through legally protected whistleblower disclosures, that the FBI had dozens of sources who provided potentially criminal information relating to the Biden family.
    Protecting whistleblowers | Grassley:
    Forced the ATF, Executive Office of Immigration Review and Internal Revenue Service to update its nondisclosure agreements with language informing whistleblowers of their rights.
    Demanded all Offices of Inspectors General review their parent agency’s whistleblower protection measures to ensure federal agencies maintain lawful anti-gag provisions. 
    Unanimously passed a resolution and delivered remarks celebrating National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. 
    Supporting crime victims | Grassley:
    Shone a light on Credit Suisse’s failure to disclose Nazi-linked accounts the bank historically serviced. Credit Suisse reinitiated an internal investigation of the accounts thanks to Grassley’s probing. 
    The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a global Jewish human rights organization, recognized Grassley for his work to right historic wrongs.
    At Grassley’s request, Argentinian President Javier Milei has agreed to cooperate with the investigation to provide Argentine-based records related to Credit Suisse’s use of Nazi “ratlines.” 

    Secured a Government Accountability Office study of the Justice Department (DOJ)’s Crime Victims Fund to ensure DOJ doesn’t squander money intended to support victims of crime. The DOJ Office of Inspector General opened its own audit following Grassley’s oversight.
    Cracking down on Biden border chaos | Grassley:  
    Spurred a federal investigation into potential trafficking of unaccompanied migrant children. Homeland Security Investigations followed up on 102 investigative targets Grassley identified. 
    Brought Health and Human Services (HHS) whistleblowers before a congressional panel to expose the abuse they witnessed in HHS’ Unaccompanied Children program. 
    Earned recognition as “the only person in a position of power” who exhibited consistent dedication to addressing government-funded migrant child trafficking.
    Called on dozens of federal contractors and grantees to account for what actions they’ve taken to safeguard unaccompanied migrant children in their care.
    Brought Customs and Border Protection whistleblowers before a congressional panel to discuss the government’s unlawful refusal to collect DNA from all individuals encountered at the border. 
    Advancing life-saving health care reforms | Grassley:  
    Championed a bipartisan law to reform the U.S. organ transplant system for the first time in four decades. The Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act ensures the best-qualified contractors manage and operate nationwide organ donations and placements, providing patients with the highest-quality care and ensuring generous donations are used to save lives.
    The nonpartisan Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy recognized Grassley and his bipartisan colleagues for their work to “[achieve] the best outcome for the American people.” 

    Spearheaded a bipartisan investigation with then-Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) into private equity ownership of hospital systems that operate across the country, including in Iowa. Grassley and Whitehouse pulled back the curtain on access and quality changes that had occurred at hospital systems purchased by private equity.
    Cutting off resources to Mexican drug cartels | Grassley:  
    Published a detailed report revealing federal agencies’ decades-long failure to conduct oversight of U.S. resources sent to Mexico, allowing taxpayer dollars to fall into the hands of cartels and fuel drug trafficking operations. 
    Informed by his report, Grassley authored bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve intercountry drug destruction efforts. The bill passed the House of Representatives last Congress.

    Exposed how Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) loopholes enable drug cartels to transport illicit drugs on U.S. registered planes. Grassley’s bipartisan bill to close FAA’s loopholes was signed into law as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.  
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Joins Schiff, Senate Democrats In Demanding USDA Reverse $1 Billion In Canceled Local Food Purchases For Schools, Farmers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    March 17, 2025
    SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, along with 29 Senators, sent a letter demanding a reversal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) cancellation of food purchase programs across the United States, warning of the harmful impacts this move will have on both families and American farmers. Slashing funding for locally sourced, nutritious food in schools showcases the hypocrisy of the Trump Administration’s claims about wanting to improve healthy food for children.
    “We ask that you reverse the cancellation,” the Senators wrote. “We have grave concerns that the cancellation… poses extreme harm to producers and communities in every state across the country. At a time of uncertainty in farm country, farmers need every opportunity to be able to expand market access for their products.” 
    In Illinois, cancellation of purchases through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) puts more than $26 million in food purchases for 4,017 schools and 1,250 child care centers at risk in Fiscal Year 2025. 
    The letter was also signed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY),  Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeffrey Merkley (D-OR),  Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). 
    The full letter sent to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins can be found here and below: 
    Dear Secretary Rollins:  
    We write to express serious concerns regarding the cancellation of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs supporting local and regional food purchases providing assistance to those in need. These successful programs, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), allow states, territories, and Tribes to purchase local foods from nearby farmers and ranchers to be used for emergency food providers, schools, and child care centers.  
    At a time when food insecurity remains high, providing affordable, fresh food to food banks and families while supporting American farmers is critical. Notably, LFPA and LFS have benefitted producers and consumers by providing funding for purchases through all 50 states, four territories, and 84 tribal governments. Through LFPA and LFS, USDA has prioritized the procurement and distribution of healthy, nutritious, domestic food. It has also taken an important step towards igniting rural prosperity by expanding and strengthening markets among farmers and rural economies. As of December 2024, the programs had supported over 8,000 producers, providing increased marketing opportunities.  
    Most importantly, we ask that you reverse the cancellation of LFPA and LFS. We also ask that you provide a thorough and complete update on USDA’s implementation of LFPA and LFS, including answers to the following questions:  
    1.        What is the status of reimbursements for entities that have agreements with USDA through LFPA and LFS? What is the last date for which states, territories, and Tribes received reimbursements for food purchases under LFPA and LFS?  
    2.        Has the Administration conducted any assessments of how these program cancellations will impact producers and recipient organizations (e.g., food banks, schools, child care centers)? If so, please provide a copy of any such assessments.  
    We have grave concerns that the cancellation of LFPA and LFS poses extreme harm to producers and communities in every state across the country. At a time of uncertainty in farm country, farmers need every opportunity to be able to expand market access for their products.  
    Please provide responses to the information requested in our questions no later than Friday, April 4. Thank you for your attention to this urgent and important matter.  
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Baldwin Kicks Off “Hands Off Medicaid Tour” in La Crosse

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    LA CROSSE, WI – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) kicked off her “Hands Off Medicaid Tour” in La Crosse to call out President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ plan to slash Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. In La Crosse, Senator Baldwin was joined by Wisconsinites who shared their stories about how Medicaid helps them and their families afford the care they need to stay healthy.
    “Republicans are planning to terminate health care for Wisconsin grandparents, kids, and loved ones on Medicaid – all to pay for new tax breaks for big corporations and billionaires,” said Senator Baldwin. “Today, I was in La Crosse to show Republicans what cuts to Medicaid would mean for real Wisconsinites and send the message loudly and clearly: Hands off Medicaid.”
    Senator Baldwin was joined by the following Wisconsinites who shared their stories and appealed to Congressional Republicans to stop their efforts to terminate the health care that keeps them and their families well:
    Kim Fredrick – Mindoro, WI – Kim shared the story of her 17-year-old son Matt who has Down Syndrome and has been on Medicaid since he was a few months old.
    Rachel Maxon – Stoddard, WI – Rachel shared that her 5-year-old daughter with autism and 78-year-old father-in-law with dementia rely on Medicaid for their health, safety, and increased independence in the community.
    Dana Horstman – Bangor, WI – Dana has relied on Medicaid since a spinal cord injury in 2013 left her in a wheelchair.
    Tina Pohlman – La Crosse, WI – Tina was diagnosed with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome in 2002 and receives Medicaid assistance.
    Bethany McAlister – La Crosse, WI – Bethany shared her story of multiple people in her family who rely on Medicaid, including her brother with down syndrome and mother-in-law with dementia.
    Republicans are planning deep cuts to Medicaid that will jeopardize the coverage of 72 million Americans. In Wisconsin, over 1.2 million are enrolled in Medicaid. About 1 in 3 children in both Wisconsin’s rural and metro communities have Medicaid coverage. More than 300,000 kids under age 19 are members of BadgerCare Plus or another Wisconsin Medicaid program.
    Across the country, Medicaid covers nearly half of all children, 31.5 million, over 8.3 million seniors, and around 15 million people with disabilities. Medicaid also pays for 6 out of 10 residents in nursing homes, with 5.6 million Americans counting on Medicaid for their long-term care bills and Medicaid paying for over half of long-term care in the United States. Severe cuts to Medicaid will also jeopardize rural hospitals and clinics’ ability to keep their doors open. Over 12 million rural Americans rely on Medicaid for health care.
    The next stops of the “Hands Off Medicaid Tour” include:
    Eau Claire on Tuesday, March 18, 2025
    Madison and Racine on Thursday, March 20, 2025
    Waukesha on Friday, March 21, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Durbin Lead Push to Save Task Force Combating Threats to Election Officials

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Durbin Lead Push to Save Task Force Combating Threats to Election Officials

    Senators to Attorney General: “In this challenging environment for election officials, it is essential to our democracy that they can continue to rely on [DOJ] to uphold the law”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 29 Democratic Senators in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to continue the essential work of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Election Threats Task Force, which directs the Department’s efforts to protect election officials from rising threats and acts of violence.
    The Senators’ letter comes as the Trump Administration has significantly rolled back the federal government’s capacity to fight against foreign and domestic election security threats. On Attorney General Bondi’s first day in office, she disbanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Foreign Influence Task Force, hindering efforts to address secret influence campaigns waged by China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries. Additionally, the Administration has fired or put on leave dozens of officials responsible for combating foreign election interference at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and has reportedly frozen all of CISA’s ongoing election security work. The Administration has also defunded CISA’s nationwide program to train local officials and monitor threats through the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
    “Given the recent disturbing personnel and policy decisions at the Department and the lack of transparency about the future of the Task Force, we request an immediate update on the status and activities of the Task Force, as well as what resources will be provided to ensure its important work continues so that election officials of both parties can safely administer our elections,” wrote the Senators.
    “Recent surveys have found that one in three election officials reported facing threats, harassment, and abuse. Similarly, 48 percent of local election officials know of someone who has left their job because of fear for their safety—a troubling loss of institutional knowledge needed for the smooth running of elections. Election workers continue to fear for their safety, so it is critical that the work of the Task Force continues to deter and counter these threats. In this challenging environment for election officials, it is essential to our democracy that they can continue to rely on the Department to uphold the law,” continued the Senators.
    In addition to Senators Padilla and Durbin, the letter was also signed by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    As Ranking Member of the Rules Committee, which has oversight over federal elections, Senator Padilla has fought against President Trump’s unprecedented attacks against election security. Last month, he pressed senior officials at CISA for answers after they fired employees who have worked to combat election misinformation. During his first business meeting as Rules Committee Ranking Member, Padilla highlighted threats to election security and the importance of free and fair elections. Additionally, Padilla expressed serious concerns about the dangerous implications for elections following President Trump’s executive order purporting to bring independent regulatory agencies under total control of the White House. Padilla previously denounced the illegal firing of Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind his attempt. 
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Attorney General Bondi:
    We write to strongly urge you to continue the critical law enforcement work of the Department of Justice’s Election Threats Task Force, which protects election officials from ongoing threats and acts of violence. Given the recent disturbing personnel and policy decisions at the Department and the lack of transparency about the future of the Task Force, we request an immediate update on the status and activities of the Task Force, as well as what resources will be provided to ensure its important work continues so that election officials of both parties can safely administer our elections.
    The Task Force was established in the wake of the 2020 election cycle when election officials across the political spectrum began facing unprecedented threats of violence intended to thwart the peaceful transfer of power that is the hallmark of our democracy. In close collaboration with state and local law enforcement, the Task Force has assessed thousands of complaints of suspected threats of violence and investigated and prosecuted violent offenders. Over the years, these threats have not only continued but escalated.  The Task Force has investigated fentanyl-laced letters, bomb threats, and swatting incidents—serving as a legacy of the 2020 election and impacting the ways election officials interact with voters in their communities.
    Recent surveys have found that one in three election officials reported facing threats, harassment, and abuse. Similarly, 48 percent of local election officials know of someone who has left their job because of fear for their safety—a troubling loss of institutional knowledge needed for the smooth running of elections. Election workers continue to fear for their safety, so it is critical that the work of the Task Force continues to deter and counter these threats. In this challenging environment for election officials, it is essential to our democracy that they can continue to rely on the Department to uphold the law.
    Moreover, the federal government’s ability to fight election interference has been greatly hampered in the early weeks of this Administration. Dozens of officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who are responsible for combatting foreign election interference, have been fired or put on leave. CISA has also reportedly frozen all of its ongoing election security work, including defunding its nationwide program to train local officials and monitor threats through the “Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.” Additionally, on your first day in office, you signed a directive disbanding the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, which was aimed at responding to secret influence campaigns waged by China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries.
    We request a response on the status and future plans of the Election Threats Task Force, the extent of resources and personnel dedicated to its work, and how it plans to incorporate related work previously led by CISA and the Foreign Influence Task Force by March 31, 2025.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Beatings, overcrowding and food deprivation: US deportees face distressing human rights conditions in El Salvador’s mega-prison

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mneesha Gellman, Associate Professor of Political Science, Emerson College

    Shackled and bent over – some of the 250-plus deportees arriving in El Salvador. El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

    El Salvador President Nayib Bukele framed his offer to house “dangerous American criminals” and “criminals from any country” as a win-win for all.

    The fee for transferring detainees to a newly built Salvadoran mega-prison “would be relatively low” for the U.S. but enough to make El Salvador’s “entire prison system sustainable,” Bukele wrote in a post on the social media platform X dated Feb. 3, 2025.

    What was left unsaid is that the individuals would be knowingly placed into a prison system in which a range of sources have reported widespread human rights abuses at the hands of state forces.

    A first transfer of U.S. deportees from Venezuela has now arrived into that system. On March 16, the U.S. government flew around 250 deportees to El Salvador despite a judge’s order temporarily blocking the move. Bukele later posted a video online showing the deportees arriving in El Salvador with their hands and feet shackled and forcibly bent over by armed guards.

    As experts who have researched human rights and prison conditions in El Salvador, we have documented an alarming democratic decline amid Bukele’s attempts to conceal ongoing violence both in prisons and throughout the country.

    We have also heard firsthand of the human rights abuses that deportees and Salvadorans alike say they have suffered while incarcerated in El Salvador, and we have worked on hundreds of asylum cases as expert witnesses, testifying in U.S. immigration court about the nature and scope of human rights abuses in the country. We are deeply concerned both over the conditions into which deportees are arriving and as to what the U.S. administration’s decision signals about its commitments to international human rights standards.

    Eroding democratic norms

    Bukele has led El Salvador since 2019, winning the presidency by vowing to crack down on the crime and corruption that had plagued the nation. But he has also circumvented democratic norms – for example, by rewriting the constitution so that he could be reelected in 2024.

    For the past three years, Bukele has governed with few checks and balances under a self-imposed “state of exception.” This emergency status has allowed Bukele to suspend many rights as he wages what he calls a “war on gangs.”

    The crackdown manifests in mass arbitrary arrests of anyone who fits stereotypical demographic characteristics of gang members, like having tattoos, a prior criminal record or even just “looking nervous.”

    As a result of the ongoing mass arrests, El Salvador now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The proportion of its population that El Salvador incarcerates is more than triple that of the U.S. and double that of the next nearest country, Cuba.

    Safest country in Latin America?

    Bukele’s tough-on-gangs persona has earned him widespread popularity at home and abroad – he has fostered an immediate friendship with the new U.S. administration in particular.

    But maintaining this popularity has involved, it is widely alleged, manipulating crime statistics, attacking journalists who criticize him and denying involvement in a widely documented secret gang pact that unraveled just before the start of the state of exception.

    Bukele and pro-government Salvadoran media insist that the crackdown on gangs has transformed El Salvador into the safest country in Latin America.

    But on the ground, Salvadorans have described how police, military personnel and Mexican cartels have taken over the exploitative practices previously carried out by gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18. One Salvadoran woman whose son died in prison just a few days after he was arbitrarily detained told a reporter from Al Jazeera: “One is always afraid. Before it was fear of the gangs, now it’s also the security forces who take innocent people.”

    Torture as state policy

    Bukele’s crackdown on gangs has come at a huge cost to human rights – and nowhere is this seen more than in El Salvador’s prison system.

    Bukele has ordered a communication blackout between incarcerated people and their loved ones. This means no visits, no letters and no phone calls.

    Such lack of contact makes it nearly impossible for people to determine the well-being of their incarcerated family members, many of whom are parents with young children now cared for by extended family.

    Despite the blackout, scholars, international and national rights’ groups and investigative journalists have been able to build up a picture of conditions inside El Salvador’s prisons through interviews with victims and their family members, medical records and forensic analysis of cases of prison deaths. What they describe is a hellscape.

    Incarcerated Salvadorans are packed into grossly overcrowded cells, beaten regularly by prison personnel and denied medicines even when they are available. Inmates are frequently subjected to punishments including food deprivation and electric shocks. Indeed, a U.S. State Department’s 2023 country report on El Salvador noted the “harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.”

    The human rights organization Cristosal estimates that hundreds have died from malnutrition, blunt force trauma, strangulation and lack of lifesaving medical treatment.

    Often, their bodies are buried by government workers in mass graves without notifying families.

    Although El Salvador is a signatory to the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture, Amnesty International concluded after multiple missions to the country and interviews with victims and their families that there is “systemic use of torture” in Salvadoran prisons.

    Likewise, a case-by-case study by Cristosal, which included forensic analysis of exhumed bodies of people who died in prison, determined in 2024 that “torture has become a state policy.”

    ‘At risk of irreparable harm’

    What makes this all the more worrying is the scale of potential abuse.

    El Salvador now houses a prison population of around 110,000 – more than three times the number of inmates before the state of exception began.

    To increase the country’s capacity for ongoing mass incarceration, Bukele built and opened the Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison in 2023. An analysis of the center using satellite footage showed that if the prison were to reach its full supposed capacity of 40,000, each prisoner would have less than 2 feet of space in their cells.

    It is to this prison that deportees from the U.S. have been taken.

    President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act in transferring the detainees. The wartime act has been invoked only three times, including to justify Japanese internment during World War II.

    There are serious concerns over both the process and the legality of transferring U.S. prisoners to a nation that has not protected the human rights of its detained population.

    El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison.
    El Salvador Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

    While Trump said the deportees were members of the gangs Tren de Aragua and MS-13, the incarcerated individuals did not receive a hearing to contest allegations of their gang membership, eliciting questions as to the viability of that claim.

    Moreover, the agreement through which the Trump administration is seeking to moving migrants detained in the U.S. to El Salvador faces scrutiny under international law, given what is known about the country’s prison conditions.

    International human rights is governed by laws that prohibit nations from transferring people into harm’s way, be it returning foreign nationals to countries where “there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be at risk of irreparable harm,” or transferring detainees to jurisdictions in which they are at risk of being tortured or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

    The efforts of human rights organizations, journalists and scholars to document prison conditions point to an unequivocal conclusion: El Salvador does not meet the terms necessary to protect the human rights of deported and incarcerated migrants.

    To the contrary, the government of El Salvador has repeatedly been accused by rights groups of committing crimes against humanity, including against its prison population.

    Mneesha Gellman received funding from Emerson College’s Faculty Development Fund. She is the Director of the Emerson Prison Initiative.

    Sarah C. Bishop has received research funding from the Fulbright Organization, The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society at Villanova University, the Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation, and the Professional Staff Congress at the City University of New York. She serves on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Mixteca.

    – ref. Beatings, overcrowding and food deprivation: US deportees face distressing human rights conditions in El Salvador’s mega-prison – https://theconversation.com/beatings-overcrowding-and-food-deprivation-us-deportees-face-distressing-human-rights-conditions-in-el-salvadors-mega-prison-250739

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Editorial Supports U.S. Department of Education Changes; Praises Nebraska Teachers

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Editorial Supports U.S. Department of Education Changes; Praises Nebraska Teachers

    LINCOLN, NE – In an editorial published today by The Federalist, Governor Jim Pillen addressed the Trump Administration’s efforts to rethink the size and scope of the U.S. Department of Education, an effort he supports. In the piece, Pillen praises Nebraska’s teachers and administrators for their work serving our students and details a pro-kid, pro-parent, pro-teacher, pro-school vision for the future of American education that returns power and decision making to local leaders, giving families more freedom.

    The editorial is available below:

     

    The Best Thing Trump Can Do For Teachers And Kids Is Shut Down The Education Department

    By Governor Jim Pillen

    March 17, 2025

    Think about the three people who affected you the most growing up. For a lot of us, I’d bet at least one is a teacher or coach. It speaks to the influence and importance schools can have on our lives and education.

    Teachers are difference makers who help us, as parents, educate and develop our kids. But just as we don’t need Washington to tell parents how to parent, we don’t need federal bureaucrats telling our schools how to teach. Many classroom decisions are best left up to our leaders at the local level.

    Last week, the Trump administration, under the leadership of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, announced it is following through with a campaign promise to rethink the size and scope of the Department of Education. I think it’s beyond time to return those powers and decisions to the states and restore local control, giving families more freedom.

    Since the Department of Education was formed as a standalone department in 1980, we’ve seen its budget and workforce bloat — but we haven’t seen improved outcomes for students, parents, or teachers. We clearly aren’t getting what we’re paying for.

    For a decade, I served on the Board of Regents for the University of Nebraska system, getting into the weeds of education policy and decision making for our state. One of the philosophies I brought with me from that experience into the governor’s office is that we need more accountability in government.

    Just like a teen staring at a phone screen, too often the U.S. Department of Education’s bureaucracy has been distracted from its mission, and American education has suffered for it. We can’t predict the future, but we have to change something. Our kids’ education is too important for us to keep pursuing mediocre results that cost us billions.

    For starters, American taxpayers shouldn’t be funding controversial culture wars through our schools. We should expect that our investment will be spent on teaching kids the essentials: math, reading, science, and civics.

    There is a simpler, better path forward. By sending education back to states, we let those nearest to the student have the biggest influence. This is a pro-kid, pro-parent, pro-teacher, pro-school position. No matter the style of schooling families choose — public, private, homeschool, or hybrid — our lessons should be focused on helping our youth succeed, and you don’t need federal government mandates to do that.

    In Nebraska, I know the type of people who serve in our schools. Our teachers devote their lives to our kids. We’re human, and we’re not going to get things right 100 percent of the time, but I’m confident in our ability to lead and ensure we’re addressing the needs of our students, teachers, and schools.

    Because technology and research constantly change the way we learn, educators must be able to move fast in the classroom in ways some faraway cubicle worker in Washington can’t. Teachers and administrators are closer to the action and better prepared for this type of work.

    In my state, we’re leading by making localized decisions: We’re rethinking how we invest and fund K-12 schools, raising awareness and doubling down on special education opportunities, and working with students and schools to ban the distraction of cell phones bell-to-bell.

    Secretary McMahon’s stated goal is to make the state of education in America “freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.” That’s a mission all of us should be able to get behind because there’s no politics in it.

    Let’s focus more on how to help the teacher in the classroom who is giving our kids this week’s spelling test. Let’s figure out ways to better support dynamic, inspiring lessons. Let’s support the guidance counselor who is helping our students navigate adolescence while they make big, life-long decisions.

    Let’s let our country’s kids — and education — reach the world-changing potential they have. That should be the American tradition. The Department of Education just needs to get out of the way.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Utah Man Admits to Defrauding his Employer of Approximately $1.7M

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Davis County man pleaded guilty in court today to embezzling approximately $1.7 million from his employer for his own benefit.

    Timothy Sean Edgar, 44, of Farmington, Utah, was charged by felony information March 11, 2025, for wire fraud and money laundering.

    According to court documents and admissions made at the change of plea hearing, beginning in 2021 and continuing until October 2024, Edgar defrauded his employer to obtain money and property by stealing and lying. As part of Edgar’s scheme, he fraudulently opened a sales channel through a popular online marketplace and used his employment credentials to access the vendor portal and redirect Automated Clearing House payments to his personal bank account. Edgar then made payments back to his employer using his personal credit card.  Edgar embezzled approximately $1,778,251 from his employer.

    Edgar is scheduled to be sentenced August 7, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated jointly by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, and the North Salt Lake City Police Department.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Woolf and Jacob J. Strain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Britain Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDDIE LIMAS, 35, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force received information that Limas and others were receiving kilogram quantities of fentanyl from sources in the Dominican Republic, storing the drug at a stash house in the Bronx, New York, and distributing it in central Connecticut.  Between January and April 2022, investigators made five controlled purchases of distribution quantities of fentanyl from Limas.

    On May 13, 2022, Connecticut State Police stopped a vehicle driven by Limas’ uncle, Hector Limas, on I-84 in Danbury after investigators suspected that he had delivered narcotics to Eddie Limas’ residence on Chapman Street in New Britain.  A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 700 grams of fentanyl and approximately $19,000 in cash.

    Also on May 13, 2022, law enforcement attempted to arrest Eddie Limas in Hartford, but he crashed his vehicle into a Hartford police cruiser and fled at a high rate of speed.  At the same time, investigators maintaining surveillance at Eddie Limas’ residence saw a neighbor remove bags and boxes from the residence, lock them in a car that was parked in front, and give the key fob to Carmen Hernandez, who had also exited the residence.  A search of the car revealed more than two kilograms of fentanyl, more than 300 grams of cocaine, approximately one kilogram of marijuana, items used to process and package narcotics, and a .380 caliber pistol.  Hernandez also possessed a quantity of fentanyl, and a search of Limas’ residence revealed a loaded .40 caliber pistol and additional narcotics.

    Eddie Limas eluded capture until May 9, 2023, when he was arrested in New Britain after conducting additional drug sales.  He has been detained since his arrest.  On September 18, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Hector Limas, 59, of the Bronx, and Hernandez, 61, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to related charges.  On November 8, 2023, Hector Limas was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment, and on January 14, 2025, Hernandez was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.

    This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, the Hartford Police Department, the East Hartford Police Department, the New Britain Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southern Utah Man Facing Sex Trafficking Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. GEORGE, Utah – A man accused of forcing a victim to engage in commercial sex acts and forcing the victim to provide him with the proceeds while he was behind bars for an unrelated state offense appeared in court today for federal sex trafficking charges.

    Aaron Kern, 27, most recently of St. George, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 11, 2025. During his initial appearance on the indictment, he was ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler in St. George.

    According to court documents, from November 2023 to December 2024, Kern allegedly recruited and violently threatened a victim to engage in commercial sex acts and provide him with a large portion of the proceeds.  Kern’s illegal acts to traffic an individual for sex acts were allegedly committed while Kern was incarcerated for an unrelated state offense. Kern also forced the victim to attempt to smuggle suboxone, a controlled substance, into the correctional facility where he was housed. When the victim demonstrated any resistance to Kern’s attempts to have her engage in commercial sex acts, he would threaten her. On one occasion, he told the victim, “obviously the only thing that is going to work is me breaking your face when you don’t want to listen,” and “you are going to have a lot of days where you are drinking through a straw.”

    Kern also made threats to the victim regarding her family members’ safety. During the investigation, law enforcement found online prostitution advertisements that Kern dictated and ordered the victim to place. Investigators also found in Kern’s jail cell a handwritten contract that he wanted the victim to sign as well as handwritten notes and journal entries describing how he needed to break the victim down.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated by the Washington County Drug/Gang Task Force.

    Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Burton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Americans care so much about egg prices – and how this issue got so political

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Clodagh Harrington, Lecturer in American Politics, University College Cork

    The price of eggs has risen dramatically in recent years across the US. A dozen eggs cost US$1.20 (92p) in June 2019, but the price is now around US$4.90 (with a peak of US$8.17 in early March).

    Some restaurants have imposed surcharges on egg-based dishes, bringing even more attention to escalating costs. And there are also shortages on supermarket shelves.

    In the coming months, the US plans to import up to 100 million of this consumer staple. Government officials are approaching countries from Turkey to Brazil with enquiries about eggs for export.

    Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins, who previously said that one option to the crisis was for people to get a chicken for their backyard, suggested in the Wall Street Journal that prices are unlikely to stabilise for some months. And Donald Trump recently shared an article on Truth Social calling on the public to “shut up about egg prices”.

    The main cause of the problem is an outbreak of avian flu that has resulted in over 166 million birds in the US being slaughtered. Around 98% of the nation’s chickens are produced on factory farms, which are ripe for contagion.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu has already spread to several hundred dairy cattle and to one human. The USDA recently announced a US$1 billion plan to counter the problem, with funding for improved bio-security, vaccine research and compensation to farmers.

    In January 2025, Donald Trump’s White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, blamed the previous administration for high egg prices. It is true that birds were slaughtered on President Joe Biden’s watch, but this was and remains standard practice at times of bird flu outbreaks and had also been the case during the Obama and first Trump administrations.

    However, this points to the way the rising price of eggs has become a political touchstone. It was referred to regularly in campaign speeches and press briefings as a sign of things going wrong and a symbol of the US economy faced. Donald Trump promised to fix the price of eggs swiftly if elected, but so far the issue shows no sign of going away.

    Prices are still trending up. Even when prices suddenly drop, as they have this week, the public know how much cheaper they used to be until recently, and do not tend to feel better.

    There are a number of reasons why egg prices have become an important to US politicians. First, almost everyone buys eggs. So the shortage and subsequent price rise is newsworthy and affects consumers in all income brackets.

    Secondly, they are a measure of broader economic vulnerabilities, so egg-related problems tend to be part of a larger story about how weak the economy is. And thirdly, egg prices are political because of Trump’s promise to bring them down.



    Read more:
    US inflation has increased since Trump took office – why prices are unlikely to come down soon

    Polls showed that the economy and inflation were key factors in voter choice on election day 2024. In February 2025, Donald Trump did an interview with NBC News in which he said he won the election on the border and groceries.

    On immigration, voters often base their opinions on what they perceive to be true. For example, tough rhetoric on building a wall may equate with a sense of feeling that the president is taking strong action, whether anything tangible actually materialises or not.

    With groceries, reality trumps perception. The price of eggs is printed on the box and the cost is paid directly by voters.

    Donald Trump on what he’s doing on egg prices and the economy.

    Then there are the egg producers. US farmers tended to overwhelmingly support Trump on election day, so it is prudent for him to feel their pain, or at least appear to. Farming areas voted for him increasingly in his three election efforts, even increasing their support for him in 2020 after trade wars and price increases which would have negatively impacted them.

    Another factor that may push up egg prices is that an estimated 70% of the factory farm workforce is immigrant labour, and as many as 40% are undocumented. Should the administration’s plans for high tariffs and mass deportations come to fruition, the industry would struggle to function.

    Further food price increases will be inevitable, with potential exacerbation via the funding freezes for some USDA programmes that Trump has enacted. As of March 2025, US$1 billion in cuts has been announced, the consequences of which are already being felt by farmers. The “pain now for gain later” message is a tricky political sell.

    Even in the current era of international turbulence, elections are largely won on more pedestrian matters. Specifically, “kitchen-table” economics is relatable to every voter, regardless of how grand, or not, their table is.

    Americans will be aware that in neighbouring Canada, egg prices have not risen dramatically and there have not been shortages. But prices in Canada have been traditionally higher than the US, this is in part at least because farming standards differ.

    The US does not have high welfare standards for agricultural workers or animals, and this shortcoming needs to be addressed in order to help reduce future risk of flu, but this is likely to also raise prices.

    Blaming the previous incumbent is not a durable stance for Donald Trump. As former president Harry Truman might remind him: “The buck stops here.” Right at his desk.

    Clodagh Harrington 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. Why Americans care so much about egg prices – and how this issue got so political – https://theconversation.com/why-americans-care-so-much-about-egg-prices-and-how-this-issue-got-so-political-251752

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they’re overlooked in conservation strategies

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jonathan Cazabonne, Doctorant en mycologie et écologie des vieilles forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)

    Fungi are among the most important organisms on Earth. Even though most of the world’s described 157,000 fungal species are only visible with a microscope, these organisms are essential to our ecosystems, our societies and economies.

    They break down organic matter and interact with all groups of organisms — including other fungi. They’re key actors in forest carbon storage, nutrient cycling, as well as plant growth and resistance to environmental stress.

    Fungi are also important to human cultures — including as a source of food, medicine and art. Economically, fungi also support a growing economy centred around mycotourism — with a growing number of travellers visiting Canada and Spain each year to forage for wild mushrooms.



    Read more:
    Rural communities in Québec are embracing ‘mushroom tourism’ to boost local economies

    All the benefits fungi provide to humans are estimated to be worth the equivalent of US$54.57 trillion. This is why it’s an understatement to say that the world’s ecosystems and human societies are shaped by fungi.

    And yet fungi continue to be an important but overlooked element of conservation strategies.

    Why fungi are forgotten

    Conservation efforts have long focused on protecting well-studied animals and plants. This is reflected in the number of species that have been assigned a conservation status by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

    Around 84 per cent of known species of vertebrates have received an IUCN conservation status. But just 0.5 per cent of all described fungi — 818 fungal species — are currently present on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Considering scientists estimate that there could be around 2.5 million fungal species in the world — of which we currently only know about six per cent of them — this means just 0.03 per cent of all fungi have been assigned a conservation status.

    Several factors explain this alarming reality.

    Fungi are difficult to study in both nature and under experimental conditions. This is because of many species’ microscopic size, their short lifespan and the hidden habitats they call home — such as soils, the tissues of other organisms and dung deposits.

    Many species of fungi are difficult to study because of their microscopic size.
    (Shutterstock)

    Fungi are also considered “uncharismatic” — meaning they don’t have the level of human appeal that some other species have. Much of their diversity is cryptic, as well. This means that while many fungi were once considered to be a single species, in reality they’re made up of multiple species that may look similar but are genetically distinct from one another. Because of this, conservation projects for fungi are poorly funded and do not easily capture public interest.

    Protecting the unknown

    In recent years, there’s been momentum within the scientific community to recognise fungi as a distinct kingdom within conservation strategies — one that’s on equal footing with animals and plants.

    A significant milestone in this movement has been the adoption of the term “funga,” which mirrors “fauna” and “flora”. This designates the fungal diversity within a given environment or habitat.

    Another important advancement was the recent pledge for fungal conservation that was presented at the 2024 Conference of Parties (COP16) in Colombia. This pledge urged parties to make fungal conservation a priority given fungi are central to achieving the biodiversity targets set out by the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework.

    More local initiatives are also emerging. In Québec, over 70 mycologists and biologists signed an opinion letter encouraging the government to integrate fungi into its legislative framework.

    Such progress is not trivial and may help correct misconceptions about fungi that continue to be present among the public, economic sectors and policymakers. For example, the misconception that fungi are plants is something that still persists to this day. Allowing this misconception to continue being perpetuated is harmful to the field of mycology, and may be preventing it from becoming a standalone discipline that deserves dedicated funding and specialists.

    Still, there’s much we don’t know about these unique, important organisms. And in order for us to be able to protect and preserve the planet’s fungi, we need to begin by formally identifying areas where knowledge is lacking and close these gaps.

    Last year, researchers used Laboulbeniomycetes — a class of poorly understood microfungi — as a case study to understand what biodiversity and conservation shortfalls continue to affect funga. This group of fungi includes species that rely on arthropods to disperse their spores or act as hosts for them. Many of these fungi live as minute parasites on the surface of insects such as cockroaches and ladybirds.

    The case study uncovered four major biodiversity shortfalls that are undermining the conservation of funga. These include knowledge gaps in species diversity, distribution, conservation assessments and species persistence.

    Part of conservation

    Failing to protect fungi means, by extension, failing to protect the roles they play in our ecosystems and daily lives.

    This is especially timely, as fungi, like animals and plants, are also facing numerous threats. Habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species and climate change may all increase their risks of extinction.

    And, as recently exemplified in vertebrates, many undescribed species of fungi may be even more at peril than we might know. This is because they’re most likely to be found in remote geographical regions — such as tropical rainforests — and thus heavily susceptible to human-induced changes.

    A key priority to better integrate fungi into conservation biology is to accumulate data on species diversity. But in order to accumulate data and understand how we can better protect fungal species worldwide, we need to fund research on fungi and make mycology a more attractive field for young scientists.

    One thing remains certain: the more we explore, the more we realise just how little we know.

    Jonathan Cazabonne is financially supported by a B2X doctoral research fellowship from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT).

    Danny Haelewaters receives funding from the Czech Academy of Sciences (Lumina Quaeruntur Fellowship LQ200962501).

    – ref. Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they’re overlooked in conservation strategies – https://theconversation.com/fungi-are-among-the-planets-most-important-organisms-yet-theyre-overlooked-in-conservation-strategies-250483

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Giving Women Jobs ‘Smartest, Fastest’ Way to Grow Economy, Commission Told

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The Commission on the Status of Women entered its second week today with an interactive dialogue on inclusive development, shared prosperity and decent work.  Speakers emphasized the urgency of turning gender equality commitments into concrete, actionable policies to ensure women have equal opportunities to improve their employment prospects and livelihoods.

    The Commission’s two-week annual session focuses on accelerating the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 conference on women in Beijing, where world leaders pledged to achieve gender equality and uphold women’s rights.  Discussions also focus on contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Women Friendly Tax Administration

    Diane Elson, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, England, said that systemic barriers to women’s enjoyment of decent work include discrimination in hiring, misogyny, sexual harassment, violence in the workplace and lack of investment to reduce and redistribute unpaid work.  “Unfortunately, some of these barriers are actually intensifying in some countries, where there are now attempts to wipe from the record the gains that women and ethnic minorities and other minorities have made,” she said.  However, there are many things that can be done.  While inclusive development policies tend to garner wide support, there are many forms of inclusion that are impoverishing and exploitative.  It is therefore important to focus on “rights at work as well as the right to work, and to understand that economic growth does not necessarily create more jobs,” she stressed.  To that end, it is critical to improve women friendly tax administration systems for filing taxes.  “We need the elimination of tax breaks that do not increase investment and productivity and serve only to reduce tax payments for well off people and businesses,” she said.

    Access to Technology Training Key to Empowering Women  

    Corina Rodriguez, researcher at the National Council of Research and the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Public Policy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said that artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization presents many opportunities to reduce gender disparities but also creates challenges and presents risks.  Technology might lead to a displacement of the working population to get cheaper labour, particularly in certain sectors where women are overrepresented, and those perhaps where the qualifications are lower.  Technology creates new employment opportunity in design, in goods and services, technological services, logistics, customer care — opportunities that women can seize.  “But it depends, of course, on whether they’re able to first access training in these careers,” she said.  “Women are under much more time pressure, because in addition to work, they have to very often care for other members of the family,” she said.  It is essential to ensure that women do not “fall into the work trap” and take on additional hours without additional pay while also having to balance numerous other responsibilities. 

    Lekha S. Chakraborty, Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) in New Delhi, India, called on Governments to “move beyond the paradigm” of the gross domestic product (GDP).  “The fiscal policy space is shrinking,” she went on to underscore, noting that funds to women’s programmes have been substantially cut in the post-pandemic landscape.  However, it still remains true that the “smartest and fastest” way to increase GDP is to have women involved in economic growth through employment and empowerment.  “There are challenges with the care economy infrastructure,” she emphasized, spotlighting a sector of the economy where women are overrepresented.  In the post-pandemic paradigm “conscious public policy decisions are crucial”, she added.  Gender-responsive budgeting should not be confined solely to “what is specifically targeting women”.  She discussed the connection between gender bonds and fiscal policy, stating that in countries with high fiscal deficits, internal bond financing could be tied to gender equality outcomes.  However, she cautioned against linking bond financing to external funding, as it is subject to external factors, which carry inherent risks.  She emphasized that there are innovative approaches to addressing this issue.  “Public financial management reforms for climate change are currently under way without being tied to a job guarantee,” she added.

    Gender Mainstreaming

    Barbara Ky, director of gender at the West African Economic and Monetary Union, discussed how the Union is working to translate gender perspective and gender equality commitments into practical public policies that can be implemented by Governments and thereby enhance women’s employment prospects and livelihoods.  The Union has developed guidelines, digital tools and information technology procedures that are carried out by the sectoral ministry in each of the Union’s member country.  Public policy is based on goals that will integrate a gender perspective.  “This requires mainstreaming the gender perspective and integrating it into every stage of planning, programming, budgeting and implementation,” she said.  At the highest level all documents prepared by Government ministries should include a gender-related aspect “so that public policy is truly permeated by an awareness of these issues and gender has to be taken into account from the initiative of the process,” she said.  For example, to address the issue of women’s unpaid employment, the hours that women spend bringing water to the household, compared with men, has been assessed.  Planning programmes need to be aware of women’s contributions.

    Women Spend 4.5 Hours Daily on Unpaid Care Work

    Marija Babovic, a professor affiliated with the University of Belgrade, shared her perspective on the sustained negative impact that unpaid work has on women’s employment, income and economic security.  These negative impacts are increasing as more women work in unpaid care and in unprotected domestic work.  She noted that while in developed countries many women have entered the formal labour market since the 1970s, women and girls still provide more than three fourths of the unpaid care work around the world.  For example, women spend 4 hours and 25 minutes each day on these activities while men spend 1 hour and 23 minutes each day on the same type of activities.  More than 600 million women are working outside the paid labour force because of their care responsibilities, compared with 41 million men.  “Unpaid work lowers women access to the labour market and paid work and is a factor in their higher financial poverty and time poverty,” she said.  The paid care economy accounts for 11.5 per cent of the global economy, including jobs in such areas as childcare, disability care, aged care and paid domestic work.  However, “across the world, paid care work remains characterized by a lack of rights, benefits or protections, low wages or non-compensation,” she said, adding that some women are subject to physical, mental and even sexual harassment.

    The discussion was moderated by Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, founder of the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a leading non-profit organization that addresses the prevalence of sexual violence in Nigeria and Africa.

    The Commission also held a second interactive dialogue this afternoon on poverty eradication, social protection, and social services.

    __________

    *     The 12th meeting was not covered.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Supporting strong community houses and boosting access to government services

    Source: Ministers for Social Services

    More vulnerable Australians will soon have better access to essential government services and programs that build their social connections within their own communities.

    The Albanese Labor Government is investing $989,000 to bolster neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood centres and community centres across the country.

    These community-based organisations provide support to access Federal Government services such as Centrelink and emergency relief in geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities. They also offer programs to help vulnerable Australians better engage with their communities such as digital literacy programs, employment skills and education pathway training, one-on-one coaching, and nutrition and cooking classes.

    The Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association (ANHCA) will use the funding to administer grants of up to $15,000 to eligible organisations to deliver more than 50 community-based projects.

    ANHCA is the national peak body representing more than 1,000 neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood centres and community centres around Australia – accessed by more than 400,000 disadvantaged Australians each week.

    Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth visited Derwent Valley Community House in New Norfolk, Tasmania today. It provides people with information, educational, cultural and social supports and resources including cooking classes, learner driving programs, and help with literacy.

    Minister Rishworth said by supporting place-based solutions to addressing disadvantage, we can help build stronger and more resilient communities, and help Australians who need extra support.

    “The Albanese Labor Government is pleased to partner with ANHCA to deliver better outcomes for neighbourhood houses and community centres by addressing services gaps identified by the community and removing barriers vulnerable groups face to access support,” Minister Rishworth said.

    “ANHCA is well-equipped with the expertise, community knowledge, and sector understanding to ensure that Government funding is being used and delivered where it is needed most.

    ANHCA President Liz Bonner said: “This dedicated funding for neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood centres and community centres across Australia is very welcome support for a sector that provides Australia’s essential social infrastructure and contributes so much to social cohesion, at a time when the cost of living pressures are challenging community connection.”

    The funding is delivered under the Strong and Resilient Communities – Inclusive Communities (SARC – IC) Activity which is designed to support people on pathways to self-reliance and empowerment through local community-driven solutions. The Government has invested $49.5 million in SARC – IC projects since 2022.

    More information about SARC grants is available on the Department of Social Services website.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: UniSA champion of multiculturalism takes out top SA Governor award

    Source: University of South Australia

    18 March 2025

    One of UniSA’s most passionate advocates for Aboriginal communities and marginalised groups has won the 2024 SA Governor’s Multicultural Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

    Dr Jelina Haines, a practitioner-academic who has collaborated with Aboriginal Elders for more than 21 years and used art, storytelling and digital technologies to empower marginalised communities, was among nine winners and 31 finalists who attended the awards ceremony at Government House on 5 March.

    The award, presented by the Governor of South Australia Frances Adamson AC, honoured Dr Haines’ extensive body of work over two decades championing social cohesion, intercultural understanding and the revitalisation of Aboriginal arts.

    A Filipino-born Australian with an ancestral link to Indigenous Americas-Mexico, Dr Haines migrated to South Australia in 1997. Since then, she has spearheaded 52 minor programs, five major projects, and three international educational initiatives.

    Her work has provided crucial income opportunities for Aboriginal artists while fostering a strong sense of identity within communities.

    One of her most notable artistic collaborations has been with the Ngarrindjeri Cultural Weavers at Camp Coorong. Through this mutual partnership, she has helped create intricate woven sculptures representing Ngarrindjeri totems, including a life-sized whale exhibited at the SA Museum and the Le Havre Museum in France.

    Dr Jelina Haines with her SA Governor’s Multicultural Award.

    Other remarkable pieces, such as the Pelican and Murray Cod sculptures, have found homes in the National Australia Gallery, the SA Maritime Museum, and Ngarrindjeri Totems at the Department of Infrastructure, and Uniting Communities. These projects have not only united Aboriginal families and storytelling traditions but have also reinforced deep connections to ancestral landscapes.

    Beyond her artistic contributions, Dr Haines has made an international impact through her research on the impact of digital technologies on marginalised communities, particularly Aboriginal groups.

    Her award-winning studies have also shaped policies and practices that bridge digital gaps and create inclusive opportunities for underrepresented groups.

    She currently serves as a Policy Advocacy Lead at Catalyst Now Oceania and Co-Chair of Catalyst Now Australia Chapter, and as SIG-Cabinet Deputy Director at the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), USA. She has also played a pivotal role in student mentorship, bringing exchange students from Japan, Asia, Europe, and America to South Australia while guiding students from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan in visual arts, archiving, information science and anthropology.

    UniSA Associate Professor David Radford was also a finalist in the Outstanding Individual Achievement category, recognising his extensive research and ongoing work to support the settlement and integration of Hazara Afghan refugees in Australia.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel Tichenor, Professor of Political Science, University of Oregon

    Prison guards transfer alleged Venezuelan gang members to a detention center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador presidential press office via AP

    As President Donald Trump often promised during his 2024 presidential campaign, on March 15, 2025, he invoked an obscure 18th-century law called the Alien Enemies Act to justify deporting 137 Venezuelans he says are associated with a Venezuelan gang.

    A federal judge swiftly blocked the deportations and ordered the planes carrying Venezuelans heading to El Salvador to return. But the White House, which has appealed the ruling, said that the court order came too late on a Saturday night, after it had already sent the Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador.

    The Justice Department has appealed the federal judge’s decision and is arguing that the en-route planes carrying the immigrants to El Salvador were outside of the judge’s jurisdiction.

    “Oopsie. Too late,” Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, posted on the social media platform X on March 16, in a message that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted.

    Legal analysts were trying to determine where the planes carrying the Venezuelans were shortly before 7 p.m. on March 15, when the judge issued the order stopping their removal, in an attempt to determine if the Trump administration had violated the judge’s order.

    The Alien Enemies Act empowers presidents to apprehend and remove foreign nationals from countries that are at war with the United States. U.S. presidents have issued executive proclamations and invoked this law three times: during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. All three instances followed Congress declaring war.

    Why bother dusting off a 227-year-old law?

    Invoking the Alien Enemies Act could make it far easier for the Trump administration to quickly apprehend, detain and deport immigrants living without legal authorization in the U.S. That’s because the law lets presidents bypass court review of the deportation.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, on Feb. 3, 2025.
    AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool

    Repressive origins and populist backlash

    The Alien Enemies Act traces back to the late 1700s, when the Federalists, an early political party, controlled Congress. The Federalists wanted strong national government as well as harmonious diplomatic and trade relations with Great Britain.

    The Federalists became outraged when the French government began seizing U.S. merchant ships in the Caribbean that were trading with Britain, which France was waging war against at that time.

    The opposing Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson, supported France in its fight against Great Britain.

    The Federalists in Congress considered Jefferson’s pro-France position to be against U.S. interests. They also were troubled that the Democratic-Republicans were backed by thousands of French and Irish immigrants who had some political clout in big cities such as Philadelphia and New York.

    So in 1798, the Federalists tried to quell domestic opposition by passing the Alien and Sedition Acts, a series of controversial laws that banned political dissent by limiting free speech. The laws also made it harder for immigrants to become citizens.

    One of these laws was the Alien Enemies Act, which gave presidents broad authority to control or remove noncitizens ages 14 or older if they had ties to foreign enemies during times of a declared war.

    The Alien and Sedition Acts elicited a firestorm of criticism soon after they were passed, including from Jefferson and James Madison, who asserted that states have the right and duty to declare some federal laws unconstitutional. The populist backlash against the Alien and Sedition Acts helped propel Jefferson and Democratic-Republicans to victory in the 1800 presidential election. Nearly all of the Alien and Sedition Acts were then either repealed or allowed to expire.

    Only the Alien Enemies Act, a law enacted without an expiration date, survived.

    History of the Alien Enemies Act

    Madison, the fourth U.S. president, first invoked the Alien Enemies Act during the War of 1812 with Great Britain, which was sparked for several reasons, including trade and territorial control of North America.

    Madison invoked the act in 1812 by proclaiming that “all subjects of His Britannic Majesty, residing within the United States, have become alien enemies.”

    But rather than imposing mass deportations, Madison’s administration simply required British nationals living in the U.S. to report their age, home address, length of residency and whether they applied for naturalization.

    More than 100 years later, President Woodrow Wilson invoked the Alien Enemies Act during World War I in April 1918.

    Wilson used the Alien Enemies Act to impose sweeping restrictions on the residency, work, possessions, speech and activities of foreign nationals from places that the U.S. was at war with – Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. U.S.-born women married to any people born in these places were also deemed “enemy aliens.”

    The U.S. Marshals Service carefully monitored about half a million Germans in the U.S. to make sure they followed Wilson’s restrictions.

    Another 6,000 German “enemy aliens” were arrested and sent to internment camps in Georgia and Utah, where they were confined until after an armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany in November 1918.

    Two decades later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt notoriously used the Alien Enemies Act in World War II.

    In 1941, Roosevelt authorized special restrictions on German, Italian and Japanese nationals living in the U.S. More than 30,000 of these foreign nationals, including Jewish refugees from Germany, spent the war imprisoned at internment camps because the government considered them potentially dangerous. The U.S. government released these detainees after World War II ended.

    The vast majority of the 110,000 Japanese American men, women and children interned during the war were not held under the Alien Enemies Act. The government used a separate executive order during World War II to intern most people of Japanese descent, some of whom were born in the U.S.

    Donald Trump speaks about immigration at Montezuma Pass, Ariz., along the U.S.-Mexico border, on Aug. 22, 2024.
    Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images

    What’s very old is new again

    Civil liberties and immigrant rights groups pledged to fight Trump’s use of the act by filing legal challenges if Trump invoked it.

    The Trump administration wrote in its order that the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua is “conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”

    The American Civil Liberties Union and another legal nonprofit, Democracy Forward, filed a lawsuit on March 15, the same day the Trump administration announced it was invoking the act.

    The Alien Enemies Act’s text and history present formidable legal hurdles for the Trump administration proving that Tren de Aragua is at war with the U.S. While the organization is primarily based in Venezuela, Tren de Aragua members in the U.S. have been arrested in Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Texas and California for crimes including shooting New York police officers.

    The 1798 law is clear that an “invasion or predatory incursion” must be undertaken by a “foreign nation or government” in order for it to be invoked.

    Yet Congress has not declared war on any country, including Venezuela, in over 80 years, nor has another government launched an invasion against U.S. territory.

    And drug cartels are not actual national governments running Latin American countries, so they don’t meet the criteria in the Alien Enemies Act.

    In the past, Trump’s senior advisers have said with no clear evidence that the administration can justly claim that some Latin American governments, such as Mexico and Venezuela, are run by drug cartels that are attacking U.S. security.

    Whatever the argument, the tenacious problem that the Trump administration will face is that neither the letter of the law nor historical precedents support peacetime use of the Alien Enemies Act.

    None of these textual and historical realities will matter, however, if the courts ultimately decide that a president – simply saying that the country is being invaded by a foreign nation – is sufficient to legally invoke the act and is not subject to judicial review.

    This makes it impossible to automatically dismiss blueprints for using an 18th-century law, however dubious, and it appears the Venezuelan deportations case appears headed for the Supreme Court. If Trump succeeds at invoking the Alien Enemies Act, I believe it would add another chapter to the Alien Enemies Act’s sordid history.

    This is an updated version of a story originally published on Dec. 11, 2024.

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

    – ref. Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war – https://theconversation.com/trump-is-using-the-alien-enemies-act-to-deport-immigrants-but-the-18th-century-law-has-been-invoked-only-during-times-of-war-252434

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Boost to community food infrastructure will help build food security

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    More people in North Okanagan will soon have better access to healthy, fresh food as funding bolsters support for critical food infrastructure.

    The Land to Table Network Society received $1 million through the provincial Critical Food Infrastructure Fund (CFIF) to develop the Food Shed, a North Okanagan-based warehouse, which will support the distribution of nutritious food to those in need across multiple regions.

    “We know that due to the global inflation and uncertainties, some people in B.C. and in our region are struggling to put good food on the table and to buy daily essentials like groceries; therefore, our government is continuing to take action,” said Harwinder Sandhu, parliamentary secretary for agriculture. “We are funding critical infrastructure updates that will connect community service agencies with local food suppliers, helping more people access fresh and local food to address this challenge.”

    The project will involve upgrading a centrally located cold-storage warehouse in Armstrong to collect, combine, process, store, market and distribute food. The upgrades will help schools, institutions, food banks and non-profit organizations in nearby regions connect to year-round, local, affordable food.

    The $14-million CFIF, announced in September 2023, will span three years and is administered by United Way British Columbia (United Way BC). It provides grants for food-infrastructure projects that increase a community’s capacity to offer nutritious and culturally appropriate food to people who need it.

    “This unique, centralized distribution will increase sales opportunities for local producers, increasing employment and revenue,” said Liz Blakeway, executive director, Land to Table Network. “At the same time, it will help meet the growing demand that schools, food banks and non-profits experience for affordable food for the people they serve.”

    The CFIF addresses some of the key challenges faced by communities, strengthening food security for those who need it the most.

    Quotes:

    Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction –

    “We all want people to have access to nutritious food, so we’re taking more action to help people withstand the impacts of the trade war and global inflation. That’s why on top of hundreds of other projects, we’ve funded new critical infrastructure that helps people access fresh food in the North Okanagan and throughout B.C.”

    Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food –

    “When it comes to strengthening food security and food supply for British Columbians, collaboration is key. This project brings together important community partners, non-profits and government to strengthen the local food system and help more people access affordable nutritious food.”

    Alžběta Sabová, director, food security, community impact and investment, United Way BC –

    “Despite its abundant farmland, the North Okanagan faces food security challenges as families struggle with access to fresh, nutritious food and farmers have a hard time reaching secure markets. Transforming a cold-storage warehouse into a food hub for storage, processing and distribution tackles these issues directly. United Way BC is proud to help strengthen the local food system through this project, an inspiring rural food-security model with lasting impact across British Columbia.”

    Eric Larocque, school food co-ordinator, Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 –

    “Having worked in the food-security sector for several years now, it has become apparent that there are large infrastructure and logistical challenges facing the Interior of British Columbia. A lot of rural and remote communities face issues accessing fresh and B.C.-grown foods, especially in our food banks and school food programs. It is through initiatives like this that real, positive changes can be made in food access and food security for all families in our province.” 

    Quick Facts:

    • In 2024, the B.C. government announced that more than $7.2 million of the CFIF has been distributed to more than 100 organizations to support small and medium-sized projects that help people throughout B.C. put food on the table.
    • Grants from the CFIF are helping community organizations, including Indigenous organizations and First Nations, build, buy and improve warehouse storage space and equipment, buy refrigerated vehicles to transport food, and buy equipment to preserve and process food for extended shelf life.
    • By increasing the capacity for storing, transporting and redistributing food locally, the grants help increase year-round availability of nourishing and culturally appropriate foods.

    Learn More:

    To learn more about the CFIF, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023SDPR0057-001516 and https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024SDPR0013-001349

    To learn more about Land to Table Network, visit: https://landtotablenetwork.com/

    For more information about United Way British Columbia, visit: https://uwbc.ca/program/food-security/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: Home BancShares, Inc. Announces First Quarter Earnings Release Date and Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CONWAY, Ark., March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE: HOMB), parent company of Centennial Bank, today announced it expects to release First Quarter 2025 earnings after the market closes on April 16, 2025. Following this release, management will conduct a conference call to review these earnings at 1:00 p.m. CT (2:00 p.m. ET) on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

    We strongly encourage all participants to pre-register for the conference call webcast or the live call using one of the following links. First, participants can pre-register for the conference call webcast using the following link: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/447517977. Participants who pre-register will be given a unique webcast link to gain immediate access to the conference call webcast. Second, participants can pre-register for the live call using the following link: https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=a44e9900&confId=79637. Participants who pre-register will be given the phone number and unique access codes to gain immediate access to the live call. Participants may pre-register now, or at any time prior to the call, and will immediately receive simple instructions via email. The Home BancShares conference call will also be scheduled as an event in your Outlook calendar.

    Those without internet access or unable to pre-register may dial in and listen to the live call by calling 1-833-470-1428, Passcode: 947933. A replay of the call will be available by calling 1-866-813-9403, Passcode: 685290, which will be available until April 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Internet access to the call will be available live or in recorded version on the Company’s website at www.homebancshares.com.

    Home BancShares, Inc. is a bank holding company, headquartered in Conway, Arkansas. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Centennial Bank, provides a broad range of commercial and retail banking plus related financial services to businesses, real estate developers, investors, individuals and municipalities. Centennial Bank has branch locations in Arkansas, Florida, South Alabama, Texas and New York City, with branches in Texas operating as Happy State Bank, a division of Centennial Bank. The Company’s common stock is traded through the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HOMB.”

    FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Home BancShares, Inc.
    Donna Townsell
    Senior Executive Vice President &
    Director of Investor Relations
    (501) 328-4625
    Ticker symbol: HOMB

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Funding shortages risk undermining a ‘watershed moment’ for Syria

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Humanitarian Aid

    Fourteen years of war have left Syria’s people in desperate need – but international support is dwindling, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, calling for urgent investment in the country’s recovery.

    In a video message to the conference Standing with Syria: Meeting the Needs for a Successful Transition, organized by the European Union in Brussels, he underlined the gravity of the situation.

    “This is a watershed moment,” said the UN chief, stressing that the future of Syria depends on ensuring access to food, shelter, healthcare and sustainable livelihoods.

    Over two-thirds of the population requires humanitarian assistance. However, critical aid efforts are in jeopardy due to severe underfunding.

    The $1.25 billion UN-coordinated humanitarian response for the country is only 12.5 percent funded, with vital sectors such as shelter, non-food relief, water and sanitation, and agriculture and nutrition suffering from lack of resources.

    Reconsider funding cuts

    Mr. Guterres underscored the need for support from the international community.

    Donors must urgently expand humanitarian support and reconsider funding cuts, he said. They must also invest in Syria’s recovery – including addressing sanctions and other restrictions – alongside helping an orderly and inclusive political transition.

    “Let us work together to help the people of Syria as they take these momentous next steps in their journey towards a free, prosperous and peaceful future,” he added.

    © UNHCR/Ximena Borrazas

    People cross back into Syria from Lebanon through the Masnaa border point.

    Commentary aside

    UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher reinforced the Secretary-General’s call for action, warning that humanitarian operations face a severe funding gap.

    “The people of Syria do not need us to be commentators and problem observers – they need us to move with urgency,” he said.

    Despite these challenges, the UN has expanded its reach, delivering aid to millions, including areas previously inaccessible due to conflict.

    More humanitarian convoys have entered Syria from Türkiye this year than in all of 2024, and assistance is now reaching former frontline areas in rural Idlib, Latakia and Aleppo. However, ongoing funding cuts threaten these gains, with essential services at risk of collapse.

    “After so long waiting for hope, the people of Syria…expect us to meet this moment with decisive action, with generosity and with solidarity. The price of failure will be much greater for all of us than the cost of success,” he warned.

    Refugees returning, but to what?

    Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, highlighted a significant shift – the return of Syrian refugees.

    Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, more than one million displaced Syrians have returned home, including 350,000 from neighbouring countries. Surveys suggest that up to 3.5 million more could return in the coming months.

    However, Mr. Grandi cautioned that without adequate support, these returns may not be sustainable.

    “If we fail to help them stay in Syria, make no mistake: the impact will be disastrous,” he said, warning that refugees unable to rebuild their lives may be forced to leave again.

    © UNFPA/Verity Kowal

    In Damascus, UNFPA Director Arakaki listens to women affected by conflict in Syria talk about their situations and the support they need.

    Healthcare, protection for women at risk

    Meanwhile within Syria, the humanitarian crisis remains acute, especially for women and girls.

    Having concluded a mission to the country, Shoko Arakaki, Humanitarian Director at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted the devastating impact of war on Syria’s healthcare system, with four in ten hospitals damaged or destroyed.

    Lack of resources have further complicated the situation and recent funding cuts have forced the closure of over 100 UN-supported health facilities in northwest Syria.

    She warned that gender-based violence has become “normalised” after years of conflict, but financial constraints may force UNFPA to withdraw support for protection efforts such as safe spaces for women.

    “Women and youth in Syria still need our support,” she stressed, urging donors to invest in healthcare, protection, livelihoods and education.

    Hope amid the apprehension

    “These are deeply uncertain times for Syria,” she said, adding that in the midst of apprehension, she sensed a feeling of hope.

    She noted her meetings with “extraordinary women” providing lifesaving reproductive health services, protecting survivors of violence, offering vocational training – even while they themselves are vulnerable.

    “[I felt] hope in the Syrian people who are defying the odds to help each other, despite immense hardship,” she added.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Bill busting upgrades for Canberra’s social housing residents

    Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 03/03/2025 – Joint media release

    Up to 7,500 households in the nation’s capital will benefit from bill busting energy upgrades, with the Albanese Government investing $12.9 million for rooftop solar and batteries across social housing in the ACT.

    The program will bring down energy bills for good using Virtual Power Plants (VPP) to connect and combine renewable energy resources. By joining a VPP, households with solar panels and batteries can access savings on their energy bills.

    This is lasting cost of living relief by ensuring some of the most vulnerable households are better insulated from bill shock, with homes that are fitted out to stay cool in the summer and warm in the cold Canberra winters.

    The ACT Government will provide a greater weighting through the procurement process for products that are Australian made.

    The new funding is part of the Commonwealth’s $500 million expansion of the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) and will enable more than 100,000 social housing properties across Australia – almost 25% of the country’s social housing stock – to save on energy bills and reduce emissions.

    Upgrades delivered under the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative could save tenants around $1,800 on their energy bills each year.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

    “The Albanese Labor Government is bringing down bills for good through the renewable energy transformation.

    “While Peter Dutton’s Coalition spruiks a $600 billion nuclear scheme that will prolong coal, make bills more expensive, risk blackouts and shrink our economy, we are delivering the clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system that Australians deserve.”

    Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson:

    “Every Australian deserves a home that is safe to live in, comfortable and cheaper to run, and energy efficiency upgrades can make a real difference to these outcomes.

    “After the recent hot weather and knowing the challenge of winter is ahead, we’re reminded of just how vital these upgrades are in bringing year-round comfort and lowering bills to some of the most vulnerable households.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Homes and New Suburbs Yvette Berry:

    “Every Canberran should have access to safe, secure, and affordable housing.

    “Today’s announcement builds on our ongoing commitment to improve the comfort and energy affordability of public housing. Our new public housing builds maximise energy efficiency, including a 6-star energy rating and energy efficient appliances.

    “The existing public housing stock is also being upgraded through the Home Energy Support Program, with ceiling insulation and or electrification upgrades already completed in over 2,500 properties since the program began in 2023.

    “The latest SHEPI funding marks a further investment in public housing, that is critically important to our community’s overall economic and social wellbeing.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water, Suzanne Orr:

    “The ACT Government is committed to ensuring no Canberrans are left behind as we transition to net zero. We welcome this significant further investment by the Australian Government which will see rooftop solar panels and batteries installed at thousands of social housing properties.

    “These solar and battery systems will be operated as a Virtual Power Plant, delivering an innovative and long-term solution to reducing electricity costs and supporting grid reliability.”

    – Statement ends –

    Yvette Berry, MLA | Suzanne Orr, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACT is reducing over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait children in out of home care

    Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory



    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 03/03/2025

    Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Michael Pettersson MLA, said the 2024 Family Matters Report, released by SNAICC on 21 November 2024, highlights progress in addressing the over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in out of home care.

    “Notably, the ACT is one of only two jurisdictions that have reduced the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in out of home care,” Minister Pettersson said.

    “The rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the ACT in out of home care has decreased from 14 children per 1000 in 2022 to 11.7 in 2023. Contributing to this positive result is the comprehensive reform program being undertaken across the Children, Youth and Families system and the ongoing implementation of the recommendations from the Our Booris Our Way Final Report.”

    “The Family Matters report underscores the importance of children growing up safe and cared for within their family, community, and culture. It also provides critical data on children’s interactions with child protection systems and projects future trends in over-representation if current conditions persist.”

    “Today also marks a significant moment between the Community Services Directorate and the Our Booris Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee. Both parties will recommit to continued collaboration to implement the recommendations from the Final Report.”

    ”Our Booris Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee, in partnership with the ACT Government, has worked hard over the last 6 years to drive real and enduring change. Changes that benefit our children and families but will also have a positive impact on the experiences of ALL children and families in the ACT,” said Natalie Brown, Chair of Our Booris Our Way Committee.

    Several milestones have been achieved through the partnership between the Our Booris Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee and the ACT Government, including:

    • Embedding the Child Placement Principle into the Children and Young People Act 2008;
    • Continued funding of the Care and Protection Legal Advocacy Service;
    • Commencement of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Commissioner.

    “Together we must ensure that our children and young people in the Canberra community have greater opportunity to reach their full potential by growing up safe and supported”, Natalie Brown, Chair of Our Booris Our Way Committee said.

    – Statement ends –

    Michael Pettersson, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Sentenced to More than 3 Years in Federal Prison for Resisting Arrest During Alien Smuggling Attempt

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DEL RIO, Texas – A Texas man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 41 months in prison for resisting arrest and endangering a United States Border Patrol agent in 2022.

    According to court documents, Draylon Floyd, 25, was driving on Highway 277 near Del Rio on May 26, 2022. A USBP agent noticed several passengers in the back seat, crouched down in an attempt to conceal themselves. The agent conducted a traffic stop and, instead of pulling onto the road’s shoulder, Floyd simply stopped in the righthand lane. The USBP agent conducted an immigration inspection on three backseat passengers, determining that they were Guatemalan nationals without any legal authority or documentation to have entered or remain in the U.S.

    The agent instructed Floyd to turn off the engine and informed him that he was under arrest. Floyd opened his door just partially, and when the agent grabbed his wrist to remove him from the vehicle, Floyd pushed away, turned on the car’s ignition and shifted the car into drive. The vehicle moved several feet as the agent struggled with Floyd over control of the steering wheel and gear shift. He succeeded in shifting the vehicle into neutral just as Floyd slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The agent then turned off the vehicle, drew his service weapon, and arrested Floyd. During the arrest of Floyd’s passenger, Ryan Matthew Brashier, who is also a U.S. citizen, the agent discovered a cell phone that displayed their GPS route back home.

    The three illegal aliens in the backseat were lawfully arrested and transported to the Border Patrol station for further investigation and processing. A plea agreement states that Floyd and Brashier had picked up the three aliens at a church around 11pm on May 25, honking four times per a pre-arranged signal. Each of the migrants had traveled for more than two weeks from Guatemala after their families paid at least $10,000 each to an alien smuggling organization. 

    Brashier was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison on July 10, 2024.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    USBP investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Warsame Galaydh prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Memphis Man Sentenced to 220 Months Imprisonment for Trafficking 14-Year-Old Girl to New Orleans for Commercial Sex

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JEREMY TALBERT (a/k/a “J-Nasty,” a/k/a “Jay Nastie”) (“TALBERT”), age 29, from Memphis, Tenn., was sentenced on March 12, 2025, after previously pleading guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1), 1591(b)(2), 1594(a), and 2, by  U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 220 months in prison.  TALBERT was also sentenced to ten (10) years of supervised release after  release from prison. Judge Africk further ordered TALBERT to pay $47,000 in restitution to the victim, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  TALBERT will also have to register as a sex offender.

    According to court documents, TALBERT brought a fourteen-year-old female (“Minor Victim”) from Memphis to New Orleans to have  her engage in commercial sex acts between in or about October 2020 and on or about December 17, 2020.  During this time, TALBERT was aware of Minor Victim’s age from her mother, who informed TALBERT that Minor Victim was missing.  TALBERT falsely told Minor Victim’s mother that he would help locate Minor Victim and bring her home.

    Instead, TALBERT advertised Minor Victim on websites commonly used to advertise sexual services in exchange for money.  TALBERT directed and supervised Minor Victim when she  performed commercial sex acts including, setting the fee  sexual acts, waiting in a nearby vehicle while Minor Victim solicited “dates,” requiring Minor Victim to share her location via phone with him, and providing  condoms for her use during commercial sex dates.  TALBERT required Minor Victim to earn approximately $1,000 per day from commercial sex acts and, kept all or most of the money she earned.

    TALBERT trafficked Minor Victim until December 17, 2020, when law enforcement officers encountered them during the execution of a search warrant at a hotel in New Orleans. During the search warrant, agents seized approximately $1,223 in United States currency, a black handgun, and TALBERT’s Phone, which connected him to the trafficking of Minor Victim.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department, in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit and Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2024 Financial and Operating Results; Provides 2025 Guidance

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Midland, Texas, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (“NGS” or the “Company”) (NYSE:NGS), a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology, and services to the energy industry, today announced financial results for the three months and year-ended December 31, 2024. The Company also provided guidance for its full year 2025, anticipating significant top- and bottom-line growth with strong momentum moving into 2026.

    Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Highlights

    • Rental revenue of $38.2 million for the fourth quarter and $144.2 million for the full year 2024, representing increases of 21% and 36%, respectively, compared to the prior year comparable periods.
    • Net income of $2.9 million or $0.23 per diluted share for the fourth quarter and $17.2 million or $1.37 per diluted share for the full year 2024, representing increases of 68% and 263%, respectively, compared to the prior fourth quarter and full year 2023 periods.
    • Cash flow generated from operating activities of $9.4 million for the fourth quarter and $66.5 million for the full year 2024. This compares to net cash used in operating activities of $7.7 million for the fourth quarter and cash generated of $18.0 million for the full year 2023.
    • Adjusted EBITDA of $18.0 million for the fourth quarter and $69.5 million for the full year 2024; 2024 Adjusted EBITDA was 52% higher than 2023 and represented the highest level in the Company’s history. Please see Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted EBITDA, below.

    Management Commentary and Outlook

    “2024 was a transformational year for Natural Gas Services Group as we executed against our strategic objectives and significantly improved our market presence and financial performance,” stated Justin Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer. “During the year, we enhanced our team and infrastructure, further diversified and expanded our customer base, organically expanded into large horsepower electric units, maintained our industry-leading service levels, and materially increased the size of our overall fleet. I am quite proud of the NGS team as their unwavering dedication to our customers and their passion to excel are the driving forces of our results.”

     “2024 was also a record year for NGS as our utilized rental fleet approached 500,000 horsepower and our Adjusted EBITDA increased by over 50% compared to 2023. Equally important, our business became significantly more capital efficient: our total debt increased by only $6 million over the course of 2024 and our leverage declined from 2.53x at the end of 2023 to 2.36x at 2024 year-end. The reduction of working capital was a material driver in the improvement in capital efficiency, and we believe there is more opportunity to monetize non-cash assets in the near term.”

    “Looking forward, we see continued strength in the market. We believe our organic growth rate leads the industry and we are taking market share. This was made possible by the hard work of our service technicians and field service team, our leading compressor technology, and strong partnerships with our customers. We expect 2025 will be another year of significant growth in new large horsepower units and we have already signed material new unit contracts for 2026. We are excited for the future and believe we are well positioned to continue to increase shareholder value.”

    Corporate Guidance – 2025 Outlook

     In November 2024, the Company noted it expected 2024 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $67 – $69 million, total growth capital expenditures for the year to be in the range of $65 – $75 million, and total maintenance expenditures for the year to be in the range of $8 – $11 million. For the full year 2024, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $69.5 million, growth capital expenditures of $60.5 million and maintenance capital expenditures of $11.4 million. Additionally, as of December 31, 2024, rented horsepower stood at 491,756, representing year-over-year growth of 17%.

    The Company today provides the following commentary regarding its financial expectations for the 2025 Fiscal Year. For the year ending December 31, 2025, the Company expects growth capital expenditures, which are mostly comprised of new units (essentially all of which are under contract), to be in the range of $95 – $120 million. Once all these units are deployed with customers, which is expected by early 2026, the Company expects its rented horsepower to increase by approximately 90,000 horsepower, which represents an increase of approximately 18% versus year-end 2024. The timing of unit deployments is very heavily weighted to the second half of 2025 and early 2026. Accordingly, the majority of the impact of 2024 and 2025 growth capital expenditures will start to be reflected in Adjusted EBITDA in the second half of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.

    Based on the timing of contractual orders and deployments in 2025, the Company expects 2025 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $74 – $78 million, which at the mid-point of the range, represents a 9% increase over 2024. This range is reflective of the timing of anticipated unit deployments.

      Outlook
    FY 2025 Adjusted EBITDA $74 – $78 million
    FY 2025 Growth Capital Expenditures $95 – $120 million
    FY 2025 Maintenance Capital Expenditures $10 – $13 million
    Target Return on Invested Capital At least 20%

    The Company further notes that once all the 2025 growth capital expenditures are spent and the units are deployed, its “run rate” Adjusted EBITDA should increase at a rate (when compared to the fourth quarter of 2024) well in excess of the Company’s anticipated horsepower growth of 18% as noted above. The Company expects 2025 maintenance capital expenditures of $10 – $13 million and its targeted return on invested capital of at least 20% remains unchanged.

    2024 Fourth Quarter Financial Results

    Revenue: Total revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2024 increased 12% to $40.7 million from $36.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. This increase was due primarily to an increase in rental revenues. Rental revenue increased 21% to $38.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from $31.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 due to the addition of higher horsepower packages and pricing improvements. As of December 31, 2024, we had 491,756 horsepower (1,208 rented units) compared to 420,432 horsepower (1,247 rented units) as of December 31, 2023, reflecting a 17% increase in total utilized horsepower. Sequentially, total revenue was essentially flat for the comparable periods, primarily related to lower sales revenue offset by an increase in rental revenue.

    Gross Margins: Total gross margins, including depreciation expense increased to $14.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $13.3 million for the same period in 2023 and decreased from $14.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. Total adjusted gross margin, exclusive of depreciation expense, for the three months ended December 31, 2024, increased to $23.0 million compared to $20.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, and $22.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024.  For a reconciliation of Gross Margin, see Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted Gross Margin, below.

    Operating Income: Operating income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was $6.0 million compared to operating income of $4.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and operating income of $9.5 million, during the third quarter of 2024.

    Net Income: Net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was $2.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share compared to net income of $1.7 million or $0.14 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2023, and $5.0 million or $0.40 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2024. The increase in net income year-over-year was primarily related to higher rental revenue and rental gross margin, while the sequential decline was primarily related to the inventory allowance and decrease in sales gross profit related to the closure of our Midland fabrication operations, the intangible asset impairment, an increase in stock-based compensation, and an increase in depreciation.

    Cash Flows: At December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents were approximately $2.1 million, while working capital was $30.8 million. For the twelve months of 2024, cash flows provided by operating activities were $66.5 million, while cash flows used in investing activities was $71.4 million. This compares to cash flows provided by operating activities of $18.0 million and cash flows used in investing activities of $153.9 million for the comparable twelve-month period in 2023. Cash flow used in investing activities during 2024 included $71.9 million in capital expenditures.

    Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA increased 11% to $18.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2024, from $16.3 million for the same period in 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to higher rental revenue and rental adjusted gross margin. Sequentially, adjusted EBITDA declined by 1% when compared to $18.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

    Debt: Outstanding debt on our revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2024 was $170 million. Our leverage ratio at December 31, 2024 was 2.36x and our fixed charge coverage ratio was 2.44x. The Company is in compliance with all terms, conditions and covenants of the credit agreement.

    Selected data: The tables below show revenue by product line, gross margin and adjusted gross margin for the trailing five quarters. Adjusted gross margin is the difference between revenue and cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation.

      Revenues
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Rental $             31,626   $             33,734   $             34,926   $             37,350   $             38,226
    Sales                   2,921                     2,503                     2,270                     1,843                        997
    Aftermarket services                   1,674                        670                     1,295                     1,493                     1,435
    Total $             36,221   $             36,907   $             38,491   $             40,686   $             40,658
      Gross Margin
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Rental $              12,366   $             13,761   $             13,211   $             15,043   $             14,865
    Sales                       553                        253                         (50)                      (258)                      (531)
    Aftermarket services                       421                        163                        269                        151                        296
    Total $              13,340   $             14,177   $             13,430   $             14,936   $             14,630

               

      Adjusted Gross Margin (1)
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Rental $              19,199   $             20,620   $             20,698   $             22,908   $             23,107
    Sales                       620                        323                           21                      (185)                      (449)
    Aftermarket services                       440                        170                        283                        169                        321
    Total $              20,259   $             21,113   $             21,002   $             22,892   $             22,979
      Adjusted Gross Margin %
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Rental 60.7 %   61.1 %   59.3 %   61.3 %   60.4 %
    Sales 21.2 %   12.9 %   0.9 %   (10.0) %   (45.0) %
    Aftermarket services 26.3 %   25.4 %   21.9 %   11.3  %   22.4 %
    Total 55.9 %   57.2 %   54.6 %   56.3 %   56.5 %
      Compression Units (at end of period)
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
    Rented horsepower            420,432                444,220                454,568                475,534                491,756   
    Fleet horsepower available            520,365                542,256                552,599                579,699                598,840   
    Horsepower utilization 80.8 %   81.9 %   82.3 %   82.0 %   82.1 %
                       
    Units utilized                1,247                     1,245                     1,242                     1,229                     1,208    
    Fleet units                1,876                     1,894                     1,899                     1,909                     1,912    
    Unit utilization 66.5 %   65.7 %   65.4 %   64.4 %   63.2 %

    (1) For a reconciliation of adjusted gross margin to its most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance GAAP, please read “Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted Gross Margin” below.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measure – Adjusted Gross Margin: “Adjusted Gross Margin” is defined as total revenue less costs of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization expense). Adjusted gross margin is included as a supplemental disclosure because it is a primary measure used by our management as it represents the results of revenue and costs (excluding depreciation and amortization expense), which are key components of our operations. Adjusted gross margin differs from gross margin, in that gross margin includes depreciation and amortization expense. We believe Adjusted gross margin is important because it focuses on the current operating performance of our operations and excludes the impact of the prior historical costs of the assets acquired or constructed that are utilized in those operations. Depreciation and amortization expense does not accurately reflect the costs required to maintain and replenish the operational usage of our assets and therefore may not portray the costs from current operating activity. Rather, depreciation and amortization expense reflect the systematic allocation of historical property and equipment costs over their estimated useful lives.

    Adjusted gross margin has certain material limitations associated with its use as compared to gross margin. These limitations are primarily due to the exclusion of depreciation and amortization expense, which is material to our results of operations. Because we use capital assets, depreciation and amortization expense is a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate revenue. In order to compensate for these limitations, management uses this non-GAAP measure as a supplemental measure to other GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of our performance. As an indicator of our operating performance, Adjusted gross margin should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, gross margin as determined in accordance with GAAP. Our Adjusted gross margin may not be comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company because other entities may not calculate Adjusted gross margin in the same manner.

    The following table calculates our gross margin, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and reconciles it to Adjusted gross margin for the periods presented:

      Adjusted Gross Margin
      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Total revenue $              36,221   $             36,907   $             38,491   $             40,686   $             40,658
    Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation                (15,962)                 (15,794)                 (17,489)                 (17,794)                 (17,679)
    Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue                  (6,919)                   (6,936)                   (7,572)                   (7,956)                   (8,349)
    Gross margin                 13,340                   14,177                   13,430                   14,936                   14,630
    Depreciation allocable to costs of revenue                    6,919                     6,936                     7,572                     7,956                     8,349
    Adjusted gross margin $              20,259   $             21,113   $             21,002   $             22,892   $             22,979

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures – Adjusted EBITDA: “Adjusted EBITDA” reflects net income or loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash equity-classified stock-based compensation expense, non-recurring restructuring charges including severance expenses, impairments, increases in inventory allowance and retirement of rental equipment. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure used by management, analysts and investors as an indicator of operating cash flow since it excludes the impact of movements in working capital items, non-cash charges and financing costs. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA gives the investor information as to the cash generated from the operations of a business. However, Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under accounting principles GAAP, and should not be considered a substitute for other financial measures of performance. Adjusted EBITDA as calculated by NGS may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA as calculated and reported by other companies. The most comparable GAAP measure to Adjusted EBITDA is net income (loss).

    The following tables reconciles our net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:

      Three months ended
      December 31,   March 31,   June 30,   September 30,   December 31,
      2023   2024   2024   2024   2024
      (in thousands)
    Net income $                1,702   $                5,098   $                4,250   $                5,014   $                2,865
    Interest expense                    2,297                     2,935                     2,932                     3,045                     3,015
    Income tax expense                       431                     1,479                     1,294                     1,383                        283
    Depreciation and amortization                    7,160                     7,087                     7,705                     8,086                     8,469
    Stock-based compensation expense                       228                        274                        242                        522                        783
    Severance and restructuring charges                         —                           —                           33                           —                           —
    Impairments                         —                           —                           —                        136                        705
    Inventory allowance                    3,965                           —                           —                           —                     1,863
    Retirement of rental equipment                       505                             5                           —                           —                           23
    Adjusted EBITDA $              16,288   $             16,878   $             16,456   $             18,186   $             18,006
      Year ended December 31,
      2023   2024  
      (in thousands)
    Net income $                4,747   $             17,227  
    Interest expense                    4,082                   11,927  
    Income tax expense                    1,873                     4,439  
    Depreciation and amortization                 26,550                   31,347  
    Stock-based compensation expense                    2,054                     1,821  
    Severance and restructuring charges                    1,224                           33  
    Impairments                       779                        841  
    Inventory allowance                    3,965                     1,863  
    Retirement of rental equipment                       505                           28  
    Adjusted EBITDA $              45,779   $             69,526  

    Conference Call Details: The Company will host a conference call to review its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results on Tuesday, March 18 at 8:30 a.m. (EST), 7:30 a.m. (CST). To join the conference call, kindly access the Investor Relations section of our website at www.ngsgi.com or dial in at (800) 550-9745 and enter conference ID 167298 at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Please note that using the provided dial-in number is necessary for participation in the Q&A section of the call. A recording of the conference will be made available on our Company’s website following its conclusion. Thank you for your interest in our Company’s updates.

    About Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.
    Natural Gas Services Group is a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology and services to the energy industry. The Company designs, rents, sells and maintains natural gas compressors for oil and natural gas production and plant facilities, primarily using equipment from third-party fabricators and OEM suppliers along with limited in-house assembly. The Company is headquartered in Midland, Texas, with a fabrication facility located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and service facilities located in major oil and natural gas producing basins in the U.S. Additional information can be found at www.ngsgi.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements herein (and oral statements made regarding the subjects of this release) constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions.

    These forward–looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements, many of which are outside the control of the Company. Forward–looking information includes, but is not limited to statements regarding: guidance or estimates related to EBITDA growth, projected capital expenditures; returns on invested capital, fundamentals of the compression industry and related oil and gas industry, valuations, compressor demand assumptions and overall industry outlook, and the ability of the Company to capitalize on any potential opportunities.

    While the Company believes that the assumptions concerning future events are reasonable, investors are cautioned that there are inherent difficulties in predicting certain important factors that could impact the future performance or results of its business. Some of these factors that could cause results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

    • conditions in the oil and gas industry, including the supply and demand for oil and gas and volatility in the prices of oil and gas;
    • our reliance on major customers;
    • failure of projected organic growth due to adverse changes in the oil and gas industry, including depressed oil and gas prices, oppressive environmental regulations and competition;
    • our inability to achieve increased utilization of assets, including rental fleet utilization and monetizing other non-cash balance sheet assets;
    • failure of our customers to continue to rent equipment after expiration of the primary rental term;
    • our ability to economically develop and deploy new technologies and services, including technology to comply with health and environmental laws and regulations;
    • failure to achieve accretive financial results in connection with any acquisitions we may make;
    • fluctuations in interest rates;
    • regulation or prohibition of new well completion techniques;
    • competition among the various providers of compression services and products;
    • changes in safety, health and environmental regulations;
    • changes in economic or political conditions in the markets in which we operate;
    • the inherent risks associated with our operations, such as equipment defects, malfunctions, natural disasters and adverse changes in customer, employee and supplier relationships;
    • our inability to comply with covenants in our debt agreements and the decreased financial flexibility associated with our debt;
    • inability to finance our future capital requirements and availability of financing;
    • capacity availability, costs and performance of our outsourced compressor fabrication providers and overall inflationary pressures;
    • impacts of world events, such as acts of terrorism and significant economic disruptions and adverse consequences resulting from possible long-term effects of potential pandemics and other public health crises; and
    • general economic conditions.

    In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to other various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    For More Information, Contact:
    Anna Delgado, Investor Relations
    (432) 262-2700
    IR@ngsgi.com
    www.ngsgi.com

     NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (in thousands)
    (unaudited)
      December 31,
      2024   2023
    ASSETS      
    Current Assets:      
    Cash and cash equivalents $                2,142   $                2,746
    Trade accounts receivable, net of provision for credit losses                 15,626                   39,186
    Inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence                 18,051                   21,639
    Federal income tax receivable                 11,282                   11,538
    Prepaid expenses and other                   1,075                     1,162
    Total current assets                 48,176                   76,271
    Long-term inventory, net of allowance for obsolescence                         —                        701
    Rental equipment, net of accumulated depreciation               415,021                 373,649
    Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation                 22,989                   20,550
    Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization                         —                        775
    Other assets                   6,342                     6,783
    Total assets $           492,528   $           478,729
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
    Current Liabilities:      
    Accounts payable $                9,670   $             17,628
    Accrued liabilities                   7,688                   15,085
    Total current liabilities                 17,358                   32,713
    Credit facility               170,000                 164,000
    Deferred income taxes                 45,873                   41,636
    Other long-term liabilities                   4,240                     4,486
    Total liabilities               237,471                 242,835
    Commitments and contingencies      
    Stockholders’ Equity:      
    Preferred stock, 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding                         —                           —
    Common stock, 30,000 shares authorized, par value $0.01; 13,762 and 13,688 shares issued as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively                      138                        137
    Additional paid-in capital               118,415                 116,480
    Retained earnings               151,508                 134,281
    Treasury shares, at cost, 1,310 shares for each of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively               (15,004)                 (15,004)
    Total stockholders’ equity               255,057                 235,894
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $           492,528   $           478,729
     NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    (unaudited)
      Three months ended   Year ended
      December 31,   December 31,
      2024   2023   2024   2023
    Revenue:              
    Rental $         38,226   $         31,626   $       144,236   $       106,159
    Sales                  997                 2,921                 7,613                 8,921
    Aftermarket services               1,435                 1,674                 4,893                 6,087
    Total revenue            40,658              36,221            156,742            121,167
    Cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)              
    Rental            15,119              12,427                 7,903                 8,919
    Sales               1,446                 2,301              56,903              48,877
    Aftermarket services               1,114                 1,234                 3,950                 4,658
    Total cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization)            17,679              15,962              68,756              62,454
    Selling, general and administrative expenses               5,831                 4,390              21,012              16,938
    Depreciation and amortization               8,469                 7,160              31,347              26,550
    Impairments                  705                      —                    841                    779
    Inventory allowance               1,863                 3,965                 1,863                 3,965
    Retirement of rental equipment                    23                    505                      28                    505
    Loss (gain) on sale of property and equipment, net                    45                  (200)                  (430)                  (481)
    Total operating costs and expenses            34,615              31,782            123,417            110,710
    Operating income               6,043                 4,439              33,325              10,457
    Other income (expense):              
    Interest expense             (3,015)               (2,297)             (11,927)               (4,082)
    Other income (expense)                  120                       (9)                    268                    245
    Total other expense, net             (2,895)               (2,306)             (11,659)               (3,837)
    Income before income taxes               3,148                 2,133              21,666                 6,620
    Provision for income taxes                (283)                  (431)               (4,439)               (1,873)
    Net income $           2,865   $           1,702   $         17,227   $           4,747
    Earnings per share:              
    Basic $              0.23   $              0.14   $              1.39   $              0.39
    Diluted $              0.23   $              0.14   $              1.37   $              0.38
    Weighted average shares outstanding:              
    Basic            12,438              12,378              12,412              12,316
    Diluted            12,586              12,435              12,543              12,383
     NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
    (unaudited)
      Three months ended   Year ended
      December 31,   December 31,
      2024   2023   2024   2023
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:              
    Net income $           2,865   $           1,702   $         17,227   $           4,747
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:              
    Depreciation and amortization               8,469                 7,160              31,347              26,550
    Impairments                  705                      —                    841                    779
    Inventory allowance               1,863                 3,965                 1,863                 3,965
    Retirement of rental equipment                    23                    505                      28                    505
    (Gain) loss on sale of property and equipment                    45                  (200)                  (430)                  (481)
    Amortization of debt issuance costs                  216                    138                    746                    425
    Deferred income taxes                  182                    430                 4,237                 1,838
    Stock-based compensation                  783                    228                 1,821                 2,054
    Provision for credit losses                    —                    293                    433                    492
    (Gain) loss on company owned life insurance                     (4)                    186                  (156)                    235
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:              
    Trade accounts receivables               9,183             (11,438)              23,127             (25,010)
    Inventory               1,355                 1,939                 2,477                  (669)
    Prepaid expenses and prepaid income taxes               1,177                    274                    152                       (7)
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities           (18,580)             (12,478)             (17,727)                 2,436
    Other               1,144                  (369)                    477                    174
    NET CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES               9,426               (7,665)              66,463              18,033
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:              
    Purchase of rental equipment,  property and other equipment           (14,544)             (25,380)             (71,894)          (153,943)
    Purchase of company owned life insurance                (187)                    (44)                    (22)                  (422)
    Proceeds from sale of property and equipment                  (28)                    246                    476                    477
    NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES           (14,759)             (25,178)             (71,440)          (153,888)
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:              
    Proceeds from credit facility borrowings            20,000              36,000              28,000            139,000
    Repayments of credit facility borrowings           (13,000)                      —             (22,000)                      —
    Payments of other long term liabilities                (158)                    (45)                  (780)                    (95)
    Payments of debt issuance costs                    —                  (562)                  (962)               (2,693)
    Proceeds from exercise of stock options                  223                      —                    293                      —
    Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards                    —                       (1)                  (178)                  (983)
    NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES               7,065              35,392                 4,373            135,229
    NET CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS               1,732                 2,549                  (604)                  (626)
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD                  410                    197                 2,746                 3,372
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD $           2,142   $           2,746   $           2,142   $           2,746

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: African Development Bank, African Water Facility, Association of European Development Finance Institutions to hold Investment Event for Water and…

    Source: African Development Bank Group

    The African Development Bank Group, African Water Facility, and the Association of European Development Finance Institutions will host a high-level event to generate investment for water and sanitation services in Africa. Taking place on 18 March 2025 in Brussels, the event will bring together development finance institutions, private sector investors, and philanthropic organizations.

    During the event, the African Development Bank and African Water Facility will showcase investment-ready projects and those in their pipeline, offering opportunities for investors and development financiers to support high-impact water and sanitation projects, including homegrown solutions that will drive economic growth, social stability, and public health improvements across Africa.

    Why This Matters

    Africa faces significant water and sanitation challenges, amplified by increasing pressure on strained water resources by the continent’s growing population, which is expected to double by 2050. Currently, 411 million people lack access to safe drinking water, 779 million are without essential sanitation services, and 839 million do not have access to basic hygiene services, according to a 2020 report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).

    This lack of access contributes to severe public health challenges, including the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, which have caused over 400,000 deaths annually on the continent, according to the WHO.

    The economic cost of inadequate access to water and sanitation is also high. Inadequate sanitation alone results in losses of up to $5.5 billion per year in sub-Saharan Africa due to healthcare costs and lost productivity. However, investing in climate-resilient water and sanitation services could yield at least $7 in economic returns for every $1 spent.

    “Water and sanitation infrastructure is fundamental to economic growth. Investing in it is not only a necessity, but good business sense. By securing funding for high-impact projects, we can create jobs, improve public health, and grow local economies,” said Mtchera Chirwa, Director for Water Development and Sanitation at the African Development Bank and Coordinator of African Water Facility.

    Beyond funding, the event will facilitate discussions on public-private partnerships, blended finance models, and innovative financing mechanisms to accelerate progress in achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 – universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.

    Association of European Development Finance Institutions CEO David Kuijper said. “As stakeholders in development, together, we have the resources to make transformative change happen. The Association of European Development Finance Institutions values the partnership with the African Development Bank and African Water Facility to convene this event to find financial and technical resources for solutions through projects already on the market in Africa.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Abaxx Announces C$20,000,000 Convertible Debenture Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    TORONTO, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Abaxx Technologies Inc. (CBOE:ABXX)(OTCQX:ABXXF) (“Abaxx” or the “Company”), a financial software and market infrastructure company, indirect majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte Ltd., the owner of Abaxx Commodity Exchange and Clearinghouse (individually, “Abaxx Exchange” and “Abaxx Clearing”), and producer of the SmarterMarkets™ Podcast, today announces it proposes to raise on a non-brokered private placement basis an aggregate principal amount of up to C$20,000,000 (the “Offering”) pursuant to the issuance of secured convertible debentures (the “Debentures”) due 36 months following the date of issuance (the “Maturity Date”).

    Each Debenture will consist of C$1,000 principal amount of secured convertible debentures of the Company and will be convertible into common shares of the Company (each, a “Debenture Share) at the option of the holder thereof at any time prior to the Maturity Date at a conversion price equal to C$13 per Debenture Share. The outstanding principal amount of the Debentures, together with any accrued and unpaid interest, will become due and payable in full on the Maturity Date and will be payable in cash.

    The Debentures will be issued at an original issue discount equal to 2.5% of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures and shall bear interest at a rate of 7.0% per annum from the date of issue, payable semi-annually in arrears in cash. The Debentures will be secured against certain publicly-traded securities owned by the Company.

    The Offering is expected to close on or around March 25, 2025, and is subject to completion of final transaction documentation and all regulatory approvals, including the approval of Cboe Canada. The net proceeds of the Offering are expected to be used for general corporate and working capital purposes. The Debentures and Debenture Shares issuable pursuant to the Offering will be subject to statutory hold periods of four months and one day from the date of issuance thereof.

    The Company may pay a commission or finder’s fee to eligible parties in connection with the Offering, subject to the approval of Cboe Canada and compliance with applicable securities laws.

    The securities offered in the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons, absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

    About Abaxx Technologies
    Abaxx is building Smarter Markets — markets empowered by better financial technology and market infrastructure to address our biggest challenges, including the energy transition. In addition to developing and deploying financial technologies that make communication, trade, and transactions easier and more secure, Abaxx is an indirect majority-owner of subsidiaries Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing, recognized by MAS as a “recognised market operator” (RMO) and “approved clearing house” (ACH), respectively.

    Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing are a Singapore-based commodity futures exchange and clearinghouse, introducing centrally cleared, physically deliverable commodities futures and derivatives to provide better price discovery and risk management tools for the commodities critical to our transition to a lower-carbon economy.

    For more information please visit abaxx.tech, abaxx.exchange and smartermarkets.media.

    For more information about this press release, please contact:

    Steve Fray, CFO
    Tel: +1 647-490-1590

    Media and investor inquiries:

    Abaxx Technologies Inc.
    Investor Relations Team
    Tel: +1 246 271 0082
    E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    This press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” which do not consist of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Abaxx’s future plans, objectives, or goals, including words to the effect that Abaxx expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “seeking”, “should”, “intend”, “predict”, “potential”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, “continue”, “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Since forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Abaxx, Abaxx does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet respective management expectations. Risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors involved with forward- looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

    Forward-looking information related to Abaxx in this press release includes, but is not limited to: the proposed terms of the Debentures, the closing and timing of closing of the Offering, regulatory approvals and the proposed use of proceeds from the Offering. Such factors impacting forward-looking information include, among others: the inability to receive regulatory approvals in connection with the Offering or inability to finalize transaction documentation; risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; Abaxx’s limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; acquiring and maintaining regulatory approvals for Abaxx’s products and operations; the ability to list Abaxx’s securities on stock exchanges in a timely fashion or at all; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions, protection of intellectual property rights, contractual risk, third-party risk; clearinghouse risk, malicious actor risks, third-party software license risk, system failure risk, risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure; and changes in the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labor and international travel and supply chains, and the risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent management discussion & analysis filed on SEDAR+. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx’s normal course of business.

    Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. When relying on forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraphs will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Abaxx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and information. Cboe Canada does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: WTO launches applications for 2025 Young Trade Leaders Programme

    Source: WTO

    Headline: WTO launches applications for 2025 Young Trade Leaders Programme

    Young people between the ages of 18 and 28 with a strong interest in international trade are encouraged to apply. 
    About the Young Trade Leaders Programme
    The Young Trade Leaders Programme was created in 2024 to establish a closer link between young people and the WTO. Candidates selected to be “Young Trade Leaders” will be exceptional young people who demonstrate a clear understanding of how trade can be of benefit to people and planet. They will bring new perspectives and ideas about the role of trade and the WTO, while also having the opportunity to learn about the organization’s work and play a role in advancing its mission.
    How to apply
    Young Trade Leaders are selected for one year. For more details on the 2025 programme and information on how to apply, consult the information note.
    The deadline for applications is 2 May 2025 (23.59 CET).
    Short-listed candidates will be invited to take part in an interview in May 2025.
    The start date for successful candidates is 1 July 2025.
    Benefits
    Selected leaders will have the opportunity to take advantage of training courses organized by the WTO, to benefit from WTO Secretariat advice and mentoring, and to receive support when organizing WTO-related activities in their home countries.
    They will not receive remuneration, but they will be invited to travel to Geneva to participate in the 2025 WTO Public Forum in September. 
    Additional information on the Programme is available here.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Iran: Authorities continue to ‘crush’ women’s rights activists with arbitrary arrest, flogging and death penalty

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Authorities threatened women, warning them against gathering for International Women’s Day

    Since 8 March, five women’s rights activists arrested, arbitrarily detained in solitary confinement and interrogated without their lawyers

    Journalists and singers also targeted – a male singer was flogged 74 times for performing a protest song

    ‘Women in Iran are held captive by authorities who fear the power of women…The women’s movement has passed the point of no return…’ – Leila Pashaei, activist

    ‘Instead of addressing systemic discrimination and violence against women and girls, they are attempting to crush Iran’s women’s rights movement’ – Diana Eltahawy

    Iranian authorities have escalated their crackdown on women’s rights defenders, journalists, singers and other activists demanding equality or who defy compulsory veiling using arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, flogging, and even the death penalty in a bid to quash Iran’s women’s rights movement, Amnesty International said today.

    Since International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March, the Iranian authorities have arbitrarily arrested at least five women’s rights activists. These arrests come amid an intensified crackdown that has included summoning women’s rights activists and journalists for interrogation, and arresting women singers for performing without the mandatory hijab while shutting down their social media accounts. In the lead up to IWD, the authorities flogged a male singer 74 times for performing a protest song against Iran’s discriminatory compulsory veiling laws and, in February, a women’s rights activist was sentenced to death.

    Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa Regional, said:

    “In the wake of the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022, the Iranian authorities consider the widespread defiance of women and girls demanding their rights as an existential threat to the political and security establishment. Instead of addressing systemic discrimination and violence against women and girls, they are attempting to crush Iran’s women’s rights movement.

    “The international community must use their leverage to press the Iranian authorities to stop harassing women’s rights activists and immediately release those arbitrarily detained. They must also pursue legal pathways to hold accountable Iranian officials reasonably suspected of committing widespread and systematic human rights violations against women and girls, including through the implementation of compulsory veiling.”

    The mandates of the Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur are set for renewal at the ongoing 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (24 February to 4 April). On 18 March, the Council is set to hold a joint interactive dialogue with both mandates.

    Women’s rights activists arrested for participating in IWD events

    In the lead up to IWD, the Iranian authorities threatened women, warning them against gathering and demanding their rights.

    Since 10 March 2025, Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested four Kurdish women’s rights activists, namely Leila Pashaei, Baran Saedi, Sohaila Motaei and Souma Mohammadrezaei after they participated in IWD events in Kurdistan province. They are being arbitrarily detained in solitary confinement cells at a detention centre in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, and have been interrogated without their lawyers.

    Baran Saedi was arrested from her family home in Sanandaj on 10 March. She was previously detained during the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022 and released on bail after two months.

    Mohammadrezaei was arrested at her workplace in Sanandaj on 10 March. Security forces had previously summoned and threatened her on multiple occasions in relation to her women’s rights activism.

    Sohaila Motaei was arrested in Dehgolan on the evening of 10 March. She was previously briefly arrested in January for protesting death sentences against women prisoners. She was also detained during the Woman Life Freedom uprising and sentenced to five years in prison for charges including “spreading propaganda against the system.”

    Leila Pashaei was arrested from her home in Sanandaj on 10 March after speaking against compulsory veiling, child marriage, violence against women, and executions of women in Iran during an event on IWD. During the speech she said:

    “Women in Iran are held captive by authorities who fear the power of women…The women’s movement has passed the point of no return…. Women worldwide, especially in the Middle East, will never be silenced again.”

    Pattern of Suppression and Intimidation

    The recent arrests occurred within the context of a broader campaign to suppress women’s rights activism and defiance of compulsory veiling through a range of coercive measures. Activists, journalists, singers and other public figures are among those targeted through arbitrary detention, torture through flogging, coercive interrogations and threats, and shutting down social media accounts.

    On 11 March, Nina Golestani, a writer and women’s rights activist, was arbitrarily arrested at her parents’ home in Gilan province by the Intelligence Unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to a statement by her husband, Javad Sajadi Rad, on Instagram, IRGC agents stormed her parents’ home, searched it and confiscated her personal belongings. They then took her away for interrogations and subsequently transferred her to Lakan prison in Rasht, Gilan province. She was released on bail on 16 March.

    On 7 March, a day after several women journalists participated at a media event in Tehran without headscarves, the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency issued a statement calling their actions “contrary to public decency”. The journalists were interrogated at the office of the prosecutor in Tehran’s Evin prison and judicial cases were opened against them.

    On 5 March, singer Mehdi Yarrahi’s flogging sentence of 74 lashes was carried out in connection to his song called “Your Headscarf (Roosarito)” commemorating the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom uprising.

    On 27 February, singer Hiwa Seyfizade was arrested during a live performance in Tehran. An official announced that she was arrested for “unauthorised solo singing”, which is banned for women in Iran. She was released on bail on 1 March 2025. Her Instagram account has since been closed, with two posts from the Public Security Police on her page stating: “This page has been blocked [by order of the judicial authorities] due to the production of criminal content.”

    In February, imprisoned women’s rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi was sentenced to death for a second time on the charge of “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi), solely in relation to her human rights activities, including supporting women’s rights. The Supreme Court had overturned a prior death sentence by a Revolutionary Court in October 2024, sending the case back to lower courts.

    On 14 December 2024, singer Parastoo Ahmadi was detained after she livestreamed a concert in which she appeared unveiled in public in a shoulder-baring dress. The video went viral, amassing two and a half million views. She was released on bail several hours later.

    On 13 December 2024, Reza Khandan, a human rights defender, was arrested to serve an unjust prison sentence in relation to his campaigning against compulsory veiling. Reza Khandan, who is the husband of lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, was sentenced to six years in prison by a Revolutionary Court in January 2019.

    Compulsory veiling laws

    Iran’s compulsory veiling laws, which apply to girls as young as seven, violate a whole host of rights, including the rights to equality, freedom of expression, religion and belief, privacy, equality and non-discrimination, personal and bodily autonomy. These laws also inflict severe pain and suffering amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.

    In its March 2024 report, the Fact-Finding Mission found that the Iranian authorities have “committed a series of extensive, sustained and continuing acts that individually constitute human rights violations, directed against women [and] girls…and, cumulatively, constitute what the mission assesses to be persecution.”

    MIL OSI NGO –