NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 24 June 2025 Sri Lanka pioneers global effort to reduce corruption in health products

    Source: World Health Organisation

    In a landmark achievement for global health governance, Sri Lanka’s National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has finalized the world’s first-ever United Nations-assisted self-assessment of corruption risks within a national regulatory authority. This pioneering initiative, jointly supported by WHO and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), marks a significant step in enhancing transparency, integrity and public trust in medical product regulation.

    The process was conducted through two intensive workshops held in February and April 2025 in Colombo. It is grounded in UNODC’s internationally recognized corruption risk assessment methodology, aligned with ISO 31000 international standards for risk management and adapted for regulatory authorities with technical input from WHO.

    Established in 2015, NMRA plays a central role in safeguarding public health by ensuring that medicinal products in Sri Lanka meet rigorous safety, quality and efficacy standards. Recognizing the importance of preventing and addressing corruption risks, NMRA sought WHO and UNODC support to conduct a structured, evidence-based self-assessment.

    “The assisted self-assessment process has provided us with a structured, evidence-informed approach to better understand and address corruption risks in regulatory functions. This milestone reflects our continued commitment to strengthening institutional integrity, promoting good governance, and ensuring public confidence in the regulation of medical products,” said Dr Saveen Semage, NMRA’s CEO, during the workshop. “We believe this experience will contribute meaningfully to global efforts aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in health systems.”

    The NMRA assessment focused on analyzing internal regulatory functions to identify corruption risks and prioritize mitigation strategies. Participants from NMRA and external stakeholders collaborated on a final work plan that includes long-term monitoring, evaluation and communication mechanisms.

    By embedding risk management into its ongoing operations, NMRA has laid the groundwork for sustained institutional reform, offering a replicable model for other national regulatory authorities worldwide. The initiative supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions), and advances the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

    Sri Lanka’s experience reinforces the value of collaboration between national authorities and international agencies to build resilient, transparent health systems. It also contributes to WHO’s work in benchmarking and strengthening national regulatory authorities through its Global Benchmarking Tool and to combat substandard and falsified medical products.

    “This process equips regulatory agencies not only to identify risks but to institutionalize integrity,” noted a joint statement from WHO and UNODC representatives. “Sri Lanka’s example is a global milestone in building resilient, transparent health systems.”

    The lessons learned and best practices from this initiative provide a valuable resource for countries seeking to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of their health regulatory systems. The NMRA is committed to continual improvement, transparency, and strengthening public confidence in medical product oversight.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: China foreign relations session held

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Civil Service College, with the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commissioner (OCMFA) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, held a thematic briefing session today on the “International Landscape and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025”.

    The briefing was delivered by Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR Cui Jianchun, and attended by Chief Executive John Lee along with over 400 senior officials.

    Delivering his opening remarks, Mr Lee thanked Mr Cui for attending the session to share insights on the current international environment and national foreign strategies, and providing an analysis on the evolving global dynamics and the country’s response strategies.

    The session could provide support for the Hong Kong SAR Government in promoting Hong Kong’s deepening of international exchanges and co-operation, better integration into the overall national development, and co-ordination of high-level security and high-quality development, the Chief Executive remarked.

    Mr Lee pointed out that the complex and fast-changing international environment as well as the groundbreaking developments of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, profoundly affect the trajectory of world order and highlight the close connection between security and development. He also said China’s diplomatic work plays a vital role in the effective co-ordination of security and development, and provides opportunities for Hong Kong to better fulfil its role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”.

    He also thanked the central government for its strong support for Hong Kong to become the headquarters of the International Organization for Mediation, adding that the establishment of its headquarters in the city reflects the trust and recognition of the international community in Hong Kong, which not only demonstrates the success of the National Security Law in creating a stable environment, but also serves as a vivid manifestation of the country’s diplomatic soft power.

    Mr Lee further stated that Hong Kong SAR Government officials should have a deep understanding of the country’s foreign policies, accurately grasp changes in the international landscape, and better co-ordinate the relationship between and the opportunities from security and development.

    Separately, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said today’s session is of great significance because it not only heralds this year’s series of talks on China’s foreign affairs but is also a highlight event of the seminar series for civil servants on the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the National Security Law.

    She stressed that the Civil Service College will continue to enhance training to strengthen civil servants’ patriotism and awareness of national security, and encourage everyone to consciously safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.

    Training programmes organised by the college could also deepen civil servants’ understanding of the country’s history, culture and contemporary development, equipping them to better fulfil Hong Kong’s role as a bridge connecting the country with the world in their respective fields, effectively utilising the city’s international platform to tell good stories of China and Hong Kong, Mrs Yeung added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Checking in on New England fisheries 25 Years after ‘The Perfect Storm’ hit movie theaters

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stephanie Otts, Director of National Sea Grant Law Center, University of Mississippi

    Filming ‘The Perfect Storm’ in Gloucester Harbor, Mass.
     The Salem News Historic Photograph Collection, Salem State University Archives and Special Collections, CC BY

    Twenty-five years ago, “The Perfect Storm” roared into movie theaters. The disaster flick, starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, was a riveting, fictionalized account of commercial swordfishing in New England and a crew who went down in a violent storm.

    The anniversary of the film’s release, on June 30, 2000, provides an opportunity to reflect on the real-life changes to New England’s commercial fishing industry.

    Fishing was once more open to all

    In the true story behind the movie, six men lost their lives in late October 1991 when the commercial swordfishing vessel Andrea Gail disappeared in a fierce storm in the North Atlantic as it was headed home to Gloucester, Massachusetts.

    At the time, and until very recently, almost all commercial fisheries were open access, meaning there were no restrictions on who could fish.

    There were permit requirements and regulations about where, when and how you could fish, but anyone with the means to purchase a boat and associated permits, gear, bait and fuel could enter the fishery. Eight regional councils established under a 1976 federal law to manage fisheries around the U.S. determined how many fish could be harvested prior to the start of each fishing season.

    Fishing has been an integral part of coastal New England culture since its towns were established. In this 1899 photo, a New England community weighs and packs mackerel.
    Charles Stevenson/Freshwater and Marine Image Bank

    Fishing started when the season opened and continued until the catch limit was reached. In some fisheries, this resulted in a “race to the fish” or a “derby,” where vessels competed aggressively to harvest the available catch in short amounts of time. The limit could be reached in a single day, as happened in the Pacific halibut fishery in the late 1980s.

    By the 1990s, however, open access systems were coming under increased criticism from economists as concerns about overfishing rose.

    The fish catch peaked in New England in 1987 and would remain far above what the fish population could sustain for two more decades. Years of overfishing led to the collapse of fish stocks, including North Atlantic cod in 1992 and Pacific sardine in 2015.

    As populations declined, managers responded by cutting catch limits to allow more fish to survive and reproduce. Fishing seasons were shortened, as it took less time for the fleets to harvest the allowed catch. It became increasingly hard for fishermen to catch enough fish to earn a living.

    Saving fisheries changed the industry

    In the early 2000s, as these economic and environmental challenges grew, fisheries managers started limiting access. Instead of allowing anyone to fish, only vessels or individuals meeting certain eligibility requirements would have the right to fish.

    The most common method of limiting access in the U.S. is through limited entry permits, initially awarded to individuals or vessels based on previous participation or success in the fishery. Another approach is to assign individual harvest quotas or “catch shares” to permit holders, limiting how much each boat can bring in.

    In 2007, Congress amended the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to promote the use of limited access programs in U.S. fisheries.

    Ships in the fleet out of New Bedford, Mass.
    Henry Zbyszynski/Flickr, CC BY

    Today, limited access is common, and there are positive signs that the management change is helping achieve the law’s environmental goal of preventing overfishing. Since 2000, the populations of 50 major fishing stocks have been rebuilt, meaning they have recovered to a level that can once again support fishing.

    I’ve been following the changes as a lawyer focused on ocean and coastal issues, and I see much work still to be done.

    Forty fish stocks are currently being managed under rebuilding plans that limit catch to allow the stock to grow, including Atlantic cod, which has struggled to recover due to a complex combination of factors, including climatic changes.

    The lingering effect on communities today

    While many fish stocks have recovered, the effort came at an economic cost to many individual fishermen. The limited-access Northeast groundfish fishery, which includes Atlantic cod, haddock and flounder, shed nearly 800 crew positions between 2007 and 2015.

    The loss of jobs and revenue from fishing impacts individual family income and relationships, strains other businesses in fishing communities, and affects those communities’ overall identity and resilience, as illustrated by a recent economic snapshot of the Alaska seafood industry.

    When original limited-access permit holders leave the business – for economic, personal or other reasons – their permits are either terminated or sold to other eligible permit holders, leading to fewer active vessels in the fleet. As a result, the number of vessels fishing for groundfish has declined from 719 in 2007 to 194 in 2023, meaning fewer jobs.

    A fisherman unloads a portion of his catch for the day of 300 pounds of groundfish, including flounder, in January 2006 in Gloucester, Mass.
    AP Photo/Lisa Poole

    Because of their scarcity, limited-access permits can cost upward of US$500,000, which is often beyond the financial means of a small businesses or a young person seeking to enter the industry. The high prices may also lead retiring fishermen to sell their permits, as opposed to passing them along with the vessels to the next generation.

    These economic forces have significantly altered the fishing industry, leading to more corporate and investor ownership, rather than the family-owned operations that were more common in the Andrea Gail’s time.

    Similar to the experience of small family farms, fishing captains and crews are being pushed into corporate arrangements that reduce their autonomy and revenues.

    Consolidation can threaten the future of entire fleets, as New Bedford, Massachusetts, saw when Blue Harvest Fisheries, backed by a private equity firm, bought up vessels and other assets and then declared bankruptcy a few years later, leaving a smaller fleet and some local business and fishermen unpaid for their work. A company with local connections bought eight vessels from Blue Harvest along with 48 state and federal permits the company held.

    New challenges and unchanging risks

    While there are signs of recovery for New England’s fisheries, challenges continue.

    Warming water temperatures have shifted the distribution of some species, affecting where and when fish are harvested. For example, lobsters have moved north toward Canada. When vessels need to travel farther to find fish, that increases fuel and supply costs and time away from home.

    Fisheries managers will need to continue to adapt to keep New England’s fisheries healthy and productive.

    One thing that, unfortunately, hasn’t changed is the dangerous nature of the occupation. Between 2000 and 2019, 414 fishermen died in 245 disasters.

    Stephanie Otts receives funding from the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program through the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previous support for fisheries management legal research provided by The Nature Conservancy.

    – ref. Checking in on New England fisheries 25 Years after ‘The Perfect Storm’ hit movie theaters – https://theconversation.com/checking-in-on-new-england-fisheries-25-years-after-the-perfect-storm-hit-movie-theaters-255076

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What happens next in US-Iran relations will be informed by the two countries’ shared history

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gregory F. Treverton, Professor of Practice in International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    Iranians protest the U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Tehran on June 22, 2025. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    The Trump administration’s decision to bomb Iran dramatically marks the now nearly half-century of hostility between the United States and Iran, which began in 1979 with Iran’s takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the taking of 52 diplomatic hostages.

    It remains uncertain whether the Iran-Israel ceasefire will hold, given President Donald Trump’s seemingly impulsive policy decisions and an Israeli leader who critics say pursues war to stay in power.

    Additional unpredictability can be seen in a weakened Iran government that is unpopular with its own people but must also bet that standing up to the U.S. and Israel will induce its people to rally around the flag, even if they don’t like who holds that flag.

    As a U.S. international relations scholar, I think whatever comes next will be well informed by what has already happened in U.S.-Iran history. That includes an offer from Trump – who considers himself the consummate negotiator – to Iran to return to the negotiating table.

    The shah’s last visit to Washington

    The opening bracket in modern U.S.-Iran relations was the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi,“ whom a CIA covert action had restored to leadership a quarter-century earlier.

    As a young National Security Council staffer, I stood on the South Lawn of the White House as the shah’s helicopter landed in 1977 for a state visit to his close ally, the United States.

    The episode was perhaps a metaphor for the two countries’ relationship. I stood next to a colleague who had written for President Jimmy Carter remarks that included fulsome praise of the shah, but his crack to me was: “You’ll recognize the shah. He’s the one with blood under his fingernails.” Beneath a formal alliance, there was a good deal of cynicism on the U.S. part about the shah’s repressive regime and use of secret police to suppress opposition.

    Pro- and anti-shah protesters were demonstrating at the bottom of the Ellipse, the park south of the White House grounds. The U.S. Park Police, understandably but unwisely, sought to separate them with tear gas, which then wafted over the proceedings on the South Lawn.

    The Shah of Iran wipes tear gas from his eyes as President Jimmy Carter speaks on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 15, 1977.
    AP Photo

    The impact of the hostage crisis

    It’s impossible to overstate the effect of the 1979 hostage crisis, when Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding 62 American hostages for 444 days.

    The Carter administration negotiated the Algiers Accords, which led to the release of the hostages in January 1981. There have been persistent accounts, none ever fully validated, that the incoming Reagan administration dealt with Iran to delay the release until after the new president’s inauguration.

    The crisis not only cost Carter his job, but it also cast an enduring shadow over the U.S.-Iran relationship, compounding Americans’ difficulty in understanding a regime that was not only theocratic but Muslim.

    The 1980s witnessed a whipsaw of relations.

    From 1980 to 1988, as Iran and Iraq fought a bloody war to a stalemate, the U.S. saw the power of both countries contained, but it did provide intelligence and logistical support to Iraq.

    Then came the Iran-Contra Affair of 1985 to 1987. It was the Reagan administration’s most serious scandal, in which White House officials illegally sold sanctioned arms to Iran and secretly diverted the proceeds to the Nicaraguan Contras. In a moment straight out of comic opera, National Security Council aides brought a goodwill chocolate cake to Tehran during a secret diplomatic mission in May 1986.

    Unidentified U.S. hostages arrive on Jan. 21, 1981, at Rhein-Main U.S. Air Force base in Frankfurt, West Germany, one day after their release from Iran.
    AP Photo

    In 1988, a U.S. ship struck an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. retaliated by destroying oil platforms and damaging Iranian ships in “Operation Praying Mantis,” and tragically – and mistakenly – shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing 290 civilians.

    The 1990s and 2000s again displayed the limits of the relationship.

    In 1995, President Bill Clinton imposed an oil and trade embargo against Iran, and Congress passed the Iran–Libya Sanctions Act in 1996, which imposed economic sanctions on companies doing business with Iran and Libya.

    In 1998, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami called for a “dialogue of civilizations,” prompting cautious U.S. signals of engagement.

    Then, in 2002, President George W. Bush labeled Iran part of the “axis of evil,” a sharp rhetorical escalation. For its part, Iran alleged U.S. drone incursions and covert operations. Limited diplomatic back channels emerged, but to no outcome.

    In 2009, President Barack Obama reached out to Tehran amid post-election unrest in Iran, but two years later Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil shipments to the West.

    In 2015, the two countries were party to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with Iran agreeing to limit its nuclear program under international oversight.

    Two years later, though, President Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal and reimposed sweeping sanctions in a “maximum pressure” campaign.

    In 2019 and 2020, a series of tit-for-tat escalations culminated in the Jan. 3, 2020, U.S. drone strike that assassinated senior Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Iran retaliated with missile strikes on U.S. bases in the region.

    U.S. sanctions continued in the Biden administration as Iran pursued deeper ties with Russia, China and nonstate proxies, especially Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

    What lessons?

    What can be learned from this tangled history?

    First, that negotiations are possible between the two countries, but they are neither easy nor likely to produce more than limited outcomes. Indeed, high-level indirect talks mediated by Oman began in April 2025, though they were in suspension when the U.S. bombers struck.

    Second, despite the Iran regime’s unpopularity, regime change in Iran is unlikely. Assassinating Ayatollah Ali Khameini would likely abet the “rally ‘round the flag” effect, as did the assassination of Soleimani.

    Third, Iran has been careful in its responses even to Israeli aggression but especially in engaging the U.S. in military conflict, a caution the American B-2 bombings on June 21 can only underscore.

    Iran had to retaliate, so the attack on the U.S. base in Qatar came as no surprise. But Iran was careful in retaliating, even notifying the U.S. in advance.

    The dropping of U.S. bombs, followed by Iran’s careful retaliation, was the opportunity for Trump to make an offer Iran couldn’t refuse.

    Gregory F. Treverton 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. What happens next in US-Iran relations will be informed by the two countries’ shared history – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-next-in-us-iran-relations-will-be-informed-by-the-two-countries-shared-history-259607

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President Boakai Declares Thursday, June 26, As “International Drugs Day”


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    The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has by Proclamation declared Thursday, June 26, 2025, as “International Drugs Day” and is to be observed throughout the country as a Working Holiday. The Proclamation calls on all citizens; government ministries and agencies as well as international organizations concerned to join the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in executing appropriate programs befitting the occasion. According to a Foreign Ministry release, this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and its illicit trafficking will be observed under the global theme:  “The Evidence is clear, invest in Prevention. Slogan. Break the Circle. Stop Organized Crime”. Drug abuse and its illicit trafficking have posed major problems to the human race and millions of people worldwide continue to be affected directly and indirectly.

     The Proclamation is in consonance with an Act of National Legislature which was adopted in 1999, creating the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) with the authority to combat the importation, illicit trafficking and use of dangerous drugs. The observance of the day is intended to create awareness of the devastating effects of illicit drugs on individuals and families and to mobilize communities and other stakeholders against the use of such substances. On December 7, 1987, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Resolution 42/112, which set aside the 26th day of June of each year as International Day Against Illicit Trafficking of Drugs and other Substances of Abuse to be celebrated worldwide. 

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Basic Education and Police Chairpersons Welcome Signing of Collaborative Protocols on School Safety


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    The Chairpersons of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, and the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Ms Joy Maimela, welcome the bold step taken by the Ministers of Police and of Basic Education to sign and launch the Collaborative Implementation Protocol on School Safety. The protocols, if properly implemented, will be a game-changer in school safety, especially with increasing incidents of crime in the four identified provinces.

    “The murder of Lethabo Mokonyane four days ago underscores the trend of violent crime in and around school premises that requires a concerted effort by all stakeholders to bring an end to this worrying trend. School environments should be safe spaces for teaching and learning and nothing else,” Ms Maimela said.

    The intention to focus the roll-out in four provinces, namely Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape, is in line with calls for data-driven focus in combating crime. “The approach to target hotspots has the potential of stemming the tide of crime in schools. But it is up to station-level management to implement the protocols effectively to ensure success,” Mr Cameron emphasised.

    Both Chairpersons highlighted concern that the fourth-quarter crime statistics revealed six reported murders and 80 rapes in educational institutions. The intended intervention of increasing police visibility and linking schools to a police station has the potential to reverse these high numbers.

    Furthermore, Ms Maimela commended the intention of improving the vetting process for educators and staff in schools against the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register. “This has long been a requirement to obtain a position in schools to safeguard vulnerable groups but was neglected. It is important that such safeguards are adhered to without fail,” Ms Maimela argued.

    The question of substance abuse was also highlighted as a concern that requires a society-wide approach as it has far-reaching consequences, especially for schools. Mr Cameron highlighted that municipalities must also play their role in enforcing municipal bylaws that prohibit the establishment of liquor-selling premises near schools.

    Both committees have committed to ensuring effective oversight over the implementation of the protocols.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of Jackson Gang Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Traffic Unique Form of Fentanyl

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    DETROIT – A Houston, Texas resident and leader of the violent Jackson street gang the “Thorough Bread Family,” Tamarious “Poogi” Faulkner, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced today.

    Gorgon was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Detroit Field Division, Colonel James F. Grady, II, Michigan State Police, Director Elmer J. Hitt, Jackson Police and Fire Services, and Sheriff Gary Schuette, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. 

    Tamarious Faulkner, 28, of Houston, Texas, was the leader of the Thorough Bread Family (TBF), a violent street gang that primarily operates in Jackson, Michigan. Faulkner and his co-conspirators distributed large amounts of fentanyl in Jackson. According to court documents, the fentanyl sold by the gang had a unique texture and coloring. Unlike most fentanyl, typically sold in powder form, TBF’s fentanyl was sold in a rock-like crystalline form, and was often colored yellow, purple, or green, rather than the usual white.

    As this new type of fentanyl pushed by Tamarious Faulkner and the TBF gang appeared on the streets, Jackson Police witnessed a spike in overdoses and violence. The mother of one of those fatal overdose victims, who described her daughter as “a beautiful soul,” wrote, “Under his leadership, this gang has taken lives, destroyed families, and devastated an entire community.”

    After the arrest and prosecution of many TBF members, including Tamarious Faulkner, Jackson Chief of Police Christopher A. Simpson noted that the Jackson community, “almost immediately rebounded . . . violent crime was cut in half . . . overdoses decreased, as well as the associated crimes with it.”

    Six other co-conspirators have already been sentenced as follows:

    • Demond Johns, age 27 of Jackson: 128 months’ prison
    • Dominque Faulkner, age 33 of Jackson: 126 months’ prison
    • Zaire Faulkner, age 26 of Jackson: 10 years’ prison
    • Demarquan Smith, age 23 of Jackson: 10 years’ prison
    • Tommy Owens, age 33 of Jackson: 87 months’ prison
    • Mario Murguia, age 24 of Jackson: 5 years’ prison

    “Gangs bring drugs and death to our communities. We are grateful that we can work alongside our federal, state, and local partners in the fight against this scourge,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said.

    “With Today’s sentencing, Jackson, Michigan, is a safer place to live,” said James Deir, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Detroit Field Division. “Dominique Faulkner and the Thorough Bred gang chose guns, drugs, and violence—and now they are all where they belong: FEDERAL PRISON.  Their reign of fear and terror in our community is over. There is no place in the great state of Michigan for cowards who choose greed and gun violence to profit from armed drug dealing. The people of Jackson deserve better; certainly, not thugs who think they’re above the law.”

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the Michigan State Police, Jackson Police Department, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew R. Picek, Matthew Roth, and Craig Welkener.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Convicted of Carjacking Resulting in Death

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On Friday, June 20, 2025, a federal jury convicted Joseph Payne-Pabón for carjacking resulting in death of an 82-year-old woman on January 7, 2020, in the municipality of San Juan.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2020, Joseph Payne-Pabón, a 34-year-old homeless man, entered the home of Eulalia Combas Sancho during the blackout resulting from the earthquakes, violently killed her and took her Hyundai Sonata. The evidence showed that Mr. Payne Pabón used a cement block to hit the victim in the back of the head causing a fracture to her skull and trauma to her brain that resulted in her death. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 10, 2025, at 10:30 am before United States District Court Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón.

    “This verdict is a direct result of the tireless efforts and outstanding work of agents and officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, and federal prosecutors and professional staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. “I commend their exceptional efforts and dedication from the beginning of the investigation of the carjacking and murder of the victim to the guilty verdict at trial.”

    “This verdict reflects our community’s intolerance for senseless acts of violence, and our commitment to bring violent offenders who endanger innocent persons to justice,” said Gordon Mallory, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF Miami Field Division. “In partnership with the US Attorney’s Office in San Juan, the Puerto Rico Police Department, and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, Mr. Payne-Pabón is being held accountable for his violent, and life-altering actions.  It is our hope that this conviction can bring some closure to the victim’s family.”

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with the assistance of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeanette M. Collazo-Ortiz and César Rivera-Díaz prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Previously convicted felon sentenced to over five years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico County man was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents, on Aug. 15, 2024, Henrico County Police responded to a report of gunshots at an apartment complex where Michael Anthony Nolan, 35, had been arguing with his ex-girlfriend. On arriving, officers observed Nolan, who was intoxicated, standing in the apartment complex’s parking lot next to the driver-side door of a vehicle inside which officers observed a handgun on the floorboard.

    In 2010, Nolan was convicted of robbing and attempting to rob pizza delivery drivers with a knife, and subsequently found guilty of two felony probation violations. As a previously convicted felon, Nolan cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Eric D. English, Chief of Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. McGorman prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-179.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Murderer Sentenced to 63 Months for Unlawful Firearm Possession

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Willie Green, age 42, of Albany, was sentenced on Monday to 63 months in prison following his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

    In previously pleading guilty, Green admitted that on January 1, 2022, he possessed a loaded pistol in Albany. A prior felony conviction prohibited him from possessing the pistol. Green has an extensive criminal history that includes a 2024 murder conviction, which was secured by the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. The sentence in this case will run consecutive to the 25 years-to-life term he is serving on his state murder conviction.

    United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “Willie Green cannot serve enough prison time for the crimes he’s committed. He should never get out, and if he is granted parole by New York State, he will be immediately taken to federal prison to start serving his term of imprisonment in this case. Albany is safer if this murderer stays locked up for good.”

    ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller stated: “This sentence reflects our unwavering commitment to holding violent offenders accountable—especially those who continue to possess firearms despite felony convictions. This individual not only admitted to carrying a loaded firearm illegally, but he is also serving a 25-to-life sentence for murder. His actions represent the very threat to public safety that ATF and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to prevent. Thank you to our partners at Albany PD and U.S. Attorney’s Office NDNY for their efforts.”

    Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release to begin when Green is released from federal prison.

    ATF investigated this case with the assistance of the Albany Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: eThekwini Municipality cracks down on diesel theft

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    eThekwini Municipality cracks down on diesel theft

    The eThekwini Municipality has called on residents to report any instances of fraud and corruption following the arrest of a man implicated in a diesel theft syndicate targeting the city’s fuel supply system.

    According to the municipality, the suspect, who posed as a municipal employee, was apprehended while filling diesel at a petrol station used by the city’s fleet.

    This followed a tip-off to the Municipal City Fleet Directorate, which reported suspicious activity involving certain vehicles refuelling excessively, with some more than 10 times a day.

    A preliminary investigation conducted by the City Integrity and Investigations Directorate revealed that a municipal fuel master card, issued by the Water and Sanitation Directorate, was being fraudulently used by privately owned vehicles.

    According to the municipality, the fuel master being used was for a vehicle that has been stationary for a long time and marked for disposal.

    “The suspect had duplicated the number plate and branding on the side of the car doors to make it look similar to other municipal cars. in this instance, municipal employees were working with external people to conduct fraud and corruption.

    “The culprit had four vehicles fitted with a 750-litre fuel tank at the base of each single cab van. The diesel was stored in these tanks and resold. Each vehicle generated about R78 000 a day,” Director of the City Integrity and Investigations Directorate, Jimmy Ngcobo said.

    Ngcobo said the suspect, who did rounds everyday filling diesel at over 15 petrol stations around the city, was caught red-handed with assistance from the Metro Police and private company, Reaction Unit South Africa.

    At the time of the arrest, the suspect, who was wearing a municipal uniform admitted that he does not work for the city but employed by a private individual and earned R2000 a day.

    The suspect has since appeared in court on charges of fraud and corruption. The case was remanded to August 2025.

    “This is organised crime and should be dealt with seriously. The municipality has suffered a great financial loss, which is why we are calling on various stakeholders to report fraud and corruption when they see it happening,” Ngcobo said.

    The public can report fraud and corruption by calling 0800 20 20 20 or send an email to ombuds@durban.gov.za – SAnews.gov.za
     

    GabiK

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS continues visit to Tianjin (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit to Tianjin today (June 25) to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025 (also known as the Summer Davos). In the evening, he travelled to Beijing to attend the Host Member Gala Dinner for the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

    In the morning, Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony of the Summer Davos and delivered a speech. In addition to attending the opening ceremony, Mr Chan participated in a discussion session in the afternoon titled, “Is the Asian Century at Risk?”. Other regional leaders in attendance included the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr Pham Minh Chinh; the Deputy Chairperson of Indonesia’s Gerindra Party, Ms Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo; and the Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Mr Sunil Handunneththi. The discussion focused on how Asia could address local development and external challenges amid the current geopolitical tensions, trade barriers and technological transformation.

    During the session, Mr Chan remarked that the Asian region is developing rapidly, with Hong Kong benefitting from its unique position under “one country, two systems”. He highlighted Hong Kong’s dual advantages of priority access to the Mainland’s market and its connectivity to the global economy, serving as a gateway between the Mainland and the world. As an international financial centre, Hong Kong facilitates efficient two-way capital flows and cross-border financial co-operation within Asia and between Asia and other regions. In the current international geopolitical and economic environment, Hong Kong is actively supporting Mainland enterprises in expanding internationally and building global industry chains and supply chains.

    In response to questions, Mr Chan emphasised that since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Hong Kong has provided a more stable and secure business environment that allows society to focus on economic development. He pointed out that the performance of Hong Kong’s capital markets over the past year, along with surveys conducted by various foreign chambers of commerce, demonstrates that international investors are showing confidence in Hong Kong with their capital and actions. Mr Chan further noted that Hong Kong’s openness, diversity and international outlook under “two systems”, along with its common law system, remain key advantages in attracting international businesses and talent.

    Mr Chan also met with the Chairman ad interim of the World Economic Forum, Mr Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, during which he briefed him on Hong Kong’s latest economic developments, including progress in the financial and innovation and technology (I&T) sectors. The two sides also explored opportunities to strengthen co-operation in technological innovation and personnel exchanges. Mr Chan expressed gratitude to the World Economic Forum for offering secondment opportunities to Hong Kong SAR Government personnel, enabling them to gain more international exposure.

    During his time in Tianjin, Mr Chan participated in the following activities:

    (1) A thematic session titled “Funding China’s Next Tech Breakthrough” hosted by the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, where he shared with representatives from investment banks, funds, asset management firms, I&T companies and think tanks how Hong Kong provides a full range of fundraising options – from start-up investments to stock market listings – to provide financial support to the accelerated development of I&T enterprises;

    (2) An exchange session between technology enterprises from Tianjin and Hong Kong organised by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, where Mr Chan introduced the dual advantages of Hong Kong’s financial and I&T synergy to I&T enterprises from Tianjin and Hong Kong, and accelerating the development of I&T through financial empowerment. Some members of the I&T delegation on the visit also participated in the session, where they explored collaboration opportunities with Tianjin’s I&T companies; and

    (3) A gathering hosted by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Tianjin, where Mr Chan shared updates on Hong Kong’s economy, future development directions, and opportunities for further strengthening co-operation between Tianjin and Hong Kong in finance, trade and I&T.

    After concluding his visit to Tianjin, Mr Chan proceeded to Beijing to attend the Host Member Gala Dinner for the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB.

    Mr Chan will attend the 10th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB tomorrow (June 26).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/KENYA – Tensions rise during the protest march in memory of the victims of last year’s clashes

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – “The situation in Nairobi is tense. There are roadblocks everywhere and shops are closed. Young protesters have taken to the streets, while the police have erected barricades along the roads leading to the center of Nairobi,” Fr. Bonaventura Luchidio told Fides. The National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Kenya is referring to today’s demonstration in memory of the victims of last year’s demonstrations against the finance law (see Fides, 21/6/2024, 25/6/2025, and 26/6/2024), which left more than 60 dead and 300 injured.On the eve of the demonstration, the Kenyan bishops issued a joint appeal to the authorities and the demonstrators, calling for peace and the protection of life (see Fides, 24/6/2025).This appeal, according to Father Luchidio, is all the more necessary given that, as emphasized, “there have been some serious incidents recently that are further worsening the mood among young people. In particular, the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in a security cell at the Nairobi police station and the close-range shooting at a previous demonstration of young Boniface Kariuki, who is still fighting for his life in the hospital.” “Added to this is the death of two Catholic priests under unclear circumstances,” says the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, citing the murder of Father Alloyce Cheruiyot Bett, who was shot dead on May 22 in the Tot (Elgeyo Marakwet) area of the Kerio Valley in the western highlands of Kenya (see Fides, 23/05/2025), and Father John Ndegwa Maina, parish priest of St. Louis Church in Igwamiti, who died in hospital on May 15 after being found seriously injured on the side of the Nakuru-Nairobi highway, several kilometers from his parish (see Fides, 21/5/2025). “The bishops have called for a rapid investigation to bring those responsible for the deaths of the two priests to justice, but at the moment there is no further information on the two cases,” Father Luchidio concludes.In addition to the capital Nairobi, clashes have also been reported in other Kenyan cities. Police are using tear gas canisters to disperse the demonstrators. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 25/6/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Civil Service College holds thematic briefing session on “International Landscape and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025” (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Civil Service College holds thematic briefing session on “International Landscape and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025”  
    Mr Lee delivered the opening remarks at the session. He expressed gratitude for Mr Cui’s attendance at the session to share insights on the current international environment and national foreign strategies, and provided an analysis in an easy-to-understand manner on the evolving global dynamics and the country’s response strategies to provide support for the HKSAR Government in promoting Hong Kong’s deepening of international exchanges and co-operation, better integration into the overall national development, and co-ordination of high-level security and high-quality development.
     
    Mr Lee pointed out that the complex and fast-changing international environment and the groundbreaking developments of AI and biotechnology profoundly affect the trajectory of the world order and highlight the close connection between security and development. Mr Lee said the country’s diplomatic work plays a vital role in effective co-ordination of security and development, and provides opportunities for Hong Kong to better fulfil its role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder”. He thanked the Central Government for its strong support for Hong Kong to become the headquarters of the International Organization for Mediation, and pointed out that the establishment of its headquarters in Hong Kong reflects the trust and recognition of the international community in Hong Kong, which not only demonstrates the success of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) in creating a stable environment but also serves as a vivid manifestation of the country’s diplomatic soft power. Mr Lee stated that the HKSAR Government officials should have a deep understanding of the country’s foreign policies, accurately grasp changes in the international landscape, and better co-ordinate the relationship between and the opportunities from security and development.
     
    The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said during the session that this event is of great significance. It not only heralds this year’s series of talks on the country’s foreign affairs but is also a highlight event of the seminar series for civil servants on the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the NSL. The CSC will continue to enhance training to strengthen civil servants’ patriotism and awareness of national security, and encourage everyone to consciously safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. The various training programmes organised by the CSC also deepen civil servants’ understanding of the country’s history and culture, and contemporary development, equipping them to better fulfil Hong Kong’s role as a bridge connecting the country with the world in their respective fields, effectively utilising Hong Kong’s international platform to tell good stories of China and Hong Kong.
     
    The CSC will continue to collaborate with the OCMFA to run a series of talks on the country’s foreign affairs in 2025, including today’s thematic briefing session as well as subsequent talks on topics such as participation in international organisations and multilateral affairs, major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, China-United States relations, and civil diplomacy.  Since the launch of this series at the end of 2021, it has been well received by colleagues. To date, 20 talks have been held, with a total attendance of nearly 5 000 directorate and senior-level civil servants.
    Issued at HKT 20:25

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Athletic Trainer Employment in High Schools Associated with Fewer Fatalities and Injuries

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    One of the scariest moments in sports is when an athlete experiences a health emergency like heat stroke or cardiac arrest on the field.

    Athletic trainers are medical professionals specially trained to identify and treat these kinds of emergencies quickly and with lifesaving results.

    A growing body of research demonstrates the importance of having athletic trainers employed in high schools, including two new papers by researchers from the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI), housed in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.

    “Athletic trainers are unique in that they’re trained in recognition, prevention, and response to emergency, potentially catastrophic injuries in sport,” says Rebecca Stearns, associate professor-in-residence of kinesiology and KSI’s chief operating officer.

    Aleksis Grace, a PhD candidate at UConn and director of sports safety at KSI, is the lead author on a paper highlighting that among schools that employed athletic trainers, there was more survival in cases where athletes experienced an exertional heat stroke event.

    This work will be presented at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Conference in Florida in this week.

    Grace and the other researchers looked at data from 2015-2021, which included 21 events.

    Of the 13 cases in which an athletic trainer was employed, only five cases were fatal. In the six cases where an athletic trainer was not employed at the school, all six were fatal.

    In the other two cases, the researchers could not confirm if an athletic trainer was employed at the time of the incident.

    The study of exertional heat stroke in student athletes is becoming even more important as climate change is making summers, when football players are in preseason training, hotter. This time and this sport, which requires heavy padding, has the greatest risk for exertional heat stroke.

    Despite the known risks and benefits, more than one third of U.S. high schools do not employ athletic trainers.

    “Ensuring the athletic trainer is employed and that there is appropriate healthcare when there is the highest risk is a good way for schools to avoid liability and for there to be better outcomes from the prevention aspect, or if the event occurs, [the athlete] is potentially less likely to die,” Grace says.

    The researchers also found that more socially disadvantaged schools were less likely to employ an athletic trainer.

    The researchers defined socially disadvantaged schools as those that are further from a level 1 trauma center, have a higher proportion of students receiving free or reduced lunch, and a higher social deprivation index score.

    “There was a trend where we can say there was more survival in the schools that had athletic trainers,” Grace says. “But when you look at markers of social disadvantage, the lower socioeconomic status schools were the ones less likely to have an athletic trainer.”

    Another paper, led by Erin Shore, a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill who is affiliated with the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR) program, demonstrates an association between employment of an athletic trainer and lower rates of fatalities or permanent disability following a catastrophic injury. KSI is a member of the NCCSIR network.

    This paper was presented at the SAVIR 2025 Annual Conference in New York in April and NATA Conference earlier this week.

    The researchers used a national database of catastrophic injuries, which included non-concussion brain injuries, spinal injuries, or cardiac arrest, from 2013 to 2021 and compared that with a database of athletic trainer employment.

    In general, among schools that employed an athletic trainer, there were fewer disabling or fatal injuries among athletes who experienced a catastrophic injury.

    They found that this trend was true, regardless of race and ethnicity.

    “Racially and ethnically minoritized individuals in the U.S. have less access to healthcare and worse health outcomes in general,” Shore says. “So, I was just curious to see if those disparities panned out in the athletic injury world as well.”

    Among schools that employed an athletic trainer, 40% of catastrophic incidents led to fatalities or permanent disabilities among white students and 48% among non-white students.

    There were much more significant differences in outcomes for both groups when there was no athletic trainer employed.

    For non-white students, 67% of these catastrophic injuries were fatal or disabling. This rate was only 54% for white students.

    While the researchers cannot say definitively from this study why this association exists, it points toward future avenues for continued research.

    “Surveillance, in the realm of study design, can point out things we need to look at further,” Kristen Kucera, UNC professor of exercise and sport science and NCCSIR director, says. “I think this is a good example of how important this information is to be able to investigate these kinds of questions.” 

    This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision areas focused on Enhancing Health and Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice.

    Follow UConn CAHNR on social media

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Operation Vala Umgodi nets 142 suspects

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Operation Vala Umgodi nets 142 suspects

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) says Vala Umgodi operations continue to be conducted across the country to combat illegal mining and associated criminal activities.

    The most recent operations have led to the arrest of 142 suspects of different nationalities for illegal mining activities.

    “These suspects were arrested for illegal mining related offences and various other crimes that include, among others, trespassing, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of unpolished diamonds, unlawful possession of explosives, contravention of Immigration Act and drug trafficking,” the police said in a statement.

    Police made several notable arrests and confiscated large quantities of gold bearing material in the past week.

    In a series of targeted interventions, Operation Vala Umgodi teams successfully apprehended 130 undocumented foreign nationals directly involved in illicit mining activities and related offences across the Free State province. 

    Police actions led to the seizure of substantial quantities of gold-bearing material and equipment crucial to these illegal activities, as well as three unlicensed firearms, 16 rounds of ammunition and a vehicle.

    In the Northern Cape, on 17 June 2025, members executed intelligence-driven operation and arrested 15 suspects for contravention of the Immigration Act, illegal mining activities and possession of suspected unpolished diamonds in the Koingnaas and Beefmaster illegal mining camps, respectively. The team seized unpolished diamonds and a significant quantity of dagga.

    On 19 June 2025, four suspects were arrested for trespassing, contravention of the Immigration Act in the Free State. One suspect was also arrested for the possession of an unlicensed firearm, a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) uniform, dagga and suspected gold bearing material. The team also arrested three suspects aged between 45 and 32 years, after being found in possession of gold-bearing material at Theunissen. Police also seized packaged and sealed food items destined for the illegal miners underground, along with explosive detonators.

    An intelligence-driven disruptive Vala Umgodi operation conducted at the Clovedene Informal Settlement in Crystal Park, Ekurhuleni in Gauteng, led to the arrest of eight illegal foreign nationals and suspected illegal miners. Police confiscated equipment used for illegal mining activities.

    In Limpopo, on 17 June 2025, the Sekhukhune District’s Operation Vala Umgodi team apprehended nine suspects aged between 22 and 44 years for illegal mining and contravention of the Immigration Act. Several items including three wheelbarrows, a generator, a jackhammer, two shovels, three chisels, and bottles of petrol were confiscated.

    In KwaZulu-Natal, on 17 June 2025,  40-year-old Sydwell Shane Mkhantswa appeared briefly in the Kwa-Mbonambi Periodical Court in connection with a case of theft of minerals over R800 000 from Richards Bay Minerals (RBM). Further investigation linked the suspect with another Kwa-Mbonambi case of theft of minerals in which he allegedly delivered RBM minerals to Isipingo in Durban, where police found over R24 million worth of suspected stolen minerals. 

    “Operation Vala Umgodi remains committed to dismantling illegal mining syndicates and ensuring law and order to the affected provinces as well as safeguarding the country’s mineral resources,” the police said. – SAnews.gov.za

    Edwin

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: KZN Premier commends arrest in Umlazi mass murder case

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    KZN Premier commends arrest in Umlazi mass murder case

    KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Thamsanqa Ntuli, has commended the arrest of a suspect in connection with the recent brutal mass murder that shocked the Umlazi community.

    This comes after the arrest of a 28-year-old man in connection with the murder of eight people on 16 May 2025, at Zama informal settlement in U-section, Umlazi, south of Durban.

    The victims, including six men and two women, aged between 22 and 40 years, were found lying in a pool of blood with multiple gunshot wounds.

    According to the police report, the incident took place when unknown armed men entered an informal settlement and opened fire. Eight victims died on the scene.

    The mass killing, which left multiple lives lost and families shattered, drew national attention and widespread condemnation.

    Ntuli visited the affected area and called for a multi-agency response to restore peace and strengthen community policing.

    In a statement on Wednesday, Ntuli hailed the arrest as a significant breakthrough.

    “This arrest is a clear indication that our law enforcement agencies are capable, committed, and determined to restore safety and dignity in our communities. We commend the SAPS (South African Police Service), the Hawks, and all intelligence-led operations that worked relentlessly around the clock to ensure this progress,” Ntuli said.

    Ntuli emphasised that people of Umlazi and KwaZulu-Natal at large deserve to live without fear, and “no individual or group has the right to undermine the safety and security of our communities.”

    He added that the provincial government is intensifying its collaboration with the police and other safety structures to dismantle criminal syndicates, improve visibility in hotspots, and fast-track the installation of community-based crime prevention programmes.

    The Premier also appealed to community members to work hand in hand with law enforcement agencies.

    “Our fight against crime is a collective one. We urge residents to report any suspicious activities and to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations. It is only through unity and active citizenry that we can defeat crime and reclaim our communities.”

    As the case proceeds through the justice system, Ntuli assured that the provincial government will continue to provide the necessary psychosocial support to the victims’ families, and work to ensure that justice is served without delay. – SAnews.gov.za
     

    GabiK

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Constitutional Court in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania publishes Volume II of the Guide on Constitutional Court Case Law 1992–2024

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Constitutional Court in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania publishes Volume II of the Guide on Constitutional Court Case Law 1992–2024

    Constitutional Court in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania publishes Volume II of the Guide on Constitutional Court Case Law 1992–2024 | OSCE

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Legal routes for climate justice in Africa

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    By Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Anglia Ruskin University

    Climate change lawsuits have become a new way for countries to assert their rights against actions that degrade the environment. But African countries have yet to fully exploit this route.

    In the Netherlands, the court found that greenhouse gas emissions breached the rights to life and private and family life that are protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

    In Germany, the court found that the government had breached the Climate Protection Act by not setting out a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after 2030. This meant that future generations would unfairly bear the burden of trying to limit climate change.

    Africa is the continent that’s most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. At the same time, it has contributed least in the world to greenhouse gas emissions.

    However, African countries have not taken up many climate court cases, mainly because they lack resources. They are also hampered by weak climate laws, limited expertise to gather and present evidence in court, and their economic reliance on extractive industries which they may not want to sue in court.

    One of the few African climate lawsuits was brought by the South African environmental justice group EarthLife Africa Johannesburg. It took the country’s environment ministry to court to cancel the government’s approval of new coal-fired power plants. The Pretoria high court held that the approval was unlawful because it had failed to consider how new coal-fired power stations would make climate change worse.

    Another case was filed in 2020 by civil society groups that sued the governments of Uganda and Tanzania over the East African Crude Oil Pipeline for breaching human rights and damaging the environment. The East African Court of Justice dismissed the case after the activists missed the deadline to file documents. The groups have appealed against the dismissal, but this highlights some of the difficulties in bringing international climate litigation.

    In May 2025, the Pan African Lawyers’ Union asked the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights for an advisory opinion (still to be issued) on the obligations of African states to protect human rights in a time of climate crisis. This case was brought in collaboration with the Africa Climate Platform, the Environmental Lawyers Collective for Africa, Natural Justice, resilient40, and other environmental justice organisations.

    I am an environmental justice researcher who examines how ecocentrism (valuing the entire interests of ecosystems over human interests or individual companies interests) can be taken forward in African legal systems.

    I argue that Africa should use three key international legal routes to amplify its voice in litigating against climate change.

    1. The International Court of Justice

    In December 2024, the International Court of Justice agreed for the first time to provide an advisory opinion on what states are obliged to do to fight climate change and set out the legal consequences for states that do not meet these obligations.

    In late 2024, the court accepted inputs from countries that had already been affected by climate change. These included members of the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States and the African Union, and South Africa, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Senegal. The court will hand down the opinion in late 2025.

    Even though International Court of Justice advisory opinions are not legally binding, these proceedings were a milestone. They provided African countries with a good platform to raise their demands about the obligations of countries to protect the climate system in this time of global warming.

    2. International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

    In June 2023, the African Union submitted a written statement in support of the request made by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law. The island states had asked the tribunal to set out how governments were obliged by the international marine treaty to prevent, reduce and control marine pollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

    This was the first time the tribunal had formally considered the impacts of climate change on the marine environment. The African Union relied on important international environmental legal principles in its statement. These include the duty to avoid polluting the atmosphere and to prevent harm that takes place across borders.

    These principles have been used by different countries in lawsuits previously. These cases form the legal basis for many climate lawsuits today.

    The tribunal’s advisory opinions are not legally binding, but they also contribute to the development of international law, and again, could be useful for Africa to assert a strong, unified legal voice in the global fight for climate justice.

    3. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    This 1992 convention has been ratified by many African states. It is a central international legal framework that guides global action on climate change. It has been the foundation for many international agreements on how governments will prevent climate change.

    African countries will need to include international climate change agreements into their laws and policies. Not all African countries have climate change laws. Countries with climate change laws include Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa. More must follow.

    Africa lacks the resources to prevent the worst effects of climate change and recover from the damage caused by global warming.

    African countries must now take climate lawsuits forward to demand accountability, shape climate policies and safeguard the future.

    By embracing regional mechanisms like the African court, using international legal instruments, and developing national climate laws, Africa can assert a strong, unified legal voice in the global fight for climate justice.

    Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Lecturer in Law, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: ConnectOne Bancorp Strengthens Executive Leadership By Appointing Legal Advisor Robert Schwartz to General Counsel

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNOB) (the “Company” or “ConnectOne”), parent company of ConnectOne Bank (the “Bank”), announced the appointment of Robert A. Schwartz as General Counsel, effective June 1, 2025. This strategic appointment reinforces ConnectOne’s commitment to strengthening executive leadership capabilities as it accelerates growth following the successful completion of its merger with First of Long Island Corporation (formerly Nasdaq: FLIC).

    A recognized leader in the banking industry with deep expertise in mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and bank regulatory frameworks, Schwartz brings decades of legal and strategic experience to ConnectOne. In this role, he will advise the Board of Directors and executive leadership on legal, regulatory and business risks in an evolving operating environment. The appointment comes at a pivotal time for ConnectOne, as the Company recently reached nearly $14 billion in assets.

    Schwartz has served as a trusted legal advisor to ConnectOne since its inception, playing a foundational role in the Bank’s formation, IPO and multiple transactions throughout its 20-year history.

    “Mr. Schwartz has been an integral player to the bank since day one, and we look forward to working with him in this new capacity,” said Frank Sorrentino III, ConnectOne’s Chairman & CEO. “His ability to balance legal acumen with business strategy will be instrumental in driving the success of the newly expanded institution as we prepare for our next chapter of growth. Bringing someone of his caliber in-house reflects the strength of our platform and our focus on building an industry-leading leadership team.”

    “After two decades of helping ConnectOne navigate many major milestones—from our formation to our IPO to strategic acquisitions—I’m energized to now lead our legal strategy from within,” said Schwartz. “This transition from trusted advisor to executive team member is a testament to ConnectOne’s ambitious vision. Together, we’re positioned to capitalize on the growing opportunities in today’s dynamic banking landscape.”

    Prior to joining the bank, Schwartz served as a Partner at Windels Marx, where he specialized in advising financial institutions on mergers and acquisitions, and bank regulatory and securities law. Schwartz holds a J.D. from Fordham Law School and a B.A. from Fordham University. He is a member of both the New Jersey and New York Bar.

    About ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.
    ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc., is a modern financial services company that operates, through its subsidiary, ConnectOne Bank, and the Bank’s fintech subsidiary, BoeFly, Inc. ConnectOne Bank is a high-performing commercial bank offering a full suite of banking & lending products and services that focus on small to middle-market businesses. BoeFly, Inc. is a fintech marketplace that connects borrowers in the franchise space with funding solutions through a network of partner banks. ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol “CNOB,” and information about ConnectOne may be found at https://www.connectonebank.com.

    Investor Contact:

    William S. Burns
    Senior Executive VP & CFO
    201.816.4474: bburns@cnob.com

    Media Contact:

    Shannan Weeks, MWW
    732.299.7890: sweeks@mww.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Dutch government presents a coordinated strategy to tackle corruption

    Source: Government of the Netherlands

    News item | 20-06-2025 | 15:20

    The Netherlands cannot afford to be naive in tackling corruption, as criminal organisations depend on corruption to operate. By pressuring or bribing individuals, they gain access to valuable information and can influence and manipulate processes. For this reason, the Minister of Justice and Security and the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations are presenting a government-wide, anti-corruption strategy, as announced in the coalition programme, which builds on existing initiatives that have already delivered proven results. This means that authorities, implementing organisations and businesses in high-risk sectors – such as transport and logistics – will identify and take active steps in relation to their vulnerable business processes and roles. The government is committed to preventing corruption at every level, both in the public and private sectors.

    Minister Van Weel of Justice and Security: ‘Criminals are often after information, data, access to a market or a means to launder money. To achieve that, they need inside help. So they recruit staff – and not in a subtle way. Everyone in a business or organisation needs protection against this. From the municipal officer who issues passports to the port worker checking containers or the haulage company exporting goods. This strategy pushes criminals out and tackles corruption and criminal subversion head-on.’

    Minister Uitermark of the Interior and Kingdom Relations: ‘Fighting corruption is an essential pillar to strengthen the resilience and integrity of public administration. Trust in our government depends on our ability to shield our civil servants and administrators from criminal influence. This anti-corruption strategy must contribute to a safer working environment and, by extension, to a safer society.’ 

    The strategy includes measures, such as designing processes to make it increasingly difficult to ‘do a job for a criminal’, act unethically or commit corruption offences. At flower auctions, for example, drug detection dogs are deployed at unpredictable times to deter drug traffickers from using staff to smuggle drugs through flower shipments. These dogs not only help detect drugs but also empower staff to adopt a firmer position when approached by criminals. Other measures include tighter authorisation controls for IT systems, greatly reducing the risk of access and limiting leaks of information to criminals.

    The Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) is examining where the greatest corruption risks exist in the Netherlands and assessing whether current practices are adequately aligned. The findings are expected early next year. In the meantime, the government is moving ahead with specific processes and sectors whose importance to national security and the economy is so great that we must address them decisively. These at least include central government operations, the issue of travel and identity documents, the resilience of local government officials, and the transport and logistics sectors.

    In addition to robust preventive measures, the government is making sustained investments in the National Police Internal Investigations Department, the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD), the Public Prosecution Service and the judiciary to detect and punish corruption and criminal interference. The Netherlands is also working with other EU Member States on an EU anti-corruption directive. It includes various criminal offences, some of which are new, aligns the minimum maximum sentences and limitation periods for corruption across the EU, and contains preventive provisions, such as regular national risk assessments and anti-corruption training for all civil servants and government-affiliated organisations.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dozens Charged in South Florida with Federal Firearms and Drug Trafficking Crimes, 80 Firearms and Multiple Kilos of Fentanyl, Other Dangerous Drugs Seized

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    MIAMI – U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Gordon Mallory of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Division announced today the results of a two-month, multi-agency effort targeting repeat offenders in South Florida during a press conference.  

    In April, the ATF launched “Operation Showdown,” an enhanced enforcement initiative focused on combating violent crime and the illegal possession and trafficking of firearms in South Florida. As part of this initiative, ATF personnel from around the country were deployed to work alongside federal and local law enforcement agencies, bringing with them a broad range of expertise—including tactical operations, technical support, and undercover capabilities.

    So far, the ATF-led initiative has resulted in federal charges and arrests of 31 Miami-Dade and Broward County residents with firearms and narcotics trafficking offenses. In total, 80 firearms were seized along with 900 rounds of ammunition. The seized firearms include automatic and semiautomatic weapons, rifles, handguns, and machine gun conversion devices. Additionally, approximately 10 kilograms of illegal narcotics were confiscated, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack, oxycodone, and others.

    “Drugs and guns continue to fuel the violence that threatens the safety of our community,” said U.S. Attorney O’Byrne. “By prosecuting violent offenders, in close collaboration with ATF and other federal and local law enforcement agencies, we send a clear and unified message that South Florida will not be defined by fear but by safety and justice. I commend the agents and officers that made Operation Showdown a success.”

    “This Enhanced Enforcement Initiative in Southern Florida has resulted in long term results,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Mallory. “ATF will continue to prioritize keeping violent offenders, those who traffic, possess, and utilize firearms illegally, and narcotics traffickers, out of our communities, because it is a critical component of keeping our communities safe.  This targeted program could not have been possible without the support and collaboration from our local and federal partners. ATF strives to foster and maintain these relationships to ensure that we safeguard the public that we serve.”

    U.S. Attorney O’Byrne and acting ATF Miami Special Agent in Charge Mallory acknowledged and commended the investigative support and assistance from the United States Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Broward Sheriff’s Office, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and The Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

    The federal cases are being coordinated by Deputy Chief Sharad Motiani of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.

    United States v. Bethel, Case No. 25-cr-20256, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Montes.

    United States v. Breedlove, Case No. 25-mj-06411, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gerarde.

    United States v. Doe, Case No. 25-mj-06390, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Carre.

    United States v. Downing, Case No. 25-mj-06403, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Killoran.

    United States v. Ferdinand, Case No. 25-mj-06409, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mahoney.

    United States v. Graham, Case No. 25-cr-60143, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mahoney.

    United States v. Harris, Case No. 25-cr-20264, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey Pence Tomanelli.

    United States v. Holmes, Case No. 25-cr-60136, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Koffsky.

    United States v. James et al., Case No. 25-cr-20212, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya.

    United States v. Jefferson, Case No. 25-cr-20206, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Koffsky.

    United States v. McIntyre, Case No. 25-cr-20113, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Fugate.

    United States v. Memnon et al., Case No. 25-mj-06406, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gerarde.

    United States v. Moultry, Case No. 25-cr-60131, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Thompson.

    United States v. Rodriguez, Case No. 25-cr-20246, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brianna Coakley.

    United States v. Roxton, Case No. 25-mj-06404, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mahoney.

    United States v. Washington et al., Case No. 25-mj-03196, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler.

    United States v. Williams, Case No. 25-mj-06402, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Killoran.

    United States v. Williams, Case No. 25-cr-20112, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Fugate.

    United States v. Worthy, Case No. 25-cr-60139, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The charges contained in indictments and complaints are not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Note: images on display during the press conference can be viewed here.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Greene County Residents May Be Eligible for Assistance After April Severe Storms

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Greene County Residents May Be Eligible for Assistance After April Severe Storms

    Greene County Residents May Be Eligible for Assistance After April Severe Storms

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark

    – Arkansas homeowners and renters in Greene County are now eligible for FEMA grants after the April 2-22 severe storms, flooding and tornadoes

    Eligible applicants with damage not covered by insurance may qualify for grants for temporary housing, basic home repairs and other eligible expenses related to storm damage

    Greene County joins the 16 counties previously approved for FEMA assistance after the April storms including Clark, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Desha, Fulton, Hot Spring, Jackson, Miller, Ouachita, Pulaski, Randolph, St

    Francis, Saline, Sharp and White counties

    Residents with homeowners’ or renters’ insurance are encouraged to file a claim as soon as possible with their insurance carrier

    By law, FEMA cannot provide funding for losses covered by your insurance

    If your policy does not cover all disaster expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance

    Survivor assistance from the March 14-15 storms remains available for residents in Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp and Stone counties

    If you were affected by both the March 14-15 and the April 2-22 disasters, you are encouraged to file a separate FEMA application for each

    The deadline for the March storms is Monday, July 14

    The last day to apply for the April storms is Tuesday, July 22

    There are several ways to apply

    Go to DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362

    Lines are open from 6 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    CDT seven days a week and specialists speak many languages

    If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service

     In-person survivor assistance is also available at several sites across the impacted area

    To find hours and locations, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865 or fema

    gov/disaster/4873, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link under “In-person Survivor Assistance

    ”To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube

    For the latest information about Arkansas’ recovery, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4865 or fema

    gov/disaster/4873

    Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6/
    thomas

    wise
    Tue, 06/24/2025 – 21:34

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Centers in Anderson, Daviess and Hopkins Counties to Close Permanently; Help is Still Available

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Centers in Anderson, Daviess and Hopkins Counties to Close Permanently; Help is Still Available

    Disaster Recovery Centers in Anderson, Daviess and Hopkins Counties to Close Permanently; Help is Still Available

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –The Disaster Recovery Centers in Anderson, Daviess and Hopkins counties are scheduled to close permanently this week

    Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides can still apply for FEMA assistance

      Hopkins County – Closing permanently Wednesday, June 25, at 7 p

    m

    CTLocation: Hopkins County Fairground605 E

    Arch St, Madisonville, KY 42431Working hours until closure: Monday through this Wednesday 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    CT Anderson County – Closing permanently Thursday, June 26, at 7 p

    m

    ETLocation: Anderson Co

    Community Center1026 County Park RdLawrenceburg, KY 40342Working hours until closure:  Monday through this Thursday 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    ET Daviess County – Closing permanently Thursday, June 26, at 7 p

    m

    CTLocation: Stanley Fire Department159 Highway 1554 Stanley, KY 42301Working hours until closure: Monday through this Thursday 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    CTDisaster Recovery Centers are one-stop shops where you can get information and advice on available assistance from state, federal and community organizations

     You can get help to apply for FEMA assistance, learn the status of your FEMA application, understand the letters you get from FEMA and get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance

    The U

    S

    Small Business Administration representatives and resources from the Commonwealth are also available at the Disaster Recovery Centers to assist you

    FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is July 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

     When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

     A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

     If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

     
    martyce

    allenjr
    Tue, 06/24/2025 – 19:45

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Large-scale fraud using trusted online seller accounts uncovered

    Source: Eurojust

    The criminals used phishing techniques to obtain login credentials from legitimate sellers on a well-known online commerce platform. After gaining access to the account, they changed the login details, locking the rightful users out of their accounts. The criminals then continued to post advertisements of fake goods on the seller account. Because customers trusted the seller accounts, they initially put orders in for over EUR 106 million. In the end, 556 customers completed their order and purchased goods that would never arrive, causing damages of over EUR 400 000.

    When investigators identified the locations of the criminal group, Romanian and German authorities quickly began working together through a joint investigation team established by Eurojust. The cooperation led to a series of actions in December 2024, during which evidence was collected through house searches in Germany, Romania and Austria. Based on the evidence obtained, the authorities arrested four suspects in Romania and three in Germany. Preventative measures are in place for the four suspects in Romania, and two suspects in Germany remain in custody.

    Following the actions in December, investigations into the group continued. Authorities discovered that three members of the criminal group had continued their criminal activities. The Romanian and German investigators quickly identified the individuals and prepared further action.

    During an action day on 24 June, the three members were detained in Romania following a European Arrest Warrant issued by the German authorities. Eight house searches were also conducted where IT systems were seized containing more evidence. Investigations into the criminal group are ongoing.

    The following authorities carried out the operation:

    • Romania: Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice –Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism –Vâlcea Territorial Office; Service for Combating Organised Crime Vâlcea; Service for Combating Organised Crime Sibiu; Service for Special Actions Vâlcea; Service for Special Actions Sibiu
    • Germany: Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime; Criminal Police Department Nuremberg – K 52

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Large-scale fraud using trusted online seller accounts uncovered

    Source: Eurojust

    The criminals used phishing techniques to obtain login credentials from legitimate sellers on a well-known online commerce platform. After gaining access to the account, they changed the login details, locking the rightful users out of their accounts. The criminals then continued to post advertisements of fake goods on the seller account. Because customers trusted the seller accounts, they initially put orders in for over EUR 106 million. In the end, 556 customers completed their order and purchased goods that would never arrive, causing damages of over EUR 400 000.

    When investigators identified the locations of the criminal group, Romanian and German authorities quickly began working together through a joint investigation team established by Eurojust. The cooperation led to a series of actions in December 2024, during which evidence was collected through house searches in Germany, Romania and Austria. Based on the evidence obtained, the authorities arrested four suspects in Romania and three in Germany. Preventative measures are in place for the four suspects in Romania, and two suspects in Germany remain in custody.

    Following the actions in December, investigations into the group continued. Authorities discovered that three members of the criminal group had continued their criminal activities. The Romanian and German investigators quickly identified the individuals and prepared further action.

    During an action day on 24 June, the three members were detained in Romania following a European Arrest Warrant issued by the German authorities. Eight house searches were also conducted where IT systems were seized containing more evidence. Investigations into the criminal group are ongoing.

    The following authorities carried out the operation:

    • Romania: Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice –Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism –Vâlcea Territorial Office; Service for Combating Organised Crime Vâlcea; Service for Combating Organised Crime Sibiu; Service for Special Actions Vâlcea; Service for Special Actions Sibiu
    • Germany: Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime; Criminal Police Department Nuremberg – K 52

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Hungary: More than 120,000 people from 73 countries speak up for Budapest Pride

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Authorities must allow people to participate safely in Saturday’s Budapest Pride, free from intimidation, harassment or violence, said Amnesty International Hungary as it handed in a global petition to the Budapest Police Headquarters.

    The #LetPrideMarch petition, signed by more than 120,000 people from 73 countries, reminds the city’s chief of police that he has a duty to respect, protect and facilitate people’s right to peacefully protest and not to enforce discriminatory laws that infringe on people’s human rights. In April, discriminatory legislation came into force passed that has since been used to ban Pride marches and other protests supporting equal rights of LGBTI people in Hungary.

    “Budapest police must ensure that the 30th Budapest Pride march proceeds unhindered and peacefully”

    “This is a defining moment. You must choose to protect human rights and dignity over enforcing a law that silences those demanding equality,” reads the petition.

    “We call on you to reject this unjust law, uphold Hungary’s human rights commitments, and ensure that the 30th Budapest Pride march proceeds unhindered and peacefully, free from discrimination, harassment, fear or violence.”

    Under the terms of the new law it is ‘forbidden to hold an assembly in violation’ of 2021 legislation banning the ‘depiction and promotion’ of homosexuality and diverse gender identities to people under 18. Under the law, the authorities have the power to use facial recognition technology to identify participants and to fine those who participate in any prohibited assembly. According to the Criminal Code, organizers of an assembly which is banned may risk criminal charges and up to one year imprisonment. 

    On 17 June, Budapest’s mayor announced that Budapest Pride, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, will go ahead as a municipal event. In response, the Hungarian police issued a ban against the Pride, arguing that such event is an attempt to circumvent the new discriminatory public assembly law. The mayor has said that Pride will go ahead despite the ban.

    We will continue to fight alongside and on behalf of all those who want to live in a more rights respecting, free and equal Hungary

    More than 70 Amnesty International delegates from 17 European Amnesty sections, including the organization’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, will join the Pride march on Saturday.

    “For years, the government has been trying to stigmatize and use illegal laws to make the lives of sexual and gender minorities, as well as organizations and people who stand up for human rights, impossible. The unlawful restriction of our right to peaceful assembly is the latest chapter in this process,” said Dávid Vig, Amnesty International Hungary’s Director.

    “We will continue to fight alongside and on behalf of all those who want to live in a more rights respecting, free and equal Hungary, and of course we will be there at this year’s Budapest Pride.”

    See here for photographs of the hand-in

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: GLOBAL: Countries must act fast to save the Sustainable Development Goals

    Source: Amnesty International –

    With countries in danger of failing to meet their Sustainable Development Goals targets – and their human rights obligations – leaders attending the Financing for Development Conference must act fast to avert climate catastrophe and guarantee the human rights of billions of people currently being denied socio-economic justice, said Amnesty International.

    The 4th International Conference for Financing for Development will take place from 30 June to 3 July in Seville, Spain. It provides a unique opportunity to reform development financing at all levels and address financing challenges preventing the urgently needed investment push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The SDGs were put in place 10 years ago to guarantee peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future.

    “Years of underinvestment by all states mean the majority of the Sustainable Development Goals are way off track from their 2030 target. This conference must confront the immediate crisis linked to the cutting of international assistance by major donors whilst committing to structural reforms that could provide sustainable sources of financing for the longer term – from advancing international tax cooperation and addressing the debt crisis, to reforming international financial institutions and promoting more inclusive systems of financing and development,” said Riva Jalipa, Amnesty International’s Financing for Rights Lead Adviser.

    A series of robust measures must be put in place if the Sustainable Development Goals are to become a reality.

    Riva Jalipa, Amnesty International’s Financing for Rights Lead Adviser

    “A series of robust measures must be put in place if the SDGs are to become a reality. The US and other governments must reverse cuts to aid budgets. Wealthy states must support the UN tax treaty process whilst providing debt relief for countries in or at risk of debt distress including cancellation where appropriate. Fossil fuels subsidies must be redirected towards investment in clean energy and leaders must commit to a full, fast, fair and funded fossil fuel phase out across all sectors and invest adequately in a just and equitable transition. Adopting these measures will go a long way to rescuing the SDGs and ensure social, economic and climate justice for millions across the world.”

    Amnesty International will also be co-hosting a Virtual Side Event at the Financing for Development Conference, Seville: Reparative Justice in Financing for Development. The session will focus on development financing and reparative justice as a means through which a human rights-based economy which redresses both existing and historical injustices can not only be conceptualized but also practically actioned. Register to attend via Zoom. 

    Background

    The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were put in place 10 years ago to guarantee peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. The 17 goals aimed to address global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice – to ensure no one was left behind. However,years of underinvestment by all states mean over 80% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ targets are off track due to underinvestment by all states.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ7: Safety of building works

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ7: Safety of building works 
    Question:
     
    The Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) regulates building contractors registered under the Ordinance (registered contractors) to ensure the safety of building works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) given that under section 13(1) of Cap. 123, the Buildings Department (BD) can refer convicted cases involving building works by registered contractors to the Registered Contractors’ Disciplinary Board (Disciplinary Board) for its consideration of taking disciplinary actions against the contractors, of the number of convicted cases, which involved injuries and deaths at the sites of the building works, referred by the BD to the Disciplinary Board for follow-‍up in each of the past 10 years and this year to date; among such referral cases, of the following information on each of those cases where disciplinary proceedings were completed: (i) the date of incident, (ii) the nature of incident, (iii) the number of injuries and/or deaths involved, (iv) the name of the contractor involved, (v) the type of registration of the contractor involved, (vi) the date on which the court handed down its judgment, (vii) the penalties imposed by the court, (viii) the date on which the BD commenced examination of the case, (ix) the date on which the BD referred the case to the Disciplinary Board, (x) the date on which the Disciplinary Board commenced a hearing of disciplinary proceedings, (xi) the date on which the Disciplinary Board made its determination, and (xii) the penalties imposed by the Disciplinary Board (if applicable);
     
    (2) given that the Government has established a referral mechanism for the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Development Bureau to refer cases of registered contractors with poor performance in public sector projects to the BD for disciplinary actions, of the number of referral cases received by the BD in each of the past 10 years and this year to date, and among such cases, the number of those involving poor performance in construction safety;
     
    (3) in respect of the referral cases involving poor performance in construction safety mentioned in (2), of the criteria based on which the BD considers whether or not to take disciplinary actions against the contractors involved, and whether any indicator is set on the time required for handling such cases; the number of cases in which disciplinary actions were required upon the BD’s consideration in each of the past 10 years and this year to date, as well as the longest, shortest and average time taken from the BD’s receipt of such case referrals to its official commencement of disciplinary proceedings;
     
    (4) given that the BD can institute criminal prosecutions against registered contractors for offences relating to building works under Cap. 123, of the number of cases in which the BD instituted prosecutions against registered contractors involving injuries and deaths at the sites of the building works in each of the past 10 years and this year to date; among such prosecution cases, the following information on each of the convicted cases: (i) the date of the incident, (ii) the nature of the incident, (iii) the number of injuries and/or deaths involved, (iv) the name of the contractor involved, (v) the type of registration of the contractor involved, (vi) the date on which the BD commenced its investigation, (vii) the date on which the BD instituted prosecution, (viii) ‍the date on which the court handed down its judgment, (ix) the penalties imposed by the court, (x) whether the authorities have lodged appeals against the penalties imposed, and (xi) the penalties imposed by the court following the appeal (if applicable);
     
    (5) given that in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on November 15, 2023, the Government indicated that the authorities would review Cap. 123 to study the feasibility of undertaking prosecution and disciplinary actions in parallel against registered contractors involving in building works safety incidents, of the progress and outcome of the relevant study;
     
    (6) as there are views that the practice of submitting supplementary information repeatedly by some contractors when applying for renewal of registration is suspected to be delaying the vetting and approval process, which may enable contractors with poor performance in construction safety to continue to carry out works during the vetting and approval process and hence pose risks to the occupational safety and health of frontline workers, whether the Government will consider reviewing and enhancing the relevant application procedures for renewal of registration, so as to enhance the processing efficiency; and
     
    (7) given that the authorities indicated in the paper submitted to this Council in December last year that they would amend Cap. 123 to enhance building safety by, among others, enhancing the registration and disciplinary systems for registered contractors, etc, with the target of introducing the relevant bill into this Council in the first half of next year, whether the authorities will explore expediting the relevant legislative amendment work?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
    The Government attaches great importance to the safety and quality of building works. In so far as private development projects are concerned, the Buildings Department (BD), by virtue of the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123), requires the registered building professionals (RBPs) (including Authorized Persons (APs), registered structural engineers (RSEs), registered geotechnical engineers (RGEs), etc) and the registered contractors (RCs) responsible for building works to properly supervise the building works in accordance with the respective supervision plans prepared by them and submitted to the BD under the Code of Practice for Site Supervision 2009, so as to ensure that the works comply with the BO. In addition to complying with the BO itself and its subsidiary regulations, the building works should also comply with the approved plans of the works concerned, as well as any conditions imposed or orders made by the BD under the BO. When the RBP and RC apply for the Occupation Permit (OP), they should certify that the new building has been completed in accordance with the provisions of the BO and its regulations and the plans approved, and ensure that the building is in compliance with regulations and structurally safe.
     
    The BD adopts a three-pronged approach in regulating RCs who are found to have irregularities or misconduct, including: (i) instigating prosecutions against the RCs concerned; (ii) conducting disciplinary proceedings; and (iii) re-assessment of the ability and competence of the RCs concerned during renewal applications to determine whether to accept the relevant renewal applications.
     
    The replies to the various parts of the question are as follows:
     
    (1) If any RBPs or RCs have been negligent or have misconducted themselves in their professions or in any building works, the case will be referred to the relevant disciplinary board for conducting disciplinary proceedings. In the past 10 years up to May this year, there were five completed disciplinary cases involving injuries and fatalities out of a total of 33 cases referred by the BD to the Registered Contractors’ Disciplinary Board for disciplinary action in respect of the RCs prosecuted and convicted in building works. Details of the cases are set out in Annex I.
     
    (2) and (3) The Works Branch of the Development Bureau (DEVB), the BD and the Housing Department (HD) established a referral mechanism in 2002 with an aim to target very serious breaches of contract or offences by RCs registered under the BO in the course of carrying out Government public works or public housing projects. While the RCs have been penalised under the contract or prosecuted and convicted under the law, the Works Branch of the DEVB or the HD still considers it necessary to refer the cases to the BD for the disciplinary board’s consideration of further disciplinary action after inquiries. This shows that the referral mechanism targets very serious cases, where the RCs concerned have to be referred to the BD’s disciplinary board for follow-up action having regard to the fact that the punitive actions taken under the contract or the law have not been sufficient to penalise the RCs concerned. Very serious breaches of contract or offences include blatant or repeated disregard of the contractor’s duties where the consequence of the breach is very serious so as to warrant the imposition of different levels of sanctions, or the RCs are considered after investigation to have obviously permitted or connived at the breach. The threshold for referral is very high. As for ordinary breaches of contract or offences by contractors, such as poor performance and misconduct, the Works Branch of the DEVB and the HD would handle in accordance with the contract, legislation and other established regulatory mechanisms. In the past 10 years, there was no case meeting the threshold for referral to the BD under public works or public housing projects.
     
    (4) According to section 40(2B) of the BO, if the BD, after investigation, finds that building works have been carried out in such a manner as to cause or likely to cause injury to any person or damage to any property, the BD may institute prosecution against the persons directly concerned with the works (including RCs, RSEs, RGEs, APs, etc). In the past 10 years and up to May this year, there were six convicted cases involving injuries and fatalities upon completion of prosecution out of a total of 139 cases instituted by the BD under section 40(2B) of the BO in relation to building works. Details of the cases are set out in Annex II.
     
    (5) and (7) The Government has completed the systematic review of the BO. Proposals were put forth to amend the BO in December 2024 and a two-month public consultation was conducted. The proposals to enhance the registration and disciplinary systems are set out below:
     
    (i) regarding the processing of renewal applications by RCs, we propose to extend the renewal period from the current three years to a maximum of five years in response to the industry’s aspiration for a longer operation period to encourage long-term investment and healthy development of the industry. On the other hand, we propose to empower the Building Authority (BA) to approve a shorter renewal period than the current three years in order to strengthen monitoring of certain contractors. We also propose that the BA can be empowered to impose conditions (e.g. requiring a more stringent site supervision regime) upon registration renewal having regard to the contractor’s individual circumstances to enhance the existing registration system;
     
    (ii) on the handling of disciplinary cases, we propose to increase the number of members of the relevant disciplinary board panel to expedite the formation of disciplinary board and inquiry. We also propose to increase the maximum fine for disciplinary sanction from $250,000 to $400,000, and to allow the disciplinary board to impose more than one sanction for each charge (in addition to a fine, consideration may also be given to ordering a reprimand and/or removing the contractor from the register at the same time) so as to enhance the deterrent effect; and
     
    (iii) during the systematic review of the BO, the BD has examined the feasibility of undertaking prosecution and disciplinary actions in parallel. After due consideration and consulting legal advice, it is considered that this may affect criminal investigation or prosecution, including the possibility of obstructing relevant persons from assisting in criminal investigation. Therefore, it is considered not appropriate to undertake prosecution and disciplinary actions in parallel. Notwithstanding this, the BD has taken steps to shorten the procedure of referral, with an aim to refer the case to the Department of Justice within four months after case conviction details are received, so that the disciplinary proceedings can commence as soon as possible.
     
    The public consultation was completed in February 2025. The Government is now reviewing the specific proposals taking into account views received, as well as working on the drafting of the amendments to the BO. The drafting involves careful review of and amendments to the BO and its subsidiary legislation, and it is necessary to take time to clarify certain legal issues. We will complete the drafting work as early as practicable, targeting to introduce the amendment bill into the Legislative Council in the first half of 2026.
     
    (6) The BD conducts review of the contractors’ registration system from time to time, with a view to enhancing and streamlining the relevant procedures. After consulting the industry, the BD has implemented a series of streamlining measures for processing registration and renewal applications since April this year, including requiring contractors to submit the necessary supplementary information within 28 days after the BD’s issuance of a letter requesting for supplementary information. Otherwise, their applications would be rejected. This measure intends to prevent unnecessary delay and enhance the efficiency of the BD’s processing of registration applications.
    Issued at HKT 17:45

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Forum committed to ending corruption at immigration, border management systems

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Forum committed to ending corruption at immigration, border management systems

    The Border Management and Immigration Anti-Corruption Forum (BMIACF) has reaffirmed its commitment to combating corruption within the country’s immigration and border management systems.

    Launched officially on 25 March 2025, the forum serves as a critical platform for collaboration among key law enforcement, civil society, government and business to address systemic corruption and illicit activities in the sector.

    Chaired by Advocate Andy Mothibi, the Head of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the forum held its quarterly meeting recently, which brought together high-level stakeholders, including Michael Masiapato, the Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), as well as representatives from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). 

    RAED I Home Affairs, SIU to launch anti-corruption forum in border management

    The forum reviewed progress in the ongoing investigations and corruption prevention strategies in the sector to eradicate corruption.

    The forum received a progress report on the fraudulent and corruption investigations related to the issuance of the following permits and visas:
    – Permanent residence permits
    – Corporate visas
    – Business visas
    – Critical/exceptional skills work visas
    – Study visas
    – Retired persons’ visas
    – Work visas
    – Citizenship by naturalisation

    The forum noted the recommendations made to revoke all irregularly awarded visas and deportation of persons involved, as they have violated the South African laws. Criminal referrals were made to the NPA to prosecute all those who were identified in the investigations to have violated the law. 

    The forum also noted with concerns the abuse of the Traffic Register Numbers (TRNs) that are issued in terms of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996. 

    The preliminary investigations’ findings in the SIU Proclamation 191 of 2024 revealed the abuse and irregularities in the issuing of TRNs, which involves undocumented immigrants in South Africa. 

    The forum resolved to intensify investigations in this space to root out fraud and corruption in the issuing of TRNs.

    The forum also identified the spread of foot and mouth disease as an emerging risk that required increased scrutiny at ports of entry. Strengthening border controls to prevent illegal movement of livestock and contaminated products will be a priority in upcoming discussions.

    The forum noted the corruption prevention initiatives undertaken in some of the border posts. The latest corruption prevention campaign was conducted on 16 April 2025 at the Lebombo Border Post in Komatipoort, Mpumalanga.

    The objective was to promote whistleblowing and raise awareness about corruption in borders. The theme of the campaign was: “If You See Something, Say Something.” 

    The forum noted other corruption prevention initiatives that are planned in the coming quarters, in particular the corruption risk assessments that will be conducted at the border posts.

    Advocate Mothibi emphasised that the forum’s work was part of an intensified, multi-agency effort to combat corruption, ensuring transparency and accountability in immigration processes. 

    “This collaboration is vital to safeguarding South Africa’s borders and maintaining the integrity of our immigration system,” he said.

    The BMIACF will continue to meet quarterly and progress reports  will be shared with relevant oversight bodies and the public when appropriate. – SAnews.gov.za 
     

    Edwin

    MIL OSI Africa –