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Category: Latin America

  • MIL-OSI: Federal Home Loan Bank of New York Announces Second Quarter 2025 Operating Highlights

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLBNY”) today released its unaudited financial highlights for the quarter ended June 30, 2025.   

    “Throughout the first half of 2025, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York has continued to provide stable, reliable and low-cost funding to our members in support of their lending activities across our region and beyond,” said Randolph C. Snook, president and CEO of the FHLBNY. “Our second quarter results reflect our ongoing dedication to executing on this foundational purpose. Providing members with on-demand access to our liquidity helps extend credit to and reduce borrowing costs for the consumer and supports the creation of attainable homeownership opportunities. This is our mission, on which we have continued to deliver this year.”

    Highlights from the second quarter of 2025 include:

    • Net income for the quarter was $153.1 million, a decrease of $28.2 million, or 15.6%, from net income of $181.3 million for the second quarter of 2024. Net interest income for the quarter was $214.5 million, a decrease of $33.2 million, or 13.4%, from $247.7 million in the second quarter of last year. The decrease in net interest income was driven by a decrease in market interest rates and a decrease in average advances balances from the prior year period. Non-interest income increased by $2.1 million, or 12.3%, to $19.4 million from the second quarter of 2024.
    • Return on average equity (“ROE”) for the quarter was 7.20% (annualized), compared to ROE of 8.54% for the second quarter of 2024.
    • As of June 30, 2025, total assets were $167.8 billion, an increase of $7.5 billion, or 4.7%, from total assets of $160.3 billion at December 31, 2024. As of June 30, 2025, advances (par amount) were $104.9 billion, a decrease of $1.6 billion, or 1.5%, from $106.5 billion at December 31, 2024.
    • Total capital was $8.4 billion as of both June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, as a decrease in capital stock, aligned with the decrease in advances balances, was offset by an increase in retained earnings. The FHLBNY’s retained earnings were $2.6 billion as of June 30, 2025; $1.3 billion of the retained earnings were unrestricted and $1.3 billion were restricted. At June 30, 2025, the FHLBNY was in compliance with its regulatory capital ratios and liquidity requirements.
    • The FHLBNY allocated $17.0 million from its second quarter 2025 earnings for its Affordable Housing Program. The FHLBNY set aside an additional $4.2 million from the quarter’s earnings for voluntary contributions to affordable housing and community development initiatives.

    The FHLBNY expects to file its Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2025 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on or before August 7, 2025.

                           
    Selected Balance Sheet Items (dollars in millions)
      June 30,   December 31,    
      2025   2024   Change
                           
    Advances $ 104,720     $ 105,838     $ (1,118)  
    Mortgage loans held for portfolio   2,459       2,345       114  
    Mortgage-backed securities   19,961       19,397       564  
    Liquidity assets   38,143       30,344       7,799  
    Total assets $ 167,779     $ 160,300     $ 7,479  
                           
    Consolidated obligations $ 154,520     $ 148,411     $ 6,109  
    Capital stock   5,962       6,014       (52)  
    Unrestricted retained earnings   1,280       1,286       (6)  
    Restricted retained earnings   1,271       1,209       62  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)   (88)       (100)       12  
    Total capital $ 8,424     $ 8,410     $ 14  
                           
    Capital-to-assets ratio (GAAP)   5.02   %   5.25   %      
    Capital-to-assets ratio (Regulatory)   5.08   %   5.31   %      
                           
    Operating Results (dollars in millions)
      Three Months Ended June 30,       Six Months Ended June 30,    
      2025   2024 Change   2025   2024 Change
                                                   
    Total interest income $ 1,895.8     $ 2,283.4     $ (387.6)     $ 3,717.3     $ 4,599.4     $ (882.1)  
    Total interest expense   1,681.3       2,035.7       (354.4)       3,287.8       4,086.7       (798.9)  
    Net interest income   214.5       247.7       (33.2)       429.5       512.7       (83.2)  
    Provision (Reversal) for credit losses   (0.1)       (0.3)       0.2       0.1       (0.8)       0.8  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses   214.6       248.0       (33.4)       429.4       513.5       (84.0)  
    Non-interest income (loss)   19.4       17.3       2.1       40.1       53.1       (13.0)  
    Non-interest expense   63.9       63.8       0.1       126.4       120.1       6.3  
    Affordable Housing Program assessments   17.0       20.2       (3.2)       34.4       44.7       (10.4)  
    Net income $ 153.1     $ 181.3     $ (28.2)     $ 308.7     $ 401.8     $ (92.9)  
                                                   
    Return on average equity   7.20   %   8.54   %           7.39   %   9.55   %      
    Return on average assets   0.36   %   0.43   %           0.38   %   0.48   %      
    Net interest margin   0.51   %   0.60   %           0.53   %   0.61   %      
                                                   

    Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
    The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York is a Congressionally chartered, wholesale Bank. It is part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, a national wholesale banking network of 11 regional, stockholder-owned banks. As of June 30, 2025, the FHLBNY serves 334 financial institutions in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The mission of the FHLBNY is to provide members with reliable liquidity in support of housing and local community development.

    Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
    This report may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. These statements may use forward-looking terms, such as “projected,” “expects,” “may,” or their negatives or other variations on these terms. The Bank cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk or uncertainty and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements or could affect the extent to which a particular objective, projection, estimate, or prediction is realized. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the Risk Factors set forth in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, as well as regulatory and accounting rule adjustments or requirements, changes in interest rates, changes in projected business volumes, changes in prepayment speeds on mortgage assets, the cost of our funding, changes in our membership profile, the withdrawal of one or more large members, competitive pressures, shifts in demand for our products, and general economic conditions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

    CONTACT:  Brian Finnegan
    (212) 441-6877
    brian.finnegan@fhlbny.com

    The MIL Network –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Federal Home Loan Bank of New York Announces Second Quarter 2025 Operating Highlights

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLBNY”) today released its unaudited financial highlights for the quarter ended June 30, 2025.   

    “Throughout the first half of 2025, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York has continued to provide stable, reliable and low-cost funding to our members in support of their lending activities across our region and beyond,” said Randolph C. Snook, president and CEO of the FHLBNY. “Our second quarter results reflect our ongoing dedication to executing on this foundational purpose. Providing members with on-demand access to our liquidity helps extend credit to and reduce borrowing costs for the consumer and supports the creation of attainable homeownership opportunities. This is our mission, on which we have continued to deliver this year.”

    Highlights from the second quarter of 2025 include:

    • Net income for the quarter was $153.1 million, a decrease of $28.2 million, or 15.6%, from net income of $181.3 million for the second quarter of 2024. Net interest income for the quarter was $214.5 million, a decrease of $33.2 million, or 13.4%, from $247.7 million in the second quarter of last year. The decrease in net interest income was driven by a decrease in market interest rates and a decrease in average advances balances from the prior year period. Non-interest income increased by $2.1 million, or 12.3%, to $19.4 million from the second quarter of 2024.
    • Return on average equity (“ROE”) for the quarter was 7.20% (annualized), compared to ROE of 8.54% for the second quarter of 2024.
    • As of June 30, 2025, total assets were $167.8 billion, an increase of $7.5 billion, or 4.7%, from total assets of $160.3 billion at December 31, 2024. As of June 30, 2025, advances (par amount) were $104.9 billion, a decrease of $1.6 billion, or 1.5%, from $106.5 billion at December 31, 2024.
    • Total capital was $8.4 billion as of both June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, as a decrease in capital stock, aligned with the decrease in advances balances, was offset by an increase in retained earnings. The FHLBNY’s retained earnings were $2.6 billion as of June 30, 2025; $1.3 billion of the retained earnings were unrestricted and $1.3 billion were restricted. At June 30, 2025, the FHLBNY was in compliance with its regulatory capital ratios and liquidity requirements.
    • The FHLBNY allocated $17.0 million from its second quarter 2025 earnings for its Affordable Housing Program. The FHLBNY set aside an additional $4.2 million from the quarter’s earnings for voluntary contributions to affordable housing and community development initiatives.

    The FHLBNY expects to file its Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2025 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on or before August 7, 2025.

                           
    Selected Balance Sheet Items (dollars in millions)
      June 30,   December 31,    
      2025   2024   Change
                           
    Advances $ 104,720     $ 105,838     $ (1,118)  
    Mortgage loans held for portfolio   2,459       2,345       114  
    Mortgage-backed securities   19,961       19,397       564  
    Liquidity assets   38,143       30,344       7,799  
    Total assets $ 167,779     $ 160,300     $ 7,479  
                           
    Consolidated obligations $ 154,520     $ 148,411     $ 6,109  
    Capital stock   5,962       6,014       (52)  
    Unrestricted retained earnings   1,280       1,286       (6)  
    Restricted retained earnings   1,271       1,209       62  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)   (88)       (100)       12  
    Total capital $ 8,424     $ 8,410     $ 14  
                           
    Capital-to-assets ratio (GAAP)   5.02   %   5.25   %      
    Capital-to-assets ratio (Regulatory)   5.08   %   5.31   %      
                           
    Operating Results (dollars in millions)
      Three Months Ended June 30,       Six Months Ended June 30,    
      2025   2024 Change   2025   2024 Change
                                                   
    Total interest income $ 1,895.8     $ 2,283.4     $ (387.6)     $ 3,717.3     $ 4,599.4     $ (882.1)  
    Total interest expense   1,681.3       2,035.7       (354.4)       3,287.8       4,086.7       (798.9)  
    Net interest income   214.5       247.7       (33.2)       429.5       512.7       (83.2)  
    Provision (Reversal) for credit losses   (0.1)       (0.3)       0.2       0.1       (0.8)       0.8  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses   214.6       248.0       (33.4)       429.4       513.5       (84.0)  
    Non-interest income (loss)   19.4       17.3       2.1       40.1       53.1       (13.0)  
    Non-interest expense   63.9       63.8       0.1       126.4       120.1       6.3  
    Affordable Housing Program assessments   17.0       20.2       (3.2)       34.4       44.7       (10.4)  
    Net income $ 153.1     $ 181.3     $ (28.2)     $ 308.7     $ 401.8     $ (92.9)  
                                                   
    Return on average equity   7.20   %   8.54   %           7.39   %   9.55   %      
    Return on average assets   0.36   %   0.43   %           0.38   %   0.48   %      
    Net interest margin   0.51   %   0.60   %           0.53   %   0.61   %      
                                                   

    Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
    The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York is a Congressionally chartered, wholesale Bank. It is part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, a national wholesale banking network of 11 regional, stockholder-owned banks. As of June 30, 2025, the FHLBNY serves 334 financial institutions in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The mission of the FHLBNY is to provide members with reliable liquidity in support of housing and local community development.

    Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
    This report may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. These statements may use forward-looking terms, such as “projected,” “expects,” “may,” or their negatives or other variations on these terms. The Bank cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk or uncertainty and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements or could affect the extent to which a particular objective, projection, estimate, or prediction is realized. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the Risk Factors set forth in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, as well as regulatory and accounting rule adjustments or requirements, changes in interest rates, changes in projected business volumes, changes in prepayment speeds on mortgage assets, the cost of our funding, changes in our membership profile, the withdrawal of one or more large members, competitive pressures, shifts in demand for our products, and general economic conditions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

    CONTACT:  Brian Finnegan
    (212) 441-6877
    brian.finnegan@fhlbny.com

    The MIL Network –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Helps Introduce Bill to Lower Costs for First-Time Homebuyers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to lower costs for first-time homebuyers. The current housing affordability crisis has hit Nevada particularly hard—Las Vegas home prices are at an all-time high. The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act will create a tax credit worth up to 10 percent of a home’s purchase price, up to $15,000, for low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers. This credit would be available at the point of sale to help individuals and families without sufficient funds for a down payment to afford a home.
    “The Trump Administration’s reckless policies are raising housing costs across the board and making it more difficult for hardworking Nevadans to achieve the American Dream,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to help introduce a bill to help lower costs and make it easier for first-time homebuyers to afford a down payment. I’ll keep fighting to lower housing costs for hardworking families in our state.”
    Senator Rosen has been fighting to lower housing costs for Nevadans. She recently joined a bipartisan bill to help lower housing costs and incentivize housing development in Nevada. Senator Rosen has also pushed the Trump Administration to reverse course on imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico to prevent housing prices from rising even further. She also led her colleagues in a letter to Senate appropriators requesting they fund the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Veterans Affairs and Supportive Housing program. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: USCIS Assists in Investigation Leading to Arrest of Haitian Engaged in Violence and Destabilization of Haiti

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Headline: USCIS Assists in Investigation Leading to Arrest of Haitian Engaged in Violence and Destabilization of Haiti

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided valuable assistance in the investigation that led to Immigration and Customs Enforcement arresting Pierre Reginald Boulus on July 17 for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act by contributing to the destabilization of Haiti.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese team wins RoboCup Humanoid League AdultSize for the first time

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) — A team from China’s Tsinghua University has won first place in the AdultSize category of the Humanoid League of the RoboCup World Robot Football Championship, marking the first time China has won the top prize at the competition.

    RoboCup, which has been held since 1997, is one of the most prestigious global robotics competitions. This year, the championship was held in Brazil, with more than 20 teams from 12 countries taking part, including China, the United States, Germany, the Republic of Korea and France.

    The Tsinghua team, with its Chinese-developed Booster T1 robots, dominated the competition, winning convincingly against several opponents, including the University of Texas. In the all-Chinese final, Tsinghua University defeated China Agricultural University, giving the Chinese teams first and second place, a triumph for them.

    As one of the executives at Booster Robotics, the company that developed the T1 robots, noted, participating in the competition requires not only a lightweight, maneuverable, and impact-resistant design, but also complex functions such as real-time environmental perception, cognitive decision-making, advanced motion control, and interaction between multiple intelligent agents. This means that the championship is a comprehensive test of the full range of robot capabilities.

    Industry analysts said the outstanding performance of Chinese robots at the international championship once again demonstrated China’s strong potential in the development and practical application of robotics. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Wanted for Assaulting a Federal Officer and Destruction of Federal Property Arrested at Southern Border, Returned to Los Angeles

    Source: US FBI

    A man who hurled concrete blocks at law enforcement officers conducting immigration enforcement was taken into custody at the U.S.-Mexican border this morning following his surrender negotiated by FBI agents, who had been seeking his whereabouts since he fled to Mexico in June. 

    Elpidio Reyna, 39, of Compton, was wanted for the alleged assault of a federal officer in the city of Paramount, California, on June 7, 2025.  Reyna was charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on June 8.  At approximately 3:30 p.m., Reyna allegedly threw projectiles (later determined to be concrete blocks) at law enforcement vehicles on Alondra Boulevard in Paramount, California, injuring a federal officer and damaging government vehicles.  

    The FBI issued video and photographs taken of the assailant on June 7, and Reyna was identified shortly thereafter. When agents attempted to arrest Reyna, he was not located and agents developed information confirming that he fled to Mexico. Subsequently, Reyna’s photograph and description was publicized in the United States and Mexico.   

    Based on the publicity, Reyna was arrested by authorities in the Mexican State of Sinaloa. Following negotiations, Reyna agreed to surrender to the FBI today.   

    Reyna was arrested at the San Ysidro port of entry by agents with the FBI, assisted by agents with U.S. Customs & Border Protection. FBI agents transported Reyna to Los Angeles, where he will have an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate today. 

    If convicted, Reyna faces a statutory maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. 

    This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thi Ho and Frances Lewis. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, Durbin Pushes Back Against Trump Administration’s Focus On Mass Deportation While Unauthorized Drone Usage Threatens National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    July 22, 2025

    In today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Durbin called on the Trump Administration to focus on real threats to national security rather than mass deportation efforts

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Securing the Skies: Law Enforcement, Drones, and Public Safety.” During his questioning, Durbin made clear that the Trump Administration should utilize its resources to address the serious threat of unauthorized drone usage, including at the U.S.-Mexico border and special events, rather than unilaterally focusing on the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, many of whom do not have a criminal record.

     

    “If you determine there’s a malicious drone overhead at one of these events, what do you do to mitigate the threat?” Durbin asked Michael Torphy, Unit Chief and Supervisory Special Agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

     

    Mr. Torphy explained that FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implement flight restrictions during special events and that some drone manufacturers will provide a software barrier based on the geo-fence created by federal agencies. Mr. Torphy noted that FBI uses two forms of mitigation – ground interception in which FBI teams and law enforcement make physical contact with the unauthorized drone pilot and using technical countermeasures in which FBI uses technology to disrupt the unauthorized drone’s signal.

     

    Durbin then asked Steven Willoughby, Director of the Counter-UAS Program Management Office at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), about DHS plans to address the threat of unauthorized drones used by drug traffickers while Secretary Noem continues to put a larger emphasis on deporting undocumented immigrants without a criminal record.

    “Mr. Willoughby, part of your testimony suggests that in some ways we are fighting the last war when it comes to narcotics in this country, which is a scourge and kills so many innocent people. Of course, we are mindful that individuals transport these narcotics with the simplest forms of communication, transportation, trucks, and the like. But what you are suggesting is now they are flying these narcotics into this country. It’s an amazing number – 27,000 drones were detected in the last six months of 2024. You go through the various ways they are using to avoid detection in this situation. We just recently had a debate over a reconciliation bill, where we are investing billions, billions of dollars in detention facilities and new things that will be built at the border to deal with the human trafficking back-and-forth over the border. How much is it going to take for us to deal with the drone threat that you have outlined very specifically?” Durbin asked.

     

    Mr. Willoughby replied that transnational criminal organizations are moving operations to locations along the border where DHS operators cannot interdict drones. Mr. Willoughby noted that significant investment is needed to properly detect drones operating along the border.

     

    Durbin concluded by underscoring that DHS and FBI should be investing in resources to address unauthorized drone use rather than deport undocumented immigrants without a criminal record.

     

    “This seems like a big undertaking. I will just say for the record, now that we know of those who are being deported in the mass deportation policy of President Trump, eight percent have a criminal record, which means that 11 out of the 12 we are deporting do not have a criminal record. And yet we are going through all of the infrastructure necessary and process necessary to deport them. It seems to me that if we are going after real threats, current threats, and growing threats to the United States, we should divert some of this money from the mass deportation, which is only deporting people who overstayed a visitor visa for example, instead of focusing on what you have identified as a scary prospect, the 2,000 mile border that is vulnerable to these narcotics and other dangerous elements that are being sent into our country,” Durbin said.

     

    Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: REP LIEU INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN BILL TO STRENGTHEN CLEAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR US TERRITORIES

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) announced the reintroduction of the Renewable Energy for U.S. Territories Act, along with Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam), and Congressman Pablo Hernández (D-Puerto Rico). The bill creates an energy grant program for U.S. territories to strengthen and invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, smart grids and micro grids, and training for local residents. These grants would be awarded to non-profit organizations and the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories would be directed to offer technical assistance.

    “Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and cost because of climate change,” said Congressman Lieu. “Climate change is here, and we need resilient infrastructure that can handle what is to come. Over the past decade, our U.S. territories have been devastated by some of the worst extreme weather events, exemplifying the consequences of critical infrastructure failure. I’m reintroducing this bipartisan bill with Congresswoman Plaskett, Congressman Moylan, and Congressman Hernández to strengthen our U.S. territories’ energy infrastructure and meet the urgency of the climate crisis.”

    “I am proud to co-lead this essential legislation with my colleagues,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “Virgin Islanders experience the dangers of maintaining an aging energy infrastructure during hurricane season as threats mount and compound with each passing year. Years of underfunding have left our energy systems vulnerable, making the transition to resilient renewable energy not just an opportunity, but a necessity. The Renewable Energy for U.S. Territories Act would provide crucial resources to build hardened, clean energy infrastructure that can withstand increasingly severe storms. For island territories like ours, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories and non-contiguous states, reliable renewable energy is not just about climate goals—it’s about economic survival and ensuring our communities have power when they need it most. Investing in this transition today protects our resources and resilience for future generations.”

    “Typhoon Mawar was a wake-up call for Guam. It exposed just how vulnerable our energy systems are, and how high the stakes can be when they fail,” said Congressman Moylan. “We need solutions that can withstand the next storm. That means building smarter, more resilient systems that keep the lights on when we need them most and investing in our workforce, so our people have the tools and training to operate and sustain them locally. I’m grateful to Congressman Lieu for his leadership, and proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation that puts Guam and every U.S. territory on a path to stronger, cleaner, and more secure energy infrastructure.”

    “Puerto Rico has endured hurricanes, floods, and chronic blackouts that leave too many, especially in rural areas, in the dark,” said Congressman Hernández. “We need power infrastructure that is resilient, stable, and reliable for our homes, hospitals, schools, and businesses. This bill moves us beyond short-term fixes and toward lasting solutions that are clean and locally driven. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan effort to ensure that Puerto Rico has the infrastructure, training, and tools to build an energy system that truly serves our communities.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: N.M. Delegation Announces President’s Approval of Major Disaster Declaration for Lincoln County, Maintains Push for Major Disaster Declaration for Chaves, Otero, & Valencia Counties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) released the following joint statement, welcoming President Donald Trump’s granting of a Major Disaster Declaration for Lincoln County, while renewing their call for President Trump to grant a Major Disaster Declaration for Chaves, Otero, and Valencia Counties and authorize Public Assistance Categories C-G in the wake of severe flooding that took the lives of three people and damaged homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.

    “The loss of life and devastation in Ruidoso as a result of this catastrophic flooding is horrific and heartbreaking. After seeing the destruction firsthand and hearing from families who have lost everything, our thoughts remain with those mourning loved ones and the hundreds of New Mexicans forced to flee their homes or watch their businesses be destroyed. We are deeply grateful to the first responders, local leaders, medical providers, and rescue teams working tirelessly to help their communities recover.

    “This Major Disaster Declaration for Lincoln County will unlock funding needed for disaster response, and we will continue to push President Trump to grant the State’s Major Disaster Declaration request for Chaves, Otero, and Valencia Counties and authorize additional Public Assistance to make sure that all New Mexicans impacted by this disaster are provided with the federal support necessary to rebuild.”

    On July 10, the N.M. Delegation welcomed an emergency declaration for Chaves, Lincoln, Otero, and Valencia Counties. The emergency declaration opened up access to specific FEMA funds for immediate disaster response, including support for search and rescue and incident management efforts. An emergency declaration does not preclude a subsequent Major Disaster Declaration. Therefore, the N.M. Delegation pushed President Trump to approve a Major Disaster Declaration request from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

    Through a Major Disaster Declaration request, the State of New Mexico has requested Public Assistance, Category A through G, including Direct Federal Assistance for Lincoln County, Chaves County, Otero County, and Valencia County, as well as Individual Assistance, including Housing Assistance, Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance, Disaster Case Management, Transitional Sheltering Assistance, Serious Needs Assistance, Crisis Counseling, Disaster Legal Services, Disaster Unemployment, and Displacement Assistance for Lincoln County and Valencia County. The State also requested Hazard Mitigation statewide, as facilitated by New Mexico’s Natural Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan.

    The N.M. Delegation will continue to push President Trump to authorize Public Assistance Categories C-G and approve a Major Disaster Declaration request for Chaves, Otero, and Valencia Counties from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

    Additionally, on July 15, the N.M. Delegation called on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Director David Richardson to disburse critical and overdue funds that would provide immediate assistance in response to the catastrophic flash flooding in and around Ruidoso.

    In a letter to OMB Director Vought and FEMA Acting Director Richardson, the Delegation urged OMB to release reimbursement funds from a project undertaken in the wake of last year’s South Fork and Salt Fires — currently stalled in “Large Project Review” — so they can be redirected to Lincoln County after recent severe flooding. The project in question was completed last year, has been fully reviewed by FEMA, and has an estimated cost of $7.7 million. These funds could be deployed immediately to assist Lincoln County and impacted residents as they continue to assess and respond to the recent severe flooding. But with no timeline provided to Lincoln County or the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) for completing the “Large Project Review” by the Administration, the Delegations is demanding answers. Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: N.M. Delegation Announces President’s Approval of Major Disaster Declaration for Lincoln County, Maintains Push for Major Disaster Declaration for Chaves, Otero, & Valencia Counties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) released the following joint statement, welcoming President Donald Trump’s granting of a Major Disaster Declaration for Lincoln County, while renewing their call for President Trump to grant a Major Disaster Declaration for Chaves, Otero, and Valencia Counties and authorize Public Assistance Categories C-G in the wake of severe flooding that took the lives of three people and damaged homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
    “The loss of life and devastation in Ruidoso as a result of this catastrophic flooding is horrific and heartbreaking. After seeing the destruction firsthand and hearing from families who have lost everything, our thoughts remain with those mourning loved ones and the hundreds of New Mexicans forced to flee their homes or watch their businesses be destroyed. We are deeply grateful to the first responders, local leaders, medical providers, and rescue teams working tirelessly to help their communities recover.
    “This Major Disaster Declaration for Lincoln County will unlock funding needed for disaster response, and we will continue to push President Trump to grant the State’s Major Disaster Declaration request for Chaves, Otero, and Valencia Counties and authorize additional Public Assistance to make sure that all New Mexicans impacted by this disaster are provided with the federal support necessary to rebuild.”
    On July 10, the N.M. Delegation welcomed an emergency declaration for Chaves, Lincoln, Otero, and Valencia Counties. The emergency declaration opened up access to specific FEMA funds for immediate disaster response, including support for search and rescue and incident management efforts. An emergency declaration does not preclude a subsequent Major Disaster Declaration. Therefore, the N.M. Delegation pushed President Trump to approve a Major Disaster Declaration request from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
    Through a Major Disaster Declaration request, the State of New Mexico has requested Public Assistance, Category A through G, including Direct Federal Assistance for Lincoln County, Chaves County, Otero County, and Valencia County, as well as Individual Assistance, including Housing Assistance, Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance, Disaster Case Management, Transitional Sheltering Assistance, Serious Needs Assistance, Crisis Counseling, Disaster Legal Services, Disaster Unemployment, and Displacement Assistance for Lincoln County and Valencia County. The State also requested Hazard Mitigation statewide, as facilitated by New Mexico’s Natural Disaster Hazard Mitigation Plan.
    The N.M. Delegation will continue to push President Trump to authorize Public Assistance Categories C-G and approve a Major Disaster Declaration request for Chaves, Otero, and Valencia Counties from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
    Additionally, on July 15, the N.M. Delegation called on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Director David Richardson to disburse critical and overdue funds that would provide immediate assistance in response to the catastrophic flash flooding in and around Ruidoso.
    In a letter to OMB Director Vought and FEMA Acting Director Richardson, the Delegation urged OMB to release reimbursement funds from a project undertaken in the wake of last year’s South Fork and Salt Fires — currently stalled in “Large Project Review” — so they can be redirected to Lincoln County after recent severe flooding. The project in question was completed last year, has been fully reviewed by FEMA, and has an estimated cost of $7.7 million. These funds could be deployed immediately to assist Lincoln County and impacted residents as they continue to assess and respond to the recent severe flooding. But with no timeline provided to Lincoln County or the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) for completing the “Large Project Review” by the Administration, the Delegations is demanding answers. Read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the UK’s immigration system splits families apart – by design

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity, University of Birmingham

    arda savasciogullari/Shutterstock

    The letter that arrived for eleven-year-old Guilherme in June 2025 was addressed personally to him. The UK Home Office was informing him that he and his eight-year-old brother Luca must return to Brazil. Their parents, an academic and a senior NHS nurse, both long-term UK residents with valid visas were not included in the order.

    “Whilst this may involve a degree of disruption in family life,” the letter stated, “this is considered to be proportionate to the legitimate aim of maintaining effective immigration control.”

    The family’s difficulties with the Home Office began after the parents divorced a few years after arriving in the UK. Mother and children arrived in the UK as dependants on the father’s visa. After the divorce, the mother secured her own skilled worker visa, while the father was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2024.

    Under current rules, skilled workers must wait five years before applying for settlement. For the children to qualify for settlement, both parents must be settled or one must have sole responsibility – neither condition applies here. Only after media attention did the Home Office reconsider the decision.

    This case is just the latest example of how barriers to migrants’ family life are embedded in the UK’s immigration system – something I have been studying for years. The Labour government’s recently announced immigration plans extend and bolster these barriers.

    Current rules require migrants to earn at least £29,000 to sponsor a spouse or child – a figure set to rise to £38,700 in early 2026 after changes introduced by the last government. The newest immigration plans propose doubling the path to settlement from five to ten years. And they restrict the rights to family reunion to only “nuclear” families: divorced parents, adult children and extended kin are left out.

    These changes are aimed at reducing migration and restoring “public trust”. But in practice, they make family unity a luxury — harder to achieve for low-paid migrant workers and even for working-class British citizens with foreign partners.



    Read more:
    ‘Just the rich can do it’: our research shows how immigration income requirements devastate families

    The price of family life

    Recent research my colleagues and I conducted — based on over 50 interviews with migrant domestic and food delivery workers and other experts — shows how the immigration system fractures families and puts children at risk.

    Faith, a Zimbabwean domestic worker, explained how she was unable to bring her eldest daughter to the UK due to age restrictions on dependant visas. Her daughter was later trafficked into the UK and, though she eventually rejoined her mother, hasn’t recovered from the trauma of separation: “She’s struggling to sleep, can’t eat … always emotional, saying she feels dizzy, scared to be around people.”

    Faith had been trapped in an abusive relationship for a long time because her visa was tied to her partner. When she eventually left her partner, her visa was withdrawn – leaving her in breach of immigration rules. Her younger child was placed in care while Faith was detained for breaching the terms of her visa.

    Jamal, a food delivery rider from Eritrea, had a similar experience of legal dependency. He came to the UK on a dependant visa linked to his British wife. After their relationship deteriorated, his ability to remain in the country was threatened: “If we have problems, she can cancel my visa. This was her weapon.”

    Susan, a Zimbabwean woman working in the care and cleaning sector, moved to the UK to look after her adult daughter who had cancer. When her six month visitor visa expired, she applied for asylum, but her application was refused and eventually she was detained for almost a month.

    She faced deportation but was released after a legal aid lawyer helped her submit strong evidence of her daughter’s condition. Reflecting on her experience, she explained: “When it benefits them, they say I’ve had no contact [with my family in the UK]. When they want to deport me, they say I have family to return to [in Zimbabwe].”

    Immigration status doesn’t just define one’s own legal position, it can determine who gets the right to have a family in the UK and who does not. While some of our interviewees secured status through a partner’s EU citizenship and reunited with family members already in the UK, others who rely on temporary visas are excluded.

    Changes to the immigration in recent years have placed a higher value on how migrants can contribute or provide “value” – seeing them as workers (or students) first, not members of families. Many are allowed in the UK for a limited time and without the right to bring with them even the closest family members. The effect is particularly harsh on women in domestic work, whose visas are short-term and not renewable.

    Many interviewees reported that immigration barriers delayed or obstructed their children’s education or healthcare. Samantha’s daughter waited over two months for a school placement because their legal status was still pending. Adriana was charged £8,000 for NHS maternity services because of her undocumented status, which restricts access to free healthcare to GP and emergency care.

    Even in less extreme cases, legal insecurity takes a toll. Children grow up hearing their parents talk about “papers”, “Home Office letters” or the risk of being “sent back”.

    That the Home Office sent a removal letter to an eleven-year-old is not a clerical error. It is the system working as designed. And even when public outrage forces a reversal — as in Guilherme’s case — the wider machinery of enforcement continues.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Nando Sigona is Scientific Coordinator of “Improving the Living and Working Conditions of Irregularised Migrant Households in Europe” (www.i-claim.eu), a three-year six-country research project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe and UKRI.

    – ref. How the UK’s immigration system splits families apart – by design – https://theconversation.com/how-the-uks-immigration-system-splits-families-apart-by-design-261134

    MIL OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Attend the July 24 live online event celebrating 10 years of Power BI

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Attend the July 24 live online event celebrating 10 years of Power BI

    In 2015, Microsoft Power BI embarked on a mission to empower individuals, teams, and organizations to turn data into insights and action. Since then, we’ve grown into one of the world’s most adopted and beloved business intelligence platforms thanks to an incredible community of customers, partners, MVPs, power users, and data enthusiasts.  

    We want to celebrate this incredible journey by bringing together the global community to celebrate 10 years of Power BI with a live event on YouTube on Thursday, July 24th at 8AM Pacific Time/11AM EST/17:00 CET/21:30 IST. 

    This is a celebration you don’t want to miss! We’ll have Power BI’s own Guy in a Cube reflect on Power BI’s evolution, share behind-the-scenes stories, announce contest winners for our PBI10 data visualization contest, and even share some fun stories from the community. Watch the livestream at aka.ms/pbi10birthday.  

    Livestream attendees will get a special first look at some limited-edition Power BI swag. And if you’re attending the Fabric Community Conference (FabCon) in Vienna this September, you’ll get a chance to grab some swag in person. Our swag party is also going digital, so you can celebrate with us and your colleagues virtually! The download link will be available on our Power BI community site and displayed during the live event.

    We’re also taking this moment to reflect on Power BI’s history and recognize our incredible community. Read more about our journey below. 

    Power BI’s Journey Over the Last Decade 

    Over the last ten years, Power BI has evolved tremendously. It began with a public preview that drew about 500,000 early adopters across 45,000 organizations. Since then, we’ve introduced over 1,500 features, continually adapting Power BI to meet the changing needs of our users. Today, Power BI is trusted by over 375,000 organizations, including 95% of the Fortune 500, and millions of users worldwide. 

    From its early days of empowering business intelligence through Excel integrations to the latest advancements in Copilot in Power BI, each chapter in Power BI’s journey reflects the passion of its community and drive for innovation. The timeline below highlights some of the defining moments along the way. 

    Power BI Customers Leading the Way with Data

    Over the years, Power BI has grown because of the organizations and people who use it every day to drive change. From small businesses to global enterprises across various industries, our customers are the reason Power BI continues to evolve and improve. 

    We’ve seen enterprises such as Walmart’s finance organization standardizing Power BI, democratizing data, and making it available to end users from executive leadership to individual analysts. In the public sector, governments have used Power BI to improve operational efficiency, support vulnerable community members and even transform law enforcement. Non-profits, such as The Salvation Army UK, have leveraged Power BI to better track their outcomes and secure funding through data. And across the ecosystem, partner-built solutions are helping customers optimize everything from supply chains to financial reporting. 

    These stories reflect more than product usage. They highlight creativity, determination, and a shared belief in the power of data to make a difference. To all our customers and partners, thank you for pushing boundaries, sharing your feedback, and building what’s next alongside us. Power BI would not be what it is today without you. 

    Shout out to our MVPs and Community: The Heart of Power BI

    We also want to celebrate our Power BI MVPs—experts and advocates who go above and beyond in the community. In honor of the 10th anniversary, Power BI MVPs from around the globe sent in videos sharing their personal Power BI journeys. These MVP stories are a powerful reminder of what makes the Power BI community special: a shared passion for data, a commitment to helping others, and a culture built on knowledge-sharing.

    In recent weeks, social media has lit up with the #PBI10 hashtag as users around the world share their Power BI pride. From LinkedIn posts highlighting favorite dashboards to nostalgic tweets on X (formerly Twitter) reflecting on the platform’s early days, it’s been incredible to witness the outpouring of memories and creativity.

    Leonardo Almeida recalled building a Power BI report back in 2015 that caught the attention of the President of Brazil and the Minister of Education. Christos Demertzis looked back on a decade-long journey with Power BI, saying, “I still have reports sitting in My Workspace from those early days, and looking back at them now… just WOW. The evolution of the platform has been nothing short of incredible.” And Mike Honey congratulated the Power BI team, sharing, “I clearly remember how electrifying it was when it all came together as Power BI. The product has been my primary focus ever since and has certainly kept me busy. May that continue for the next 10 years!”

    In our community’s Career Hub forums, you can find stories of accountants, teachers, and marketing specialists who taught themselves Power BI and transitioned into roles such as BI analysts and data engineers. Companies of all sizes are investing in Power BI training to up-skill their workforce, recognizing that a data-literate workforce gives them a competitive edge.

    The Power BI Community Forums started with a few thousand early adopters and have grown into millions of members today, sharing knowledge daily. Over 200 Power BI & Fabric User Groups have connected over members with meetups and events. A big thank you to our 500 Power BI user group leaders who connect passionate data enthusiasts across the world every day.

    Thank You and See You at the Celebration!

    Thank you for 10 amazing years!  We can’t wait to celebrate with you and look ahead to the next decade of innovation, and we’re thrilled to continue this journey with all of you. As we like to say: empower yourself, empower others, and let’s keep turning data into insights and action—together. Happy 10th birthday Power BI!

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor secures additional federal flooding assistance – Federal resources and funding available for Lincoln County response   

    Source: US State of New Mexico

    SANTA FE – The state of New Mexico today announced that the federal government has issued a Major Disaster Declaration for New Mexico communities damaged by flooding, unlocking federal funds to support response and recovery efforts in Lincoln County. 

    “This federal declaration delivers the action we sought for a community that has shown incredible resilience through repeated disasters.” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “The people of Lincoln County deserve every resource we can provide, and we will continue working until every family and business in New Mexico has fully recovered.”  

    The declaration will make financial assistance available to individuals, households and businesses in Lincoln County with losses or damage caused by the flooding on July 8. Residents can apply for assistance online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. MST.  

    The declaration also approves funding for emergency work and debris removal for Lincoln County. This will come in the form of reimbursement for 75 percent of costs for response operations, emergency work, and debris removal from public property.  

    The state continues to push for additional federal resources for permanent repairs to public infrastructure and to add more counties including Chaves, Otero and Valencia counties.   

    A state Disaster Recovery Center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the ENMU-Ruidoso Annex, 709 Mecham Dr., Ruidoso, N.M. 88345. State disaster case managers are on site, along with representatives from state agencies who can help with FEMA assistance applications, document replacement, insurance questions and other resources. Residents may also call the State Disaster Helpline at 1-833- 663-4736 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or visit the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s website for additional information.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: INTERPOL-led operation dismantles criminal networks behind fake goods

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    8 December 2016

    LYON, France – An INTERPOL-led operation has resulted in police across the Americas dismantling 34 criminal networks involved in the production and distribution of fake and illicit goods worth tens of millions of dollars.

    An INTERPOL-led operation has resulted in police across the Americas dismantling 34 criminal networks involved in the production and distribution of fake  and illicit goods worth tens of millions of dollars.

    “Operation Jupiter provides an opportunity to harmonize our efforts in combating the criminal networks behind counterfeiting and smuggling operations across the region,” said Vicente Romero Fernandez, Director General of the Peruvian National Police.

    With millions of dollars in profits at stake, the criminal groups do not hesitate to use force in defending their networks and operational bases, meaning many of the interventions had to be conducted with support from specialized armed riot forces.

    As part of the INTERPOL-led Operation Jupiter 2016, hundreds of interventions at a range of locations including shops, warehouses and market were made by police and customs across eight countries.

    Food, mobile phones, toys, alcohol and electronic components were among the more than three million fake items worth an estimated USD 93 million seized alongside drugs, guns and ammunition during Operation Jupiter 2016.

    Police and customs officers in Brazil conducted joint operations and checks  in the tri-border area resulting in the seizure of tobacco, medicines, drugs and arms.

    In Chile, police dismantled two illegal workshops, one broadcasting paid TV channels without authorisation and the other counterfeiting music.

    Operation Jupiter 2016 was preceded by a planning meeting and capacity building training course where 40 investigators from nine countries and private sector partners shared intelligence and investigative techniques against counterfeiting and illicit trade.

    More than 650 interventions were made by police and customs officials across eight countries during Operation Jupiter 2016, with nearly 240 individuals arrested or placed under investigation.

    Intelligence gathered by officers in Colombia enabled investigators to identify five criminal groups producing, smuggling and distributing fuel, alcoholic drinks and clothing.

    Information shared via I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure police communications network, during the operation is now being analysed against the Organization’s databases to identify potential links with other criminal networks.

    More than one million items were seized by Peruvian National Police which dismantled 25 illicit workshops producing goods including clothing and drinks.

    More than 650 interventions were made by police and customs officials across eight countries during the two-week (1 – 15 October) Operation Jupiter 2016, with nearly 240 individuals arrested or placed under investigation.

    With millions of dollars in profits being made through smuggling and counterfeiting operations, the criminal groups do not hesitate to use force in defending their networks and operational bases, meaning many of the interventions had to be conducted with support from specialized armed riot forces.

    Food, mobile phones, toys, alcohol and electronic components were among the more than three million fake items worth an estimated USD 93 million seized alongside drugs, guns and ammunition. Information shared via I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure police communications network, during the operation is now being analysed against the Organization’s databases to identify potential links with other criminal networks.

    In Argentina officers intercepted two containers marked as a charitable donation of hospital equipment and supplies, but which also held USD 1 million worth of illegally imported computers, professional film making equipment and drones. Checks of the hospital supplies showed them to be either expired or in poor condition and some containing clinical waste substances posing a serious risk of infection.

    Officers in Brazil seized more than 10,000 illegally imported used car batteries, many of which were improperly stored and leaking sulphuric acid and lead – both carcinogenic substances – into the soil, risking contamination of the local water supply.

    In Chile, police dismantled two illegal workshops, one broadcasting paid TV channels without authorisation and the other counterfeiting music. In Colombia, intelligence gathered during the operation led to the identification of five criminal groups involved in the production and smuggling of fuel, clothes, alcohol and food.

    Officials in Paraguay identified and shut down an illicit tobacco factory and Peruvian National Police dismantled a total of 25 workshops producing a range of illicit goods including clothing, soft drinks, alcohol as well as fake designer labels and tags.

    “Operation Jupiter provides an opportunity to harmonize our efforts in combating the criminal networks behind counterfeiting and smuggling operations across the region,” said Vicente Romero Fernandez, Director General of the Peruvian National Police.

    “Peru is committed to tackling this form of criminality and also engaging the public to make them aware that buying fake or illicitly traded goods are not bargains, but potentially life-threatening products which fund organized crime networks,” added Director General Fernandez.

    The operation was preceded by a planning meeting and capacity building training course at INTERPOL’s Regional Bureau in Buenos Aires. The session, supported by the US Patent and Trademark Office, brought together 40 investigators from nine countries and private sector partners to share intelligence and investigative techniques against counterfeiting and illicit trade.

    Countries which took part in Operation Jupiter 2016: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Global corruption in forestry sector worth USD 29 billion a year – INTERPOL report

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    9 December 2016

    LYON, France – An INTERPOL report released on International Anti-Corruption Day underlines the scale of criminal activity tied to the forestry sector and the importance of coordinating anti-corruption efforts to protect forests.
     
    Among its key findings, the report entitled Uncovering the Risks of Corruption in the Forestry Sector estimates that the annual global cost of corruption in the forestry sector is worth some USD 29 billion.
     
    It also found that bribery is reported as the most common form of corruption in the forestry sector. Other forms of corruption include fraud, abuse of office, extortion, cronyism and nepotism.
     
    The report says that criminal networks use corruption and bribe officials to establish ‘safe passage’ for the illegal movement of timber. Criminal groups also exploit these routes to transport other illicit goods such as drugs and firearms.
     
    It includes an example from Peru where the mayor of an important timber trading city was arrested for his involvement in drug trafficking through plywood shipments. The mayor controlled a timber business that had been used to strategically build a logistical network for bribing officials to move illegally harvested timber out of the country.
     
    Using this network, the mayor and other drug traffickers were able to move cocaine hidden in plywood shipments. Upon arrest, police seized assets worth USD 71 million which could not be accounted for.
     
    “By raising awareness and documenting current corruption practices as well as potential solutions, we empower law enforcement officers in the field. This increases the chances of criminals getting caught and is one of the greatest deterrents to corruption,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

    INTERPOL’s report released on International Anti-Corruption Day underlines the scale of criminal activity tied to the forestry sector and the importance of coordinating anti-corruption efforts to protect forests.

    In 2012, INTERPOL launched Project Leaf to counter various aspects of forestry crime, including illegal logging and timber trafficking, and related crimes such as corruption.

    “An international, coordinated response is an essential part of the solution to combat the organized transnational criminal groups involved in forestry crime. Our collective goal must be to turn corruption into a high risk, low profit activity,” added the Head of INTERPOL.

    To this end the key measures that the report recommends include capacity building across the entire law enforcement chain, enhanced financial investigation techniques, and adoption of INTERPOL’s I-24/7 global secure communications network for anti-corruption investigators.

    In 2012, INTERPOL launched Project Leaf to counter various aspects of forestry crime, including illegal logging and timber trafficking, and related crimes such as corruption.

    Under the Project, INTERPOL can issue international notices and alerts on behalf of member countries to request information on, and warn of, the movements and activities of people, vehicles and vessels.
     
    It can also organize national and regional training sessions relevant to forestry crime, including evidence collection, chain-of-custody and operational planning.

    Funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development, Project Leaf works in collaboration with UN Environment to help shape a global response to forestry crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Hagerty Reintroduce Legislation to Punish Foreign Governments that Violate American Trade Agreements

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    Tuberville continues fighting for Alabama-based Vulcan Materials

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in reintroducing the Defending American Property Abroad Act to address the continued aggression from the Mexican government toward Alabama-based Vulcan Materials Company in flagrant violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The senators’ legislation would impose retaliatory prohibitions to deter and punish any nation in the Western Hemisphere that unlawfully seizes American assets, such as the Mexican government’s ongoing attempts to seize Vulcan’s deep-water port in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress.           

    “For years, the Mexican Government has shown undue aggression toward American businesses, primarily Alabama’s Vulcan Materials,” said Sen. Tuberville. “The continued attempts to exploit Vulcan’s operation in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is a disgrace to our longstanding trade agreement with Mexico. The Trump Administration has hit the ground running to prioritize and empower American companies — I look forward to seeing this bill get across the finish line to ensure American companies are fully protected.”

    “I strongly condemn the Mexican government’s threats against Vulcan Materials Company, and I am pleased to see this bipartisan and bicameral rebuke from the United States Senate,” said Sen. Hagerty. “Under the leadership of Mexico’s previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and now the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican government is committing a blatant theft against a major American company and, by extension, the United States itself. No nation should be allowed to bully an American firm without consequences. Our legislation will counter any attempt by the Mexican government to profit from illegal moves to expropriate, nationalize, or otherwise seize U.S. assets.”

    Sens. Tuberville and Hagerty were joined by U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in cosponsoring the legislation. U.S. Congressman August Pfluger (R-TW-11) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    BACKGROUND:

    This legislation would authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prohibit vessels from entering a U.S. port if they previously used a port, land, or infrastructure that had been illegally seized from a U.S. entity by a foreign nation in the Western Hemisphere. It also empowers the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate and respond to foreign governments that deny U.S. companies fair and equal treatment or that have expropriated, nationalized, or seized U.S. assets.

    In May 2022, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) abruptly shut down Vulcan’s operations with false claims that the firm was violating its contract, and since then, the Mexican Government, under AMLO’s direction, has waged an unceasing pressure campaign against Vulcan, including multiple lawsuits and, at times, sending military and law enforcement officers toits facility in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Last year, AMLO announced that he is pushing to designate the port and mine a “Protected Natural Area.”

    The Alabama delegation has been united in advocating for Vulcan in its ongoing dispute with Mexico. Last year, Sens. Tuberville, Britt, Hagerty, and Kaine sent a letter to Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, urging her to take action regarding the Mexican government’s mistreatment of Vulcan Materials Company.

    In 2023, the Alabama delegation met with Mexico’s Ambassador to the U.S. Moctezuma to advocate for Vulcan. In 2022, Sen. Tuberville sent a letter with former Senator Richard Shelby and eight other U.S. senators calling on the Biden-Harris administration to discourage Mexican aggression against American companies with investments or operations in Mexico.

    Sen. Tuberville also spoke in support of Vulcan on the Senate floor earlier this year.

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Guatemala strengthen cooperation to combat smuggling

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    World news story

    UK and Guatemala strengthen cooperation to combat smuggling

    • English
    • Español de América Latina

    The British Embassy held a meeting with the Superintendent of the Guatemalan Tax Administration (SAT) to explore opportunities for collaboration on key issues such as combating smuggling, trade facilitation, and technological innovation in tax collection.

    During the meeting between the British Ambassador, Juliana Correa, and Superintendent Werner Ovalle, priority topics for both nations were discussed, including strengthening institutional capacities to combat smuggling, a problem that affects both tax collection and British companies in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and alcoholic beverages. 

    The United Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to the values of transparency, innovation, and legality, highlighting its experience in using technologies such as open banking to facilitate tax compliance. The SAT was presented with the possibility of collaborating with British companies to explore digital solutions that improve tax collection efficiency.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 23 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 23rd, 2025 Heinrich Releases Statement on Trump Administration Preventing Gallup Indian Medical Center from Providing Health Care to Vulnerable New Mexicans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Reports illustrate how Trump’s Executive Order to “promote efficiency” in federal government forced Gallup Indian Medical Center to halt medical services and lose staff

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to new reporting that details how Trump’s Executive Order to “promote efficiency” is preventing Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) from providing medical services, pushed physicians out, and upended necessary contracts that make the medical center function.

    “I am appalled at Gallup Indian Medical Center’s dismal state. Despite the truly heroic work being done by providers there, burdensome and unnecessary red tape inflicted by the Trump Administration has caused this already overburdened hospital to cut down on essential services.

    “My office has received numerous reports that GIMC has slashed the number of beds available and scaled back maternal care. That’s not okay. If expectant mothers need an ultrasound or experience pregnancy complications overnight, they shouldn’t have to be flown to another facility to receive basic medical services. But that is the state of care right now.

    “I continue to call on President Trump to take immediate action to repeal DOGE’s policies that are crushing this hospital.

    “This facility desperately needs federal investment in a new location. Instead, this Administration is nearly bringing its operations to a halt, undermining Tribal sovereignty, existing federal law, and the government-to-government relationship.

    “The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. These trust and treaty obligations require the federal government to adequately fund and staff IHS hospitals like GIMC.

    “The Trump Administration’s actions are a blatant and unacceptable violation of treaty obligations and must end now.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Get $50 Welcome Bonus, 100x Leverage & No KYC on BexBack – Crypto Futures Trading Simplified

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Bitcoin trades near $120,000 and the crypto market enters a new bull market, holding spot positions may struggle to deliver short-term profits. With the market showing strong upward momentum, investors looking to maximize their returns can turn to BexBack Exchange for a powerful solution. BexBack offers 100x leverage, a 100% deposit bonus, and a $50 welcome bonus for new users, providing traders the tools to seize profitable opportunities. Plus, with no KYC requirements, BexBack ensures a seamless and efficient trading experience.

    Advantages of 100x Leverage Crypto Futures

    1. Amplified Profits: Control large positions with a small amount of capital, capturing more profits from market fluctuations.
    2. Low Capital Requirement: Participate in high-value trades with minimal investment, lowering the entry barrier.
    3. Increased Market Opportunities: Profit quickly from price fluctuations, especially in volatile markets.
    4. High Capital Efficiency: Leverage enables better use of your capital, expanding your investment potential.
    5. Profit from Both Up and Down Markets: Adapt to any market conditions, with opportunities to profit whether the market goes up or down.

    What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

    Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

    Suppose the Bitcoin price is $100,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

    One day later, if the price rises to $105,000, your profit will be (105,000 – 100,000) * 100 BTC / 100,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

    With BexBack’s deposit bonus

    BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

    Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

    How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
    The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform offering up to 100x leverage on futures contracts for BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, XRP, and over 50 other digital assets. Headquartered in Singapore, the platform also operates offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. Like many top-tier exchanges, BexBack holds a U.S. MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 500,000 traders worldwide. The platform accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe, with zero deposit fees and 24/7 multilingual customer support, delivering a secure, efficient, and user-friendly trading experience.

    Why recommend BexBack?

    No KYC Required: Start trading immediately without complex identity verification.

    100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds, double your profits.

    High-Leverage Trading: Offers up to 100x leverage, maximizing investors’ capital efficiency.

    Demo Account: Comes with 10 BTC in virtual funds, ideal for beginners to practice risk-free trading.

    Comprehensive Trading Options: Feature-rich trading available via Web and mobile applications.

    Convenient Operation: No slippage, no spread, and fast, precise trade execution.

    Global User Support: Enjoy 24/7 customer service, no matter where you are.

    Lucrative Affiliate Rewards: Earn up to 50% commission, perfect for promoters.

    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Another Opportunity!

    If you missed the previous crypto bull run, this could be your chance. With BexBack’s 100x leverage and 100% deposit bonus and $50 bonus for new users , you can be a winner in the new bull run.

    Sign Up Now on BexBack — Break the 100x Leverage and KYC Barriers, Get Double Deposit Bonus and $50 Welcome Bonus Instantly

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a16aa38f-cdae-425e-996c-2648e82d5ef0

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ad5a331-aa57-4f0b-ab21-b87061191568

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/12f8df3a-75b9-480f-affd-fd9829799b27

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84422ec5-b03f-4214-bcd7-94d2ec100652

    The MIL Network –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Get $50 Welcome Bonus, 100x Leverage & No KYC on BexBack – Crypto Futures Trading Simplified

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Bitcoin trades near $120,000 and the crypto market enters a new bull market, holding spot positions may struggle to deliver short-term profits. With the market showing strong upward momentum, investors looking to maximize their returns can turn to BexBack Exchange for a powerful solution. BexBack offers 100x leverage, a 100% deposit bonus, and a $50 welcome bonus for new users, providing traders the tools to seize profitable opportunities. Plus, with no KYC requirements, BexBack ensures a seamless and efficient trading experience.

    Advantages of 100x Leverage Crypto Futures

    1. Amplified Profits: Control large positions with a small amount of capital, capturing more profits from market fluctuations.
    2. Low Capital Requirement: Participate in high-value trades with minimal investment, lowering the entry barrier.
    3. Increased Market Opportunities: Profit quickly from price fluctuations, especially in volatile markets.
    4. High Capital Efficiency: Leverage enables better use of your capital, expanding your investment potential.
    5. Profit from Both Up and Down Markets: Adapt to any market conditions, with opportunities to profit whether the market goes up or down.

    What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

    Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

    Suppose the Bitcoin price is $100,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

    One day later, if the price rises to $105,000, your profit will be (105,000 – 100,000) * 100 BTC / 100,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

    With BexBack’s deposit bonus

    BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

    Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

    How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
    The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform offering up to 100x leverage on futures contracts for BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, XRP, and over 50 other digital assets. Headquartered in Singapore, the platform also operates offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. Like many top-tier exchanges, BexBack holds a U.S. MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 500,000 traders worldwide. The platform accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe, with zero deposit fees and 24/7 multilingual customer support, delivering a secure, efficient, and user-friendly trading experience.

    Why recommend BexBack?

    No KYC Required: Start trading immediately without complex identity verification.

    100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds, double your profits.

    High-Leverage Trading: Offers up to 100x leverage, maximizing investors’ capital efficiency.

    Demo Account: Comes with 10 BTC in virtual funds, ideal for beginners to practice risk-free trading.

    Comprehensive Trading Options: Feature-rich trading available via Web and mobile applications.

    Convenient Operation: No slippage, no spread, and fast, precise trade execution.

    Global User Support: Enjoy 24/7 customer service, no matter where you are.

    Lucrative Affiliate Rewards: Earn up to 50% commission, perfect for promoters.

    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Another Opportunity!

    If you missed the previous crypto bull run, this could be your chance. With BexBack’s 100x leverage and 100% deposit bonus and $50 bonus for new users , you can be a winner in the new bull run.

    Sign Up Now on BexBack — Break the 100x Leverage and KYC Barriers, Get Double Deposit Bonus and $50 Welcome Bonus Instantly

    Website: www.bexback.com

    Contact: business@bexback.com

    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a16aa38f-cdae-425e-996c-2648e82d5ef0

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ad5a331-aa57-4f0b-ab21-b87061191568

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/12f8df3a-75b9-480f-affd-fd9829799b27

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84422ec5-b03f-4214-bcd7-94d2ec100652

    The MIL Network –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Manchester Day this weekend – everything you need to know!

    Source: City of Manchester

    Manchester’s favourite day of the year is back this weekend with a fantastic day of free music-themed family fun on Saturday (26 July) to help celebrate the city’s homegrown musical talent and this year’s big summer of live music in the city.

    Inspired by what is proving to be a sensational summer of music in Manchester, expect pop-up performances, astounding acrobatics and banging beats throughout the city’s streets and squares as the whole city comes together for Manchester Day 2025.

    The council has worked with outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank on a programme for the day this year that is full of surprises and promises lots of free fun all with a musical twist.

    The day kicks off with a mini parade at 12 noon from St Peter’s Square, that will make its way along Deansgate and on to the Cathedral.  Led by two fantastical creatures, and with over 400 participants, including live bands, dancing birds, plenty of drummers and some of Manchester’s many community groups dancing and performing their way along the route in a riot of colour and sound, it’s definitely one not to miss.

    From English National Opera and Walk the Plank teaming up with football fans and community choirs, West End show tunes, juggling drummers, a hip-hop wrestling ring, plus two musical cats and a larger-than-life canary all in a giant birdcage, the day will see non-stop surprises throughout. 

    Expect sparks to fly as the world’s largest dhol drum rolls into town, opening up to reveal dancers and drummers, whilst award-winning dance company Levantes will be dressed to impress at their ‘High Tea with a Twist’, in New Cathedral Street. 

    Throw some shapes and bust some moves over on the Deansgate dancefloor where Moroccan trance music and Bhangra dance will be the order of the day, whilst French street theatre company Stoptoï will be combining dance, drumming and juggling in a brand-new, high-energy show on St Mary’s Gate.

    Enjoy music and performance from some of Manchester’s finest groups including the Bridgewater Hall Singers, or kick back and relax with a drink at the Capri Beach bar, before having a wander around one of the city-wide music trails, exploring Manchester’s musical heritage and hotspots. 

    Don’t miss the Perfect Pitch Three O’clock Kick-off, or the show-stopping grand finale in Cathedral Gardens combining opera singing and football chants at 4:30 pm in Cathedral Gardens, where a main stage will feature a fantastic programme of music throughout the day, The Urban Playground Team will perform Zoo Humans, a parkour performance piece that blends movement and storytelling.

    The day will also see a whole host of free have-a-go activities for youngsters of all ages to join in with from circus skills, drumming workshops, and ukulele introduction sessions, to music-themed craft activities and the ever-popular sport pop-ups.

    Manchester Day visitors are also invited this year to join Manchester Opera House for an exclusive free behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic venue, with the chance also to take part in special performance-themed workshops, or to try their hand at crafting band posters from recycled show posters.

    And don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled throughout the day for a majestic lion, a cheeky gorilla, giant seagulls and a host of marvellous bees and butterflies – just a few of the weird and wonderful walkabout acts waiting to surprise people on the day.

    Councillor Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day, said: “We’ve got a fantastic Manchester Day lined up for everyone this year which is going all out to celebrate the music our city and our fabulous communities make.  We’ve got an absolute ton of stuff going on for families and people of all ages on Manchester’s favourite day of the year. So shake your maracas, slip on your dancing shoes, prepare to make some noise, and come on down and join us!”

    Manchester Day has been created in collaboration with outdoor arts specialists Walk the Plank who have also worked with community groups across the city to put together what is set be a vibrant and lively mini parade.

    Liz Pugh, Creative Producer, Walk the Plank, said: “The mini parade celebrates the wonderful creativity and diverse traditions of our modern city and highlights the contribution of some of our newest communities.  We’re bringing the talents of some of Manchester’s finest carnival artists, and will be welcoming back groups like Keep Manchester Tidy and the School of Samba, as well as some exciting newcomers.”

    Manchester Day 2025 is sponsored by Manchester Airport Group, with activations across the city on the day by Red Bull, Capri Beach Club, Shaken Udder, Just My Look, Manchester Originals, and The Cut & Craft.  The event is also backed by Redgate and Department, and partners Great Northern Warehouse and The Opera House, as well as through long-standing partnerships with Biffa and Manchester Evening News.

    Activities run throughout the day on Saturday 26 July from 12 noon to 5 pm.

    Here’s the full lowdown on what’s happening and where throughout the day:

    MINI PARADE
    Fantastical winged creatures, a Phoenix, and beautiful birds of paradise will feature in this year’s mini parade which involves over 20 community groups and bands and more than 400 participants.

    Two playful inflatable Griffins will lead the parade whilst the Queen Bee sits atop her Gondola made from recycled cutlery, repurposed into a beautiful vessel that sails through the streets, and Walk the Plank’s giant Dhol Drum beats out Punjabi rhythms as it makes its way along Deansgate.

    Dancers from the Filipino Anglo Club of Greater Manchester and Colibri Dance bring the traditions of the Philipines and Mexico to Manchester, whilst the Hong Kong Cultural community takes part for the first time with a Phoenix kite-bird and Lo Ting a character who is half-human, half-fish and according to legend is the ancestor of Hong Kong’s people.

    Manchester’s Lithuanian Association will be bringing a Lithuanian legend to life with their Queen of Serpents who changed her children into trees, and the Guangxi Cultural Association will be performing traditional Chinese dance in full costumes.

    Parade highlights also include Manchester Airport Group with their planes, traffic controllers, and dancing chandeliers, and more dance from Ad Hoc Dance, one of the longest running community dance groups, as well as hip hop from young street dancers from FreshSkillz.

    With the Irish pipes of Fiana Phadraig Pipe Band from Wythenshawe, drummers from the Manchester Dhol Players, the Brazilian-inspired brass of Jubacana, two samba bands, and singers from the Perfect Pitch collaboration with English National Opera, it promises to be a loud and lively start to the day. 

    The mini parade leaves St Peter’s Square at 12 noon, travelling along Peter Street to Deansgate, then along the length of Deansgate before ending at the Cathedral at approximately 1 pm.

    CATHEDRAL GARDENS
    Enjoy main stage performances from Baked a la Ska, who will be serving up original tunes along with playful ska-infused covers of your favourite hits, alongside synth pop star Michael Aldag and world music from Manchester International Roots Orchestra.Be transported to the sunny shores of the Caribbean by steel band, Arthur’s Class Act.

    The Urban Playground Team will perform Zoo Humans, a parkour performance piece that blends movement and storytelling. Keep your eyes peeled for a surprise performance later on it the afternoon.

    Plus listen out for chart-topping hits played on ukuleles and a stunning PERFECT PITCH mass choir finale from 4:25 pm featuring football fans, community choirs, internationally acclaimed soprano Camilla Kerslake and some extra surprises. 

    Look out also for pop-up performances from Cocky Robins, beautiful Butterflies, Giant Seagulls, and a pair of post-match footballers who aren’t afraid of getting down in the dirt and a Three o’clock kick-off penalty shoot-out like no other.

    ST ANN’S SQUARE
    Join us in our wrestling ring stage – hosted by Trans Creative’s Kate O’Donnell – for West End showtunes from Sam Buttery, mind boggling magic from Fay Presto, music from rapper OneDa, an acoustic performance from viral sensation Michael Aldag, and opera with a twist from Flat Pack Music, plus hula hooper extraordinaire Danielle de la Wonk, and wrestling demos from Future Shock Pro Wrestling, 

    Marvel at the larger-than-life Birdcage Stage where a giant canary and two musical cats will defy the laws of gravity to try and outwit each other in cartoon capers full of slapstick silliness. Who will end up inside the cage at the end?
    And look out for a lion on the loose and a mischievous stowaway from Borneo.

    DEANSGATE
    Watch the mini parade snake its way along Deansgate between 12 noon and 1 pm, led by two giant fantastical griffins, followed by live bands, dancing birds, drummers and some of Manchester’s many community groups in a riot of colour and sound.

    Marvel as sparks fly when the world’s largest dhol drum rolls into town, opening up to reveal the Nachda Sansaar dancers and drummers.

    Get on down to live acts on the Deansgate dancefloor, including Moroccan trance music, Bhangra dance, Kemoy and the KYSO Collective, and the Soul Beats dance troupe.

    Seasoned cyclists or complete beginners are all invited to join the Manchester Day Pedal Party. Hop onto a balance bike, try out an e-cargo bike, or test a top of the range road bike. There’ll also be accessible, adapted bikes that can be ridden.

    NEW CATHEDRAL STREET
    New Cathedral Street will be alive with the sound of music, as the Bridgewater Hall Singers serenade crowds with songs from across the decades, and ukulele orchestras play chart-topping hits.

    Enjoy High Tea with a Twist with Levantes Dance, who will be dressed to impress and performing daring dance and acrobatics above a tastefully laid tea table, plus hilarious street theatre heroes delivering a sizzling mix of slapstick comedy, and the world’s only mobile football stadium.

    MARKET STREET
    Visit Circus House to learn a whole new set of circus skills.

    Discover the finest regional produce at the Manchester Day Craft Market by Manchester Markets, selling everything from home-made bakes and locally sourced honey, to hand dipped candles and artisan doughnuts.

    ST MARY’S GATE
    Don’t miss French street theatre company Stoptoï combine dance, drumming and juggling in a high-energy show full of rhythm and imagination.

    Get your blood pumping at the 60m, pop up athletic track supplied by GLL, or dive into the fast and furious world of The Hundred, a turbo charged version of traditional test cricket.

    Try batting, bowling, and catching in a special area, meet players from Manchester Originals, and be in with the chance of winning prizes.

    Enjoy astounding acrobatic performances and master a new skill with the folks from Circus House.  

    OPERA HOUSE 
    Take a free, guided, behind-the-scenes tour of this iconic Manchester venue on Quay Street, craft a band poster from recycled show posters, or take part in a performance themed workshop.

    KING STREET
    King Street turns into Guitar Street as the Music for the Senses art trail takes over the city centre, with amazing artworks and interactive installations that celebrate Manchester’s legendary music scene. In association with Wild in Art.

    EXCHANGE STREET
    Make some noise with Manchester Libraries and craft a harmonica or tambourine to take home.  

    MCR LIVE ’25 HUB
    Roll with it at the city’s newest destination on Piccadilly Gardens to help celebrate the mammoth summer of live music in Manchester.

    Grab a drink at the bar, sample some of the North West’s best street food or catch a free DJ or live music act on the outdoor stage. 

    Locations and activities may be subject to change. Find out the most up-to-date information 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Congress has a chequered history of overseeing US intelligence and national security

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Luca Trenta, Associate Professor in International Relations, Swansea University

    Tonya Ugoretz, a top FBI intelligence analyst, was placed on administrative leave in June. The FBI has not said why. But the decision came around the time she refused to endorse what was reportedly a thinly sourced report accusing China of interfering in the 2020 US presidential election in favour of Joe Biden.

    At the Bureau, loyalty tests and polygraph checks have also allegedly become routine as part of a crackdown on news leaks. When approached by the New York Times about the matter, the FBI declined to comment and cited “personnel matters and internal deliberations”.

    The situation does not seem to be much different at the CIA. In May, agency director John Ratcliffe ordered a review of the intelligence community’s earlier conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign on behalf of Donald Trump. The conclusion, Ratcliffe contends, was unwarranted and imposed by political pressure – a claim that has been rejected by one of the report’s leading authors.

    The intelligence community has reportedly also been under pressure to substantiate Trump’s claims that the recent military strikes on Iran had obliterated its nuclear sites. This is despite mixed evidence regarding the extent of their success. These examples suggest a growing politicisation of intelligence and national security in the US.

    Researchers and observers have highlighted the detrimental effect of this process. When intelligence is conducted by ideologues that are screened for loyalty, it often becomes more about pleasing the leader than collecting accurate information and preventing failure.

    Less attention has been paid to the permissive attitude of Congress. Many Republicans in Congress have taken an unquestioning attitude toward the claims made by the president and other officials, allowing intelligence agencies to pursue Trump’s agenda unimpeded.

    While Trump and Patel’s focus on personal loyalty when it comes to intelligence is new, partisan influence in congressional oversight is not. In fact, Congress has a long history of supporting the intelligence priorities of the governing administration.

    For much of the cold war, Congress was not involved – and did not want to be involved – in matters of intelligence. This view was expressed by former CIA legal counsel, Walter Pforzheimer, during an interview in 1988. Reflecting on the early days of oversight, he stated: “It wasn’t that we were attempting to hide anything. Our main problem was we couldn’t get them [Congress] to sit still and listen.”

    This quote isn’t entirely true. In research from 2023, I showed that Congress was more involved than was generally believed. The US-backed 1954 coup in Guatemala, which deposed the democratically elected president, Jacobo Árbenz, is a case in point. Leading members of Congress were “in the know” and others pushed Dwight Eisenhower’s administration to be even more aggressive.

    But Congress took on a more active role in intelligence matters in the 1970s. Following a series of public revelations about the CIA’s behaviour, a select committee was established in 1975 and exposed abuses by intelligence agencies including the surveillance of US citizens, experiments with drugs and involvement in assassinations.

    In the wake of this, Congress established intelligence committees with oversight duties. The idea was that the CIA would present a document signed by the president to notify congressional committees of its intentions.

    However, the system ran into trouble in the 1980s, and partisanship and politicisation were part of the story. The Ronald Reagan administration’s support for the “contra” rebels in Nicaragua made intelligence a matter of severe partisan conflict.

    Removing Nicaragua’s government

    When Reagan took office in 1981, one of the primary foreign policy priorities for his administration was removing the Sandinista National Liberation Front from power in Nicaragua. The administration saw the Sandinistas as a threat to the region and – in Reagan’s black-and-white thinking – as puppets of Communist Moscow and Havana.

    The administration sought to convince Congress that its aims were limited. The aim, or so CIA director William Casey told the intelligence committees, was to obstruct the transfer of weapons from Nicaragua to neighbouring El Salvador. Another left-wing guerrilla movement, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, was threatening the US-supported government there.

    Initially, the policy received bipartisan support in Congress. The linchpin of this policy was the creation of an insurgent group in Nicaragua called the contras (contrarevolucionarios). It was made up of members of the previous regime’s brutal national guard, as well as other groups that had become disgruntled with the Sandinistas.

    Nicaraguan contras, who fought against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua during the 1980s.
    Tiomono / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

    News stories soon made clear that the size of the contra army had radically expanded, from the 500 members discussed by Casey in his initial briefing to thousands. The contras’ stated goal of overthrowing the Sandinistas, which they ultimately failed to do, also contradicted the earlier Reagan administration’s statements to Congress.

    Democrats in Congress pushed the leadership of intelligence committees to curtail the administration’s activities. Edward Boland, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, penned and helped to pass two amendments. The first prohibited any US government support for the purpose of overthrowing the Nicaraguan government.

    When the administration found loopholes to circumvent this, Boland’s second amendment prohibited any US funds from being spent in support of the contras. This amendment is generally understood as a first step towards the so-called Iran-Contra scandal.

    The Reagan administration illegally funded the contras behind Congress’s back by using the proceeds from secret arms sales to Iran – a state the US had been at loggerheads with since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

    The Boland amendments also helped make an intelligence and covert operations issue a matter of public debate and – more importantly – congressional votes. Republicans in Congress abandoned their oversight duties and followed the administration’s guidelines.

    Votes on contra aid became an opportunity for partisan controversy, vitriolic attacks, accusations of betrayal and large-scale influence campaigns. Instead of oversight, a deep partisan divide materialised.

    Counting on Congress? Think again

    The role of Congress is to conduct oversight. It is the role of the governing administration to keep Congress informed of intelligence matters, particularly covert operations. History shows this has often been hard to achieve.

    Congress has been complacent, complicit and often too willing to follow the government’s lead. In some cases, Congress has acted but primarily in the aftermath of major scandals or media revelations. This is called “firefighting” behaviour.

    But “firefighters” seem to now be in short supply. As much as domestic constraints on Trump’s power are decreasing, the same is happening in the context of intelligence and foreign policy.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Luca Trenta received funding from British Academy Grant SRG21211237.

    – ref. Congress has a chequered history of overseeing US intelligence and national security – https://theconversation.com/congress-has-a-chequered-history-of-overseeing-us-intelligence-and-national-security-261120

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican national sentenced to over 11 years for importing nearly $8 million in methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old resident of Camargo, Mexico, has been sentenced to federal prison for importing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Cesar Alejandro Saavedra-Garcia pleaded guilty Feb. 28.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Saavedra to serve 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Saavedra-Garcia played an integral role in smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the large amount of meth found in Saavedra-Garcia’s vehicle and the fact that he had admitted to transporting narcotics previously. 

    On Dec. 17, 2024, Saavedra-Garcia arrived at the Sarita Border Patrol Checkpoint and claimed he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle. 

    However, at secondary inspection, a K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. A subsequent search revealed 112 bricks of methamphetamine hidden in compartments near the vehicle’s cargo bed. 

    The drugs weighed approximately 109 kilograms and had an estimated street value of nearly $7.7 million. 

    At the time of his plea, Saavedra-Garcia admitted he knew he was smuggling narcotics into the United States. 

    Saavedra-Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore Parran and Avery Benitez prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal alien pleads guilty to leading smuggling organization involving transportation of over 100 persons

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 40-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has admitted to an alien smuggling conspiracy and illegal reentry into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    The investigation revealed Edgar Ruiz-Briones arranged transportation and coordinating trips for illegal aliens coming over the southern border with Mexico. Ruiz-Briones was the leader of the smuggling organization, recruiting drivers from as far away as Kansas to come to the Rio Grande Valley.

    Drivers would communicate directly with Ruiz-Briones to set up the trips, give updates on progress and set meeting spots for drop-offs in Houston after successful smuggling operations. They would pick up illegal aliens from different stash houses and transport them to Houston, where they met with Ruiz-Briones before going further into the United States. 

    Ruiz-Briones handled payments from the aliens to come into the United States and payments to the drivers he recruited. 

    Over the course of the 18-month conspiracy, Ruiz-Briones arranged for over 100 aliens to enter, remain and be transported further into the United States.

    An illegal alien himself, having been removed from the United States on multiple occasions, he also pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States from Mexico and remaining here in violation of the law.

    U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will impose sentencing Oct. 30. At that time. Ruiz-Briones faces up to 10 years in federal prison for the alien smuggling conspiracy and 20 years for illegally re-entering the United States.

    Ruiz-Briones has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith is prosecuting the case.

    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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Puerto Rican Man Sentenced to 137 Months in Prison for Cocaine Smuggling

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. THOMAS – Acting U.S. Attorney Adan F. Sleeper announced today that Brian Santiago
    Gonzalez, 25, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced on July 1, 2025, by Chief District Judge Robert A.
    Molloy to 137 months’ imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to
    one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine on December 9, 2024.
     

    According to court documents, on March 29, 2022, Brian Santiago Gonzalez and co-defendant
    Wesly Albert Amaro were stopped in the waters near Savanah Island, just west of St. Thomas,
    USVI. At approximately 4:00 a.m., the United States Coast Guard (USCG) detected a vessel
    operating without navigation lights traveling at a high rate of speed from Culebra, PR towards
    Hendrick Bay, St. Thomas. Customs and Boarder Protection Air and Marine (AMO) vessels
    responded as the USCG provided updates on the vessel’s location. AMO agents located the lightsout
    vessel using radar and attempted a stop. The vessel fled while the two men onboard jettisoned
    bags overboard. The vessel would not heave to, so AMO agents disabled the vessel’s engine.
    During the chase, AMO agents marked the locations where duffle bags were discarded from the
    vessel. Upon returning to the marked areas, AMO agents recovered three duffel bags containing
    79 kilograms of cocaine.
     

    Wesly Albert Amaro was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised
    release on August 18, 202, following his guilty plea.
    CBP-AMO, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations
    investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne prosecuted the case.
     

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
    OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten
    the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional
    information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pfluger, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Protect American Assets From Unlawful Seizure by Foreign Governments

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

    WASHINGTON, DC — As first reported in The Blaze, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) and Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07) reintroduced critical bipartisan, bicameral legislation to protect American companies operating abroad. The Defending American Property Abroad Act would impose retaliatory prohibitions to deter and punish any nation in the Western Hemisphere that unlawfully seizes American assets.

    The need for this legislation has been exemplified by the Mexican government’s ongoing efforts to seize a deep-water port owned by U.S.-based Vulcan Materials Company, which is in direct violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) governing trade between our two nations. This violation poses a direct threat to American economic interests.

    Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

    “American companies operating abroad should not have to fear arbitrary government actions that undermine their property rights,” said Rep. Pfluger. “The Defending American Property Abroad Act will ensure that such actions do not go unchecked and that American businesses are protected from unjust expropriation. The protection of American property rights abroad is essential for fostering economic growth and maintaining our national security. I urge my colleagues in Congress to support this critical legislation and send a clear message that the United States will not tolerate unjust actions against American companies.”

    “U.S.-based companies with operations overseas should be able to conduct business without the fear of any government asserting any wrongful actions against employees or property,” said Congresswoman Sewell. “The Defending Americans Abroad Act will ensure that the United States has the ability to thwart any threats to both national security and economic endeavors.”

    “I strongly condemn the Mexican government’s threats against Vulcan Materials Company, and I am pleased to see this bipartisan and bicameral rebuke from the United States Senate,” said Senator Hagerty. “Under the leadership of Mexico’s previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and now the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican government is committing a blatant theft against a major American company and, by extension, the United States itself. No nation should be allowed to bully an American firm without consequences. Our legislation will counter any attempt by the Mexican government to profit from illegal moves to expropriate, nationalize, or otherwise seize U.S. assets.”

    “The Mexican government’s unfair targeting of Vulcan Materials Company, a U.S.-based company that employs over 1,000 people in Virginia, is harmful to the relationship between our two countries and severely undermines investor confidence,” said Senator Kaine. “That’s why I’m joining my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to deter the illegal seizure of U.S. assets.”

    Key provisions of the bill include:

    ·     Prohibiting trade partners in the Western Hemisphere from engaging in certain activities, such as docking vessels and importing goods, if they have expropriated or otherwise seized property owned by American entities.

    ·     Expanding Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to treat property expropriation as an unreasonable trade practice

    ·     Empowering the President to implement and enforce prohibitions against offending countries

    ·     Mandating publication of prohibited property designations in the Federal Register

    The bill is co-sponsored in the House by Representatives David Rouzer (NC-07), Aaron Bean (FL-04), Dale Strong (AL-05), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Mike Collins (GA-10), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), John Carter (TX-31), Addison McDowell (NC-06), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Buddy Carter (GA-01), Barry Moore (AL-01), Gary Palmer (AL-06), Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), Craig Goldman (TX-12), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), John McGuire (VA-05), Tim Moore (NC-14), Tim Burchett (TN-02), Morgan Luttrell (TX-08), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Thomas Kean (NJ-07), John Rutherford (FL-05), Ben Cline (VA-06), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Shomari Figures (AL-02), and Greg Steube (FL-17).

    The bill is co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).

    Read the full text of the legislation here.

    Background:

    In May 2022, then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) abruptly shut down Vulcan Materials Company’s operations with false claims that the firm was violating its contract, and his government subsequently waged an unceasing pressure campaign against Vulcan, including multiple lawsuits and sending military and law enforcement to its facilities.

    In December 2023, Rep. Pfluger led a bipartisan letter to the Mexican Ambassador demanding answers about Mexico’s actions against the American company.

    Earlier this year, Rep. Pfluger also led a letter commending President Trump’s commitment to this issue by protecting American industries and jobs, which was first reported in The Blaze.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chile Strengthens National Cancer Control, Views Expansion of Radiopharmaceutical Production

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    The imPACT team of 13 international experts reviewed cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, as well as nuclear and radiation medicine safety. For the first time, the imPACT review also included radiopharmaceutical production.

    The assessment underlined Chile’s achievements in cancer control, including universal health coverage, the adoption of latest technologies and a highly trained health workforce sustained by strong academic institutions.

    At the same time, the team identified opportunities for improvement, such as strengthening governance and coordination mechanisms for cancer control, reducing waiting times, increasing access in underserved regions, and enhancing national cancer surveillance and information systems.

    Chile has a well-established national governance structure for cancer control, which includes the Child and Adolescent Cancer Plan 2023-2028 and the Adult Action Plan for the National Cancer Plan 2022-2027.  

    “Chile’s cancer control strategy is rooted in inclusive and participatory processes. The involvement of stakeholders from across ministries, academia and civil society is essential to address the most pressing challenges,” said Bernardo Martorell Guerra, Vice Minister of Healthcare Networks at MINSAL.

    The country is seeking to expand cancer control activities, including enhanced infectious disease control, addressing risk behaviours such as tobacco use and expanding access to radiation medicine.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Chile Strengthens National Cancer Control, Views Expansion of Radiopharmaceutical Production

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

    The imPACT team of 13 international experts reviewed cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, as well as nuclear and radiation medicine safety. For the first time, the imPACT review also included radiopharmaceutical production.

    The assessment underlined Chile’s achievements in cancer control, including universal health coverage, the adoption of latest technologies and a highly trained health workforce sustained by strong academic institutions.

    At the same time, the team identified opportunities for improvement, such as strengthening governance and coordination mechanisms for cancer control, reducing waiting times, increasing access in underserved regions, and enhancing national cancer surveillance and information systems.

    Chile has a well-established national governance structure for cancer control, which includes the Child and Adolescent Cancer Plan 2023-2028 and the Adult Action Plan for the National Cancer Plan 2022-2027.  

    “Chile’s cancer control strategy is rooted in inclusive and participatory processes. The involvement of stakeholders from across ministries, academia and civil society is essential to address the most pressing challenges,” said Bernardo Martorell Guerra, Vice Minister of Healthcare Networks at MINSAL.

    The country is seeking to expand cancer control activities, including enhanced infectious disease control, addressing risk behaviours such as tobacco use and expanding access to radiation medicine.

    MIL OSI NGO –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the nature of environmental law is changing in defense of the planet and the climate

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Dana Zartner, Professor of International Studies, University of San Francisco

    A 2017 New Zealand law recognizes inherent rights of the Whanganui River. Jason Pratt, CC BY-SA

    While the dangerous effects of climate change continue to worsen, legal efforts to address a range of environmental issues are also on the rise.

    Headlines across the globe tout many of these legal actions: South Korea’s Climate Law Violates Rights of Future Generations; Ukraine is Ground Zero in Battle for Ecocide Law; Paris Wants to Grant the River Seine Legal Personhood; and Montana Court Rules Children Have the Right to a Healthy Environment, to name a few recent examples.

    As an environmental lawyer, I see that most of these suits use one of five legal strategies that have been developed over the past couple of decades. These approaches vary in terms of who is filing the lawsuit, against whom, and whether the underlying legal perspective is based on protecting human rights or the rights of the environment itself. But they all share an innovative approach to protect all life on this planet.

    1. Right to a healthy environment

    In 2022, the United Nations declared that humans have “the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment … essential to protecting human life, well-being and dignity.” More than 150 countries have similar declarations in their constitutions or laws, often alongside protections for other human rights, such as those to education and medical care.

    These rights are held by humans, so people can sue for alleged violations. Typically they sue one or more government agencies, whose responsibility it is to protect human rights.

    One recent case using this approach was Held v. Montana, in which a group of young people in 2024 won a lawsuit against the state of Montana for violating the state constitution’s right to a “clean and healthful environment.” The state Supreme Court agreed with the plaintiffs and struck down a law barring the consideration of climate effects when evaluating proposals for fossil fuel extraction. Similar cases have been heard in the U.S. and other countries around the world.

    Rikki Held, the lead plaintiff in the Montana case, center seated, confers with the Our Children’s Trust legal team before the start of the trial on June 12, 2023.
    William Campbell/Getty Images

    2. The rights of future generations

    A legal concept called “intergenerational equity” is the idea that present generations must “responsibly use and conserve natural resources for the benefit of future generations.” First codified in international law in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, the principle has been gaining popularity in recent decades. International organizations and national governments have enshrined this principle in law.

    Focused on humans’ rights, these laws allow people and groups to bring claims, usually against governments, for allowing activities that are altering the environment in ways that will harm future generations. One well-known case that relied on this legal principle is Future Generations v. Ministry of the Environment and Others, in which a Colombian court in 2018 agreed with young people who had sued, finding that the Colombian government’s allowance of “rampant deforestation in the Amazon” violated the pact of intergenerational equity.

    3. Government responsibility

    Another human-centered approach is the public trust doctrine, which establishes “that certain natural and cultural resources are preserved for public use” and that governments have a responsibility to protect them for everyone’s benefit.

    While the concept of “public trust” has long existed in the law, recently it has been used to bring suit against governments for their failure to address climate change and other environmental degradation. In Urgenda Foundation v. the State of the Netherlands, a Dutch court held in 2019 that the government has a responsibility to mitigate the effects of climate change due to the “severity of the consequences of climate change and the great risk of climate change occurring.” Since the decision, the Dutch government has sought to reduce emissions by phasing out the use of coal, increasing reliance on renewable energy and aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

    Government responsibility for the public trust was also a basis of the Juliana v. U.S. case, where a group of young people sued the U.S. government for breaching the public trust by not doing enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately declined to hear an appeal of a lower court’s ruling, but the lack of a specific ruling by the nation’s highest court has given continued hope to new cases, which continue to be filed based on the same principle.

    A documentary examining the movement to protect the rights of nature.

    4. Rights of nature

    The rights of nature is one of the fastest-growing environmental legal strategies of the past decade. Since Ecuador recognized the rights of Pachamama, the Quechua name for Mother Earth, in its Constitution in 2008, more than 500 laws on the rights of nature have been enacted around the world.

    The principle recognizes the legal rights of natural entities, such as rivers, mountains, ecosystems or even something as specific as wild rice. The laws that grant these rights don’t focus on humans but rather nature itself, often including language that the natural entity has the right to “exist and persist.”

    The laws then provide a mechanism for the natural entity – whether through a specific group assigned legal guardianship or other community efforts – to protect itself by filing lawsuits in court. In the 2018 Colombian case, the court found that the Amazon ecosystem has rights, which must be respected and protected.

    Similarly, in Bangladesh in 2019 the courts recognized the rights of all the country’s rivers, requiring, among other things, a halt on damaging development along the rivers that block their natural flow. The court also created a commission to serve as legal guardians of the country’s rivers.

    The destruction of a dam in Ukraine, which emptied this former reservoir, is being investigated as a possible crime of ecocide.
    Tarasov/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

    5. Defining a new crime: Ecocide

    In 2024, the governments of Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa formally proposed that the international community recognize a new crime under international law. Called “ecocide,” the principle takes a nature-focused approach and includes any unlawful act committed with “the knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment.”

    Put another way, what genocide is to humans, ecocide is to nature. It is being proposed as an addition to the 2002 Rome Statute, which created the International Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

    While the idea is relatively new, in addition to the international efforts, several countries have incorporated ecocide into their laws – including Vietnam, France, Chile and Ukraine. A Ukrainian prosecutor is currently investigating the June 2023 destruction of a dam in a Russian-occupied area of the country as a potential crime of ecocide, because of the widespread flooding and habitat destruction that resulted.

    The European Union has also incorporated ecocide into its Environmental Crime Directive, which applies to all EU member countries, providing them with a mechanism to hear ecocide claims in their national courts.

    Using these ideas

    Each of these legal concepts has the potential to increase protection for the environment – and the people who live in it. But determining which strategy has the greatest chance of success depends on the details of the existing law and legal system in each community.

    All of these legal strategies have a role in the fight to protect and preserve the environment as an integral, interdependent living thing that is vitally important to us as humans but also in its own right.

    Dana Zartner is a volunteer with the Earth Law Center assisting with the editing of toolkits and guides, but has not worked on any of its lawsuits.

    – ref. How the nature of environmental law is changing in defense of the planet and the climate – https://theconversation.com/how-the-nature-of-environmental-law-is-changing-in-defense-of-the-planet-and-the-climate-258982

    MIL OSI –

    July 24, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Global Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Ministerial opens: Small businesses key constituency in global trade, say South African SME minister, International Trade Centre (ITC) head

    Source: APO


    .

    The inaugural Global SME Ministerial Meeting opened today, marking a milestone in recognizing small and medium-sized enterprises as a key constituency in global trade. 

    The high-level event is co-hosted by the South African Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), with main events taking place on 23-24 July. The Ministerial was preceded by the Trade Promotion Organizations Leadership Dialogue on 22 July, in which heads of national trade promotion organizations developed strategies to better engage with SME ministers to bring the voice of small business into policymaking.

    Watch the livestream of the Ministerial high-level opening.

    More than 700 delegates from more than 60 countries are participating in the Ministerial, including ministers, heads of delegation, heads of national trade promotion organizations, business leaders and entrepreneurs. Ministerial-level delegates convened from across the world, from Bangladesh to Brazil, from Cameroon to Costa Rica, from Senegal to Switzerland, from the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom.  

    In her welcome remarks, South African Minister of Small Business Development Stella Tembisa Ndabeni said: ‘Let this Ministerial Meeting mark the beginning of a bold new global compact for MSME development; one that expands access to markets, unlocks affordable finance, accelerates digital inclusion, and ensures that women, youth and underserved communities are not spectators, but architects of economic transformation.’

    She added: ‘Let us commit to practical, measurable actions that position MSMEs as central pillars of resilience, innovation and sustainability. Let us work towards a global enabling ecosystem, where no entrepreneur is left behind because of where they live, how much they earn, or who they are.’

    In her welcome remarks, ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said: ‘Now, this Ministerial is no talk shop. This is no place for posturing or politics. This is a space for us to marshal our collective knowledge and our energy and find solutions across the three areas that will bring the benefits of trade within reach of more SMEs: access to finance, digital transformation and green competitiveness.’

    Addressing ministerial-level delegates, she said: ‘When you go back to your capitals, your ministries, your cabinet meetings and your meetings with heads of state and government, you’ll be taking back with you concrete solutions, with the evidence to back them up.’

    Expected outcomes include the endorsement of a call-to-action in which countries align on the three main areas that will harness the development of SMEs—access to finance, digital transformation and green competitiveness —and develop a roadmap for future Ministerial Meetings to take place every two years, to ensure discussions produce outcomes for countries. 

    See the latest information on the Ministerial on the Global SME Ministerial Meeting landing page.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.

    MIL OSI Africa –

    July 23, 2025
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